Appeal November December 2010 by em

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NOV/DEC 2010

1 VOL. 2,pg. ISSUE 1

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highlight a p p e a l t e x a r k a n a

appealtexarkana@gmail.com

Mark Reed

content

Texarkana Santa

In preschool, Mark Reed’s teacher asked the class what they wanted to be when they grew up. Without hesitation Mark answered, “Santa Claus.” Some believe Mark Reed really is Santa Claus. He is the most requested and popular of the red suits during the holidays. In fact, Reed takes six weeks off from his “real job” to do Santa’s work.

photo by Chris Ford. Taken 2009 at the Texarkana Christmas Parade.

cover-achiever

06.

Through the Eyes of a King - Dani Willett

publisher expressive marketing, l.l.c.

14.

Column: Uncommon Sense - Dani Willett

business manager angela evans

19.

Art Gallery

20.

What Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman Lisa Porterfield-Thompson

22.

Dining Picks

26.

Winter Wonderlust - Jessika James

30.

Fashion: The Office Party

36.

Events & Entertainment Guide

38.

Beards. The New Black - Russell W. Crews

42.

The Hi Tones - Dave Jordan

51.

Appeals to the Brut.

As always, Reed will be riding the last float (fire truck) at the Christmas Parade on Monday Dec 6.

pg. 4

editor dani willett graphic designers marjorie matthews beau shoulders nathan roberts traci pitman fashion coordinator lynn morris photographers angela evans brian jones

t . (8 7 0 ) 3 3 0 - 4 9 0 0 t.(903) 2 9 3 - 2 5 0 8 f.(870) 330-4894

a p p e a l t e x a r k a n a @ g m a i l . c o m P.O. Box 3313 Texark ana, T X 75504

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214 E. Broad St. Texark ana, AR 71854

Berridge Bikes & Boards

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Through the eyesThrough of a th

KING KIN

pg. pg 6 1

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h the eyesThrough of a the eyes of a

GNGKING KING KING

Lawrence

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pg. pg. 7 2

KING

Lawrence by dani willett

“Life is short, and to be able to wake up every day and love what you do is an amazing thing,” said King Lawrence, Texarkana native turned photographic extraordinaire. Now living in Austin with a studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, King works with clients ranging from celebrities to restaurants to capture one-ofa-kind images that are his trademark. One photography class taken at Arizona State University, where King got a degree in business, is the only formal training he’s had in the craft that started as a hobby and turned into a full-time job. But let’s begin at the beginning.

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To see more of King’s work visit www.kinglawrence.com

Born and raised in Texarkana, King grew up around the restaurant business. His grandfather is the original Bryce, founder of local institution Bryce’s Cafeteria, which has been serving up home cooking and southern hospitality since 1931, and has stayed in the family- now run by King’s father, Richard, and uncle, Bryce, Jr. Sister Carly, a pastry chef, is also in the industry and, along with husband Tim Loving, makes up half of the culinary wonder couple behind Timothy’s Grill. With the restaurant business so deeply rooted in his family’s history, King assumed that he would go into the restaurant field himself. Upon graduating from college he, along with several partners, opened a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona. In business for about ten years before its closing, Six grew to be one of the top 50 bars in the U.S., and hosted big names like Michael Jordan, Vince Vaughn and Aerosmith. Although King loved photography as a hobby, at that point in his life he thought the bar business was where he would stay.

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pg. 9

Through the bar, King met advertising photographer Rick Rusing. Rusing became a friend and mentor to King and eventually encouraged him to pursue photography as more than just a hobby. Over time, King began splitting his time between working at the bar and taking pictures, and as time went by started getting commercial and editorial work. Although he ultimately left the bar business to practice his art, King walked away from the experience with two things he holds dearly: the friend who helped him on the path to a career he loves, and his wife, who he also met during his time at Six, and with whom he now has two small children – Jet, 1 and London, 4. Nowadays, King is enjoying the challenges and adventures his job brings. “Whether it’s a celebrity athlete or someone that nobody knows,” said King, “the coolest thing about what I do is getting to meet new and interesting people every day.” pg. 10

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The work of King Lawrence ranges from portraits to site-specific art installations, one of his favorite project types because of the creative control involved in working with a company through the process from concept to finished piece. King uses fire, water and light in ways that maximize visual impact and help set his work apart from the rest. In spite of the contact he sometimes has with famous people or large companies, at the end of the day King is just a normal guy who loves his job and his family- the two of which can sometimes even intersect; King played a part in the design of the bar at Timothy’s, which also features his art, and will lend his talents in the near future to some branding projects being undertaken by Bryce’s.

