The Classic Theatre’s production of ‘As You Like It’ opens September 9, 2021. Photo: The Classic Theatre of San Antonio.
The Classic Theatre of San Antonio is opening the second season of Theatre in the Rough with ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare. Opening on Thursday, September 9, it will run until Sunday, September 26, 2021. Performed at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, it will be directed by Nick Lawson with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 7:30p.m. with the exception of a performance on Monday, September 20 and no performance on Thursday, September 23. Tickets are available online. (The Classic Theatre of San Antonio, 2021)
‘As You Like It’ – Rosalind’s uncle rises to the throne and she is immediately banished from court. With her best friend and uncle’s daughter Celia by her side, she runs into the forest of Arden for refuge, only to catch the lovesick eye of another banished youth named Orlando. The result is a hilarious conglomeration of cross-dressing, foolery, melodic songs, questionable poetry, and laughs aplenty. Will love always win or are we merely mad? ‘As You Like It’ is an entertaining and touching exploration of life, death, love, family, and the bonds that tie us together.
Cast includes Kacey Roye, Josey Porras, Eddie Morfin Jr., Hunter Wulff, Randee Nelson, Adam Ochoa, Natalie Blackman, and Emit Quintero.
Brownsville’s inaugural collector’s con is happening August 7 and 8 at the Brownsville Event Center. Photo: google
Star-Base Collectors Con is Brownsville’s first ever Collectors Con and is taking place Saturday August 7 and Sunday August 8, 2021. It will combine the sports and pop culture world with guests from both sides of the spectrum – actors and voice actors for the pop culture fans, and sports stars for the sports fans who collect cards and memorabilia. There will also be special meet and greets scheduled. Vendors from all genres will be selling collectibles like Funko Pops, Star Wars figures and vehicles, Marvel Figures and Statues, DC figures and Statues, Anime Statues and figures, Pokémon Cards, Sports Cards, and more. Cosplay is permitted and encouraged. Hope to see everyone at this inaugural event hosted by Kulture Shock Collectibles in Brownsville. (Kulture Shock Collectibles, 2021)
It will be a weekend filled with artists, vendors, cosplayers, celebrities, gaming, contests, and fun for the entire family. Tickets are available online and range from $3 for children for one day to special two day pricing and VIP meet and greet packages. Children 6 years and under get in for free.
August 7 from 10a.m. to 7p.m. August 8 from 10a.m. to 5p.m.
Brownsville Event Center 1 Event Center Blvd Brownsville, TX 78526
Jackson Melnick makes bluegrass-tinged music for the brain on debut LP Abilene. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Colorado songwriter Jackson Melnick has long been aware of the struggles of modern-day farmers in the but seeing the cold hard facts directly inspired his new song “Trouble.” “I was reading about the plight of suicides among farmers in America,” says Melnick. “Farmers have a suicide rate that more than three times that of the general population.” Melnick has seen the isolation many farmers struggle with, as well as seeing society at large becoming less tolerant of the demands of farmers and less aware of where their food comes from. In a beautifully heartbreaking, rollicking melody, he wastes no time getting to the point. “10,000 lives gone like the weather / When are we gonna start treating our farmers better?,” sings Melnick in “Trouble.” Bluegrass Today shared a music video for the song, calling it “an interesting mix of folk and bluegrass, with Dylan-esque songs.” In Melnick’s words, “The music video for the song says it all: digging a hole that’ll be your grave but can’t stop digging for the love of it.” “Trouble” is the first single from Melnick’s debut full-length album Abilene, due out September 24. Fans can watch the video for “Trouble” here and pre-order or pre-save Abilene ahead of its release at this link. (Jackson Melnick, 2021)
Produced by esteemed musician Christopher Henry (Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band), the upcoming Abilene positions Melnick as an important new voice in folk music, and also features accomplished bluegrass musicians such as Jason Carter, Matt Combs, Alex Leach, Tuck Tucker, and Cory Walker. Although the arrangements draw on the traditional sound of Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, among others, Abilene is at heart a songwriter’s record. Across these 10 tracks, Melnick combines his reverence for bluegrass with a lyrical point of view that is both mystical and topical.
