First ever Fair Trade Certified organic seltzer launches in Texas

Big Country Organic Hard Seltzer is made with organic cane sugar produced using environmentally sustainable methods in Guarambare, Paraguay. It is the first and only Fair Trade Certified, USDA Organic libation of its kind in the US. Photo: McKenna Hixon, used with permission.

Big Country® Organic Hard Seltzer is the first and only hard seltzer to carry all three of the most distinctive and well-respected certifications in the food and beverage industry — USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Fair Trade Certified. Big Country® is also a proud member of the Go Texan program, which supports Texas agriculture. (Big Country Organic Hard Seltzer, 2022)

The organic hard seltzer is made at Willard’s Brewery, the only Certified Organic brewery in Texas, located in Austin. Big Country® recently announced the statewide launch of its hard seltzer’s new variety 12-packs with prominent placement in HEB, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Total Wine & More locations throughout Texas. The 12-packs showcase Big Country®’s recently refreshed package design and feature four new flavors –– Blackberry Grapefruit, Passionfruit Kiwi, Prickly Pear Peach, and Watermelon Pineapple.

Founder and CEO Bill Gillies started Big Country Foods Inc. as a supplier of organic ingredients over nine years ago. Gillies wanted to further his vision of bringing more clean ingredients to the market by providing consumers an organic hard seltzer, different from the rest. As a consumer, Gillies had always been selective about the ingredients in his food and drink. This personal concern led him to take what he calls “the path of most-resistance” when sourcing only the cleanest ingredients for Big Country®.

Big Country’s quality ingredients stand out in the highly competitive hard seltzer category. Its flavors are crafted by nationally acclaimed mixologist, Ricky Cobia. In addition to their unique flavor profiles, Big Country takes pride in their proprietary brewing process they like to call the “Cane to Can” approach. This allows Big Country to control the entire brewing process, ensuring transparency and quality in every batch.

Big Country® Organic Hard Seltzer is distributed statewide in Texas through Ben E. Keith Beverages. The new variety 12-packs are currently available on shelves in major Texas retailers including Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, HEB and Total Wine & More.

Big Country is perfect for today’s health-conscious consumer, with each can only containing 90 calories, 0g sugar, 1g carb, and 4.5% ABV. In addition, by purchasing Big Country® Hard Seltzer, consumers are giving back through the Fair Trade USA® program, which supports safe working conditions for farmers, protects the environment, builds sustainable livelihoods, and allows farmers to earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities. Since inception, Big Country Fair Trade purchases have sent over $91,000 to the farmers.

Big Country® Organic Hard Seltzer is the only Fair Trade Certified™ libation of its kind in the US. Their Fair Trade commitment means every can puts fair wages directly into the hands that harvested its ingredients. It also ensures farmers work in safe conditions, protect the environment, build sustainable livelihoods, and earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities.

Since 2013, Big Country has worked with partners in Paraguay to import ingredients including a variety of organic sugars. Now, their seltzers are brewed in Austin, Texas with organic alcohol from fermented Big Country Cane Sugar.

In 2020, Big Country® Foods Inc. welcomed Big Country® Beverages (@bigcountrybeverage) to their organic family of products. BCHS is thoughtfully crafted by their skilled brew master and artisan mixologist, who have used their combined 25 years of experience to create the most delicious and unique flavors on the market.

Each 12-ounce can contains 90 calories, 0g sugar, 4.5% ABV, and is gluten free. Flavors are:

• Prickly Pear Peach ––Two of Texas’ favorites fruits come together to create a juicy and satisfyingly sweet pairing of cactus pear and sun-ripened peach. Truly unique and truly Texas.

• Passion Fruit Kiwi –– The Southern hemisphere shines with tangy tropical passion fruit complementing the tart sweetness of ripe kiwi in this refreshingly balanced, citrus forward flavor.

• Blackberry Grapefruit –– Rich, earthy blackberries mingle with the sharpness of fresh grapefruit to make this one of Big Country’s ® boldest flavors.

• Watermelon Pineapple –– Bright, vibrant pineapple blends beautifully with notes of vine-ripened watermelon to showcase the tropical warmth of a long, Texas summer.