King is named for his maternal grandfather, the colorful and inspiring Frank King, who originally purchased the land that King’s parents still live on today. King took this portrait shortly after his granddad, at the age of 87, surprised everyone by getting a tattoo- the same one that King and other family members have to show their family pride.

“I love shooting people and love, for at least a moment, getting to know them and hear their story,” King said. “I know a million other photographers have said that same thing, but it really is something special.”

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DANI WILLETT COLUMNIST

illustration by heather carr

Uncommon Sense Kids nowadays have a ton of stuff, and at no time during the year is this more apparent than the season upon us. Billions a year are spent on advertising marketed to children. It’s funny to think of grown-ups in suits sitting around a conference table, dreaming up products and commercials for younger versions of themselves whose interests change every few months. Well it happens, and whether parents are trying to appease themselves, their kids or to keep up with the Joneses, they buy. The really funny thing is, kids don’t need that much stuff. Common sense tells us, and studies show again and again, that in addition to basics like food, clothing and shelter, kids simply need loving, caring parents and family members who spend time with them. That is how kids learn values like responsibility and respect that are going to help them get through life in this ever-

changing world. You may have heard grandpa’s story of walking to school in the snow as a child, uphill both ways of course, and having nothing to play with but sticks, and look how well he turned out. There may actually be some truth to that. When kids are constantly pluggedin to iPods, video games and TV shows, their young, still-forming brains don’t get the chance to sim ply think and dream. They aren’t learning to appreciate the world we live in, the real, tangible world, becaue all of that excess stuff gets in the way. Last month, a friend of mine incorporated this idea into her 1-year-old’s birthday. She knew that her son already had plenty of clothes and toys, so my friend decided to use the tradition of birthday presents to give a gift back to our local area. She asked that in lieu of a gift for the baby, guests bring a canned food item to be www.appeal-mag.com

donated to Harvest Texarkana. Her child may have everything he needs, but there are plenty of kids that don’t, and to be able to impact another life is so much more rewarding than the impact another toy or shirt will have in the life of a 1-year-old, who has everything he needs and doesn’t understand gifts anyway. To help your child put him or herself in perspective in a world like ours, where some of us adults still behave like we are the only ones on the planet, is a huge gift. Bigger than anything that can fit under the tree. And the best part is, these lessons don’t have a shelf life, they are something that a kid can keep forever.

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Arts| appeall

photo by chris ford pg. 18

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highlight

local

artists

g a l l e r y An elementary school art teacher by day, Heather Carr uses her free time to create hand-drawn and hand-painted illustrations that take the form of invitations, cards, business collateral and other items that are equal parts practical and whimsical.

H E A T H ER

C A RR

Besides being featured in Appeal Magazine, Heather’s work can be viewed on her blog mintandhoney.blogspot.com, or in her Etsy shop mintandhoney.etsy.com where she also accepts custom orders.

Photo enthusiast Katie Alkire can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a camera in her hand. Positive feedback from her hobby photography convinced Katie that she had a gift, and now she shares her eye by photographing weddings, sporting events and selling her original, artistic work.

k a t i e

a l k i r E

Check out thedistantimage.com to see how Katie views the world.

Tareka Lofton showed a talent for drawing at the young age of 5 when she sketched a happy meal to let her parents know she was hungry. Acrylic, watercolor, oil, pastel and even sculpture are her preferred mediums nowadays when she’s creating colorful, custom pieces that capture a special feeling for her customers.

Ta r e k a

LoFton

For an appointment to view her personal home gallery, or for consultation on commission work, contact Tareka at rekamay@hotmail.com.

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pg. 19

While the bun is in the over, Mommy may be boiling over.

