The next Cosmic Night at The Moon’s Daughters will be held on Sunday October 9, 2022. Photo: Thompson San Antonio – Riverwalk, used with permission.
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.
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-saveBest 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
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.
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?
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.
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.
, 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.
‘Psychological Principles of Power’ by Jordon Bevan Photo: Amazon
Jordon Bevanis an American coach, author, and teacher in the realm of personal psychology and social dynamics. He trained as a CrossFit athlete, coached clients on self-development philosophies, and partied with friends at Ohio State College Fraternities. While living in Columbus, Ohio- Jordon became fascinated with psychology and social dynamics and spent much of his time in the gym and the library. He is one of the foremost underground experts on achievement and personal growth. In his new book “Psychological Principles Of Power: Strategies And Skills to Transform Your Self,” he provides readers with a potent and tried-and-true set of concepts they can use to immediately improve every aspect of their lives. These principles are the product of years of research and application. (Jordan Bevan, 2022)
“Psychological Principles Of Power” – You pick up thoughts, ideas, and techniques employed by successful individuals everywhere and in all fields. You acquire the knowledge necessary to realize your own potential for greatness. You will instantly become more upbeat, convincing, and laser-focused in all you do. Many of you who are reading this will have significantly increased your income and greatly enhanced your lives as a direct result of the knowledge provided here. These pages provide a plan for psychological success and achievement that is based on tried-and-true ideas from psychology, philosophy, biology, business, and metaphysics. These concepts are brought together in a quick-moving, educational set of actions that can help you achieve greater things than you ever thought possible. They help you feel better about yourself, enhance your own performance, and grant you total control over every facet of your personal and professional life.
‘Rise of the Unicorn’ is the new suspenseful thriller by D. Elliot Woods. Photo: Amazon
D. Elliot Woods has been an LA-based Film, TV and Commercial Actor for more than 25 years; from human and alien roles across various Star Trek films and TV shows to appearances on LOOT, NCIS: LA, HBO’s Ballers, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Friends, Drake & Josh as well as over 100 commercials for numerous household brands. His extensive industry experience and knowledge bleeds through into his writing. His Fly Free Entertainment production banner is dedicated to producing his own projects as well as helping train a whole new generation of creatives. He pours all his life experiences and knowledge of the industry into writing captivating stories featuring diverse, non-stereotypical characters. His unique way of viewing the world elevates his writing to thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, emotional and even comedic, in a fresh way that readers and audiences will fall in love with. “Rise of the Unicorn,” his new book, is a thought provoking, emotional suspense/thriller that entertains and captivates while carrying a message that cuts across every class of society. (D. Elliot Woods, 2022)
“Rise of the Unicorn” – Augustus ‘Gus’ Martin is an embattled LAPD negotiator. Months after suffering a significant blow to his career, he has clawed his way back up only to come face to face with The Unicorn – bank robbers who may in fact be a terrorist group – and who seem dead set on committing the messiest daylight robbery and hostage crisis of all time. The Unicorn will only negotiate with Gus as the world watches hostages die, one-by-one. If that were not enough, the politically desperate Mayor of Los Angeles recently appointed a new Police Commissioner… a Black woman from Texas whose credentials and competence have been quietly questioned by the rank and file. In the most pressurized of circumstances, she and Gus must trust one another in order to win a chess match against the most formidable criminal mind either has ever faced. The lives of over 30 hostages hang in the balance while philosophical questions demand very real answers.
Pharm Table in San Antonio will be hosting two Wine Wednesdays. Photo: Google
Pharm Table, San Antonio’s nationally recognized plant-forward restaurant in Southtown, has added a notable new member to its team as Resident Sommelier, Scott Ota. Scott is one of San Antonio’s most celebrated sommeliers and brings his expertise of almost two decades within the restaurant and wine industry to Pharm Table, where he has built the restaurant’s new wine program from the ground up. (Pharm Table, 2022)
Under Scott’s leadership, Pharm Table’s dinner menu now features a small, grower-focused wine list of over 25 selections, with numerous sustainable, biodynamic and organic options. To encourage food and wine pairings, wines by the glass are available in a 3 ounce and a 5 ounce pour. Each wine has been hand-picked by Scott, taking into account flavors that pair especially well with the restaurant’s fresh, plant-forward fare. When selecting wines, Scott focuses on producers that mirror Pharm Table’s ethos of strong sustainable and regenerative farming practices, placing a special emphasis on highlighting female winemakers and owners.
Scott is well-known throughout Texas as an Advanced sommelier, having reached level III certification by the Court of Masters Sommeliers. Some of his most notable accolades include being named one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s 2014 “Best New Sommeliers” and one of Food & Wine Magazine’s 2018 “Tastemakers to Revolutionize the Business,” among others.
Pharm Table now hosts periodic “Wine Wednesdays” tasting events that are curated and led by Scott. The evening event features a selection of approachable wines and small bites, and each one centers around a different theme, such as female winemakers, a specific varietal, or a specific region of the world. The next two events will take place on September 28 and October 19. Tickets for the September 28 event are available now for purchase.
Pharm Table is an entirely unique concept and one of just a few true anti-inflammatory restaurants of its kind. Its philosophy is to help heal the body through food by blending the principles of Ayurvedic medicine with naturally healthful and gourmet global cuisines. Featuring local San Antonio heritage foods as well as a fusion of diets from the East, West, and Mesoamerica, the evolving menu is shaped by locally sourced produce and a global spice library and is free of dairy, refined sugar, wheat, and processed foods. While plant-centric, the menu also offers diners a selection of sustainably raised meats and fish. In addition to physical health, soil health and regeneration is a top priority at Pharm Table, and it is the first commercial restaurant composter in San Antonio. Supporting local businesses is also a priority, and Owner and Executive Chef Elizabeth Johnson partners with numerous local farmers along with supplying produce from her own backyard organic micro-farm.
Resident Sommelier Scott Ota. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
SA Examiner 