Dean Fearing, the executive chef of Dallas’s Mansion on Turtle Creek, put Southwestern cuisine on the map (okay, he had a little help from his friends), but did you know he was one of the founding members of Texas’s grooviest celebrity-chef rock band, the Barbwires? The original group (Fearing, Robert
Before they had even cut a record, the five kids from Tyler who call themselves Eisley were the talk of the music business. Why? Let me draw you a picture.
Smell of Success Everybody knows about heirloom tomatoes and apples, the historic varieties that have endured for decades or even centuries in garden plots and back yards. But heirloom garlic? Some fifteen years ago, Hallettsville native Anton Bujnoch’s sister bought several heads of garlic at a market in Mexico (nobody
Wham, Bam, Thank You, Spam Come April 3, Spam is taking over the capital of Texas. Austin’s Spamarama—a festival as infamous as the potted pork product that it celebrates—started 26 years ago as a joke and has grown over the years into a gonzo tribute to the gelatinous hunk of
Sitting in T’afia’s smart, quasi-industrial space watching the crowds of noshing, tippling patrons, it occurred to me that Monica Pope, the restaurant’s owner and chef, has given herself a new lease on life. Dishes from her previous Houston venue, Boulevard Bistrot, seemed livelier than ever, and the new creations
COURIER SERVICES Thirty-three-year-old Jim Courier, who was ranked the number one tennis player in the world in 1992, will host the Grand-SlamJam tennis exibition in Austin April 29 and 30. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hope Foundation, a cancer research organization.I read that you’re a musician.If
LAUGH TRACK Why is it that Lucille Ball is still hilarious and Andrew Dice Clay isn’t? We’re willing to take a big leap and say it has something to do with personal style, delivery, and content. This month you can see for yourself (if you’re lucky enough to score a
PLAYTIMES It’s awesome April, baby—or so the colorfully alliterative Dick Vitale might say if he were to sum up this month’s sports lineup. Start in the Alamo City, which hosts this season’s marvelously maddening men’s NCAA Final Four. Sure, the semifinals on April 3 and the championship game on April
MONUMENTAL EVENTS You heard the buzz. You saw the trailers. The release date came . . . and went. Remember The Alamo? Before you fork over $15 for a ticket and the requisite popcorn, take the opportunity this month to explore Texas’s history firsthand. On April 3 Abilene offers its
Pushing the Limits.
Susan Graham, from Midland to the Met.
Why Anne Dingus hates "Texas, Our Texas."
The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock rises again.
"While I was in Hollywood, I wrote for Eddie Arnold and Ernest Tubb and Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter—everybody you can think of."
"I have a very comfortable lifestyle as a jazz musician. Every day is a Saturday for me."
"I used to think, 'I can't perform in front of these people!' And then last night I did a show for more than 13,000."
"There were a lot of wild nights, people taking us in and offering us whatever they had. There were a lot of those 'offerings.'"
"I moved to Austin in 1974, and it was this kind of magical place. The whole alternative culture controlled the town."
"I don't believe anything in this world could ever disturb or upset me enough to make me start drinking again."
You may never have heard of Ramón Ayala, but to his four generations of fans in South Texas and Mexico, he’s music royalty. He revolutionized norteño, a genre that reigns along the border, and—after more than one hundred albums—is still going strong.
According to Time, the Austin rock-pop trio Spoon "just might be your next favorite band." But Britt Daniel and the boys have been burned by such pronouncements before, so this time they’re carefully considering their options—and, as always, putting their music first.
Is Clear Channel, the San Antonio-based radio behemoth, as patently evil as everyone says? Don't touch that dial.
Texas music matterseven to me.
If you're an Alamo fanand even if you aren'tyou'll find these fifteen titles worth your while.
Who needs Colorado when the Guadalupe River is so closeand so full of rainbow trout.
If you've ever admired the Indian Lodge at Davis Mountain State Park or the spring-fed swimming pool at Balmorhea, then you're looking at the handiwork of young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Suzy Banks, Stacy Hollister, and Charlie Llewellin discuss this month's cover story, "This Land Is Your Land."
