Railroad Earth turns the page on new album All For The Song

The ten song, Anders Osborne-produced LP is available now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Easing into their third decade as a band, jam-scene pioneers Railroad Earth have been hard at work keeping their bluegrass soul and rock and roll spirit alive and well. On April 22, the next chapter of RRE unfolded with the release of their new album All For The Song; a ten-song collection filled with tales of biblical road-trip rainstorms, Louisiana getaways, and losing their brother too soon. Since the completion of All For The Song, Railroad Earth has trickled out singles like “The Great Divide,” “It’s So Good,” and “Runnin’ Wild,” to the delight of fans and critics alike, slowly giving tastes of what the band refers to as their “destination” album produced in New Orleans by the Big Easy’s favorite guitar-slinging Swede, Anders Osborne. (Railroad Earth, 2022)

In 2018, Railroad Earth—Todd Sheaffer [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], and Andrew Altman [upright & electric bass]—bid farewell to founding member and lifelong friend Andy Goessling who passed away from cancer. His shadow loomed over the process as the guys retreated to New Orleans for the first time to record.

Another first, they recorded with Anders Osborne behind the board as producer. It might have been the gumbo, but the guys seamlessly absorbed the homegrown flavors of the Big Easy by osmosis, incorporating horns, blues harmonica, and the producer’s own perspective and guitar playing. “His enthusiasm is contagious,” exclaims Carey. “There are five producers in this band, so a strong-willed voice from the outside is usually pretty essential. Anders was the voice.” Todd agrees, “He brought a pure and striving soul, unforgettable laugh, rich palette of emotion, a great stash of guitars and amps, philosophical driftings, freedom, unguarded honesty, warmth, and love.”

All For The Song track list:
The Great Divide
Blues Highway
It’s So Good
Showers of Rain
Come And Go Moon
Runnin’ Wild
My Favorite Spot
Slippin’ Away
Driftin’ – The Bardo – Driftin’
All For The Song

Catch Railroad Earth on tour:
May 20 – Kansas City, MO – Bluegrass in the Bottoms
May 26 – Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall
May 27-28 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest
May 29 – Thornville, OH – Dark Star Jubilee
June 23 – Eau Claire, WI – Blue Ox Music Festival
June 30-July 3 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival
July 8 – Jay, VT – Jeezum Crow Festival
July 21-24 – North Plains, OR – Northwest String Summit
July 29 – Johnstown, PA – Flood City Music Festival
July 31 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest

Celebrate Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month at San Antonio Museum of Art

Celebrate with a Family Day on Sunday May 1, 2022. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art, used with permission.

The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) invites families to celebrate the first day of Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month with Chinese Lion Dancers, gallery games, special performances, and delicious food during Family Day on Sunday, May 1, 2022 from 11a.m. to 3p.m. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2022)

Admission to the fun-filled experience at SAMA is free for residents of Bexar County between 10a.m.–12p.m., and children ages 12 and under are always free. Activities will begin with an opening ceremony.

Scheduled Performances:  

  • Remarks and Opening Ceremony I 11a.m.
  • Chinese Fan Dancers I 11:20a.m.
  • Vietnamese Association Dancers I 11:40a.m.
  • Lion Dancers I Noon and 2p.m.
  • Dragon Dancers I 12:30p.m. and 1:30p.m. 
  • Mao Dance I 1p.m.
  • Hawaiian Dancers | 2:30p.m.

Throughout the day, SAMA will offer an array of activities including mock porcelain painting and expressive mask creation; Japanese, Chinese, and Oceania Gallery Games; and interactive calligraphy demonstrations. Visitors who work up an appetite can head to the Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant and Bakery and Aloha Kitchen food trucks, which will be serving up authentic flavors onsite. 

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center presents ‘Interview With a Mexican!’

