2012 November Oak Cliff

Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

Whether we deserve it or not

The thing about Thanksgiving is that most of us have so much to be thankful for, that we aren’t thankful.

I know that sounds impossible, ungrateful even, but it’s not unusual. Think about it: The better off we are, the more likely we are to take what we have for granted rather than consider it a gift or a blessing.

We have it. We deserve it. What else is there to say?

Maybe that’s why holidays such as Thanksgiving and birthdays and Christmas and Valentine’s Day come around once a year — they’re here to poke us in the ribs about how lucky we are to have what we have, whatever that may be.

That “memory jogging” isn’t just triggered by holidays. Sometimes, life causes its own reset, often at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected way.

Nine years ago, shortly after a peaceful holiday season, I visited a doctor for a checkup. Nothing was wrong, nor was anything expected to be wrong.

A blood test showed elevated levels of a marker that generally means one thing: cancer. Since I had successfully been treated for testicular cancer 15 years earlier, that was a mental connect-the-dot moment for me and the doctor — maybe my cancer was back?

More tests ensued, along with more visits to specialists. Even as I made the trek from one medical professional to another and from one machine to the next, my mind wandered. Why hadn’t I signed up for life insurance when I had the chance? Why couldn’t the doctors figure out the problem? And the ever-present, why is this

happening to me?

It took a few weeks of handwringing before a verdict was in: The doctor who seemed to know the most said I probably had brain cancer, and I needed to start chemo right away to keep it from spreading.

I shuddered. Literally. The body blow came from nowhere.

My mind disengaged, and I thought sorrowfully about the chemicals that would soon be seeping into my body, trampling healthy cells while looking for cancer. I felt sorry for myself, not because I deserved better but because I didn’t think I deserved this.

Luckily, my wife remained level-headed, even as I didn’t. She questioned the doctors more thoroughly than I could, and she figured out the guy was guessing — there was no proof of cancer, just a strong suspicion based on a single blood test that kept coming back irregularly.

So at her insistence, I didn’t start chemo or any other treatment. Instead, we found a renowned testicular cancer doctor in Indiana (the guy cured Lance Armstrong) who suggested that maybe all I had was an irregular blood test that didn’t mean anything at all.

It turns out he was right. After nine months of mental terror, with monthly blood tests to chart progress, right before Thanksgiving I found out that there was not and never had been — anything physically wrong with me.

It was all just a huge, horrifying misunderstanding.

So when I need a reminder about how good I have it these days, and after all this I inexplicably need that reminder almost daily, I don’t have to wait for a holiday to remind me.

I just focus on that bullet I dodged, a bullet that was never even fired, and my heart automatically skips a beat again. And again. And again.

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Texas Tough Perennials!

oakcliff

FACEBOOK

Divided on Davis Street Market

Editor Rachel Stone posted a rendering of Davis Street Market on facebook.com/oakcliffadvocate. When neighbors saw Kings Highway resident Rick Garza’s proposed mixed-use project at Davis and Van Buren, they gave it mixed reviews.

“When Oak Cliff looks like every other neighborhood, there will be nothing special about Oak Cliff.”

—Bradley J Metcalf

Holiday Reminders

Fresh Greens arrive the week before Thanksgiving. Wreaths, garland & more!

Fresh Christmas trees ready for you the day after Thanksgiving.

Choose Tulip bulbs now. Plant in Dec. Force Amaryllis & Paperwhites now.

FREE Winter NHG Events & Classes

More programs, events, and POP UP Classes at www.nhg.com Nov 2 · 4pm-6pm Holiday Happy Hour - Free wine, beer & light appetizers! Pop-ups on planting bulbs & building terrariums!

Nov 17 10am Winterize Your Backyard Flock

Nov 17 11am Backyard Chicken Sale

Nov 17 2:30 POP UP Class: Tillandsias as Gifts

“The asthetics are a bit off for the neighborhood, but I’ll take public spaces over vacant lots where people dump their garbage any day.” —Barry

Binder

“Overall the project will lend to the economic growth of Davis Street and the development of Davis as a complete street. This is something that you haven’t seen in Uptown or anywhere else in Dallas. [Developer Rick Garza] is a local guy and has been in Oak Cliff for over 15 years, restoring much of Kings Highway’s original and historical multitenant housing.” —Jonathan

Braddick

“I feel sorry for the neighbors on Fouracre. I wonder how many here in support would appreciate a 5-story building across from their 1-story house.”

—Michael Amonett

“To me it is not an issue of ‘fitting into the neighborhood.’ The Guggenheim Museum in New York did not fit into its neighborhood (still doesn’t) nor do many retail developments in New York, Seattle, London, etc. Urban neighborhoods typically are a huge mishmash of architectural styles, side by side. That said, the look of this is, to my eyes, very suburban Tucson.”

—Jeff Herrington

See the Davis Street Market rendering and read other opinions at facebook.com/oakcliffadvocate.

Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, Allium, Spider Lilies, & other spring blooming bulbs are heat and drought tolerant plants that return in your garden year after year. Plant now for easy-tocare-for spring blooms.

Q&A: Ray Wylie Hubbard

Ray Wylie Hubbard was born in oklahoma and grew up in oak Cliff. most famous for his song “Up Against the Wall redneck mother,” which Jerry Jeff Walker recorded in 1974, Hubbard is a hardworking musician who is constantly on the road. A fan once told Hubbard he admired his “dedication to music,” and Hubbard told him, “I just never learned to do anything else.” Hubbard performed at the Kessler last month, and he spoke to us on the phone from his home in Wimberley.

How old were you when your family moved to Oak Cliff, and where did you live?

I was about 8 years old when we moved here, and we lived at Eighth and Adams. I went to fourth grade at John H. Reagan Elementary School. Then I went to Rosemont, Greiner and Adamson.

The ’60s garage band scene was big in Oak Cliff. Were you a part of that?