After a rousing opener of “John the Revelator,” Melnick moves to the aforementioned “Trouble,” which touches on suicides within the farming communities of the Owens Valley in California. It is an epidemic he learned about while attending nearby Deep Springs College during a period of time when he began to hone his songwriting craft. Later, “South of My Soul” offers a sincere testimony about wishing the best for the other person when a relationship dissolves. Written in the moment, it is a cinematic yet poetic song that explores what it means to forgive and to heal. Truly, these emotional perspectives align well with Melnick’s career as a psychotherapist. “Being a therapist requires a lot of presence and raising consciousness, and I think that’s the kind of songwriter I’m interested in being, too,” he says. “I want to write songs that elevate the space to a higher mind of seeing things. I find that the themes in my music tend to be connected to that experience.”
Growing up in Crested Butte, Colorado, Melnick began meditating when he was 8 years old. Within a few years, he learned to play guitar and started busking—first singing John Denver and Steve Earle songs, then moving toward Dylan classics. Through most of his teenage years he hosted a weekly radio show on a local community station, too. But the most transformative moment may have been when he was 17 years old and saw a video of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on stage. “I was watching them, and I felt like I knew exactly what they were doing, and how they did it. It was a transmission, like, ‘I know how to do that,’” Melnick recalls. “It hit me like a stack of bricks. Then I went to my guitar and I wrote three songs. They just sort of poured out and that was the beginning for me.”
Yet, music is just one component of Melnick’s overall goal. “I’m focused on big-project thinking,” he says, “I don’t want to just be a musician. I want to be working toward the healing of our planet.”
Abilene Track list: John The Revelator Trouble I See You Raghse Zarrat Spirit Mother Abilene San Diego Pt. 2 San Diego South Of My South The Rhythm Has No End
National Tequila Day specials from WB Liquors & Wine. Photo: WB Liquors & Wine
WB Liquors & Wine celebrates Tequila Day with specials on its top-selling tequilas. Tequila Day specials will run at all WB locations from July 19-July 24. (WB Liquors & Wine, 2021)
WB Liquors & Wine is adding sizzling specials to some of their hottest tequilas in celebration of Tequila Day on Saturday, July 24. Tequila started to trend in everyone’s home bar carts during the pandemic in 2020, with its share of liquor sales up 22% over 2019. Plus, while national net spirits sales increased by 15% in Q3 and Q4 of 2020, tequila jumped 80%.
The thirst for tequila continues to grow in 2021, so WB Liquors & Wine is celebrating with the following specials from now through Tequila Day on Saturday, July 24 at all locations.
• $40 Casamigos Blanco 750ML • $30 El Silencio Espadin Mezcal 750ML • $30 Jose Cuervo Tradicional Añejo 750ML • $30 Teremana Tequila Reposado 750ML
Fun fact: Founded by George Clooney and Rande Gerber, Casamigos was the #2 top-selling liquor in 2020 according to Drizly.
WB Liquors has helped Texans across the state celebrate their special occasions for more than 50 years. As a family-owned business, it began with a simple desire: to help customers make the good times even better with convenient locations and an extensive variety of liquor, beer, and wine – along with fast, personalized and expert-level service customers would expect from a neighborhood store. Today, that simple vision still defines their business and it is what keeps customers coming back.
These pastries are delicious, sugar free, and low carb. Photo: Sandra Cruz
I am definitely loving my weekly trips into town to discover the variety of options, from restaurants, to coffee shops and bakeries. Even though I am vegan, I have no dietary restrictions like low-fat or sugar free but I like to keep track of restaurants and shops that cater to people who do to help out friends and family. My next culinary adventure took me to Amor Y Pan in Brownsville. It is listed as a lifestyle market and bakery that sells breads and desserts perfect for keto, paleo and vegan needs but they also have healthy snacking options.
