‘The Star Trek Book New Edition’ is the updated edition of ‘The Star Trek Book.’ Photo: amazon
Paul Ruditis has written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break. While he continues to work on these media tie-ins, he has also focused a great deal of attention on his own original fiction, including his teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style. He currently lives in Los Angeles. His new book out today, “The Star Trek Book New Edition,” is the new edition of “The Star Trek Book and takes readers even further into one of the greatest science fiction universes ever created. (amazon, 2021)
This unique, insightful, and comprehensive examination of an enduring, much loved franchise features every era of Star Trek in one volume, from the pioneering 1960s TV series to the latest movies and streaming shows, including Star Trek: Beyond, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Short Trek. Written by Star Trek experts, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics, and incisive, specially curated essays that unlock the mysteries of the ever-expanding Star Trek Universe. From new and legendary heroes such as James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and Michael Burnham to iconic villains like Khan, Q, and the Borg, to fascinating alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, and Ferengi, this book explores the central characters, technology, civilizations, and events that have shaped the complex, epic story of Star Trek. Resistance is futile. This is the (star) trek of a lifetime you do not want to miss.
The Blue Prison’s self-titled album will be out on September 17, 2021. Photo: google
The Blue Prison will release their anticipated self-titled debut full-length album on September 17, 2021 on Metal Assault Records. Comprising four brand new tracks and newly mastered versions of two singles and one song each from the four EPs previously released by the band; The Blue Prison will be available to purchase on digipack CD and on all digital music platforms. Pre-Order The Blue Prison now via Bandcamp, full length album slated for official release September 17 on Metal Assault Records. (The Blue Prison, 2021)
In celebration of their forthcoming album, the instrumental progressive metal duo Keigo Yoshida (guitar) and Jaime Munoz (drums) have filmed their first ever music video and recently unveiled their new single “Kaleidoscope.”
Through four EPs and one single released over the past six years, The Blue Prison has presented a stellar blend of sweeping progressive metal patterns, heavy dissonant guitar riffs, groovy rhythms, as well as shades of jazz fusion and ambient music. Their debut album explores all of these elements and more. The Blue Prison is a standout album, a multifaceted collection of melodic prog that is heavy as hell and teeming with technical prowess and compelling musicianship.
The Blue Prison track listing:
Beacon (1:22)
Alchemist (4:57)
Shadows (5:27)
Artemis (3:34)
Kaleidoscope (4:28)
River (1:30)
Tyrant (4:16)
Vengeance v2.0 (5:35)
Los Angeles (3:23)
Rosetta (3:50) Total Runtime: 38:22
The Blue Prison is: Keigo Yoshida (guitar) Jaime Munoz (drums)
The Blue Prison is Keigo Yoshida and Jaime Munoz. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
“The Pariah” by Anthony Ryan is set for release on August 24, 2021. Photo: amazon
A new month means new books on the horizon. These are some notable new releases for the month of August in my favorite categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, History and Biography, Mystery and Thriller, Science fiction, Historical fiction, and Fantasy. If I could pick just one this month, it would be “The Manningtree Witches” by A.K. Blakemore simply because I enjoy historical fiction, especially the time period of the witch hysteria. (amazon, Goodreads, 2021)
Fiction: “We Are the Brennans” by Tracey Lange Release date: August 3, 2021 When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it is not easy. She deserted them all—and her high school sweetheart—five years before with little explanation, and they have questions. Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it means tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets—secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives. In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes—and ultimately find a way forward, together.
Nonfiction “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire” by Lizzie Johnson Release date: August 17, 2021 On November 8, 2018, the people of Paradise, California, awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds. Soon the Camp Fire was upon them, gobbling an acre a second. Less than two hours after the fire ignited, the town was engulfed in flames, the residents trapped in their homes and cars. By the next morning, eighty-five people were dead. In “Paradise,” Johnson documents the unfolding tragedy with empathy and nuance. But she also investigates the root causes, from runaway climate change to a deeply flawed alert system to Pacific Gas and Electric’s decades-long neglect of critical infrastructure. A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires, “Paradise” is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again.