I was more into the folk scene. Michael Murphey was a senior when I was a sophomore at Adamson. And there was a fellow by the name of B.W. Stevenson. He was a freshman, I believe. Then of course Stevie Ray and Jimmie [Vaughan] went to Kimball, and they were more into the garage bands. We were more folk singers in our little world.

Melissa Hennings

It sounds like Adamson was quite a creative force back then.

We didn’t have that great of a football team, but we had some really great assemblies. It was a good time. I have incredibly fond memories of growing up in Oak Cliff.

Do you still see Michael Martin Murphey or Jimmie Vaughan?

I see Michael, and I see Jimmie Vaughan every now and then. It was a great musical time there in Oak Cliff. Berry Music, that’s where everybody would hang out, at Jefferson and Tyler. It was a great little music store. I feel very fortunate that I grew up there. Going into high school, there was the greaser rock-n-roll of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and all that type of stuff, but by the time I graduated, the Beatles were there. So I went in wearing a pompadour and ducktails, and I left wearing a Beatle haircut.

Who were your musical influences at that time?

Bob Dylan and Michael Murphey, really, because he was the first person who came out in an assembly and said, “Here’s a song I wrote.” And I was like, “Whoa, he’s a songwriter!”

What was your first band, and where did you play?

El Fenix on Colorado is where we played our first gig. We played for the Greiner eighth-grade Pan American banquet. We weren’t very good, so we broke up during the second song.

Did you really?

We ate sherbet right before we sang, and it was very cold. I remember being very cold. It was a rough gig, but no, we made it through.

What was the name of the band?

The Coachmen. It was a folk group with Rick Fowler and Wayne Kidd. We were all from Oak Cliff. Jimmie Vaughan was in a band called the Chessmen. So the Oak Cliff Tribune would say, “The Chessmen

are playing at Kidd Springs,” or wherever, and they would show our picture. They got us confused all the time.

How long were the Coachmen together?

We were together for junior and senior year of high school. Then we became Three Faces West, and we would play Oklahoma, Dallas, Austin, Colorado. All over, really. And we were together for six or seven years as Three Faces West.

What was it like growing up in Oak Cliff?

It was very different back then. In the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade, you could get on the bus to downtown Dallas and go to the library. It wasn’t turbulent. It got turbulent in the late ’60s it was a changing time. But as a kid, it was a very pleasant experience.

Did you say you went to the library?

Yeah, I spent a lot of time at the Oak Cliff library, too. My dad was principal of Martin Weiss Elementary School, and he taught at Rosemont, too. He was an English teacher. So I used to read all the classics, Dickens, Hawthorne. I really enjoyed that.

So you weren’t a troublemaker?

No, I didn’t do that ’til later.

Have you always had a hometown following?

Dallas has always been good to me. There were a lot of folk clubs, and then the outlaw country thing hit, and I’ve always been able to find a gig in Dallas. And now, the Kessler? How great is that? It’s six blocks from where I grew up. I really recommend the Kessler to my musician friends. It’s a vibrant, beautiful place to play. I just really enjoy that gig.

Do you remember the Kessler as a movie theater?

I think I saw “Old Yeller” there when I was 10 or 11. I used to ride my bike down there and go to the movies. You know, you didn’t even have to put a lock on your bicycle. —Rachel Stone

You

HERE IS WHAT YOU HAVE MISSED!

Cyclesomatic volunteers needed

New city bike rule: We can’t throw things at bikers

Delicious: Southern Food

Advocate slideshow: Cruise night in Bishop Arts

Golf boutique to open in Bishop Arts

Heartbreak songs

Ashley Myrick released her first album, “The Devil’s Nest” under the stage name Lalagray in 2010. The album earned praise from music critics, and Myrick gained a local following. Lalagray was a success. But Myrick is putting that moniker behind her with a dozen new songs, which she performed at the Kessler in September, performing under her real name. “I have all new stuff,” she says. “It’s actually a really big change for me musically.” The Fort Worth native lived in Oak Cliff until recently and still works at Boulevardier in the Bishop Arts District. She says she taught herself to play piano by cutting class at Tarrant County Junior College and breaking into the music room. Myrick says her Lalagray work was heavily influenced by folk music, and she describes it as “a little too cute.” “I don’t want to make music that’s real cute anymore,” she says. “I really want to slam it out.” The new songs are as pretty and melodic as Myrick’s previous work, but they’re a shade darker and have a fuller sound. “Lone Wolf,” a song about lost love, has a heavy beat and vocals that drip with sorrow. She says she is making connections among local hip-hop artists and producers for the next album. “Before, everyone was listening to and playing folk music, and I love folk music, but my music never felt like it was supposed to be backed by banjoes and guitars,” she says. “I want it to be sort of thick, heavy with hip-hop beats and a wall of sound.” Myrick wrote and recorded demos for all 12 songs over six months. They all have one thing in common. “They’re all about heartbreak,” she says. “All of them.”

Myrick opens for Sara Hickman at the Kessler Theater Nov. 9. —Rachel Stone

Cocina Caliente

Best ceviche in town. Family owned and operated. Happy hour specials. Enjoy dinner with the family on our patio or drinks at our bar. Open lunch - late dinner /also serving breakfast sat,sun. Closed Monday

Dr. Marneni

Delicious Pumpkin

Imagineall your favorite fall memories

and flavors on a plate, and you’ve got Bolsa’s pumpkin panna cotta, courtesy of pastry chef Lauren Leone. The panna cotta is made with pumpkin seed brittle, cranberry-orange-ginger chutney and a dehydrated orange. This year, Bolsa celebrated its fourth anniversary. “Everyone thought we were crazy and that it would never work to start an organic restaurant in Oak Cliff,” co-owner Chris Zielke says. Oak Cliff residents Zielke and Chris Jeffers sure made it work. Both the market and restaurant try to use organic and locally made foods. “We strive to build relationships with farmers,” Zielke says. “We want great food in a casual atmosphere.” Bolsa was built in a 1947 body shop garage, which you can still feel in the restaurant’s great natural light, high ceilings and exposed beams. Zielke and Jeffers also run neighborhood eateries and bars Chicken Scratch, the Foundry and Smoke, located in the Belmont Hotel. —Lauri Valerio

BOLSA

614 W. Davis 214.943.1883

bolsadallas.com

AMBIANCE: CASUAL

PRICE: $8

TIP: DINE WEDNESDAYSFOR $5 SPECIALTY COCKTAILS.