I’m a 24-year-old fairly new mother with more training in the “polite thing to do” than I’d like to admit. Growing up in a small town provided me with many opportunities to observe the right and wrong ways to interact in social settings and hold conversations with just about all types of people. Attending church, wedding showers and eatin’ meetin’s gave

me the formal training I needed for polite society while Interacting with my father’s rough-and-tumble friends, my mother’s better-than-you coworkers and some of the more off-color kids at school rounded out my education. I was never shorted on chances to adapt to various social settings. I learned so much as a child by listening, watching and mimicking all

Two Carters Photography www.twocartersphotos.com pg. 20

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different types of people and trying to fit in, as I’m sure many of you did as well. However, nothing educated me more thoroughly in etiquette and civility than being pregnant did. After learning that I was expecting my first child, I witnessed more instances of mankind being downright rude than ever I thought possible. Not even being forced to enter

junior high with inch-thick glasses and frolike hair, or going through cutthroat sorority recruitment prepared me for the mean things that people will say to a pregnant woman. It is for this reason that I saw a need. I recognized during my pregnancy that apparently no one teaches their children, husband, brother, grandma, or momma what should remain a thought in their head and what is okay to blurt out, like a dagger into the already fragile and frail spirit of a woman who is bearing 30 extra pounds. Thus, the idea for this article was born. After reading this guide, I hope that never again will you, dear reader, have an excuse to hurt the feelings of a woman with child. Reading this brings new responsibility to your life: an obligation to be kind, and if not classy, at least cordial when you happen

upon an expectant mom. With all that said, here’s to better conversation and better social interaction. Hopefully, this will help you think before you speak, touch, or make insane facial expressions. If it doesn’t, perhaps there is nothing that can be said or done to make you realize that pregnancy isn’t natural for any of us. It feels absolutely crazy to have a baby growing inside you, and there is nothing normal, everyday, or common about the experience. Just remember that the next time you see a pregnant mom, there’s really no reason to stare. Believe it or not, she realizes that she is carrying around what looks to be a cantaloupe, watermelon, or insert-your-fruit-of-choice-here under her shirt and believe me, she is weirded out by it too!

Do’s, Don’ts & Better Nots DON’T: Don’t ask any of the following: • “Was this a planned pregnancy?” • “How long have you been married? “ • “Are you going to keep it? “ • “Twins?! “ 2. Mention that she looks swollen all over. She knows. She feels swollen all over. 3. Resort to the corny “Any day now!” or a fruit reference. You don’t have to say anything. 1.

DO: 1. Smile approvingly as you walk by. 2. Think to yourself of all the fond memories you may have of expecting your own children - or the horror stories you lived through once the babywas born, inside your head. 3. Say “Congratulations.”

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www.twocartersphotos.com

Lisa Porterfield-Thompson Lisa Porterfield-Thompson offers us an excerpt from a book she is writing about the outlandish comments people make to pregnant women. The book is both a memoir of humorous experiences, as well as a course in etiquette when interacting with a mommy-in-waiting. Lisa is the Director of Public Relations at Texarkana College, Author of What’s Poppin’ With Porter.blogspot and Restore-Renew. blogspot, Wife of firefighter, Brad Thompson and mother of Porter, one year old. http://porterthompson.blogspot.com http://restore-renew.blogspot.com

BETTER NOT: • “Are you sure you don’t want decaf ?” She’s read the books; let her make her own decision. • Touch her belly. If it’s weird for strangers to touch you when you’re not pregnant, it still is when you are. • Make a fat joke, fat reference or for that matter even a low fat reference. • Don’t try to come between this lady and her food! • Talk about anything that has to do with fiber, laxatives, heartburn, breastfeeding, her sex life, etc. If you wouldn’t ask a stranger, don’t ask a pregnant stranger. pg. 21

dining| appeal

highlight local

dining picks

AMIGO JUAN Since moving to Texarkana in 2003 to open their restaurant, Maria and Sergio Rodriguez have turned Amigo Juan into a local favorite. In addition to their Hampton Road restaurant, this year the couple opened & DOUBLE E BURGERS more

When asked about the allure of their burgers, cook Jason said they “Taste homemade, like something your mama would make.” Or in the case of Double E, like something your daddy would make - owner Ernest Cheatham puts the E in the name (his son’s name supplies the other E.) Ernest’s hamburgers first gained fame when his kids were in high school and he would cook for their friends and other kids in the neighborhood. When the opportunity to open his own business presented itself, he knew he had to work burgers into the equation. pg. 22

fare

a second location to keep up with the expanding city. Featuring their signature brightly colored décor, the new location on Morris Lane also has a cantina-style bar area that is dying to host groups of friends for margarita night. But it’s not just the colorful furnishings that keep locals coming back, it’s the food. One look at the lunch crowd on Wednesday and you’ll see why, the fajita lunch special is their most popular of the week. Complementary salsa verde, in addition to traditional red salsa, adds a little something extra to your visit. And if you come at just the right time, you may be offered a sweet treat from their mini ice cream cooler. Amigo Juan is open seven days a week. Happy Hour is from 4-6 pm, Monday- Thursday, with $1 off draft beer and margaritas.

