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For the first four years from in-service date or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. For complete details on BMW Ultimate Service,® visit bmwusa.com/ultimateservice. The numbers are based on preliminary BMW results for highway fuel economy value of 45 mpg for the 328d Sedan and a fuel tank capacity of 15 gallons. Actual results may change as a result of EPA testing. ©2013 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
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atx man fall | contents
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On the Cover: The musical odyssey of Peter Bay
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48
Features: Three of Austin’s most prolific creators
54
Photo by Cody Hamilton.
Everything Bison Tailgate
Prada Calzature Uomo patent leather shoes, $620; Billy Reid plaid shirt, $185; Theory Rodolf blazer, $535; and Theory Jake slacks, $235, available at Neiman Marcus, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 512.873.8099, neimanmarcus.com.
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the buzz
in the know
14 The Buzz Roundup 16 5 Things We’re Loving Right Now 18 Fall Festival Preview 22 Siren Songs 24 Austin Innovator 26 Young Men to Watch
64 Health: Preventing Hearing Loss 66 Fitness: Office Workouts 68 Sports Report: College Football
the good life 28 Trailer Treats: Trucking Through Texas 30 Grilling: Ultimate Grilling Resources 32 Sports Bars: Scholz Garten 34 Job Envy: Sommelier 36 Good Sport: F1 Returns to Austin 38 Getaway: Ireland Begets Great Golf
style
38 6 ATX MAN fall 2013
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58 Style: Fall Fashion 62 Grooming: Getting Squeaky Clean
Preview
70 Working Life: Approaching Your Boss 72 Family Man: Know Your Emoticons 74 Finance: Retirement Investments 76 Pretty Woman: Kaylee Hartung 78 Single Guy: Secret Society 80 Last Word from Roy Spence on the cover:
Photo by Cody Hamilton Hair by Maegan Foster, Avant Salon, 507 Pressler St., Ste. 800, 512.472.6357, avantsalon.com Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, Rae Cosmetics, 1206 W. 38th St., 512.320.8732, raecosmetics.com Styling by Ashley Hargrove Location: The Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr., thelongcenter. org Cover: 1955 Chevrolet Nomad courtesy of Motoreum, 10202 N. FM 620, 512.687.4007, motoreum.com. Leather hooded jacket, $228, and T-shirt, $22.90, available at Express, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.328.0662, express.com.
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eart and Soul. It is a classic, catchy piano duet that from the first three notes almost everyone recognizes. What most people don’t realize is that beyond the familiar melody, Heart and Soul has lyrics: “Heart and soul. I fell in love with you heart and soul. The way a fool would do. Madly.” Heart and soul. That is how I fell for Austin and why I fell for Austin. I have never been in a place that has more of both— heart and soul—and I was hooked from the first time I set foot on what has now become to me hallowed ground. Fall is the time when Austin preens its feathers like a proud peacock and shows off its heart and soul. The festival season begins in full force. Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin Film Festival, the Texas Tribune Festival, the Texas Book Festival and many more bring the best and brightest musicians, filmmakers, politicos and writers to Austin, and we soak up all they have to offer like a thirsty sponge. In this issue, we suggest how to get the most from the festival season, including the can’t-miss events, films and panels. Nothing thrills my heart more than a crisp fall day gathering with friends for a tailgate just before the Longhorns take the field. Bison aficionados John Russell and Corey Harris created a healthy tailgate menu exclusively for ATX Man that will appeal to all red-meat-loving fans, and Brian Jones shares his preview of the upcoming college football season. We spotlight classic grills and the latest grilling cookbooks. Deep in the heart of Austin lays a classic beer garten. After 147 years, Scholz holds the title of the oldest continually operating business in Austin, and to partake of an afternoon during football season there is an experience you will not soon forget. Anthony French weighs in on F1 and the sophomore year of an event that looks to become an Austin classic. The soul of Austin lays in its creative spirit and no ATX man better exemplifies the heart and soul of Austin than Peter Bay. He’s been the iconic conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra for the past 15 years, and there is nothing stuffy about this maestro. Bay is much like the city he holds dear: expansive and curious with a wide range of interests and eclectic taste. He reaches out and embraces everything the city has to offer. While Bay loves the