1 Café Brazil

The famous pumpkin pancakes are topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon butter. Order holiday blend coffee and settle in to use the restaurant’s free Wi-Fi.

611 N. Bishop, suite 101 214.946.7927 cafebrazil.com

2 Emporium Pies

“Drop Dead Gourdgeous” is a pie that’s more than looks. It’s got substance. The pumpkin filling has cinnamon and spice (and everything nice?), and its crust is made with ginger snaps.

314 N. Bishop 469.206.6126 emporiumpies.com

3 Inforzato’s Italian Café

You can eat a full pumpkin-flavored meal at Inforzato’s, starting with a savory pumpkin parmesean panna cotta appetizer. Follow that with either curried pumpkin soup or pasta slathered in a pumpkin sage cream sauce. For dessert, choose from the sour cream pumpkin cheese cake, pumpkin cookie, pumpkin whoopie pie or pumpkin and sweet potato pie.

244 W. Davis 214.943.2233

Photos by Alison Fechtel

THE goods

Have a cup of cheer

Anne Amie Cuvée A Amrita ($15) Oregon

A lot of wine writers don’t like writing about holiday wine. They think it’s beneath them, too pedestrian for a writer who should be above all of that. That is just plain wrong-headed; the holidays are the best wine time of the year, when even people who don’t drink wine figure it’s OK to have a glass or two. And, perhaps, if they enjoy that glass or two, they’ll drink wine more often. Here are a few ideas for wine for this holiday season: Ridge Three Valleys ($20) is a spicy, almost sophisticated zinfandel from one of the best producers in California and is a great turkey wine. Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red ($5) is a simple but well-made Spanish wine that delivers more than $5 worth of value.

WACKYM’S KITCHEN

Wackym’s Kitchen bakes delicious cookies and treats from original recipes using fresh, natural ingredients like real butter and cane sugar. Visit our website to order or find a retail location. wackymskitchen.com

Anne Amie Cuvée A Amrita ($15) is an Oregon blend with 10 grapes that delivers the quality I expect from Anne Amie, fresh and lively with a hint of sweetness, and is another turkey possibility. Domaine Guillaman ($10) is from the Gascon region of France, and resembles sauvignon blanc more than most of the other $10 Gascon wines that I enjoy, but it is still well worth drinking. I’ll have more on this next month, but if you want some bubbly for Thanksgiving, almost any Spanish cava will do. They’re inexpensive — between $7 and $15 — and are food-friendly and very easy to drink. Cristalino and Segura Viudas are longtime favorites, but this is a category where you can buy something you don’t know and will be fine.

BRUMLEY GARDENS

—Jeff Siegel

JEFF SIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on oakcliff.advocatemag.com

Ask the wine guy

Q. Are there wine pairing rules for Thanksgiving?

A. Dozens, but you can safely ignore them. Serve what you like, keeping in mind what your guests like. The idea is to have fun, and not to intimidate anyone.

—Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com

Do you love unique & unusual ornaments? Brumley Gardens is the go to place for the best selection in town! Ask anyone! Shop Local! 2 locations: 10540 Church Rd./700 W. Davis brumleygardens.com

ADVOCATE ORNAMENT

The Advocate Foundation’s limited-edition, numbered, gift for the new home owner or Dallas transplant. Sales benefit neighborhood organizations. 214.292.0486 foundation.advocatemag.com

Out & About

November 2012

Nov. 10

Running for Rhinos

Sign up for the 8 a.m. 5k or 1k fun run to raise money for conservation. The races will be followed by a party and awards ceremony. Volunteers are also needed for water stations and guest relations.

Dallas Zoo, 650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway, 469.554.7500, dallaszoo.com, $20-$30

more local events or submit your own

NOV. 3

Music festival

The inaugural North Oak Cliff Music Festival will be a day filled with great musicians, including Oak Cliff-based jazz trio Yells at Eels, the Joe Ely Band, Carolyn Wonderland and others performing from noon-8 p.m. Discounts available for buying tickets in advance. Kids younger than 10 get in free. Part of the proceeds benefit the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association.

The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.924.0725, northoakcliffmusicfestival.com, $12-$35

NOV. 3

Slideluck Potshow

From 7-10 p.m. Slideluck Potshow attendees can enjoy a potluck dinner and watch a slideshow of the work of 20 local artists. Slideluck has been around the world and now makes its Dallas debut.

The Power Station, 3816 Commerce, slideluckpotshow.com, free

Barista Nation

Baristas and home enthusiasts are invited to the day-long Barista Nation Texas event. The night wraps up with a latte art competition, open to everyone. The morning kicks off with coffee and registration at 9:30 a.m. The final panel discussion ends at 6:30 p.m. and the night wraps up with a throw-down latte art competition, open to everyone. Call to register.