History and Biography: “The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women” by Nancy Marie Brown Release date: August 31, 2021 In 2017, DNA tests revealed to the collective shock of many scholars that a Viking warrior in a high-status grave in Birka, Sweden was actually a woman. “The Real Valkyrie” weaves together archaeology, history, and literature to imagine her life and times, showing that Viking women had more power and agency than historians have imagined. Nancy Marie Brown uses science to link the Birka warrior, whom she names Hervor, to Viking trading towns and to their great trade route east to Byzantium and beyond. She imagines her life intersecting with larger-than-life but real women, including Queen Gunnhild Mother-of-Kings, the Viking leader known as The Red Girl, and Queen Olga of Kyiv. Hervor’s short, dramatic life shows that much of what we have taken as truth about women in the Viking Age is based not on data, but on nineteenth-century Victorian biases. Rather than holding the household keys, Viking women in history, law, saga, poetry, and myth carry weapons.
Mystery and thriller “A Slow Fire Burning” by Paula Hawkins Release date: August 31, 2021 When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Whether they know it or not, they are all burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of terrible deeds. How far might any one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?
Science fiction: “Light Chaser” by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell Release date: August 24, 2021 In Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell’s action-packed sci-fi adventure “Light Chaser,” a love powerful enough to transcend death can bring down an entire empire. Amahle is a Light Chaser – one of a number of explorers, who travel the universe alone (except for their onboard AI), trading trinkets for life stories. But when she listens to the stories sent down through the ages she hears the same voice talking directly to her from different times and on different worlds. She comes to understand that something terrible is happening, and only she is in a position to do anything about it. And it will cost everything to put it right.
Historical fiction: “The Manningtree Witches” by A.K. Blakemore Release date: August 10, 2021 England, 1643. Puritanical fervor has gripped the nation. And in Manningtree, a town depleted of men since the wars began, the hot terror of damnation burns in the hearts of women left to their own devices. Rebecca West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only occasionally by her infatuation with the handsome young clerk John Edes. But then a newcomer, who identifies himself as the Witchfinder General, arrives. A mysterious, pious figure dressed from head to toe in black, Matthew Hopkins takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about what the women on the margins of this diminished community are up to. Dangerous rumors of covens, pacts, and bodily wants have begun to hang over women like Rebecca—and the future is as frightening as it is thrilling.
Fantasy: “The Pariah” (The Covenant of Steel #1) by Anthony Ryan Release date: August 24, 2021 Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path – one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier’s life in the king’s army. Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine’s rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?
Jesus, Haggard & Jones. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
With over 22 million combined streams on Spotify and over 17 million views on YouTube with past releases, “Life of A Workin’ Man,” “The Way That I Am,” and “This Place Called USA,” Texas-born and bred country artist Creed Fisher has released a new single and lyric video “Jesus, Haggard & Jones,” off his forthcoming new album, due out later this year. The track is available today on all streaming services here and the lyric video is available here. (Creed Fisher, 2021)
“Jesus, Haggard & Jones” sets the tone for what fans can expect from Fisher’s upcoming original full-length project. A creative collaboration written by Fisher and his good friend Mark Jones, listeners can feel the truth and experience in Fisher’s voice over the steady strum of a guitar. This track stays true to Fisher, himself, and his past releases. It is an authentic, traditional acoustic country mixed with storytelling life experience.
With lyrics, “Hanging out on a barstool I learned about drinking… Hanging out with the police I learned I’m not Jesse James…Hanging out with Mark Jones I learned he still can’t get laid…Some things in This Town ain’t ever gonna change…It turns out in this life…That in the long run…The only thing you can count on…Jesus Haggard and Jones..” – Fisher uses his voice with rugged ease in the track to explain his own take on life. He elaborates on his realization that the only things people can count on amidst all of life’s lessons are the three legends – Jesus, Merle Haggard, and good Ol’ George Jones.
Authentically Creed Fisher, this single and lyric video leave fans craving more. More album details will be released in the coming weeks. Until then, fans can keep up with Fisher on his current tour and enjoy his most recent album release, How Country Music Sounded Before It All Went to Shit, Vol. 1, which is experiencing success at Texas radio.