classics, he is the ultimate collaborator, always ready for innovative and unusual ways to get us hooked on his love of music. Top it off with a humble soul, heart of gold and a wicked sense of humor, and you will find that the story behind the man who commands the ASO with the wave of a baton will entertain and amuse you. Austinites are always fascinated by the soul of creators. Some of the finest creative minds call Austin home, and their work gives us bragging rights to be known as the most creative city in the U.S. Andy East paints a stunning portrait of three such creators, each acclaimed and accomplished: writer Stephen Harrigan, composer Graham Reynolds and choreographer Stephen Mills. We are also a city of creative entrepreneurs with shining stars such as the Seiders brothers, creators of YETI coolers; and Keith Wahrer of Daily Juice, Rhythm Superfoods and his latest endeavor, Karmakaze Productions. Speaking of creators, the Sirens of ACL—beautiful singer-songwriters all—include Holly Williams, heir to the classic Hank Williams country music legacy. With lyrics drawn from their souls, their songs will surely touch your heart. Longhorn Sports Network broadcaster Kaylee Hartung will make your heart sing when she speaks her mind, and Roy Spence will tug at your heartstrings when he invites you to join him in supporting our veterans through Honor Flight. Creativity, the spirit of giving, a sense of community, living life to the fullest: These things are the heart and soul of Austin. Enjoy everything the city has to offer this fall, and I guarantee you will fall in love with Austin just like I did—madly, with all of your heart and soul.
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contributors As a former musician himself, writer Steve Uhler especially enjoyed interviewing this month’s cover subject, Austin Symphony Orchestra Conductor Peter Bay. “I was surprised at the diversity of his interests outside classical music,” says Steve, who didn’t expect to find himself sharing so many obscure commonalities with the celebrated maestro. “I’m a huge fan of Ernie Kovacs, and it turns out Peter shares that particular passion. We’re both into the silent film actress Louise Brooks. We both like Martin Denny— the guy who did those weird jungle-themed easy listening albums back in the 1950s. How many classical music conductors do you know who are into Polynesian lounge music?”
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Andy East is an Austin-based freelance writer. After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in telecommunication and Spanish, he bought a one-way ticket to adventure, accepting a position teaching English to business executives and translating for human rights organizations in Bogotá, Colombia. While not writing or translating, Andy is a salsa music fanatic and loves to swim. Andy is currently working on his first fiction publication. This month, Andy had the pleasure of writing about three creatives in Austin. You can find his work on Page 48. Cody Hamilton is a cross between photographer, retoucher and illustrator. He uses situations, framing and digital editing to create works of art that leave memorable impressions. Cody grew up in Wyoming. He graduated from The Art Institute of Colorado, receiving an award for the best portfolio. In addition to honing his portfolio and photography skills, Cody stays busy remodeling his house and spending time with his wife and daughter. Cody’s photographs have been featured in Austin Monthly and Tribeza. He has contributed to projects for Southwest Airlines, GSD&M, Door Number 3 and T3. JoJo Marion was born and bred in the heart of Texas, and gained his professional chops at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Working in the great city of Austin since 2008, JoJo focuses on mobile, web, print design and photography. He is working hard on carving his own path in the creative world. This month, he got to spend time shooting (and sampling) delicious bison dishes. You can see his work for this month’s issue on Page 54.
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2 0 1 3 Westlake Golf ClassiC What: 11th Annual Westlake Golf Classic - Four Person Scramble When: Monday October 7th Shotgun start at 1:00pm Registration and Driving Range open at 11:30pm Where: Lost Creek Country Club
Texas Tribune Festival
Four Person Team: $500 Individual: $150 Early Bird Registration by September 7th: $400/team
This summer, it wasn’t only the thermometer that reached sizzling temperatures; political debate was just as hot. For all politicos and involved citizens, the second annual Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 27-29, is near nirvana. The event opens with Ted Cruz and includes Senator Wendy Davis, The Castro Brothers, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and U.S. Representative Lamar Smith. The sparks are sure to fly. We’ve got the must-see panels and follow-up.