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters, 817 W. Davis, 866.295.8642, baristanation.com, $10 donation

NOV. 9-11

‘StainedGlass, Cleansed Hearts’

The CrossWise Players perform “Stained Glass, Cleansed Hearts: A Story of Generations” in celebration of the Tyler Street United Methodist Church’s 100th anniversary. The production showcases three generations’ stories, inspired by the church sanctuary’s eight stained glass windows, at 7 p.m. each night. Large groups can call to reserve seats. Tyler Street United Methodist Church, 927 W. Tenth, 214.946.8106, crosswiseplayers.com, free

Nov. 3, 11

Nature walk & work day

Learn about the ecosystem and look at fall plants at the nature walk at 10 a.m. on Nov. 3. Then volunteer to remove invasive plants in the butterfly garden at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11. Bring water and gardening tools. Twelve Hills Nature Center, 817 Mary Cliff, 214.335.5974, twelvehills.org, free

Cathy Burkey

NOV. 18

Cliff Fest

Enjoy music, art and food from noon-5 p.m. at the annual More Than Just a Taste event. For an extra $5, you can taste and vote on some of the best chili in Oak Cliff at the chili cook-off. Bishop Arts District, gooakcliff.org, $5 to taste

NOV. 20

Architecture panel

A panel will discuss Bishop Arts as well as Henderson Avenue, Victory Park and the Arts District in “Messy Desks are Creativity, Clean Desks are Sterile” at 6:30 p.m. David Farrell of Good Fulton & Farrell will moderate a discussion of planned and unplanned, “planted” and “native” entertainment and mixed-use districts.

Dallas Architecture Forum, 1909 Woodall Rodgers, 214.764.2406, dallasarchitectureforum.org, free

NOV. 30-DEC. 1

Jingle Bells on Bishop

Carolers and stores join in the annual festivities. An urban bazaar market will be stationed in the middle of the street. Bishop Arts District, bishopartsdistrict.com, free

Elliott Muñoz

Lucky Peterson performs at the North Oak Cliff Music Festival Nov. 3

StorybyRachelStone | PhotosbyDannyFul-gencioandCanTürkyilmaz

TheNorthOak Clif Music Festival center of gravity

re-establishes ou r neighborhoodasa nexus

Step into the Kessler Theater any weekend, and the sound rarely will be the same. Experimental jazz might be on the bill one night, red dirt country the next and a singer/songwriter, blues musician or indie rock band on Saturday.

It’s a musical potluck, but it’s far from random. This feast is carefully crafted by talent buyer Jeff Liles and theater owner Edwin Cabaniss.

There’s timelessness to every act that plays. You won’t catch anything gimmicky or fly-by-night.

“The common denominator is that it’s American music,” Liles says. “The thing they all have in common is that they’re organic, traditional American art forms, the kind of stuff that comes from the heart.”

The Kessler is hosting the first North Oak Cliff Music Festival Nov. 2 as a way to showcase artists who have found a home away from home at the Kessler, as well as to spotlight musicians who call our neighborhood home.

The Bronco Bowl on Fort Worth Avenue brought some of the world’s best musicians to Oak Cliff before it closed in 2003. Whether Dallasites realize it, Liles says, our neighborhood has been the “center of gravity for live music and culture in North Texas” for a long time.

And our neighborhood’s live music scene started to blossom again with Barefoot at the Belmont, the former Brooklyn in Bishop Arts and dive bars offering music with makeshift stages and booming PA systems.

When nightlife started to decline in Deep Ellum some 10 years ago, many Texas artists lost interest in Dallas, Liles says. Many were never able to find another foothold here, he says. The Kessler has brought some of them back, including Carolyn Wonderland and Alejandro Escovedo, who are playing the festival.

“Those artists have really reconnected with their audiences in Dallas,” Liles says.

While the Kessler is our neighborhood’s musical powerhouse, music also is offered from The Foundry, The Texas Theatre, Ten Bells Tavern and other venues, almost nightly these days. And all these years after the heyday of Stevie Ray Vaughan and then Edie Brickell, exciting artists continue to emerge from our humble borough.

“There’s demand for a music festival in Oak Cliff,” Cabaniss says.

This first festival is modest, just one day, from noon-8 p.m., and features two stages, one indoors and one outside.

But Cabaniss reminds us that Austin City Limits Festival started out 10 years ago in much the same fashion. Now that festival hosts thousands of ticketholders for three days every autumn at Zilker Park.

Cabaniss thinks the North Oak Cliff Music Festival could be just as successful, in a venue such as Lake Cliff Park or Kidd Springs.

“The timing is right,” Cabaniss says. “People are in the mood to cross the river to see live entertainment.”

“People are in the mood to cross the river to see live entertainment.”

jeff liles

bobby patterson

Bobby Patterson has got a million of them.

“2Pac wasn’t nothing but one pock on a ham hock when I started.”

“50 Cent wasn’t nothing but two dimes and a nickel when I started.”

He also has jokes about ugly girlfriends: “I had an onion in there, and it started crying, she was so ugly.” That girl was also a nun, he says: “Ain’t getting none. Ain’t had none. Don’t want none.”

But Patterson’s longevity is no joke. The musician, born and raised in Dallas, has been in the music business as a performer, songwriter, promoter, producer and DJ for more than 50 years. His songs have been recorded by a laundry list of R&B, blues, pop and country artists: Albert King, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Bland, Kenny Rogers and Wilco, to name a few. At a recent concert in Marfa, Robert Plant approached Patterson to talk about his career, “You know, the one I almost had,” Patterson deadpans.

Patterson’s career might not be Led Zeppelin-caliber legendary, but that’s only one perspective.

He spent 20 years behind the scenes, promoting artists such as LL Cool J and the Bee Gees before a 15-year stint on air at KKDA, which ended this past spring.

Patterson started playing in bands as a Lincoln High School student in the early ’60s, often competing in talent shows.

“I would always imitate Chuck Berry, and I would always win,” he says. “I would do ‘Lucille,’ with the duck walk and all. I always won.”

In the mid-’60s, he was one of about seven black people who attended the University of Texas at Arlington, he says. He was a student by day, and at night his band played at LuAnn’s, The Beachcomber, the Blackout Club and other Greenville Avenue nightclubs. He was also a favorite at SMU fraternity parties, he says.

Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan used to sit in with Patterson’s band, when they were still students of the blues.

Since KKDA laid off staff in May, including Patterson, he has focused more on performing. Patterson and his band play as many as four shows a week around Dallas, and they’re often invited to play festivals.