The burgers are popular, of course, but don’t forget about the “& More” in their name, another customer favorite is the catfish. Fried catfish comes in the form of long, boneless filets with the usual fries, beans, hushpuppies and tomato relish. The red and white checkered floors, reminiscent of your favorite family member or friend’s kitchen, tie the theme together. Wash your lunch down with soda, sweet tea, or Double E’s signature house punch. The food even comes to your table on a paper plate, just like mom used to do.

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highlight

dining| appeal

local

fare

LANDMARK GROCERY & CAFE Regular diners come from as far as Fouke and Ashdown for the Wednesday chicken and dressing lunch special at this off-the-beatenpath hotspot. Originally from Pakistan, owners Nissa and Mohammed Ahmed and their son, Cameron, lived in Chicago and Dallas before settling in Texarkana, which Nissa refers to as the “heartland of America.” The family has been at their current location serving up breakfast and lunch during the week for 16 years. On a typical day the whole family helps out with Mohammed taking orders, Nissa cooking and Cameron delivering plates right to your table. Homemade lunch specials change daily, or you can get your chicken fried steak fix any day of the week. Early birds can get a homecooked breakfast starting at 6 am, when eggs and omelets are served up with all the fixin’s.

Reminiscent of the good old days, the atmosphere is diner meets country store with its mix of tables and booths where the regulars are called by name and the morning news can be viewed from any seat in the house. Photos on the wall take customers through the history of the 75-year-old building that originally served as a meat market. Lunch-goers who don’t have a taste for home cooking can check out grill items ranging from cheeseburgers to catfish baskets. Save room for dessert, made from scratch bread pudding or cobbler is sure to be available. Landmark Grocery is open Monday – Friday 6 am – 2 pm.

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pg. 23

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

A Tradition of Casserols & Desserts Since 1931.... TO GO!

QUALITY

mas!

LEO

A part of Bryce’s Family for over 50 yrs.

pg. 24

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pg. 25

by jessika james

Christmas traditions have changed in many ways over the past 100 years. Trimming the tree, carol singing, the reading and telling of stories, cooking and spending time with family used to be the main events with gift giving as a happy accompaniment, when it could be afforded.

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“Back then we knew how lucky we were to get a single gift,” says Joy, 84. “You knew it was a sacrifice, and it made you appreciate things more.” She explains how she and her seven siblings would mend their own clothes and pass them down to one another. “Our family was poor, it was hard times for everyone.” She goes on to say that they didn’t get toys. “It was common, then, to get an orange in your stocking. They couldn’t be afforded during the year you see? If you were lucky you’d have a coin at the bottom of your stocking. Maybe some little hard candy and nuts.” These days, the average person spends an estimated $725 on presents each season. This is fueled in large part by what we know as The Wish List. Advertisements talk about them and parents warn children to be good in order to get everything on theirs. Kids compare notes on the playground and in the neighborhood about who got what. Nowadays you can write it on paper or find a template to post it on the web, but The Wish List has not always been around. The magic of Christmas used to be a feeling, an experience.