More Music
Fun, Fun, Fun Festival: When Snoop Dog and Tenacious D hit town, you know it is for the darling of the independent music festivals. Check out this year’s expansive lineup and the new-and-improved Ultimate Smooth Pass experience. Rocking the ATX Style: Must-have festival fashion statement is the new lineup of Austin’s own Helm Boots.
Best Kept Sommelier’s Secrets
The Texas Sommelier Conference is a wrap, and ATX Man food and wine expert Matt McGinnis shares what he learned, including 10 wines to buy and why you should do it now.
More Tailgating
Take it easy and let ATX favorites El Chile, Phonate, Easy Tiger, Shiner Smokehouse Sausage, Saint Arnold’s beer and Nada Moo prepare your tailgate cuisine for you. We’ve got the menu that will take you through all four quarters and then some.
More Golf
Serving as an open table for golf courses, ezlinks.com offers discounts on 100,000 tee times from more than 1,000 courses worldwide every day. Instead of having to call individual courses to check availability, golfers can visit ezlinks.com and access all available tee times from course partners, most at considerable discounts. We’ve got the details, including local course partners.
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the buzz
Music Asleep at the Wheel: On Screen and On Stage The Long Center, Sept. 8 The Long Center presents a very special evening with Asleep at the Wheel, beginning with the premiere of Then and Now, a documentary film about the nine-time Grammy Award-winning Western swing band. Then and Now looks at the 40-plus years the band has been making music, tracing their history to the longhaired youth that made up Asleep at the Wheel in the early ’70s. Following the screening, Asleep at the Wheel takes the stage for a full concert, demonstrating why they’ve earned the nickname “the official band of Texas.” Fun fact: Asleep at the Wheel was in Paw Paw, Va., when Willie Nelson convinced the group to move to Austin in 1974. Tickets start at $29 and are available at thelongcenter.org or by calling 512.474.LONG. 9/7: Major Lazer, Whitewater Amphitheater 9/10: Iron Maiden, Austin 360 Amphitheater 9/11: Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Stubb’s 9/26: Steve Miller Band, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 10/9: ZZ Top, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 10/15 & 10/16: Elephant Revival, Cactus Cafe 10/19: John Fogerty, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 11/6: John Legend, Bass Concert Hall 11/29: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Cedar Park Center 11/29: Gary Clark Jr., Stubb’s
Comedy
Food and Drink
Russell Brand: Messiah Complex
Coming Soon:
The Paramount Theatre, Sept. 26 Beginning his career as a standup comedian, Russell Brand shot to fame with the Judd Apatow comedies Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Brand’s other film credits include Rock of Ages, Arthur, Bedtime Stories and The Tempest. Brand has also written My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up, making The New York Times bestseller list, and Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal. The Messiah Complex tour will dissect various 9/28: Anjelah social and religious figures and the reality of Johnson, The their lives through comparisons of each other. Paramount Theatre “I am going to tour the world (our one, Earth) with 10/23: Margaret Messiah Complex, causing bother and excitement Cho, The Paramount and offering opinions that have not been either Theatre solicited or thought through,” Brand says. Tickets available at austintheatre.org or by 10/25: John Oliver, calling 512.474.1221. Bass Concert Hall
14 ATX MAN fall 2013
Theater Broadway in Austin: The Book of Mormon Bass Concert Hall, Oct. 1-13 From the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon is a musical satire full of laughs and absurdity. Set in Uganda, the play parodies organized religion and traditional musical theater, ref lecting the creators’ fascination with Mormonism and musicals. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” Entertainment Weekly says it’s “the funniest musical of all time.” It’s also the winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, and Jon 9/25–11/3: Les Stewart of The Daily Miserables, Zach Scott Show calls it “a crowning Theatre achievement. So good it 11/19–24: Chicago, makes me angry.” Bass Concert Hall Tickets available at 11/26–27: Godspell, texasperformingarts.org or by calling 512.471.1444. The Long Center
Olamie
1610 San Antonio St., olamaieaustin.com Opening this winter, Olamaie will bring a modern take on Southern tastes to downtown Austin. Co-executive Chef Michael Fojtasek will fill the Southern cuisine void with a menu that focuses on farm-to-table freshness and a dining experience that combines classic Southern hospitality with modern craftsmanship. Prior to opening, Olamaie will host multiple pop-up dinners throughout Texas to give diners a preview of the menu. Olamaie’s pop-up dinners will feature dishes such as biscuits with chicken grease and honey butter; cucumber salad with buttermilk, burnet, pickled onion, soft herbs and peanut; smoky hen of the woods with tomato jus, braised peanuts, field peas and sorghum cipollini; and peanut pie with buttermilk ice cream, caramel and gulf salt. Each pop-up will have limited seating. Reservations are required: olamaieaustin.com/pop-ups. Upcoming pop-ups will be at Lenoir Sept. 23, and ASTI Trattoria Sept. 29.