It was not hard to find, it is along Expressway 77 and there is plenty of parking, which I love. This alone will guarantee that I will keep going back time and time again. Located on Suite 16, the inside is smaller than I expected, but they make excellent use of the space available. As you come in, the wall to the right is fitted with shelves stocked with grocery must-haves like granola, protein bars, avocado oil, chips, and dressings. The refrigerated section stocks pre-packaged almond flour and nopal tortillas, which are raw and ready to be cooked, and other food items. What drew my attention were the baked goods on the counter ready to go home with me: keto sandwich thins, tella cookies, cinnamon rolls, honey butter biscuits, and conchitas. Most of them were sold out by the time I got there, but I am guessing that is a positive sign. They are labeled and designated as keto, low carb, paleo, or vegan, whichever the case may be. This is a major plus. On my next trip I will try definitely try their coffee.
Let it be known that I have already been back twice. The first time I bought the almond flour tortillas, the nopal tortillas, the Primal Kitchen avocado oil, and two tella cookies. The second time I decided to sample more of the baked goods, so I bought a carrot cake cupcake, an assortment of cookies, and a piece of cheesecake. Everything is delicious and it is hard to tell that the baked goods are sugar free and low carb. The prices are reasonable considering that it is a health focused business. I spent $36.77 on my first visit.
A big thank you to Karime, the friendly and helpful cashier who patiently answered all my questions and guided my shopping for the day. This gem of a market has an assortment of products geared towards the health-conscious shopper. Next time you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth craving without added sugar or carbs, shop small, shop local, and stop by Amor Y Pan. Save a cookie for me.
Amor y Pan 800 N. Expressway 77/83, Suite 16 Brownsville, TX 78520 (956) 443-0607
Business hours: Monday through Friday 10a.m. to 7p.m. Saturday 10a.m. to 3p.m. Sunday Closed
Matthew Fowler’s stunning label debut The Grief We Gave Our Mother due out September 10, 2021. Photo: google
Some people collect stamps or baseball cards or instruments, but born-and-raised Florida musician Matthew Fowler is well on his way to perfecting the art of collecting memories, displaying them not on a shelf but in musical verse and melody for the world to hear. “I moved to Denver. I quit my job. My grandfather died. I fell in and out of love. I toured all over the place. I spent a month living in Mauritius, the island country off Madagascar where my mom grew up,” says Fowler about the ingredients of his upcoming album The Grief We Gave Our Mother—out September 10 via Signature Sounds Recordings. (Matthew Fowler, 2021)
With Fowler, however, the easy-to-recall memories usually represent something more profound under the surface. For example, “I’m Still Trying,” at its root, is an admission of guilt and a shot at reconciliation with a family grown apart. “I lived with my parents for a long time in-between touring and traveling. Returning back to my childhood home after experiencing so much on tour made me take the time to remember lots of things about my past with a new perspective.” Fowler was named Holler’s New Artist of the Week and spoke with them about his music and more. Listen to “I’m Still Trying” at this link and pre-order or pre-save The Grief We Gave Our Mother ahead of its September 10 release right here.
Written over the course of the past several years, The Grief We Gave Our Mother is indeed a profoundly personal work of self-discovery and introspection, but more than that, it is an ode to growing up and chasing dreams. The result is a record that is at once bold and timid, hopeful and anxious, world-weary and naïve, an honest, revelatory collection all about putting one foot in front of the other and forging a life of purpose, passion, and meaning. “This record is the sound of me finding myself and my place in the world,” Fowler reflects. “It’s about real moments and real stories and real people.”