“It’s just a thing to do now. It’s not about the money or anything else except having fun and making people happy and putting a smile on people’s faces,” he says. “That’s something the young entertainers don’t do enough.”

When Aaron Gonzalez was a little boy, he used to get onstage and honk his plastic toy saxophone along with his dad’s band.

“And then he would cry because he didn’t get a solo,” says his brother, Stefan Gonzalez.

The Gonzalez brothers are the sons of Oak Cliff-based jazzman Dennis Gonzalez, and the three of them make up the jazz band Yells At Eels.

The band started in 1999 when the brothers were teenagers. Since then, they’ve recorded three albums and traveled on tour several times to Europe.

Dennis Gonzalez, who has taught in Dallas ISD for 37 years, moved to Oak Cliff in 1978 with his wife, Carol. They raised their family in their little house on Clinton, which they bought for a steal.

At the time, there wasn’t much of a music scene in Oak Cliff, Gonzalez says. But he played locally in avant-garde jazz ensembles, and his career as a free jazz musician, writing and composing songs, took him around the world.

The Gonzalezes have different ideas

yells at eels

about rhythm, melody, volume and economy, Aaron says.

“But when we worked all those things out, we found that really, we have a chemistry that we can’t get with anyone else,” he says.

There is no pecking order onstage, they say. They’re a democratic band. And as a band, they are instinctive. They hardly have to look at one another to communicate.

“There’s a certain freedom in our chemistry that is parallel to our family dynamics,” Aaron says.

Aside from Yells At Eels, the Gonzalez brothers also comprise the metal band Akkolyte, with Stefan on drums and vocals and Aaron on bass and vocals. They also have a band called Unconscious Collective, with Oak Cliff-based guitarist Gregg Prickett. Their band Humanization Quartet has members from Portugal, so they only play about once a year.

Stefan also is in Dead to a Dying World, The Young Mothers and Ogrullo Primitivo. Aaron has a band called Deflowered Electric Flesh Bride.

So Stefan and Aaron typically have three or four gigs a week.

All three members of Yells At Eels teach music lessons at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center as well. Juggling all these bands and collaborations comes easily to the Gonzalezes, for whom musicianship is a way of life.

“At this point, not much is off limits or scary to us,” Aaron says.

Dennis Gonzalez says he never thought of his babies as future musicians. And he never overtly encouraged their music careers. It’s not an easy life, after all. There are millions of musicians in the world, and they all want to make a living. But Dennis and Carol always wanted their kids to feel they could do whatever they wanted, even if that was playing a toy saxophone alongside world-class musicians.

Aaron says he thinks audiences have moved past the novelty that Yells At Eels is a family band, and he hopes they are making a difference in Dallas musical culture.

“I think we’re here to open up people’s minds to expression, whether it’s musical or visual or whatever,” he says.

lucky peterson

Bluesman Lucky Peterson and his wife, singer Tamara Peterson, were home for nearly four weeks in September and October.

“This is the longest we’ve had off in two years,” Tamara says during an interview at their church, Faith Memorial.

It wasn’t exactly a restful vacation. During that month, they hosted a barbecue, a crawfish boil and then a Batman birthday party for their 4-year-old godson at their South Dallas home.

A Buffalo, N.Y., native, Peterson, 47, is the son of a blues player. And he has been performing the blues since he was 5 years old. He moved to Dallas 25 years ago to play with Bobby “Blue” Bland, and he’s been on the road ever since.

Before the end of this year, Lucky and Tamara will play shows in Germany, Switzerland, France, Israel, Canada, New York and Chicago. Playing and traveling is their life’s work. But in the past five years or so, family and church have taken center stage for Lucky Peterson.

His 2010 album, “You Can Always Turn Around,” includes a cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s “I’m New Here.” On the track, Peterson’s voice sheds some of that signature raspy wail in favor of a smoother, sweeter sound: “No matter how far wrong you’ve gone, you can always turn around.”

“I was getting a handle on a lot of things,” he says of his inspiration for the album.

The Petersons joined Faith Memorial about five years ago, after Lucky was asked to play during a service there.

“I liked what I was seeing,” he says of the church. “So we joined, and we’re family now.”

The Petersons have four children, including daughter Lucky, who attends Greiner middle school and also is a singer. Tamara homeschooled the kids for years, and the whole family would go on the road together. But she says she stayed home from touring for a few years so her son, who was in high school at the time, could attend school. But now she’s back at it.

Their favorite place to visit is France, she says.

“Paris is like a home away from home for us now,” she says.

Peterson occasionally plays in blues clubs around Dallas, but he enjoys a much bigger following overseas.

“I have a bigger following everywhere but Dallas,” he says.

Enchanting Elmwood

Fresh blood is pumping through an old Oak Cliff neighborhood

Story by Lauri valerio

Elmwood is charming, and not in a perfectly coiffed Pleasantville way. Toys are sprinkled across front lawns, large trees shade car-lined streets, thriving plants draw attention away from peeling paint, and an air of community seems draped over it all.

Elmwood seems to exude life.

The neighborhood, which is bordered by Illinois, South Hampton, Wright and South Polk, is making its presence known as it seeks to attract businesses and artists, transforming itself into a cultural destination.

It feels like a small town, containing Margaret B. Henderson Elementary, a church, a business district, 1,500 homes and even a recording studio where Grammy winner Stuart Sikes and Grammy nominee John Congleton work.

Since Elmwood was developed in 1924, some things have fallen by the wayside. Vacant storefronts lie next to busy car repair and taco shops. Graffiti and tagging became commonplace for a while.

But now, things seem to be in Elmwood’s favor. Traffic and high gas prices have led to suburban residents moving closer to the city.

Elmwood’s beautiful, historic homes are reasonably priced. And the neighborhood is conveniently situated with easy access to Downtown via public transportation — two DART rail stations lie near its northern border.