‘Interview With a Mexican!’ is scheduled for May 6 and 7 at the Guadalupe Theater. Photo: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, used with permission.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center proudly presents ‘Interview With A Mexican!,’ scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, 2022 at the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., San Antonio. The performance begins at 8p.m. with general admission tickets for $12. ‘Interview With A Mexican!’ is a touring production by Denver-based Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center.  (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 2022)

‘Interview With A Mexican!’ is an original play by Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director and resident playwright Anthony J. Garcia. It was inspired by Gustavo Arellano’s column ‘Ask a Mexican’ using satire, humor, and political incorrectness to examine stereotypes, anti-immigration politics, and misconceptions outsiders hold about Mexican culture.

“We at Su Teatro are so excited to bring this explosive and humorous play to the Westside of San Antonio,” said Garcia. “The last time we performed at the Teatro Guadalupe was in the early 1990s,” he added. “Su Teatro’s work and contribution to theater is widely recognized,” said Guadalupe Theater Manager Jorge Piña. “I am very honored Su Teatro is returning to the Guadalupe stage.” 

The production is made possible with support from the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture and the National Performance Network.

Su Teatro is one of the oldest Chicano theater companies in the United States and is currently celebrating their 50th anniversary. The company has established a national reputation for home-grown productions that speak to the history and experience of Chicanos. Garcia has created over forty original plays and adaptations. Su Teatro develops work focused on demystifying the Chicano identity and celebrating the experiences, history, language, and culture of Chicanos, Mexicanos, and Latinos throughout the Americas. They have performed throughout the country along with more than thirty theatrical seasons at their own cultural and performing arts center in Denver.

New comic book release: ‘The Adventure of Reese Rabbit’ by Hunter Reese

‘The Adventure of Reese Rabbit’ features a fun-loving, energized, life-size bunny named Reese Rabbit. Photo: Hunter Reese, used with permission.

My name is Hunter Reese. I am a young writer who grew up in Southern California loving comic books; my favorites were the ones about superheroes. I am also a big fan of cartoons so I thought I would make some cartoony comics as well. Over the years I have written so many stories and characters and I thought it was time to finally bring them to life. This is the start of many issues of Reese Rabbit comics I plan to write as well as other comic books from multiple genres. “The Adventure of Reese Rabbit” is the first in the series. Read all about the adventures of a fun-loving, energized, life-sized bunny named Reese Rabbit as he travels through his animal-filled world. It is illustrated by Inggit Awalliyah. (Hunter Reese, 2022)

“The Adventure of Reese Rabbit” – This comic book is about an anthropomorphic bunny rabbit named Reese who lives in a carrot-shaped house within a city filled with other anthropomorphic animals. This particular issue focuses on Reese Rabbit and his best friend, Jack Houndsberg, trying to get rid of a rat that has made itself at home in Reese’s house.

Available now through CWS Book Store in paperback form or digital download. 

Sponsored Post

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Tajín margaritas at Taco Cabana

Taco Cabana’s $4 Tajín Margaritas will be available starting May 5, 2022. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.

On Cinco de Mayo, Thursday, May 5, 2022, Taco Cabana will launch a new partnership with Tajín, introducing a $4 Tajín Margarita available at all Texas locations while supplies last. Taco Cabana will also offer Tajín Mild Hot Sauce at TC’s Texas locations. (Taco Cabana, 2022)

“We couldn’t be more excited about partnering with Tajín. What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a new Taco Cabana signature Tajín margarita – the first of several Taco Cabana and Tajín items, both food and beverage, that we hope to introduce in the coming months.”- Taco Cabana Chief Operating Officer, Ulyses Camacho

TC guests who order the Tajín margarita will also receive an additional .35 ounce bottle of Tajín seasoning while supplies last. Guests can add more Tajín to their margarita or use the Tajín on any of their other TC favorites.

New breakfast taco and burrito options like Potato & Bacon, Potato & Bean, Potato & Chorizo and Chorizo & Bean starting at $1.59 also join the TC Breakfast menu just in time for Cinco de Mayo and summer at TC. Queso Blanco enchiladas starting at just $6.39 continue as well, and guests can now enjoy Queso Blanco paired with 3-pack chicken flautas or TC’s house-made tortilla chips. 