That’s what makes listening to older people reminisce about those times leave some feeling as if the Spirit of Christmas has changed for the worse. Audrey, 56, tells of how it was when she was growing up. “Mom always made a big deal of all of us going to get the tree. We would all walk to find it and sing on the way.” She remembers trudging through the forest looking for just the right ones, but how sometimes the trees were so small they would have to tie two of them together. “Then we would wrap gum balls in foil and string popcorn to go around the tree,” Audrey said. Audrey’s brother, Dan, would buy gifts for the younger boys and girls. He was the oldest and he made the money by shining shoes in a barbershop for 25 cents a pair. “One year he bought the two youngest boys toy guns, and a bear and a baby doll for us two girls. Momma put numbers on the backs of them and we drew to see who got what,” Audrey said. Her mother always tried to make a game out of it to make it more fun. It isn’t always about the gifts that make the Christmas Spirit what it is. It’s also how you treat other people

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in their time of need. How many people would invite a stranger over to eat Christmas dinner with their family because they knew they had nothing, or no one to spend the holiday with? That’s what 64-year-old Cathy’s dad would do when she was a child. “He’d take the orders Christmas morning for the restaurant, and sit and talk to customers while drinking cups of coffee. He’d find people that were alone, or down on their luck, and he’d bring them home for dinner,” she says. “Daddy was just soft-hearted, and these people needed somebody to talk to, to visit with.” Hearing stories like this can make all the things one would put on their Christmas list seem a little trivial, a little less important. How shocking it is to think that some families go into debt around the holidays to pay for so many, many things; when we all have the power to enjoy the things that don’t cost much money. The closeness of family and friends, to keep the Spirit of Christmas as dear and as pure as it used to be, even when people had so little. At least they knew what a gift they had in each other.

pg. 27

AVOID THE HOLIDAY WEIGHT GAIN the original 24 hour gym

number one in fantasy and fun!

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fashion

m a k i n g s p i r i t s b r i g h t

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festive

f a s h i o n

business & pleasure.

(mix)

directions: 1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. 2. Add lemonade. 3. Add cold water and cranberry juice cocktail. 4. Add soda and stir. 5. Pour punch into festive punch bowl. 6. Add 2 trays of Ice Cubes 7. Serve. www.appeal-mag.com

office-party punch

grocery list: * 3 ounce package cherry gelatin * 1 cup boiling water * 1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate * 3 cups cold water * 1 quart cranberry juice cocktail, chilled * 12 ounce bottle lemon-lime soda, chilled

pg. 31

fashion

appeal the

Holiday

OFFICE

PARTY:

in character as The Office Lush - Jennifer -------------------Shirt/A.Z.I Gayles Cardigan/Prive Dillards Skirt/Gianni Bini Dillards Shoes/Antonio Milano Dillards Earrings/Carol Lee Dillards in character as The Office Hottie - Kendal -------------------------------------Dress/LM Collection Abby Gayles Earrings/Carol Lee Dillards Bracelets/Catherine Stein Dillards Ring/Anna & Ava Dillards Clutch from Paper Dolls in character as The Office Jester - Bryan ----------------------Shirt/Roundtree & York Dillards Shoes Johnston & Murphy Dillards in character as The Office Professional - Courtney -----------------------Jacket/Hart Scharnaf Marx Bowtie/Daniel Cremieux Dillards Shirt/Murano Dillards PRODUCTION: photography by Sabrina Felty and Hailey Shippey on location Hopkins Icehouse fashion coordinator: Lynn Morris hair & makeup by Reala Kent at Style Studio flowers by Twisted Vines Christmas props from Ellis Pottery

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Check us out og, too) d e h t y k Whis on (

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wishing you

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pg. 35

highlight November - december

a p p e a l t e x a r k a n a

appealtexarkana@gmail.com event & entertainment Guide

NOVEMBER 1 Drumline Perot NOVEMBER 5 Tom Rocks Hopkins Mrs. Mac & The Groove Tones Fat Jacks Rodney Wadley w/ special guest Gina Walker Shooters NOVEMBER 5-14 The Foreigner Stillwell Theatre T.C. Humanities Building (903) 831-7827 Sergio Contreras the Mariachi Lafotga NOVEMBER 6 Texarkana Animal League Hopkins Crash Meadows Fat Jacks NOVEMBER 11 Occasional Thursdays: “For God and Country Regional Arts

pg. 36

NOVEMBER 12 Trey Johnson and Dave Almond Lee’s Catfish Micheal D’armond Fat Jacks Aaron and Jason Hopkins NOVEMBER 13 Recession Proof Hopkins Teazur Fat Jacks Colt Ford Shooters 2 Far Gone Band Lafotga NOVEMBER 18 Micheal D’armond Fat Jacks Abba Mania Perot NOVEMBER 19 Voodoo Cowboy Fat Jacks Mr.Happy Shooters Terry Black - Lee’s Catfish