Just Opened:
Mettle: 507 Calles St., 512.236.1022, mettleaustin. com. Must-try dish: Spaghetti with braised pork, poached egg, duck and star anise broth. Arro: 601 W. Sixth St., 512.992.2776, arroaustin. com. Must-try dish: Croque Monsieur: baked pan de mie sandwich, house-cured Parisian ham, béchamel, Gruyere, greens (try it with a fried egg). Benji’s: 716 W. Sixth St., 512.476.8226, benjiscantina.com. Must-try dish: Parrilladas Especiales: beef tenderloin fajitas with an 8-ounce cold-water lobster tail. Bufalina Pizza: 1519 E. Cesar Chavez St., 512.524.2523, bufalinapizza.com. Must-try dish: Fresca: prosciutto picante, arugula, cherry tomato, olive oil, Parmesan. The Dojo Sake Bar Izakaya: 9070 Research Blvd., 512.458.3900, dojoatx.com. Must-try dish: Salmon Sashimi Shiso. NO VA Kitchen & Bar: 87 Rainey St., 512.382.5651, novaonrainey.com. Must-try dish: Cheeseburger Tartare.
Races Zero Prostate Cancer Run
9/2: TriRock Austin 9/14: Gruene
Oct. 26, Camp Mabry
10K in New Braunfels
The premier men’s health race is a heartfelt, tight-knit community activity that brings together athletes, cancer survivors, physicians, caretakers, family members and friends. Zero Prostate Cancer Run, formerly Dash for Dad, hosts run/walk events in more than three dozen cities nationwide, with the mission to end prostate cancer. The race helps raise funds to save lives and end pain and suffering by advancing research, encouraging action and providing education and support to men and their families. To register, visit zerocancer.org.
Off the F1 Track Party like it’s F1 weekend with international luxury events producer My Yacht Group, which returns to Austin with its Monaco-style nightclub during the 2013 U.S. Grand Prix. Recognized as the premier post-race party at last year’s F1 weekend, My Yacht Club comes complete with 24-karat gold-flecked Champagne and glamorous Comte de Mazeray Golden Girls. Last year’s attendees included Matt LeBlanc of Friends, Nicole Taylor of Entourage, John Paul DeJoria of Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits, University of drivers Jean Eric-Vergne, Vitaly Petrov, Kamui Texas Home Game Kobayashi and Alexander Rossi, and crown Schedule princes of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium For three nights, Ballet Austin transforms into My Yacht Club, featuring bottle service, 8/31: New Mexico State international DJs, Mazeray’s Golden Girls and 9/14: Mississippi pyrotechnics. 9/21: Kansas State Tables range from $4,500 to $50,000. 11/2: Kansas Individual VIP tickets are $300. Track packages 11/16: Oklahoma State also available. To attend, visit myyachtclub.com. 11/28: Texas Tech
and 10K presented by Luke’s Locker 10/27: Mamma Jamma Ride 11/9: LLS Light the Night Walk 11/10: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
A collaborative effort from race directors in Austin, run-austin.com launched Aug. 14 as the first website of its kind, serving as an all-inclusive resource for runners across the globe to stay informed about Austin’s premier and iconic running events. Supporting and advancing the city’s running events by encouraging growth, sustainability, innovation and best practices, RunAustin partnered with the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Austin Sports Commission. Visit run-austin.com for more information.