Big Country ® Organic Hard Seltzers are available in grocery and liquor stores statewide in Texas and retails for $18.99 per 12-pack. They are also available for sale online in applicable states (valid ID required, 21+ only).

Unnerving Swedish horror film Reportage November set for worldwide release

Reportage November hits digital and Video On Demand worldwide on October 14 from Terror Films. Photo: Terror Films, used with permission.

Carl Sundström’s Reportage November, starring Signe Elvin-Nowak, Jonas Lundström, and Isabel Camacho, will premiere on digital and Video On Demand this October from Terror Films. (Terror Films, 2022)

Reportage November – The mysterious death of a mother and the disappearance of her child leads a group of freelance journalists to the outback of Sweden. The group of four, led by the famous journalist Linn Söderqvist, will make a reportage about the happening and search for leads missed by the police. Equipped with cameras and supplies to survive in the forest for days, they wander out in the woods to find the truth.

The film, penned by Nathaniel P Erlandsson, was shot in Sweden.

“Many years ago when I got my first glance of the second act of Cannibal Holocaust, I felt that faux documentaries was the best ways of touching the audience deep inside. A way to create a genuine feeling through a documentary format and bring the horror out from the screen into the real world. Ever since then I have been an avid found footage fanatic who appreciate the story telling from a POV perspective. To have the slow burn concept where you get to know the characters thoroughly and you are feeling like a part of the story. A style of film where you cannot show more than the characters see. What they know, you know, and what you know, they know. Reportage November is made for found footage lovers and while writing it we had all aspects and rules of what makes this genre great in mind. A film that focuses on suspense and mystery to bring the viewer to the edge of the seat. We have created a film that is just as much about the slow build-up of the story as the horror. I hope that you enjoy this slow burning thrill that takes place deep in the Swedish outback. “ – Director Linn Söderqvist

Reportage November hits digital and VOD worldwide October 14 from Terror Films.

Dark Star Pictures and Bloody Disgusting announce Shinzô Katayama’s Missing

The Japanese crime thriller Missing will have its US theatrical release on November 4, 2022. Photo: Dark Star Pictures, used with permission.

Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to crime thriller Missing as part of its ongoing collaboration with Bloody Disgusting. Dark Star and Bloody Disgusting plan a US theatrical release for Missing on November 4, 2022, an On Demand release on November 18, 2022, and the Blu Ray release for the film to follow on December 6, 2022. (Dark Star Pictures, 2022)

Missing had its World Premiere at Busan International Film Festival before screening at Fantasia International Film Festival and had its US Premiere at Fantastic Fest in September 2022. It is written and directed by Shinzô Katayama. The movie stars Aoi Ito, Jiro Sato, and Hiroya Shimizu.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival.

Missing – Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer “No Name” (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously but when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst—and must begin looking for him.

After working as an assistant director for Japanese films, including Nobuhiro Yamashita’s works, filmmaker Shinzô Katayama crossed paths with Bong Joon-Ho while shooting “TOKYO!” (2008) and served as his assistant director on “Mother” (2009). In 2019, his debut feature, “Siblings of the Cape ” was selected by numerous domestic and international film festivals. He now is one of the most promising, emerging directors in Japan, and his second feature, Missing (“Sagasu /さがす”) will be his commercial film debut.

Japan, 2021 (In Japanese with English Subtitles)

Dark Star Pictures is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. We are committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital, and home video space.

Next Cosmic Night at The Moon’s Daughters

Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk’s signature rooftop lounge, The Moon’s Daughters, will host another Cosmic Night on October 9. This ongoing monthly series takes place whenever a full moon lands each month and will return for October’s hunter’s moon, which will be the first full moon of fall. October’s unique full moon has been nicknamed the hunter’s moon because, traditionally, it is the time of year when hunters start collecting food for the winter. (Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk, 2022)

Hotel guests and the public can enjoy live music, insight from a tarot card reader, and a specialty cocktail paired with a cosmic coaster. The cosmic coaster adds a flair of entertainment where guests will have the chance to scan a QR code, receive a prompt to think of questions, followed by unique insights, and conclude with a positive affirmation. The Moon’s Daughters is the best way to experience the full moon overlooking San Antonio’s skyline.

Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk

New album release: Jack Schneider’s Best Be On My Way

Jack Schneider announces debut album with first single ‘Josephine.” Best Be On My Way will be out November 11, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Americana newcomer Jack Schneider has a laundry list of eclectic descriptors fitting to precede his name—record producer, songwriter, tape machine enthusiast, Vince Gill’s rhythm guitarist, and NYU grad, to name a few—but on November 11, Schneider will be adding “recording artist” to that list with the release of his debut LP Best Be On My Way. Recorded live to tape in Nashville with some of the city’s biggest names—the aforementioned Gill, David Rawlings, Stuart Duncan, and Dennis Crouch—Schneider’s inaugural record is a testament to tradition, timelessness, the modern relevance of old ways, and above all, the necessity of looking at the past in order to know just where you are headed. Riddled with raw truths, compelling stories, and unforgettable sonic motifs, Best Be On My Way is necessary listening for life’s long road ahead. (Jack Schneider, 2022)

Holler premiered Best Be On My Way’s first single, the album-opening “Josephine.” Showing their highest praise for the opening track they stated, “If listening to Jack Schneider feels like traveling back in time then maybe that’s because in some ways you are. Records are capable of taking you places and Jack Schneider and his band have every intention of setting you on a journey back through the years to a time when everything felt a little more real somehow.” The song finds Schneider strumming his beloved 1956 Martin D-28 guitar, “Big Jim,” in front of an all-star band of acoustic musicians. A delicate blend of love and longing, “Josephine” will be a shoo-in for fans of The Band, Bob Dylan, or James Taylor—and contemporary favorites like Gillian Welch, Watchhouse, or The Avett Brothers. Fans can hear “Josephine” right now and pre-order or pre-save Best Be On My Way ahead of its November 11 release.

Best Be On My Way was recorded on a hot day in June at Nashville’s Sound Emporium. Inside the air-conditioned studio, there was a slight quiver in the air—the hum of a tape machine, the impression that the atmosphere was churning inside a black-and-white photograph. The session felt as though it were a real-life culmination of a long and tenuous journey on Schneider’s part, in which he had collected friends and strangers along the way and gathered them together for the odyssey’s retelling. From childhood friends to recent mentors, the motley crew of musicians sat in a wide circle in the live room as around a campfire, much to the contemporarily trained Engineers’ dismay. The players themselves are evidence of a gap Schneider is bridging between musical generations: Grammy award-winning artists Vince Gill and David Rawlings played alongside both Stuart Duncan and Dennis Crouch—longtime Nashville session musicians—and Liv Greene and Griffin Photoglou, two twenty-something artists fresh out of college.

Throughout the long months of quarantine, Schneider began working intensively with former Gruhn Guitars colleague and frequent collaborator, Wes Langlois. Shut up in the studio together for weeks, the two wrote, recorded, and released what they referred to as “vanishing albums:” full-length records accessible for a week at a time each during the pandemic, after which they were removed from streaming services and unavailable for physical purchase. It was from these ephemeral collections of songs that the seed for Schneider’s (permanent) debut record was born.

Best Be On My Way track list:
Josephine
Farewell Carolina
Marietta
Tennessee
Best Be On My Way
Don’t Look Down
Slow Things Down
Nothing Left To Show
In The Morning
Del Rio Blues

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2022 Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival

Brackenridge Park Conservancy announces this year’s Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival in Brackenridge Park. Photo: Google

The Brackenridge Park Conservancy, in partnership with the Texas Butterfly Ranch, is proud to present the 2022 Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival. The event will take place Saturday, October 8 from 10a.m. to 2p.m. in the Pecan Grove at Brackenridge Park as part of a month-long celebration of pollinators. Festivities include the People for Pollinators Parade, a monarch butterfly migration obstacle course for kids, butterfly tagging, live bee hive demonstrations, and more. (Brackenridge Park Conservancy, 2022)

The festival is free and open to the public and brings together more than 20 community partners to educate the community on the importance of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators. Activities for the whole family will take place starting at 10a.m. with the Caterpillar Train launching from the train depot in the park. The train was transformed with the assistance of local landscape architecture firm MP Studios and the beloved and nostalgic San Antonio Zoo train will be converted to a monarch butterfly caterpillar for the month of October.