“Elmwood is at a tipping point,” Mark Lea says.

Lea got involved when he responded to a call from GOOD Ideas for Cities, an initiative of GOOD Magazine that asked city leaders and thinkers to propose solutions to three local challenges, one of which was the underutilization of Elmwood’s business district. Participants presented their ideas to the community in June, and though they weren’t required to take their projects further, they were encouraged to.

Lea, assistant vice president of Spire Realty Group and an avid volunteer — which is part of what led him to respond to the GOOD challenge — ended up heading the group focused on Elmwood revitalization. Brainstorming solutions, however, was not enough for him. After the presentation, he decided to help make them reality.

Though Lea lives in Uptown, he has a personal investment in

Kenneth Denson, Melissa Love-Tristan, Connie Trent Briggs, Randy Cress, Mark Lea and Karla M. Servello helped organize the Elmwood street fair last month. Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

“You could tell the neighborhood association was really passionate but they just needed a spark, they needed to know someone was watching.”

the neighborhood: His grandparents’ first house was in Elmwood.

“That neighborhood is one of a kind,” Lea says. “People actually know each other and care about each other.” In a metropolitan city like Dallas, he says, “we’re not supposed to know our neighbors. We’re supposed to be flat and pretentious, and this neighborhood is none of that.”

Lea, along with the Elmwood Neighborhood Association and other interested individuals, came up with three focuses: code enforcement, beautification and immediate vibrancy. They would curb graffiti and tagging by inviting artists to paint murals on business walls. They would repave Edgefield, and put in bike lanes, lampposts, welcome signs and meandering walking trails near Cedar Creek. And they would attract restaurants, coffee shops, galleries, businesses and events.

So far, at least one business — C’s Country Cooking — has taken the bait. In late October, it took its place alongside existing businesses, which include the Edgefield Animal Clinic, Your Second Look Beauty Salon, Boy’s Taquería and El Lider USA, the

only bilingual weekly in North Texas. Two existing businesses, La Fondita restaurant and Hugo’s Beer and Tacos, have expansion plans.

“You could tell the neighborhood association was really passionate but they just needed a spark, they needed to know someone was watching,” says Lea.

Assistance for all of these changes is coming from various sources. The Elmwood

murals, repaving Edgefield and organizing the street fair.

“People are starting to take pride again in the neighborhood,” Love-Tristan says.

She recently sent her new neighbors packets of chocolate, pet food samples, coupons and business cards so they could feel welcome and familiarize themselves with local businesses.

When Love-Tristan first stumbled upon the Tudor-style house she now owns, she says she knew it was meant to be. About two years ago, she drove to the airport to pick up a friend who had just seen the aftereffects of the Haiti earthquake. On their way home, they drove through neighborhoods looking at houses and people to “bring [him] back to normalhood,” Love-Tristan says. They saw people walking dogs and families with kids, and then she saw the perfect house.

Neighborhood Association contributed to an October street fair that brought attention and visitors to Elmwood. District 1 councilwoman Delia Jasso helped the neighborhood secure city funds for bike lanes along Edgefield, the neighborhood’s main street. An East Dallas artist volunteered time to paint a mural along Edgefield. Lea is coughing up some of his own money, too. He hopes one of the next murals will allow for neighbors to personally fund and paint sections of the image.

“The great thing about this one is it will give people even more of a sense of ownership and will be a great way to meet others in the neighborhood,” Lea says.

Neighbors have been receptive to the revitalization project, and business owners have even shown up at neighborhood association meetings, according to Lea.

“There’s not this concrete organization,” Lea says. “There are so many people saying, ‘How can I help?’ ”

The team effort includes Karla Servello, a graphic designer getting local artists involved; Kenneth Denson, who is working with Elmwood businesses, including Hugo’s Beer and Tacos, to boost their social media presence; Melissa Love-Tristan, the unofficial “welcoming committee” for new neighbors; Connie Briggs, the code enforcement guru; and Randy Cress, president of the neighborhood association.

They have made strides in cleaning up much of the graffiti and tagging, painting

“There’s something sweet here,” she says. “I can sit on the porch and watch my son ride his bike up and down the sidewalk. I love that feel of, this is a true neighborhood. There’s lots of diversity — socioeconomic, racial. People work for what they get. It’s important for our son, who’s [ethnically] mixed, to grow up seeing that.”

She sees Elmwood’s potential and wants to see it achieved, she says.

“I know it always takes a long time for change,” Love-Tristan says. “It’s a process right now.”

Since the revitalization project started, home values have gone up, according to Lea. That won’t stop Lea from moving into the neighborhood: He has his eye on an Elmwood house.

“Oak Cliff as a whole is one of a kind — but this is Elmwood’s time to shine, and they are doing it their way,” Lea says. “Sure, murals, art and restaurants aren’t unique in concept, but the involvement of the entire community, I think, is pretty special.”

“I can sit on the porch and watch my son ride his bike up and down the sidewalk. I love that feel of, this is a true neighborhood. ”

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to LIVELOCAL@ADVOCATEMAG.COM

OC resident launches home accessories line

Oak Cliff resident Jason Lenox, Anteks proprietor, has released a new line of home accessories. Each item is one-of-a-kind, and Lenox personally made many pieces. The project has been years in the making. When Lenox visited Puerto Vallarta three years ago, he came across a shop that lined up with his vision. The style is rugged but sophisticated, showcasing Native American and Mexican influences. The items are even made in central Mexico. Lenox’s collection, which includes boxes, ash trays, candlestick holders, picture frames and more, is made from solid German silver and Sonoran turquoise and reflects the work of turn-of-the-century Navajo silversmiths. Prices range from $69 to $495 and are available online and at The Gypsy Wagon, Pinto Ranch, The Arrangement and Anteks.