Other Newsmakers Singing to Win Local singer/songwriter Reed Turner recently took first place at the 2013 Telluride Troubadour Competition, part of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Judged on song quality, delivery and overall performance, Turner was one of 10 finalists chosen from 500 entries. Turner received a $12,000 acoustic guitar and $300 cash, along with a main stage set before 10,000 people. Catch Turner live in Austin at Cactus Café Sept. 14.
I’ll Drink to That
NEWSMAKERS ESPN jumped on the entertainment bandwagon as yet another massive event comes to town. Austin was chosen as one of six stops on the global X Games tour for the next four years. Our city will host its inaugural X Games May 15 through 18, 2014. Beating out Chicago, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C., to replace former host city Los Angeles, Austin was chosen for its active lifestyle, entertainment scene, vibrant spirit and infrastructure to handle the swell of incoming people, and the potential to add a festival feel to the X Games.
Run 10/6: IBM Uptown Classic 5K
RunAustin: Resource for Runners
Formula 1 Weekend, Nov. 15–17, Ballet Austin
Xtremely Good Choice: X Games Comes to Austin
9/28: Karaoke 5K Sing-a-Long Fun
The X Games will utilize the 1,600 acres of The Circuit of the Americas’ expansive grounds as the main location for events, with the overflow held downtown. There is possibility for more sports to be added to the bill, such as wakeboarding, but nothing has been announced yet. “The X Games celebrate fitness, courage and individuality—traits greatly valued by our community—and we look forward to showing the world all of the wonderful things Austin has to offer,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a statement. Hold onto your handlebars, Austin!
Governor Rick Perry signed several new craft-beer laws in June that allow breweries to sell beer on-site, and brewpubs to sell beer to distributors and retailers. Austin-based brewery Hops & Grain celebrates their newly acquired brewpub license, which has allowed them to expand their hours in the taproom, and customers can now take cans and growlers home with them. More expansion to come from Uncle Billy’s, Black Star Co-Op, Pinthouse Pizza and North By Northwest.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving Christmas came early for Ballet Austin, as major arts philanthropists Sarah and Ernest Butler recently donated $1.5 million to the foundation to permanently endow an advanced level of professional training. The endowment will provide up to
15 fellowships of $5,000 for aspiring professional dancers to engage in advanced intensive training in ballet technique, modern, jazz, variations, partnering, Pilates, body conditioning and repertoire.
Out of the Box The exhibit Cubism Beyond Borders brings you Cubist works by Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Arshile Gorky and others in a special investigation of the far-reaching influence and wide-ranging interpretations of Cubism in the early 20th century. Cubism Beyond Borders addresses the ways the art form defied tradition, transcended borders and continually captivates the global imagination. These iconic paintings, sculptures and works on paper will be on display from Aug. 31 to Dec. 8 at the Blanton Museum of Art.
Pulitzer Prize Book Signing The 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was granted to Paul Harding, who will speak about and sign his award-winning new book, Enon at BookPeople Sept. 19. Garnering the second Pulitzer for Harding, Enon follows Charlie Crosby as he attempts to come to terms with a personal tragedy. Tickets are available with the purchase of a copy of Enon from BookPeople; the speaking portion of the event is free.