The Grief We Gave Our Mother Track list: Marianne Been A Lover Reprise Blankets I Fall Away Leaving Home, Looking Back Everything That I Could I’m Still Trying Rest Going Nowhere Cassie Rooftops Beginners
Producer Brian Yuzna presents Tales of Blood Island – serialized horror comics and Tiki-style mugs. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Brian Yuzna, the legendary producer behind the 1985 film adaptation of the zombie horror classic, H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator,® has unveiled a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for a serialized comic book and Tiki-style monster mug line called BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND. Based on a script by writers David Sehring and Mark Cerulli, Yuzna and Drive-In-Sanity Films plan to adapt the comic books for a filmed reboot of the franchise with Tiki-mug tie ins and ancillary merchandise to complement and elevate the promotional and marketing efforts for the production. (Brian Yuzna, 2021)
Inspired by the successful “Blood Island” zombie and creature feature franchise made in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures for the U.S. drive-in market from 1959 through 1970, the comic book incorporates key characters from the original films and more jungle thrills, strange science fiction and fantasy, and over-the-top monsters and gore that were the key ingredients of the Blood Island pictures as well as “Mondo Movies” and exploitation films from that period.
BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND, the comic book, is a movie series in the making with storyboard styling that screams “action” from artist Stephen Sistilli and coloring and lettering from Dexter Weeks. Both Sistilli and Weeks worked on another Tiki-themed comic, Koni Waves for Arcana Comics from 2005 through 2010. The first issue of BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND will be 36-pages in full color with three future issues planned for the initial run of the series. Told in the style of classic cliffhanger serials and tropical tales from Men’s Adventure magazines and pulps, the new comic book features tiki terrors and non-stop monster mayhem, mixing and mashing up myths and folklore from around the world.
To coincide with the release of the comic books, there will also be more “blood in your eye” with a series of “mix-and-match” Tiki-style mugs based on the characters and creatures featured in the original movies and new comics.
The undying, green-blooded zombie, the Beast of Blood, is the first Tiki Monster mug in the line as sculpted by Tiki-fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson, who has held numerous executive titles with Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, Tiki Farm and other theme park and design companies.
BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is a comic book re-boot and re-imagining of the classic Hemisphere Pictures’ Blood Island creature feature franchise directed in the Philippines by Gerardo de Leon and Eddie Romero in the 1960s and 1970s. Romero went on to serve as Associate Producer on Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Like Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, YUZNA’S TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is set during the end of the Vietnam War, somewhere in the South Seas, on a mysterious, primitive island filled with a multitude of monsters and mutants. There, a soldier-of-fortune and an ex-war buddy team up for a top-secret mission to find and exterminate the murderous war criminal, Dr. Akira Lorca, whose mad experiments with evolution and a jungle plant serum, derived from man-eating trees, create a hideous, head-hunting, body-swapping beast that terrorizes the island population by feasting on and appropriating their blood and flesh.
Produced in association with Bauer Pottery, one of the oldest ceramics companies in the United States, the Beast of Blood mug was designed and sculpted by Tiki fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson and is two mugs in one. When stacked, the Beast of Blood Tiki-style mug is approximately 8″ tall. Separated, the Beast’s disembodied head holds approximately 4 ounces of fluid while the Beast’s headless body holds approximately 8 ounces of liquid refreshment. More color glazes and more beasts from the TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND comic books will be coming soon to mix and mash up with their fellow Blood Islander who was first made available, in a limited run, for the legendary Polynesian and tiki-themed Mai-Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for their Hulaween 2020 Drive-In event. The mug proved quite popular and was a sell-out. All new color glazes and “blood splatter” editions will be made available to Kickstarter patrons of the BLOOD ISLAND campaign should it prove successful in reaching its funding goals.