With his last three albums debuting in the Top 5 on iTunes, Fisher hopes his new album Whiskey and the Dog will continue to help him defy the odds. Like a steely-eyed gunslinger from a Sergio Leone western, he is a man of few words and lets his music tell his story. Fisher has never been one to sell his soul to trends. Keeping it real means writing songs that real people can relate to; the good, bad, and even the ugly. His previous singles, “Rock & Roll Man,” “Be the Hope,” “I’m Growing Older, But I’m Not Growing Up,” and “A Few Good Ol’ Cowboys” all hit Top 10, Top 25, or Top 30 on the Texas Charts. He was also named the BigStar97 Outlaw Country artist of the Year in 2018.
Fisher has upped the ante, joining forces with record label Dirt Rock Empire for the release.
Creed Fisher. Photo: Sabrina Schmidt, used with permission.
Naco Mexican Eatery restaurant will open in Fall 2021. Photo: Naco Mexican Eatery, used with permission.
Naco Mexican Eatery is excited to announce its first ever brick and mortar location coming to San Antonio in the Los Patios development along the Salado Creek, opening in Fall 2021. Naco Mexican Eatery – a concept by husband-and-wife team Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez – is a food truck that serves authentic Mexican plates, traditional tacos, tortas, and chilaquiles for breakfast and lunch service. (Naco Mexican Eatery, 2021)
Naco Mexican Eatery opened for business in San Antonio over three years ago. Its menu focuses on the street foods of Mexico with freshly made items such as chilaquiles using Naco’s own homemade salsas, tacos, and tortas, as well as healthy, keto-friendly and veggie-forward dishes. The menu at the new location will still include all the food truck fan-favorites but also add on all-day chilaquiles with new sauce options such as almond mole, a selection of breakfast egg benedicts made with traditional Mexican toppings including huitlacoche and Naco’s Mexican brisket, Mexican-inspired croissants with options like guava and cheese, all-natural aguas frescas, and more.
Naco Mexican Eatery will have a relaxed, family-friendly space, with indoor dining of roughly 2,900 square feet, a space for private events, as well as a large 3,000 square foot patio surrounded by natural landscape and a creek-side view. The restaurant will have options for breakfast, lunch, early dinner and brunch service on the weekends. The restaurant will be located in Los Patios at 2015 NE Interstate 410 Loop, San Antonio, TX 78217.
“We are blessed to be in a wonderful city, surrounded by the most amazing people who have fallen in love with our Mexican food that includes our own family flavors. We can’t wait to be able to showcase even more with our full-service restaurant space.”
Owner Francisco Estrada
Naco Mexican Eatery will open its brick and mortar location in Fall 2021 and will continue its food truck operations. An official opening date will be announced soon.
Events include a new Human Rights Campaign installation, a celebration of all things LGBTQ+, and more. Photo: Hopscotch, used with permission.
Hopscotch, the immersive art gallery in downtown San Antonio, is excited to announce a variety of programming, specials and more for the month of August including a new LGBTQ+ celebration, new installation from the Human Rights Campaign, yoga, nonprofit partnerships and more. The gallery will also begin opening its doors to the public on Thursdays at 2p.m. starting August 5. These are some of the events coming up in August and beyond. (Hopscotch, 2021)
Human Rights Campaign Installation Hopscotch will officially debut its newest installation on Thursday, August 5. The gallery has partnered with the Human Rights Campaign to bring GAZE to San Antonio. GAZE transports guests into a world that encourages them to see beyond their own experience and into a future that is full of light, love, and acceptance for all. Rainbow colors shine on through designs etched into acrylic panels illuminated by a programmatic array of LED lights. The subtly shifting colors make for an ever-changing and layered experience that mirrors the ever-changing exterior world.
Equality is on the move. This installation will change over time, progress is the ultimate interactive experience. Guests can become a member of the Human Rights Campaign in the Hopscotch Gift Shop. Their participation moves equality forward and helps the change occur.
The Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation together serve as America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ+ equality. They have spent 40 years creating the most powerful movement for equality that the world has ever seen. By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
ThursGayz at Hopscotch – 7p.m. to 11p.m. Ongoing – First Thursday of each month. In addition to opening to the public on Thursdays, Hopscotch is implementing Thursgayz on the first Thursday of every month starting August 5. Thursgayz is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and allies that will feature DJs, dancing, drag queens, drink specials, diversity, disco, and more. For the special price of $20, guests will get exclusive access to the entire gallery and all festivities. Specialty cocktails, including the Rain on Me Rita, Pride Paloma, and Seltzers will be available for purchase at happy hour pricing at the bar. There is no cover charge for the lounge or patio. All guests over the age of 18 are welcome. The $20 tickets for Thursgayz are available online.
For the inaugural Thursgayz event on August 5th guests can expect: • Music by DJ LilLatinPup • Entertainment from drag queen Maria Maria Whitney • Food from Backwoods BBQ available for purchase • Complimentary cookies from Tiff’s Treats (while supplies last) • Photo opportunities that celebrate all things pride • Be some of the first to experience the new GAZE art installation in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign.
Sunday Storytelling – The Warrior Women Project: A Sisterhood of Immigrant Women August 7 from 3p.m. to 5p.m. Hopscotch will be hosting a book signing event with Dr. Lulu, AKA the Momatrician, on Sunday, August 7. Dr. Lulu is a board-certified pediatrician and mom of three. She is proudly Nigerian and a youth suicide prevention activist. As the CEO of Teenalive.com and Dr. Lulu’s Youth Health Center, she is dedicated to youth suicide prevention. She is a TEDx, United Nations and Global Pan African Speaker, a 3-time bestselling author and a freelance writer. Dr. Lulu tells the story of twenty-two immigrant women from thirteen different countries and their plight with joy, pain, success, failure and love in “The Warrior Women Project.” This book takes readers on a journey in an attempt to educate, entertain and emphasize the embodiment of strength within immigrant women. Guests are encouraged to stop by, grab a copy of the book and get it signed by Dr. Lulu.
Hopscotch plans to do more regular storytelling events and artist talks to continue to highlight and uplift the amazing voices in our community.
Cocktails for a Cause – Martinez Street Women’s Center Hopscotch is continuing its Cocktails for a Cause campaign. Each month, a different nonprofit is highlighted through various activities such as providing discounted or free tickets for members, sending staff to volunteer for the organization, sharing information about the non-profit on social media, and collecting physical and monetary donations on behalf of the organization. Through the “Cocktail for a Cause” series, a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Cocktail of the Month goes directly to the non-profit. This August proceeds from the “Solidarity Spritzer” help support the Martinez Street Women’s Center. The cocktail can be purchased in Hopscotch’s lounge for $12.
Solidarity Spritzer – Waterloo No. 9 Gin, House-made Blackberry Sage Syrup and Fresh Lemon Juice topped with Prosecco.
Tiff’s Treats + Hopscotch Collaboration Tiff’s Treats is partnering with Hopscotch for a variety of upcoming events. Starting in August on Sunday mornings, Hopscotch ticket holders can enjoy complimentary warm cookies from 10a.m. to noon while supplies last. Hopscotch will also be hosting an Instagram giveaway in honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day on Wednesday, August 4 for two tickets to the gallery and a $100 Tiff’s Treats gift card on Hopscotch’s Instagram page.
Cookies for Community – Martinez Street Women’s Center During August, Hopscotch visitors will receive a code to use when they purchase Tiff’s Treats. 20% of the sales from those cookies will be donated to Hopscotch’s non-profit of the month – Martinez Street Women’s Center.