NOVEMBER 20 Brantley Gilbert Shooters Robert Earl Keen Music City Texas 2 Far Gone Fat Jacks Mystery Machine Hopkins NOVEMBER 24 2 Far Gone Fats Jacks Tragikly White Shooters NOVEMBER 26 Robert St. John Band Fats Jacks Gregg B and Buddy Flett Lee’s Catfish NOVEMBER 27 Crooked Halo Fat Jacks DECEMBER 2 Occasional Thursdays: The 7th Annual ArtsSmart WRITE! on Art Regional Arts

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DECEMBER 2 Micheal D’Armond Fat Jacks DECEMBER 3 L.A. Outlaw Fat Jacks Candy Coborn Shooters Taylor Parrish Lee’s Catfish DECEMBER 4 King Hat Fat Jack DECEMBER 9 Curt and Misty Fat Jack DECEMBER 10 Toys for Toots Charity Event Mrs Mac and The Groovetones Fat Jack Trey Johnson and Dave

Jason Boland and Stragglers Shooters DECEMBER 17 Chant Fat Jacks DECEMBER 18 Crooked Halo Fat Jacks Southern Pride Band Lafotga DECEMBER 19 Texarkana Symphony Orchestra’s Sounds Of The Season Perot DECEMBER 23 The Droopers Fat JAcks DECEMBER 30 Aaron and Jason Fat Jacks

Almond Lee’s Catfish

DECEMBER 31 Jaw Bone Shooters

DECEMBER 11 Crash Meadows Fat Jacks

New Years Eve Blast Music City Texas Theater

Buttroxx Shooters DECEMBER 12 A Cowboy Christmas with Michael Martin Murphey Perot DECEMBER 16 Dean Agus Fat Jack

New years Eve Party 2 Far Gone Fat Jacks

s a m t s i r Charound rld the Wo . Dec. 6 • e7xaprk.m ana

Downtown T l Parade With Specia ls HREE Came Marshalls: T hepherds" and their "S amel Corps. from Texas C

Register to enter a float in the annual Main Street Texarkana Christmas Parade! For Application Packets, email nfhutcheson@texarkana.org or call 903.277.4603. Also available on city websites. Sponsored in part by: City of Texarkana Texas • City of Texarkana Arkansas

www.appeal-mag.com Camels sponsored in part by “Anonymous Camel Lover”

pg. 37

by russell w. crews

pg. 38

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are you’re reading this in a public place. O dds You’ve seen our magazine just outside, or just inside, of the establishment you are currently occupying. You may

even be in a social setting, filled with people looking to have a good time. So, look around. Now look back at me. Now look around again. I used this obvious Old Spice Guy rip-off to prove a point: I can make you do anything. Another point is this: if there are any males in the room, some of them might have a beard. Beards are back, in a big, big

way.

Watch one of the edgy comedies that are popular right now and you’ll probably see a hairy Seth Rogen or Zach Galifianakis staring back at you. The Bearded Brotherhood has been on the rise since the Gen X’ers pioneered today’s hipsters, who, like their forbearers, have taken to expressing their individuality with facial hair. You can see this expression in many different ways, from the classic beard, to

a resurgence of facial hair, mostly due to its gradual acceptance in the work place. If you can keep it clean, then beard away, young man. The former leads directly to the latter, and is the only reason we do anything. Ever. (In full editorial transparency, I own a beard currently and have dabbled in any style and length you can possibly imagine, from the aforementioned beard/goatee/

Men grow facial hair for many different reasons, but it all boils down to two things: To feel like a man and to

impress women. the goatee, to the (usually) ironic moustache. And while the Dave Grohls and the Ethan Hawkes of the world have grown up, they haven’t lost their desire to show the world who they once were. This has lead to

moustache to styles you’ve NEVER. EVEN. HEARD OF.) Some women love facial hair, and some don’t. This is ok, men. I can tell you, to borrow a phrase from the film Ocean’s Thirteen, the beard plays. Believe it or

not, women aren’t as shallow as we are, and most of them will go out with you despite feelings towards facial hair. They can look past the beard to the babyface underneath. “But, Russell, I already have a girlfriend/wife and she is adamantly opposed to me growing my facial hair,” you might be saying to me right now. First, I can’t hear you; this is a piece of paper. Second, this is OK as well. No one ever said growing a beard was going to be easy. Along with the time and effort that goes into making sure you are comfortable with the way your face looks, you need to put the time and effort into making your significant other comfortable with your new face. Sure, she might complain. And that’s her right. But it’s also your body, men, and you get to make