Alta West Davis now leasing

The 207-unit apartment complex on West Davis at Rosemont is expected to be completed in May. Alta West Davis is leasing now, and the first apartments will be available Nov. 29. The Wood Partners project includes two three-story buildings. The buildings are on the former site of low-income apartments that were demolished in 2008. The now-defunct Incap Fund had plans to build a multifamily property on the site before Incap folded in 2009. Wood Partners started building the apartment complex in January. The units range from 563 to 1,214 square feet and $815 to $1,910 per month.

Oak Cliff street car due in May 2014

The DART board is expected to approve hiring Brookville Equipment Corp. to provide the two street cars planned for a line across the Houston Street Viaduct. They are also expected to approve hiring two companies to design and build the $28 million line: California-based Stacy and Whitbeck Inc. and Dallas-based CARCON Industries and Construction. The Houston Street Viaduct will be closed while the line is being built, which will take almost two years. One car is

expected to be delivered in May 2014 with a second one the following September. The entire project is supposed to be completed by November 2014.

Winnetka Heights, UTA architecture students team up

Students at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington will be using Winnetka Heights as a case study this semester. Professor Taner R. Ozdil and his students will come up with ways to make Winnetka Heights’ green spaces better, as part of a class called Studio V. Winnetka Heights resident and landscape architect Petrine Abrahams asked Ozdil, who was her thesis adviser at UTA, to collaborate with the neighborhood on the project. “It’s not about which plants go in which pots,” she says of the project. “It’s about ensuring that our parks are connected to something, that they’re accessible to all people and especially to people who live in the neighborhood.” The students will look at the neighborhood’s parks, open spaces, streetscapes, neighborhood entrances and points of connection. They will identify strategies for improving social spaces. “They’ll be looking at nodes and edges and give us an overview of their impression for the neighborhood and see where we might make changes that we need,” Abrahams says. “It’s looking for opportunities for people to gather and enjoy urban public spaces.” The students also will consider whether there is space in Winnetka Heights for a children’s playground or a dog park, she says.

TheAlta West Davis apartment complex opens this month.

William

R. Wilson Attorney at Law

There are often many ways to avoid or resolve a dispute without costly litigation.

Business

and

More business bits

1 Brumley Gardens nursery is now open. The shop has garden gifts, antiques, art, native Texas plants, pottery, colorful annuals, perennials and much more. It will also offer educational garden classes and workshops. A greenhouse will start perennials and house unusual and eclectic varieties of plants 2 Pour House Dallas, in the former Luckie’s Smokehouse space, now serves dinner. The restaurant had been waiting for a liquor license. Pour House Dallas will also offer brunch on weekends, serving items including “hangover huevos rancheros” and a bacon/cheddar/jalapeño burger with a fried egg. 3 Campo Modern Country Bistro, on Beckley at El Dorado, has closed. The restaurant had undergone several personnel changes since it opened less than a year ago. Owners Miguel Vicens and John Paul Valverde say they just want to try something else, and a new concept is coming soon.

Empower Girls, Be a Troop Leader!

The car alarm wailed and pierced T he nigh T.

The loud shriek of his car alarm startled William Crawford out of bed. He quickly rushed outside to see what was going on.

As the alarm blared from his car parked along the street, he saw a car peel away.

Girl Scouts need individuals to provide a great leadership experience. You will help them become girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

As a troop leader, you will receive training opportunities and experience to build your confidence, public speaking, problem-solving, and career skills, while also making new friends.

To find out more information on becoming a troop leader, visit www.gsnetx.org/volunteer.

www.gsnetx.org

Phone: 1-800-442-2260

The Victim: William Crawford

The Crime: Criminal mischief

Date: Saturday, Sept. 29

Time: 4 a.m.

Location: 300 Block of S. Brighton

Crawford wasn’t able to get a look at any suspects or a license plate number. Unfortunately, shards of glass littered the interior of his car, creating a real mess.

“They just broke the window,” he says. “I guess they hit it with a hammer or something.”

Despite the damage, the bright side is

that nothing inside was stolen. Police believe the suspects were probably scared away.

This is one time when a car alarm did its job. Repairing the window would set Crawford back about $200 and some time and hassle, but things could have been much worse.

Major Edwin Ruiz-Diaz of the Southwest Patrol Division says an alarm system is an important component of a theft prevention plan.

“On occasion a would-be thief will be scared off by an alarm going off in a vehicle or residence that they have targeted,” he says. “However, it is important to remember that good lighting around your vehicle, hiding or removing all valuables even if you will only be away from the car for a second, locking your vehicle and being aware of suspicious people in your vicinity are also extremely important when trying to prevent theft.”

| crime numbers |

6900 $2,520 2

Block of Maryibel where two people died after a man shot a woman and then himself following an argument at about 7 p.m. Oct. 7.

Value of beer and shattered glass two men stole and broke at about 2:50 p.m. Oct. 6. The suspects attempted to steal beer from a Chevron at 255 W. Illinois and threw beer cans through the front doors when the man working locked them in.

Source: Dallas Police Department

Number of adults who died after being rearended by a drunk driver at about 11:56 p.m. on Sept. 30. The driver, Henry Aaron, was headed eastbound on 3700 W. Davis when he struck a 2012 GMC Terrain.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

Worth the wait

Junior historian Quinn Torres of Oak Cliff stands with his mom, LeAnn Stundins, in front of the old Worth Hotel, which is now open to tourists.

Bike Friendly

Jason Robers, center, is one of the Bike Friendly Oak Cliff members who led about 150 Rosemont Elementary students to a root beer float party at Eno’s last month. The celebration was part of iBike Rosemont, which encourages students to ride their bikes to school.

Submit your photo. Email a jpeg to editor@advocatemag.com.