“Brackenridge Park is thrilled to host the 2022 Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival. The Park means so much to the people, plants and animals in this city so we look forward to being a home to free and fun educational events like this.” – Lynn Osborne Bobbitt, Brackenridge Park Conservancy Director of Development and Special Events

Throughout the day, visitors can tag monarch butterflies with trained docents as part of the Monarch Watch citizen science initiative. Festival goers can also participate in the Forever Journey, a program started in 2020 that tags butterflies in honor of deceased loved ones.

“Just as San Antonio sits in the heart of the migratory flyway for monarch butterflies and other wildlife, Brackenridge sits in the heart of our city. It makes for an ideal roost for this year’s Festival.” – Monika Maeckle, Festival founder and director of the Texas Butterfly Ranch.

More initiatives from this year’s festival include a monarch migration obstacle course organized by Blooming with Birdie, butterfly bike rides with the Austin Bike Zoo, a birding tour of the park and adoption events for hundreds of trees provided by the San Antonio Parks Department and pollinator-friendly native plants made available by SAWS.

The Brackenridge Park Conservancy has listened to and been a voice for those who use this cherished San Antonio park and its facilities. The organization operates under a long-term Management Agreement with the City that is administered by the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. The only organization dedicated solely to protecting Brackenridge Park, the Conservancy raises funds for projects that benefit the Park, implements park-based programs and projects, advises City staff and elected officials, supports the evolution and implementation of plans for the Park, and acts as a forum for users to address common issues and build consensus.

The mission of the Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival is to raise understanding and appreciation of the insect pollinators that make one of every three bites of our food possible, underscore our inherent interconnectedness, encourage the use of native nectar and host plants in gardens and landscapes, and reinforce San Antonio’s strategic role in the monarchs’ annual migration as the First Monarch Butterfly Champion City.

Brackenridge Park

Movie adaptation: ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ by Jessica Knoll

The movie adaptation of ‘Luckiest Girl Alive,’ the bestselling novel by Jessica Knoll, is now on Netflix. Photo: Amazon

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of “Luckiest Girl Alive” and “The Favorite Sister.” She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. “The Luckiest Girl Alive” follows an unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret. It has been adapted into a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis and is now available for streaming. (Amazon, 2022)

“The Luckiest Girl Alive” – Her perfect life is a perfect lie. As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and a handsome blue blood fiancé, she is so close to living the perfect life she has worked so hard to achieve. But Ani has a secret. There is something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything. With a singular voice and twists you will not see coming, “Luckiest Girl Alive” explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that is bigger than it first appears. The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

Celebrate National Taco Day at Taco Cabana

Taco Cabana celebrates National Taco Day with unlimited $1 bean and cheese tacos and announces the return of bean and cheese Halloween Coupon Booklets. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.

This October, Taco Cabana will celebrate the season with the return of its beloved limited-time Taco Treats For A Cause Halloween Coupon Booklets featuring five FREE bean and cheese tacos – available for purchase starting Saturday, October 1, 2022 – as well as special one-day-only offers for National Taco Day on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. (Taco Cabana, 2022)

Beginning Saturday, October 1, 2022, Taco Cabana will bring back its annual, limited-time Taco Treats For A Cause Halloween Coupon Booklets available for purchase at all Texas Taco Cabana locations for just $2. Each booklet includes five coupons for a FREE TC bean and cheese taco. This year, all proceeds from the booklet sales will be donated to Apraxia Kids, a national nonprofit partner of Taco Cabana whose mission aims to strengthen the support systems in the lives of children with Apraxia of speech. The booklets will be available for purchase in-restaurant through Monday, October 31, 2022, while supplies last, and coupons must be redeemed by Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

“The Taco Treats For A Cause Halloween Booklets have become a tradition at Taco Cabana and something that so many of our loyal guests ask for and look forward to each year. We’re so happy to bring them back once again for 2022. This year, we’re even more pleased to announce that our partner, Apraxia Kids, will receive 100% of all proceeds.” – Ulyses Camacho, Taco Cabana’s Chief Operating Officer.

In celebration of National Taco Day on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, Taco Cabana invites guests to enjoy unlimited $1 classic bean and cheese tacos and unlimited $12 classic bean and cheese dozen taco boxes for one-day-only at all Texas Taco Cabana locations while supplies last.