atxman.com 1 5
the buzz
5 Things We’re Loving Right Now By Courtney Bell
music maker
The Wren V5 Play-Fi Wren Sound Systems recently launched the Wren V5PF, offering Android users a sophisticated Wi-Fi music solution delivering vibrant, room-filling sound in a beautiful and convenient way. It is one of only two wireless speakers in today’s market to deliver impressive audio quality via DTS Play-Fi technology to Androids. The unique internal diamond-matrix grille protects drivers without distorting sound. The underside has a lowdurometer silicone pad to stabilize the chassis and absorb cabinet vibration. Available for $399 at wrensound.com. book
La Salle’s Ghost Miles Arceneaux’s second book, La Salle’s Ghost, is slated to be released this fall. This tale set on the Texas coast is a murderous ghost story of a sunken ship, a lost fortune and a deadly obsession interwoven with betrayal, lust and greed. The 17th-century shipwreck of the La Belle casts the backdrop for this jaw-dropping page-turner from the Texas trio (Brent Douglass, John T. Davis and James R. Dennis) who brought you Thin Slice of Life. Book release party and signing set for Oct. 2 at BookPeople.
16 ATX MAN fall 2013
web tool
ticketbud Austin-based Ticketbud is the place to go to create an event webpage, sell tickets
and promote your event. With online or mobile access, it is quick and easy for anyone to buy tickets to your next fundraiser barbecue or party boat on Lake Travis. Ticketbud connects to social media, increasing your turnout and provides tools to track ticket sales and registration. Use the free app to manage entry with any smart phone or tablet by scanning in tickets or checking in people at the door. Plan your next party with the free tools from Ticketbud. ticketbud.com
CD gadget
Xbox 1
The Xbox 1 launches this November and is the most expensive Microsoft console ever at $500, but boasts some features that make it worth your purchase. The Xbox 1 gets to know you and your gestures through the built-in Kinect, building a personalized home screen with your favorite apps, upcoming sports games, movies and shows. Xbox 1 including voice activation allows you to switch from TV to movies to music to games; gone are the days of switching inputs. Built-in Skype, Blu Ray player and enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity round out the features of this entertainment system. Pre-order yours today at xbox.com/preorder.
The Warren Hood Band
The Warren Hood Band released its self-titled debut album this summer, kicking off a tour to showcase what the talented trio has accomplished. Warren Hood, son of Austin’s beloved Champ Hood and award-winning fiddle player, has joined forces with guitarist Willie Pimpkin and singer and pianist Emily Gimble. Gimble, like Hood, is a child of music, being the daughter of Grammy Award-winning fiddler Johnny Gimble. The 11-track album was co-written by Hood and offers an eclectic blend of folk rock, blues, country and soulful crooning from Gimble and Hood.
the buzz fall festival preview
ACL 2013 Our picks of artists you don’t want to miss for the Austin City Limits Music Festival 2013. By Caroline Khoury
Austin’s beloved music festival is drawing near, with full intentions to satisfy a wide variety of music connoisseurs once again. With a lineup ranging from Kendrick Lamar to Muse, this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival continues its reputation of providing music for every age and taste. Most bands are scheduled to play two weekends this year—very exciting news for those die-hard Texas/OU weekend fans—making the ACL experience available to a broader group of fans. Another change this year is the omission of single-day passes, but don’t fret, there are still some regular three-day passes available for the second weekend, Oct. 11 through 13. Here are our picks for artists you don’t want to miss:
Classics
New to ACL
Lionel Richie
Latasha Lee and The Blackties
8:30 p.m., Sunday, both weekends Yes, Richie, it’s you we’ve been looking for. It’s legends like this guy that make ACL so iconic. When superstars grace Austin with their presence and commit to a night of great musical moments, the folks coordinating it all at C3 Presents can take a bow. Safe to say Austin will put an end to all your yearning, Richie, and welcome you with a great big Texas “hello.”
11:20 a.m., Friday, first weekend only With her Aretha Franklin-like soul, Latasha Lee will shock you with her power and rhythmic control. Her music sounds like a mixture of R&B/soul and a bit of reggae. It’s a unique sound you don’t want to miss.