Third Eye Awakening – Saturday, August 28 at 8:30a.m. Guests are invited to make their way down the Hopscotch rabbit hole and unroll their mat in a consciously curated yoga and art experience designed to awaken the mind and body while inspiring the soul with the immersive masterpieces at the gallery. Inspired by the mural Conscious by local artist Los Otros, the yoga class led by Mobile Om will interweave breath, mindful movement and meditation into a holistic experience aimed to unlock guests’ connections to their third eye consciousness, the home of their intuition and imagination. After a blissful savasana, guests can awaken their taste buds with a refreshing Rabbit Hole Rita to sip while they enjoy exclusive access to browse the Hopscotch gallery. The yoga sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and space is limited. Guests are required to bring their own mats.
Tickets for Third Eye Awakening are $45 and are available online.
Food Trucks ChipKabob and Backwoods BBQ will make their respective returns to Hopscotch in August. See below for dates that they will be serving at Hopscotch.
Grilled Watermelon Margarita featuring Twang. Photo: Twang, used with permission.
The middle of summer is the perfect time for National Watermelon Day this Tuesday August 3. Since watermelon is 92% water, it makes for a refreshing summertime treat that can be enjoyed at picnics and family get-togethers. Here are some ways to celebrate summer’s tasty fruit, whether locally or from afar. (Twang, Lone Star, EVO Entertainment, Taco Cabana, 2021)
Grilled Watermelon Margarita featuring Twang If you are keeping your distance at home, or just feel like doing something a little extra when it comes to your next Margarita, check out this Grilled Watermelon Margarita by Aaron Pena, owner/bartender at The Squeezebox in San Antonio, TX featuring Twang.
Ingredients: • 1/2 cup fresh grilled Watermelon • 1 ounce fresh squeezed Lime Juice • ¾ ounce Agave syrup – adjust to your taste • 2 ounces Blanco Tequila • 1 cup of Ice Instructions: • Add all ingredients to blender on high speed • Rim glass with Twang-A-Rita Sunrise spice or your favorite Twang salt. • Pour into your rimmed glassware and enjoy.
Lone Star Watermelon Agave Seltzer As August rolls around and temperatures rise, lounging by the pool, lake, river or beach becomes a necessity. Lone Star’s recently launched Agave Hard Seltzers are the perfect treat to take on the go. The 5% ABV seltzer is made with a high quality sucrose base and enhanced with blue agave nectar, which only adds to the subtle sweetness of the watermelon flavor throughout. The Agave Watermelon Seltzer can be found at select locations including Walmart, Albertsons, Quick Trip, Circle K and HEB in 12 oz. slim cans. Seltzer enthusiasts can also find a retailer nearest to them using Lone Star’s seltzer finder tool.
EVO Entertainment Kick back in one of EVO’s luxury recliners with a refreshing Watermelon Margarita from the bar. Made with Patrón Barrel Select, Triple Sec, agave, fresh watermelon and lime juice, this margarita is the fruity and refreshing beverage perfect for escaping the Texas summer heat. Pair it with one of the delicious dishes from EVO’s scratch kitchen and a blockbuster movie or round of bowling.
Taco Cabana Taco Cabana is home to the $2 margarita, and for a limited time guests can relax and refresh with a Watermelon margarita for just $2. Guests have the option to add chamoy for no additional cost, and what is a margarita without chips and queso or some chicken flautas? With online ordering, drive-throughs and on site dining available, Taco Cabana is the ultimate stop for a Watermelon Margarita.
Lady Arundel restoration. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art, used with permission.
Over the course of its 40-year history, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) has developed an expansive 30,000-object collection that represents human creation and experience from across thousands of years and from cultures spread across six continents. In its upcoming exhibition, 40 Years, 40 Stories: Treasures and New Discoveries from SAMA’s Collection, SAMA will present works from the collection that are currently held in storage and that have been selected by members of the Museum’s curatorial team as works of particular personal interest, inspiration, and fascination. Many of the 40 objects chosen for the show have been off view for numerous years, while others are being presented for the first time. In other instances, artworks capture little-known or under-studied artistic and cultural narratives. Together, the works engage audiences anew with SAMA’s broad-ranging holdings and highlight the depth, range, and dynamism of the collection. 40 Years, 40 Stories will be on view from October 16, 2021–January 2, 2022. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)
Among the highlights in the exhibition is the reinstallation of the monumental painting Mary, Lady Arundell of Wardour (1767) by the famed English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. The full-length portrait was acquired by SAMA in 1981 and held a prominent position in its European decorative arts gallery for many years. In 2016, the painting was sent to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for a multi-year conservation project, which was completed this year. The newly conserved painting reveals a new depth of detail and color within Reynolds’ composition. The removal of old, discolored layers of retouching and varnish has given the portrait a fresher and more balanced look. Another work in the exhibition that is being presented following recent conservation is the late 17th- to early 18th-century Chinese handscroll, Peach Blossom Spring. The work depicts the tale of a fisherman who discovers a utopian community. The handscroll, which has been in storage for many years, was repaired and remounted, so that it can be safely unrolled for viewing.