Tajín margaritas will be available starting Thursday, May 5, 2022 through the month of May while supplies last. New breakfast tacos and burritos and Queso Blanco with 3-pack flautas or tortilla chips available starting Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

Tajín Margaritas, Queso Blanco enchiladas, 3-pack flautas, chips and queso and breakfast tacos are available through curbside pick-up, drive-thru, in-restaurant, and via mobile order through the My TC! App.

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, burritos, tacos, freshly-made 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 and delivery. As of April 20, 2022, Taco Cabana operates 143 company-owned restaurants in Texas.

The Lincoln Lawyer television series on Netflix

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars in The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. Photo: Netflix

Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. J. Michael “Mickey” Haller, Junior first appeared in the novel “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Haller, a Los Angeles-based defense attorney, is the paternal half-brother of Connelly’s best-known character, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. A film adaptation of “The Lincoln Lawyer” was released in 2011 with Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller and now a new series is coming out on Netflix on May 13. (Michael Connelly, 2022)

The Lincoln Lawyer series explores the character’s Latino heritage and will be streaming on Netflix on May 13, 2022. It stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson, Becki Newton as Lorna, Jazz Raycole as Izzy (Mickey’s driver), Angus Sampson as Cisco, and Christopher Gorham as Mickey’s client. The first season has ten episodes and is based on “The Brass Verdict.”

New movie release: British crime thriller Bluff

Bluff will be available on Amazon Prime beginning April 28, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Indie Rights, in association with Catharsis Films, is proud to present Bluff from writer-director Sheikh Shahnawaz in his feature directorial debut, starring Gurj Gill, Jason Adam, Nisaro Karim (24 Little Hours), James Jaysen Bryhan (Shadow and Bone) and Joe Egan (Sherlock Holmes) with music by Savfk. BLUFF will be available on Amazon Prime April 28, 2022. (Catharsis Films, 2022).

Detective Sergeant Daniel Miller is suspended from the London Metropolitan Police so that he can be secretly deployed to a small English town on an undercover assignment to uncover Britain’s major suppliers of heroin and crack cocaine. He poses as a heroin addict and manipulates an unsuspecting junkie into working with him so that he can infiltrate the local drug network and work his way up the supply chain. The line between duty and criminality begins to blur as Miller’s investigation becomes increasingly dangerous the closer he gets to finding the source of a drug trafficker. The truth will get you killed.

British-Bangladeshi screenwriter and producer Sheikh Shahnawaz is the director. He has written and directed a host of short films, including Friend Request (2015), Stalker (2016), Duality (2018), The Woods (2018) and Trick (2018) to name but a few. Bluff is the feature directorial debut by Sheikh Shahnawaz.

Wendy Red Star-inspired workshops at San Antonio Museum of Art

San Antonio Museum of Art’s Photography Workshop: The Visualization of Identity with local artist Mari Hernandez will be held on Saturday April 23, 2022. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art, used with permission.

In support of Wendy Red Star’s “A Scratch on the Earth” exhibit, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is hosting two interactive events encouraging self-discovery and worldly exploration. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2022)

Travel inward at SAMA’s Photography Workshop: The Visualization of Identity with local artist Mari Hernandez on Saturday, April 23, from 1p.m. – 4p.m. Guests will be given the knowledge and space to contemplate their identities and histories to create a portrait of self, a theme seen frequently throughout Red Star’s current work on display. Participants are asked to bring their phone with a working camera, a tripod and any personal objects such as clothing and props they would like to include in their portrait. After drawing connections to the provided artworks, participants can execute their vision on the grounds of the San Antonio Museum of Art. Tickets are available for purchase here starting at $50 for members and $60 for non-members. 