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these decisions! If you grow your beard out and find that you truly like it, just sit her down and explain your feelings. It will help her to understand why you’ve chosen to look like a postCivil War president, and you’ll get brownie points for opening up to her. Winwin, men. So when you’re looking around you, and you see more and more bearded men, don’t shrug it off as a phase. Beards are here to stay. The days of fedora hats and clean-shaven men in gray suits are great to watch on Mad Men, but they’re gone. Gone the way of the dodo and the cassette player. It’s time to get on the Beard Bandwagon! Unless you just can’t grow one. In that case, just keep shaving. You give the rest of us a bad name. Sorry.

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J e r r y G a r c i a :

Many men throughout history have proudly worn beards, and be they fictional or real, distinguished or reviled, the facial hair should never be held accountable for their actions.

Ulysses Grant:

Our 18th president used his beard (and booze) to win the Civil War for theunion. He now resides on the $50 bill.

Merlin-GandalfDumbledore:

These fictional wizards ar known more for their long white beards than for their wizardry, mostly because wizardry is fictional and beards are the real deal.

Zeus:

The god of gods probably trimmed his beard with lightning bolts while meddling inthe affairs of ancient Greece.

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Conan O’Brien, aka Coco: The re-

Guitarist Garcia gained power from his beard to lead The Grateful Dead for 30 years. He’s an example of the old adage, “You don’t need to take heroin to grow a good beard.”

Fidel Castro: The ex-

cently deposed “Tonight Show” host grew a beard after his early departure. America hopes he keeps it for his new show “Conan” coming in November on TBS.

L a w Gnome:

Your lawn may be pristine, your lawn may be a hot mess, but his beard always looks fantastic.

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president of Cuba remains a controversial figure in world politics, but his excellent beard can never be debated.

Sam Elliott:

The modern bearer of the moustache torch wears his whiskers in movies like “The Big Lebowski” and “Tombstone,” but you will have your mind blown if you watch “The Contender,” where he goes moustache-less.

Tom Selleck:

The moustache you think of when you think of moustaches, Thomas Magnum brought the moustache back in the 80s.

ZZ Top:

That Little Old Band From Texas counts two beards and one moustache among its three members, a ratio which should be copied by all other groups of men.

Uncle Jesse: The Duke Boys’ uncle let wisdom fly from between his beard on “The Dukes of Hazard”, a show many scholars regard as the best TV show in human history.

Groucho Marx:

My personal hero is more famous for his fake moustache of the 1930s than the real moustache he grew for “You Bet Your Life”, the long running gameshow of the 1950s.

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The Hi-Tones

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by dave jordan

Catching your first live performance by The Hi-Tones is a bit like the title of one of their more popular songs – “Hit and Run” (minus the internal bleeding, of course). Everything happens so quickly, you’re left somewhat dazed and confused, and you can’t be exactly certain of what you’ve just witnessed. What you are sure of is that it will take some time before you feel normal again after being run over by their retro brand of raw, jangly dance rock. The band currently resides in Austin and all of its members have roots in Texas. Lead singer Johnny Flores, who also handles most of the band’s booking and management, grew up in Corpus Christi with Gary Delgado. Delgado is a multi-instrumentalist (as is most of the band) that primarily plays bass in their live shows and also has a major role in the writing and arrangement of the group’s songs. The friends of 15 years have been partners in various musical projects over the last eight. Kurt Lammers began playing drums at 10 years old. Born in West Texas, his family moved to the Dallas area where he was in a high school drum corps that eventually led to him playing for the band at the University of Arkansas. He joined The Hi-Tones after moving to Austin through the recommendation of a mutual friend, and has been playing with them for a little over a year.