40 Years, 40 Stories also presents for the first time several new acquisitions, including an exquisitely carved Islamic amulet that was acquired in 2013. The amulet is inscribed with 63 Names of God and a verse from the Qur’an, and was intended to invoke divine protection. The exhibition will also feature a recently acquired Petrosphere, a massive stone sphere that weighs more than 600 pounds and was produced by the ancient inhabitants of Costa Rica. Found in groups, these spheres demarcated features of the landscape for communities in the Diquís region, though their precise meaning is not yet understood. The exhibition will also be the first occasion to show Celia Eberle’s sculptural installation Moss Grotto (2016) at SAMA. Recently acquired in 2019, this monumental work invites contemplation of the inevitability of Nature and of human loss.
Other objects in the exhibition include embroidered textiles made by Salvadoran refugees who fled their country’s civil war in the 1980s that have never previously been shown; a mosaic depicting a Nereid that was thought to be an ancient Roman work but was later discovered to be a 20th-century copy after a floor in the Baths of the Seven Sages, Ostia; a richly carved Yoruba veranda post; and a painted portrait of Pola Negri, a femme fatale of 1920s and 30s Hollywood who retired to San Antonio and left her glamorous portrait to the Museum.
Works in 40 Years, 40 Stories will be organized loosely by subject, function, and aesthetic resonance, capturing the ways in which seemingly disparate objects relate to and connect in dialogue together. The exhibition is curated by Powers, with objects selected by members of SAMA’s curatorial, collections, and education teams.
40 Years, 40 Stories is generously supported by the Sue Denman Memorial Exhibition Fund, the Helen and Everett Jones Exhibition Fund, the Amy Shelton McNutt Exhibition Fund, and the Daniel Sullivan Exhibition Fund.
“All of the artworks featured in the exhibition have a story to tell about culture, community, and history. The exhibition provides an exciting range of creative and technical innovation through time and captures the ways in which material culture has always been and continues to be essential to both constructing and understanding the world in which we live. At the same time, re-examining our collection felt like the perfect way to celebrate the Museum’s 40th anniversary. It’s an opportunity to explore how the collection has evolved and is also instructive as we continue to bring works into our holdings that capture the diversity of artistic production across time, geography, and media.” – Jessica Powers, Interim Chief Curator and The Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. Curator of Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World.
The San Antonio Museum of Art serves as a forum to explore and connect with art that spans the world’s geographies, artistic periods, genres, and cultures. Its collection contains nearly 30,000 works representing 5,000 years of history. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of San Antonio’s River Walk, the San Antonio Museum of Art is committed to promoting the rich cultural heritage and life of the city. The Museum hosts hundreds of events and public programs each year, including concerts, performances, tours, lectures, symposia, and interactive experiences. As an active civic leader, the Museum is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the city and the region, and to supporting its creative community.