On Friday, April 29 from 5:30p.m. – 7p.m., art and culinary experiences converge at SAMA’s River Pavilion for a culinary journey with Chef Rebe Mariposa. This special interactive exhibition introduces duos to a personal connection to the land through food and native ingredients. Participants will create their own delicious amaranth polenta accompanied by various other natively-grown ingredients such as mesquite, juniper berries, pecans, and chile pequin. Participants will end the night with an understanding of the correlation between access to food and the knowledge of how to use wild ingredients to create meals. Tickets are available for purchase here, and prices are based on attendance for two, starting at $50 for members and $60 for non-members. 

The Spa at Hotel Contessa announces reopening

In addition to new innovative treatments, the Spa at Hotel Contessa will also begin offering monthly yoga and sound bowl services. Photo: Hotel Contessa, used with permission.

The Spa at Hotel Contessa is excited to announce its official reopening after being closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and renovations to the space. The reopening comes with revitalized spaces, new spa products and technologies, and unique new services to help guests relax and reenergize. The spa is now open for bookings. (Hotel Contessa, 2022)

The Spa at Hotel Contessa features four treatment rooms, retail space where guests can purchase various products, and a relaxation room to enjoy before and after treatments. The spa also hosts various jewelry pop-ups from local and regional designers. The hotel’s spa is open for guests of the hotel as well as outside visitors. 

“We are thrilled to reopen the spa with the new renovations and services that we’ve worked on over the last two years. We’ve curated unique, high quality, luxury treatments to help our clients relax and rejuvenate during their time with us and we’re looking forward to having visitors back in the spa.” – Spa Director Gigi Guiette.

The Spa at Hotel Contessa is now working with Shankara, an organic and cruelty-free skincare company. Shankara’s products are created using the Ayurvedic approach, the theory that the five elements (water, fire, earth, air and space) are integral to general health and wellness. Air denotes the concept of movement in the universe, fire represents energy, water represents cohesion and fluidity, earth is structure and solidity and space allows all of the other elements to unfold out of consciousness. New massage treatments now available at the Spa at Hotel Contessa featuring Shankara products include:

  • Energizing Journey (Earth) – an 80 minute service promoting stress release, balance, rejuvenation, refreshment, refinement and energy
  • Waves of Beauty Journey (Water) – an 80 minute service promoting nurturing, comfort, refinement and energy
  • Desert Journey (Fire) – an 80 minute soothing service promoting refreshment, rejuvenation and purification 
  • Tranquility Journey (Air) – an 80 minute service promoting nurturing, comfort, balance and grounding
  • Chakra Balancing Journey (Space) – an 80 minute service promoting nurturing, comfort and balance

Additional new body treatments at the spa include:

  • Detox Body Wrap Treatment ($160) – a purifying, refining, lymphatic and circulatory support treatment followed by a cellulite wrap and head and foot massage. This treatment utilizes spirulina, yucca root and honey powder that purifies, invigorates, naturally moisturizes, and smoothes the skin.
  • Detoxifying Mud Massage ($160) – a thermogenic mud that supplements skin’s moisture balance, revitalizes fatigued skin and combats free radicals. The treatment utilizes a peppermint antioxidant that soothes and heals the skin while combating free radicals and supplying vitamin A and C to the body.
  • Citrus Body Glow ($160) – A treatment utilizing red plum, mango, coconut, arnica and St. John’s wort oils that assist in healing and maintaining hydration.
  • Cupping ($155) – A therapeutic cupping treatment that involves placing warm cups on the skin. A vacuum is made when the air inside the cup becomes warm, this loosens the connective tissue and improves blood flow. As a result, a cupping massage helps stimulate healing.