Drive-In-Sanity Films is a production, marketing and distribution company run by David Sehring, a 37-year veteran film, television and creative services executive who has worked for Vestron Home Video, AMC Networks, including Shudder & IFC Midnight, as well as web retailer, Karmaloop. While at AMC, Sehring won an Emmy for the doc Hollywood Rocks The Movies: The 1970s and created AMC’S Monsterfest (Now FearFest). Sehring also launched the first high-definition horror and creature feature channel, Monsters HD. Sehring’s other credits include documentaries on the history of horror, sci-fi & fantasy including Behind The Planet of the Apes; The Alien Saga; The Fly Papers and Tales From The Crypt: From Comic Books To Television, among others.
Erik Shicotte keeps it on the rails with his new EP Miss’ry Pacific. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
With his booming voice bobbing and weaving around fiddle and steel punches and a rollicking train beat, Wisconsin-based singer, songwriter, and ironworker Erik Shicotte does not waste time getting his point across in the first few seconds of Miss’ry Pacific, his brand new EP recently released via Black Country Rock Media. In a six song span, listeners will be greeted with waltzes, train songs, honky tonkers, and country ramblers, on which Shicotte sings with humor and pathos about trains, trucks, and hard-working heroes who hang out around highways, rails, and honky-tonks. Well studied in the art of outlaw-ism, there are echoes of the greats in Shicotte’s songs—Waylon, Willie, Cash, Haggard, and the wit of the late great John Prine, just to name a few—but underneath it all lies a hard-working authenticity that puts him, along with contemporaries like Colter Wall, into a level of legitimacy unobtainable by some of today’s drugstore cowboy songwriters. (Erik Shicotte, 2021)
An ironworker himself, Shicotte travels around the country building fire training towers. He carries his guitar with him everywhere, slinging iron by day and spending nights holed up in hotel rooms with a pen in hand and a song in mind. “I take a lot of pride in keeping genuine to my own damn humor and existence,” he says. “I myself can’t write anything I don’t know, see, feel or believe in. I draw from my experiences and imagination within interpretation.”
For a sneak peek of Miss’ry Pacific, check out this video of Shicotte’s stripped down, pre-pandemic version of the EP’s title track.
Miss’ry Pacific Track list: Miss’ry Pacific Kansas City Niners Flint Silver Die Like A Man
The Faux Pays are set to release debut self-titled album on August 27, 2021. Photo: google
After nearly a decade of making music as The Faux Paws, the eclectic bi-coastal trio are making it official with the release of their debut album The Faux Paws, releasing via Great Bear Records (distribution by Free Dirt Service Co.) The trio’s contagious groove and feel-good melting pot folk music has been honed over ten years of playing together, and is the sound of three close friends—two of which happen to be brothers—who feel a musical kinship that transcends any stylistic limitations. Are there raging fiddle tunes? Saxophone solos? Unrequited love songs? Yes to all of the above, and so much more. One would be hard pressed to find a group of musicians with such interesting backgrounds as The Faux Paws. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand grew up playing contra dance music with their musician mother in the band Great Bear and Chris Miller grew up in Florida where he was enamored with bluegrass and studied jazz before going on to play with Grammy nominated Cajun-country band The Revelers. The ultimate result of their alchemy is a free-wheeling sense of musical exploration on The Faux Paws, out August 27, 2021. Fans can preorder the album here. (The Faux Paws, 2021)
Since meeting in 2012, the trio have toured across North America several times, sometimes under the name The Faux Paws, sometimes as part of other larger ensembles. But due to their commitments to other bands and musical projects, the timing was never right to focus on making The Faux Paws a priority until now. Instead, they took their time learning about different styles of music from one another, and finding where their interests and skills could create unexpected and exciting new sounds. “I love super glossy pop music, and Chris is always pushing more of a jazz influence,” says Noah. “But we all have a strong background in dance music, so almost everything we do has rhythm and groove, and is based around hook and feel.” The Faux Paws flows effortlessly between genres and moods. An upbeat lyrical song like “She’s Not Looking For You” is followed by a technical instrumental, “Guacmaster.” At times, both sides of the coin present; the driving bluegrass-folk “Montauk” is a fine example of that.