Wood & Wire’s Tony Kamel announces solo release Back Down Home, due out September 24. Photo: google
Until Tony Kamel joined Wood & Wire in 2012, he had never played professionally. He had barely played for anyone—not even family—until many years after he pulled his mother’s old classical guitar out of their attic when he was 12. Being a musical late bloomer still got Kamel to the Grammys (for Wood & Wire’s North of Despair). But Back DownHome started gestating even before that; producer Bruce Robison had been encouraging Kamel to record a solo album for at least four years. And now—just after the arrival of his first child—it is here. (Tony Kamel, 2021)
Back Down Home is the first full solo-artist album from renowned singer-songwriter and producer Bruce Robison’s The Next Waltz label. In just a few days of no-fuss tracking at the Bunker, Robison’s all-analog studio in Lockhart, Texas, Kamel and several talented contributors crafted an album that fully conveys the down-home vibe its title suggests, as well as the laid-back nature of life on Texas’ Gulf Coast, especially Galveston. The operative word in the album’s title, “home,” usually takes on a twofold meaning: the place where people live and the place where people come from, but for Kamel, it also represents the place where his happiest memories were made. He’s got a mental scrapbook filled with special moments he experienced on the shores and waters of the port city once known as “the Ellis Island of the West.”
“It’s been a long hard week, a long hard month, it’s been a long hard year. Hard times are nothing new around here,” sings Houston-born songwriter and front man for the Grammy-nominated string band Wood & Wire, Tony Kamel, on his new tune “Amen.” With a refrain that celebrates making it to the other side of life’s trials and tribulations, “Amen” feels like it could not have come at a more perfect time in the life of musicians or music fans or humanity as a whole; the third verse an impossibly positive song of hope for the pandemic to come to an end. Piano, lap steel, horns, and—in the most Texan twist ever—percussion played on a Yeti cup carry Kamel’s rollicking, good-time melody from words on the page right to every dancefloor, backyard barbeque, road trip, and festival stage imaginable. “Amen” is just one of ten tracks from Kamel’s upcoming solo album, Back Down Home—set to be released September 24th via album-producer Bruce Robison’s The Next Waltz label. The Austin Chronicle premiered a studio-shot music video for “Amen,” praising how it “sets the album’s tone,” adding, “The jaunty number rollicks with an easy rhythm and laid-back wisdom.” Fans can watch the video now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Back Down Home before release day right here.
In conjunction with the release of Back Down Home, Kamel is creating an accompanying podcast that he calls his “thank you to the people and places that inspired the record.” Featuring interviews with Back Down Home’s cast and crew about making the album, as well as other artists and characters who dive into some of the deeper facets of the album’s subject matter—the Gulf Coast, going back to day jobs, overcoming sudden changes, and more.
Back DownHome Track list: Amen Slow on The Gulf Johnny Law Who Am I Kidding? Let It Slide Heat The Surfer This River Reuben’s Train Change
La Panadería’s S’more cookie. Photo: La Panadería, used with permission.
National S’mores Day on August 10 recognizes the most popular campfire treat. Millions of people of all ages love this gooey, toasted treat which consists of a roasted marshmallow with a layer of chocolate bar sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. The origin of the s’more is credited to entrepreneur Alec Barnum. (National Day Calendar, 2021)
National S’mores Day is coming up and while it may not be ideal to sit around a campfire with this Texas heat, you can still satisfy your S’more craving this summer with La Panadería’s delectable treat. La Panadería invites customers to indulge in their signature S’more cookie, their take on the gooey, toasted treat, made from scratch and packed with chocolate chunks and toasted marshmallows. La Panadería’s unique approach to baking results in artisanal pastries like no other, and their unique S’more cookie is no exception. (La Panadería, 2021)
You can purchase the S’more cookie for $3.60 at one of La Panadería’s three San Antonio locations, or order online for pickup.
Since opening La Panadería in San Antonio in 2014, the Cáceres brothers’ mission has been to share Mexico’s “Bread Cultura,” bringing the art of their beloved pan dulce items to the Texas market that have since become a culinary staple for residents and visitors to San Antonio alike. La Panadería has seen great success in San Antonio and has shown resilience throughout the uncertain times the global coronavirus pandemic has brought on. The bakery, which specializes in handmade bread, pan dulce and pastries inspired by Mexico’s Golden Era, or Epoca de Oro, draws influence from French, Italian and American bread making techniques. La Panadería’s unique approach to breadmaking includes a minimum 48-hour fermentation process that results in artisan bread and pastries unlike any other. All three of La Panadería’s locations offer indoor and al fresco dining as well as online ordering.
SA Examiner 