“Like Cinco de Mayo, National Taco Day means so much to Brand Taco Cabana,” continued Camacho. “We wanted to celebrate not only the day, but celebrate our iconic bean and cheese taco as well. It’s the perfect taco at a fantastic price for the special day.”

For guests who are looking to indulge in Taco Cabana’s other delectable offerings, Taco Cabana’s all-new Hatch Chile Smoked Pulled Pork menu options are also available at all Texas locations and are the perfect addition to any Taco Day celebration. Guests 21 years of age or older can complement their taco order with one of TC’s 12 refreshing margarita options available for $3 each all day, every day with flavors ranging from dragon fruit and mango to coconut and classic lime and strawberry.

$1 bean and cheese tacos and $12 bean and cheese dozen taco boxes can be ordered in-restaurant, via online ordering for front counter and curbside pick-up, in the drive-thru or by mobile order when using the MY TC!® App or ordering online. Halloween Coupon Booklets must be purchased in-store.

Taco Cabana is also pleased to announce that it is a Straight Flush sponsor of the upcoming Eva’s Heroes Celebrity Casino Night on Saturday, October 8, 2022 in San Antonio. Eva’s Heroes is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual special needs by providing an inclusive setting built on four tenets: interact, grow, learn and love. Casino Night is one of its biggest fundraisers of the year.

“Community involvement has always played an important role at Brand TC and we’ve been actively engaged as partners with San Antonio-based Eva’s Heroes for some time now,” shared Camacho. “They have always held a special place in our Taco Cabana hearts. We’re proud to be their partners.”

Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of YTC Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, tacos, flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of bottled beer and signature tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up, delivery and catering. As of September 26, 2022, Taco Cabana operates 144 company-owned restaurants in Texas.

New album release: Petra-Fi by Stephen Akina

Petra-Fi is the new album by Stephen Akina. Photo: Google

Stephen Akina is a music composer and arranger who enjoys collaborating and producing original music. Following the premiere of his work “Seven,” commissioned by the Pasadena Pops Orchestra in 2006, Stephen began writing for films, television, and video games. His compositions and arrangements have been performed worldwide. Along with his future wife Kimberly, they founded Special Blend Music, a music service provider for the Film & Television industry. Over the years he has scored original music for over two dozen films, composed production music for over 100 + television shows worldwide and supplied soundtracks to highly acclaimed video games. Several of these scores have been converted into music that can be enjoyed on its own and available on all music streaming services. (Stephen Akina, 2022)

His new album Petra-Fi features new and popular remasters of downtempo/chill piano inspired by the ancient petroglyph locations throughout Hawai’i.

Petra-Fi 12 songs, 43 minutes

Track list:

Glass Pagoda (04:11)
For Sure (02:45)
Wavedancer (Remaster) (04:56)
Electro Peace (Remaster) (06:17)
Moon Over Kahala (02:23)
Beatitude (03:00)
Greek Holiday (03:04)
Simple Life (02:20)
Makani (04:01)
Mirage (03:50)
Nightfall (03:07)
Makani Solo (Piano) (4:01)

Petra-Fi is is available on all streaming/digital stores.

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New supernatural horror movie: Sawed Off

, Sawed Off will be available on digital and DVD on October 11, 2022. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, Used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired Sawed Off, a new supernatural horror feature based on a comic anthology story and starring Eva Hamilton, Jody Barton, and Trae Ireland. The movie will be released on digital platforms and DVD October 11, 2022. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)

Sawed Off – In the vein of “The Evil Dead meets Groundhog Day,” the movie centers on two hunters, friends for years and vying for the affections of the same woman, who find themselves on cursed land and keep killing each other and coming back to life. Hunter Johnson is the producer and director. The screenplay is by Barton, Johnson, and Chuck Wagner, based on Wagner’s Eclipse Comics story “Bag Limit,” published in Tales of Terror in 1986. Other producers include Cris Hernandez and Richard Trejo along with Barton and Ireland. Jeff Miller executive produces through his company Millman Productions, along with James Cullen Bressack and his company Sandaled Kid Productions. Special makeup effects are by Oliver Poser. Trejo is Director of Photography.

“Sawed Off is a new twist on ‘cabin in the woods’ stories and features great performances from Jody, Trae, and Eva,” says Miller.

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