New facial treatments include:

  • Gua Sha Glow ($150) – a 50 minute facial that lifts and brightens skin and stimulates lymphatic flow 
  • The Redness Stops Here ($150) – a 50 minute service that calms sensitive skin, hydrates and reduces the appearance of fine lines 
  • Bye-Bye Breakouts ($150) – a 50 minute clarifying and toning facial that promotes healthy cell renewal 
  • Gentleman’s Facial ($150) – a 50 minute exfoliating, double cleansing and hydrating treatment 
  • Royal Beauty Hydrafacials including services like:
    • Cleanse & Peel ($275) – 50 minutes 
    • Elasticity & Firmness ($300) – 50 minutes 
    • Brightening & Restoring ($300) – 50 minutes 
    • Possible add-ons include:
      • Lymphatic therapy ($30)
      • Light Therapy ($30)

The Spa at Hotel Contessa will also start offering sound bowl sessions on the hotel’s rooftop pool deck. Adaptive therapeutic yoga teacher, Caitlyn Garrison, will lead the sessions using sound and vibration to promote mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Sound bowl sessions are free and open to the public while space allows. The hotel is also now offering weekly Sunday morning yoga sessions on the rooftop pool deck with instructor Shari Lindsay. To reserve their spots for the sound bowl sessions and/or yoga, hotel guests and visitors can call the spa directly at (210) 298-8038. Both events are free to attend. Additional information about events at the spa is available online. 

The Spa at Hotel Contessa will also continue to offer general services like the Swedish Massage, Stone Massage and the Mother to Be Massage. The Spa at Hotel Contessa is located on the rooftop level of the hotel at 306 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205. To book treatments at the spa click here.

Michael Shaw’s debut album He Rode On

Michael Shaw’s debut album He Rode On will be out June 3, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Surrounded by the majestic beauty and rugged wilderness of the Northern Rockies, songwriter Michael Shaw worked as a horseman and wilderness ranger in Western Montana for more than a decade, patrolling the wildest reaches of Glacier National Park with his two horses, Pancho and Snuffy. Without knowing it at the time, that unpredictable natural landscape, and the isolation that goes along with it, shaped his upcoming debut album, He Rode On, bringing an unbridled authenticity to his music and truth in every lyrical reference—from living off the land to cheating death. Wide Open Country premiered the first taste of He Rode On with the hard-driving, honky-tonk lust story of “Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress.” (Michael Shaw, 2022)

“Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress” came about after Shaw and his cronies ventured to Elko, Nevada, for the “National Cowboy Poet Gathering”—a weekend which included an encounter with Canadian country artist Corb Lund’s guitar player and now-He Rode On producer Grant Siemens, Shaw learning the fine art of yodeling, having the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliot sign his guitar, and meeting the song’s muse while swing dancing at a country music concert. “It’s exactly what happened on our second night in Elko,” says Shaw. “In fact, nearly every idea from ‘Cowboy Boots’ is pulled directly from my experience that weekend.” Fans can relive the wild memories via the raucous Jerry Lee Lewis-meets-Dwight Yoakam vibe of “Cowboy Boots And A Little Country Dress” right now at this link. He Rode On is now available to pre-save or pre-order ahead of its June 3 release right here.  

He Rode On leads with “Bad Honky Tonker,” a sly anthem described by Shaw as “the bastard love child of Keith Richards and Dwight Yoakam.” “Outlaw’s Refuge” follows, written when Shaw was living along tribal wilderness on the Flathead Indian Reservation, making homemade wine, hunting, and fishing, and harvesting the fat of the land. Carrying on that independent streak, the song “Billy” is inspired by his long-time friendship with a wilderness muleskinner who leads his life in an inimitable fashion. Through his time living in rural places all across Western Montana, including an off-the-grid cabin without running water or electricity, to his stint as a National Parks Service Backcountry Ranger, to seven winters as the lone caretaker of an isolated horse ranch on the Blackfoot River—and all of the rambunctious extracurriculars in between—Shaw’s captivating songwriting can be directly traced to his own experiences in the West. Yet his stories are universal, whether he is delivering a rowdy barroom anthem or a meditative song about the loss of a loved one. With a swagger in his vocal and a sharp eye for detail, Shaw brings authenticity to He Rode On, as everything he references on the album is rooted in truth.

1654263660

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

He Rode On release date