The Houston Ballet's new artistic director, Stanton Welch, talks about growing up in Australia; creating the evening-length work, Tales of Texas; and replacing Ben Stevenson.
Seven images and captionsfrom the campsite to the view from the rimshow how executive editor S. C. "Sam" Gwynne spent seven days alone on the Solitario.
Where can you find a coastal live oak that is estimated to be more than one thousand years old, or the nation's second-largest exposed batholith? At a state park near you.
From Bank Jean-Georges in Houston1 stalk lemongrass 1 tablespoon canola, corn, or other neutral oil 1 medium or 1/2 large onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons Thai red-curry paste 6 1/8-inch-thick slices of galangal or ginger, not peeled 3 lime leaves (available at Asian markets; dried are
Sometimes we like to brave the cold weather and camp at Kerrville-Schreiner Park during the winter. We're not crazy, honest.
For Such a Time as This doesn’t claim to be chock-full of original recipes. What you will find is a good mix of unusual items and old favorites—dishes you know will taste good like Wonderful Lasagna, Asparagus Chicken, Baked Potato Soup, Elegant Broccoli and Walnuts, and Honey-Glazed Baby Carrots.The cookbook
For Chow Hounds Whether you’re a native or naturalized Texan, you should be ashamed of starting your day with a latte and a toaster tart. Get in the swing by having a “cowboy breakfast,” a diet-defying spread of scrambled eggs, home fries, biscuits, gravy, sausage, strong coffee, and more. An
Red, White, and TrueEven non-Texans know that chili enjoys near-mythic status in the Lone Star State. What they may not know is that biscuits are mighty important too. Two new cookbooks have the last word on these staples. In Strictly Chili A. D. Livingston lauds the classic Texas bowl of
I love the scene at Bank Jean-Georges. On my visit, the downtown Houston restaurant hadn’t been open a week and already it was filled with Prada-toting air kissers, dignified couples of a certain age, and the occasional table of passionate eaters like myself who had seized the opportunity to
MO’ BETTER Fifty-two-year-old blues artist Keb’ Mo’ (born Kevin Moore) just released Keep It Simple and will be playing at the One World Theatre, in Austin, March 4. How would you describe your new album? I’d say it’s a labor of love, and it’s a set of songs made
ROOT CAUSE Modern music would likely sound very different if not for song collectors. Consider John A. Lomax. In the early 1900’s, the American granddaddy of field recorders trekked 200,000 miles around the U.S. to document folk music, ignoring the advice of his University of Texas professors who said that
BLUES CLUES Once in a blue moon, a blue-ribbon month like this comes along. And your true-blue friends at this magazine will talk till they’re blue in the face if that’s what it takes for you to notice. Sensing a theme? Yes, March is a blues-filled 31 days, so between
GREEN DAYS Austin is known for its music scene and for its slackers (offset a little by the Internet start-up entrepreneurs in the late nineties), but the state capital is also famous for being green—in more ways than one. And this month—the first break from cedar fever since December—is the
With March 6 fast approaching, let's doff our coonskin caps to the Serious Alamo Guys, a band of mostly Anglo, mostly bearded, mostly fifty-plus historians who are Bowie-knife sharp on the subject of the mythic battle.
Life, death, and Max Soffar.
e-voting saves the day—or does it?
The New England Patriots weren't the only winners at the Super Bowl. Houston won too, sort of.
Benjamin McKenzie kisses.
How is school finance like a Russian novel? And other questions about the most pressing issue in Texas—and Rick Perry's plan for dealing with it.
The former national security chief and deputy CIA director on why we're losing the peace in Iraq and where the terrorists could strike next.
She named him Mark. I didn’t know why, any more than I knew why my daughter was drawn to riding in the first place. But I did know that she loved him—and that letting him go was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
How do you know when a child molester is cured? Are you willing to take his word for it? David Wayne Jones hopes so. Thirteen years ago he was convicted of preying on little boys at the East Dallas YMCA, but he could soon be out of jail and back
With more than 600,000 acres of state parks, historic sites, and natural areas, Texas can be a perfect playground for every type of outdoor adventurer—if you know where to go. We do.