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community

North Wynnewood is the best neighborhood in Dallas, according to the Observer’s “Best of Dallas 2012.” “North Wynnewood is the best of ’50s cool architecture, beautifully maintained for decades by families who never moved, occupied now by a crowd that’s younger and more diverse but just as loyal to the neighborhood,” the weekly states. It also states property values in the neighborhood are up nearly 60 percent over the past 10 years. Oak Cliff was all over the “Best Of” list, which shouts out Oil & Cotton, the Texas Theatre, F. is for Frank, artist Erica Felicella, the Pin Show, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Barry Kooda’s sculptures at Artisans Collective, Barefoot at the Belmont, City Councilman Scott Griggs, the tennis courts at Lake Cliff Park, Brew Riot, Jeff Liles of the Kessler, the Houston Street Viaduct, the Cozy Cottage, Sweet 200, Studio 410, Bolsa, Mesa, Whitehall Exchange, Jonathon’s, Oddfellows, Bolsa Mercado, Ten Bells Tavern, Cafe Maya, Aunt Stelle’s, El Ranchito, The Foundry and Bar Belmont.

education

The Dallas Independent School District launched a new app for iPhones and Androids. The app lets parents and students see grades, bus routes, emergency notifications, cafeteria menus, a calendar and more. The free app, developed by School Connect, is available in English and Spanish at dallasisd.org/mobileapp.

people

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Marcie Haley is now president elect of theTwelve Hills Nature Centerboard of directors. Twelve Hills, the urban preserve located at 817 Mary Cliff, works to teach people about caring for the environment and also to maintain native prairie land. Haley enouraged kids to care about nature through the Twelve Hills Nature Leaders Program, which trained Rosemont Elementary students to guide younger children on nature walks.Previously, Haley served as Master Naturalist and chair of the Twelve Hills education committee.

Neighborhood-based artist Kyle Hobratschk won the first-ever juried art show atTurner House. The show was part of a year-long celebration of the Turner House centennial. Hobratschk, who works out ofOil & Cotton, won with a copper tint of Turner House itself, which will become part of the permanent art collection there. He also won $500. The contest was open only to artists who live in Oak Cliff, and 25 artists submitted 33 pieces.

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the wynnewood boys

Friendships that began in 1952 are as strong as ever

Friendships come and friendships go. But some remain. This is the story of one.

Among the many other sets of early 1950s Baby Boomer parents, five young families moved into the newly constructed Wynnewood Park No. 1 addition, purchasing — almost before the paint was dry — a handful of the cozy frame homes along Dogwood Trail, Llewellyn Avenue and Lacewood Drive. Each family had at least one son, and, like most middle-class families of the day, the boys had typical boomer names: Tommy, Larry, Pat, Roy and Steve. What the five boys didn’t realize back in 1952 was that the friendship they were forging would become a bondthat would stand the test of time. In pure Boomer form, they tagged themselves the “Wynnewood Boys.”

Larry Stevenson began first grade in 1953, at what was then Jefferson Davis Elementary School (now Barbara

Jordan Elementary). Tom(my) Farmer, Roy Martin and Steve Moreau began the next year, followed by Pat “Skipper” Eskew the next. All the boys then attended W. E. Greiner Junior High (in those days housing seventh-, eighth-

coupe. Roy had his parents’ Pontiac Catalina coupe and then Farmer’s folks contributed a 1963 Chevy.

“Larry’s ’55 Chevy was our cruiser,” chuckles Farmer. “It had a 4-track tape. ‘Quiet Village’ was played often.”

and ninth-graders) and then on to Adamson High School.

During their early years, the boys built mini-bikes and raced each other along the local dirt paths near Highway 67 and Kiest Boulevard. They participated in BB gun fights in the woods and then, in approximately 1964, they all began cruising around Oak Cliff, once Stevenson had his own 1955 Chevy

Four of the guys participated in Boy Scouts, with two earning Eagle Scout honors. Some were in band and some played sports, but their shared neighborhood heritage and common affection for each other functioned as the glue that kept them together. All the guys were in and out of romantic interludes, but they say those never interfered with the group relationships. As the boys matured, they decided a more sophisticated name was in order. Thus the Wynnewood Boys became the Fab [Fabulous] Elite, “FEs” for short. The boys all attended different colleges, married and had families. Larry, Roy and Steve remained in the area, while Tom and Pat relocated permanently to

All the guys admit to being sons of Oak Cliff, so I guess it’s true: You can take the boy out of Oak Cliff, but … well, you know the rest.

Tom Farmer, Roy Martin, Pat “Skipper” Eskew, Steve Moreau and Larry Stevenson are the “Wynnewood Boys.”

Florida and Colorado, respectively. The years passed, but the friendship they forged during those early years didn’t. In 2010 the guys began organizing an annual FE reunion, what they have since labeled, per Moreau, as “man-cations.” So far, the friends, now in their 60s, have met twice in Colorado and once on the East Coast.

“One of the great parts of the FE reunion is the road trip,” Moreau says. “Usually three of us head out toward our destination, visiting points of interest along the way and set[ting] about solving the world’s problems.”

Stevenson serves as the contact person for the group, but they agree that the Adamson reunions have helped

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BACKSTORY

keep them together. All the guys admit to being sons of Oak Cliff, so I guess it’s true: You can take the boy out of Oak Cliff, but well, you know the rest.

Despite the logistics, the guys support each other in good times and bad. Recently, when one of the men lost a brother, the others helped him cope.

“Three of us are strong Christians. Three of us are still working. One of us is in politics. Three of us have grandkids,” Farmer explains. “All of us care very much for each other.”

And from Eskew: “We guys [have] had a unique friendship for our whole lives. We are literally brothers in every respect. We are family ... and will be to our graves.” That pretty much says it all.

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One of the most momentous experiences in the FEs friendship was on Nov. 22, 1963 at Dealey Plaza. Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/ backstory to read about it.

Gayla Brooks can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called Eagle Ford. She was born at Methodist Hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Brooks is one of three coauthors of the recently published book, “Images of America: Oak Cliff”, and writes a monthly history column for the Oak Cliff Advocate Send her feedback and ideas to gbrooks@ advocatemag.com.