Kyle Abrams is the most recent addition to the lineup, having joined the band over the course of this past summer. Originally from Midland, Abrams serves as the band’s utility man, filling the spaces in their song by lending his skill to keyboards, guitar and backup harmonies. The simple title of their first release, “The Hi-Tones EP”, belies the complexity and attention to detail involved in putting the album together. Delgado credits the time they spent working with industry veteran Oscar Houchins for the paradigm shift in their approach to music. Houchins, a professional musician during the sixties and seventies that worked with acts like Tommy James and the Shondells, was instrumental in getting them to understand the difference between “writing” and “crafting” a song. “He introduced us to a more professional type of approach to music,” says Delgado. “We spent many nights going over lyrics, arrangements and vocal harmony parts. Learning how to craft songs that express what we are trying to express, in a way that’s accessible to a mainstream audience. We continue that

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“I TRY TO SEE THROUGH THE AUDIENCE AND ENVISION MYSELF ON MY OWN PLANE. EVERY PERFORMANCE COULD BE YOUR LAST.” – JOHNNY FLORES approach today and our next set of recordings, which should be done by the end of the year, will reflect that.” If mainstream accessibility is their goal, then they are headed in the right direction. The Hi-Tones are one of a dying breed of band whose music has the ability to bridge the generation gap. With enough energy and head-bobbing beats to appeal to a younger audience, they maintain a certain vintage quality to their sound to make a more (ahem) mature listener feel nostalgic for long-gone early rock and soul acts. Having been described as “a free-wheeling blur of snappy dance moves,” Flores sets the energetic pace for the group’s live performances. Whether it’s James Brown-style shimmying and foot-shuffling, or Jim Morrison-esque gyrations with his back to

the audience, Flores never stops moving. He performs onstage like he’s Tom Cruise in that famous scene from Risky Business – a complete lack of inhibition, just letting go and giving in to the song. “I try to see through the audience and envision myself on my own plane,” explains the singer. “Every performance could be your last.” The Hi-Tones are fast becoming regulars in Texarkana, most recently playing at Fat Jack’s on October 17, and this is just fine by them. When asked about their first show here, Lammers explains, “It was such a blast. It definitely set the tone for all of our Texarkana shows. Our Texarkana fans … are just so much fun, and we look forward to every show we have there because we know we are going to have an amazing time.”

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uSic

TReY JOHnson & Dave AlmonD

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Living in the area without having seen Trey Johnson and Dave Almond perform is like growing up in the South and never trying chicken-fried steak and gravy. Once you finally get a bite of their tasty and satisfying mix of blues, folk, and soul, you’ll be a little embarrassed that you’ve missed out for so long. The next couple of months offer you a few opportunities to remedy your situation. The duo plays at Lee’ s Catfish on November 12 and December 10. Trey and The Droppers (a full band performance), will be onstage at Fat Jack’s on December 23.

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BudDy FleTT

Shreveport resident and blues heavy hitter Buddy Flett plays Lee’s Catfish on November 26. Going on 36 strong years, Flett’s style pays homage to legends such as Gatemouth Brown, Leadbelly and Howlin’ Wolf. With heavy doses of slide guitar and enough jazzy improvisation to leave his own indelible mark, it’s not an overstatement to classify Flett as one of the living greats of the genre. Flett photo by Mike Rosebery.

UNcle Lucius

Austin’s Uncle Lucius plays Fat Jack’ s on November 7, their second show in Texarkana this year. After extensive national touring behind the release of their 2009 album “Pick Your Head Up,” the roots-rock outfit is giving themselves a bit of a break by playing regionally. Unquestionably built on the traditions of Southern rock topped with a heavy dose of soul, the band has a knack for writing catchy, memorable songs about whiskey, women, life and death. Check your pulse if “Ain’t It The Same” doesn’ t get your foot tapping, and “Everybody Got Soul” might trick you into thinking you can dance. Listen to or find out more about the band at uncleluciusmusic.com. Show starts at 10.

THE DIRTY sTREETS Monday nights are infamous for their lack of goings-on in town. Not the case for December 6, when The Dirty Streets, a three-piece band from Memphis, make their Texarkana debut. Channeling the energies of throwbacks like The Who and The Faces, the trio is building a reputation as one of Memphis’ must-see young bands. Playing together since 2006, the band released an album toward the end of 2009 (entitled Portrait Of A Man), and has toured with the likes of indie rock staples Lucero and the stripped-down blues two-piece of Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm. Show starts at 9. No cover charge, but donations will be appreciated. For more info, go to myspace.com/thedirtystreets.

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