It may have taken The Faux Paws ten years to make their debut album, but those years have clearly not gone to waste. Now, with an experimental but cohesive vision, the trio brings together seemingly unrelated musical elements into one joyful and distinctive collection, deeply rooted in the raw humanity of folk dance and music traditions.
Taco Cabana will have $2 margaritas on National Tequila Day. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.
National Tequila Day is around the corner on Saturday, July 24, and whether you like your tequila in a glass or a croissant, frozen or on the rocks, these local businesses have the perfect way to celebrate. For an at-home celebration, Twang is sharing a delicious Cerveza Rosa recipe, while San Antonio staple La Panadería is serving up house blend frozen margaritas in addition to their traditional Tequila Almond Croissants. EVO Entertainment is welcoming movie lovers back to the theaters with seven margarita offerings, and New Braunfels establishments 188 South and Krause’s Café are creating specialty margaritas available for a limited time. (La Panadería, EVO Entertainment, Taco Cabana, Krause’s Café & Biergarten, 188 South, Twang, 2021)
** Update: July 21, 2021
Taco Cabana is now including a $3 bundle in addition to their $2 margaritas. This means that any margarita plus choice of shredded chicken or bean and cheese taco will be $3. Offer will be available this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
La Panadería Since opening in 2014, La Panadería’s claim to fame has been their signature Tequila Almond Croissant boasting a golden, airy exterior and sweet tequila-infused almond paste filling — a creative twist on the classic French pastry. For the first time, guests can now pair this signature pastry with “Besos,” La Panadería’s offering of house blend and frozen margaritas and Frosé, available exclusively at La Cantera Heights. La Panaderia has three locations and online ordering to best serve the San Antonio area this National Tequila Day.
EVO Entertainment Movies are making a comeback and EVO Entertainment has seven specialty margaritas to enjoy, all made with EVO’s very own select tequila. Choices include a zesty Jalapeño Margarita, a Watermelon Margarita, a Paloma, a Beer-Rita and their signature Midnight Rambler. This National Tequila Day, grab a drink and relax in one of EVO’s luxury loungers while enjoying one of the year’s blockbusters.
Taco Cabana Celebrate National Tequila Day with $2 margaritas at Taco Cabana. With eight flavors including Lime, Strawberry, Mango, Strawberry Mango, Mangonada, Blue Curacao, Watermelon, and Dragonfruit, Taco Cabana is the ultimate margarita stop. The popular Pickle Margarita is also available at select locations for just $2, and guests have the option to add chamoy for no additional cost.
Krause’s Café + Biergarten In celebration of National Tequila Day, Krause’s Café + Biergarten in New Braunfels is serving up a special cocktail appropriately called Beat the Heat for a holiday in late July. This take on a margarita includes tequila, lime juice, agave, ancho reyes with a chamoy and Tajin rim garnished with jalapeño and lime. Guests can take a break from floating the river to grab a refreshing treat at Krause’s Café for $6.00 on Saturday, July 24.
Krause’s Café + Biergarten 148 S Castell Ave. New Braunfels, TX
188 South To commemorate National Tequila Day, 188 South in New Braunfels will be offering a refreshing Strawberry Basil Margarita worthy of a celebration. The cocktail is made with strawberry, basil, Cointreau, Dulce Vida Tequila and agave, and garnished with a lime wheel. The cocktail can be enjoyed at 188 South on Saturday, July 24 for $11.
188 South 188 S Castell Ave. New Braunfels, TX
Twang For those planning to stay in, Twang and Aaron Pena, owner/bartender at The Squeezebox and Amor Eterno in San Antonio, TX, have just the cocktail to appropriately celebrate National Tequila Day.
See recipe below: • Twang Paloma Love grapefruit rimming salt • .5 oz. lemon juice • .5 oz. simple syrup • 1.5 oz. Tequila • Top with champagne served in a flute rimmed with Twang Paloma Love
SA Examiner 