The Cure
8 p.m., Saturday, both weekends The Cure’s hits like Lovesong and Just Like Heaven should make us all feel blessed to be hosting such a timeless band. They’ll be closing down the Saturday lineup, and an epic performance will be guaranteed, a performance full of those melodies that can live in your mind for weeks without end.
18 ATX MAN fall 2013
Lissie
4:30 p.m., Saturday, both weekends To put it simply: This chick rocks. An artist so genuine and talented, Lissie, the Mississippi native, commands the stage from the moment you hear her raspy voice, convincing you to abandon all reason and believe wholeheartedly in her message.
Recent Sensations Grouplove
3 p.m., Sunday, both weekends Known to have loads of energy and a great live performance, this indie band is guaranteed to get you dancing. Check
out their evolutionary sound and get ready to jam. The Mowglis
1 p.m., Sunday, first weekend only This eight-person band has an anthem essence that certainly allows for their crowd to jump around and sing along in great confidence. Don’t miss this show if you’re looking to let it all out while feeling invincible.
Groove Kaskade
7 p.m., Friday, both weekends If you can refrain from moving any part of your body when listening to this dude, props to you. With his contagious beat, Ryan Raddon of Kaskade produces sounds that allow you to forget all worries and really just dance. Phoenix
7 p.m., Sunday, both weekends Originally from France, this band brings
tremendous innovation and energy to their music. Once you surrender to their undeniably catchy tunes, there’s no doubt you’ll be wishing for more of their infectious rhythm.
Easy Listening Holly Williams
2:30 p.m., Friday, both weekends Take out your lawn chairs and relax to the beautiful country sounds of Holly Williams. True to her undeniable country-music pedigree, Williams is one artist that is sure to capture your attention with her perfectly melodic voice, particularly if you’re in the mood for some pleasant melodies. Phosphorescent
6:15 p.m., Sunday, both weekends Phosphorescent is utterly magical, allowing for your imagination to run wild during his performance. Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent evokes a sound so enchanting with instrumental statements from violins and electronic layers.
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the buzz fall festival preview
Austin Film Festival and Conference Celebrate 20 years with AFF By Jennifer Morgan
Fall is the season to see and be seen in Austin. This year, the Austin Film Festival (AFF) and Conference celebrates its 20th anniversary, so this time around, it is going to be bigger and better than ever. From October 24 through 31, Austin will showcase the best and brightest in the film industry. The conference focuses on screenwriters’ contributions to the art of filmmaking while presenting once-in-a-lifetime panels and iconic panelists: producers, agents, managers, development executives, screenwriters and filmmakers. The festival highlights Austin’s sense of community and creativity, presenting outstanding premieres, advanced screenings and independent films. AFF is the place to get cinematic, providing an outstanding program of narrative, animation and documentary features and shorts for viewers. A huge bonus is the entertaining and informative Q&A sessions with cast members and filmmakers that follow many of the screenings. This year, Jonathan Demme—director of Philadelphia, The Silence of the Lambs and Rachel Getting Married—will be receiving the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking award. Vince Gilligan— creator of Breaking Bad and writer/producer for The X-Files—will receive the Outstanding Televi-
Texas Book Festival
sion Writer award. The stellar list of panelists reads like a who’s who of film, including Stephen Falk, Kirk Ellis, Steve Faber, Noah Hawley, Blake Masters, Jeff Nichols, Roberto Orci, Peter Mehlman, Jenji Kohan, Zac Penn, Alvaro Rodriguez, Phil Rosenthal, Terry Rossio, Jim Taylor, John Turman, Scott Rosenberg, Beau Willimon and more. If their names aren’t familiar to you, they are some of the people behind the most successful television shows and films in the business, and the AFF panels provide the perfect opportunity to learn from the masters. Entry to AFF varies, beginning with the entry level $65 film pass and ranging to the Producers’ Badge at $625. The pass gets you into the opening night, centerpiece and closing-night premieres, as well as a special party, while various levels of badges (starting at $100 for the Lone Star Badge) earn you all those privileges plus daytime panels, insider access and entry to the exclusive late-night parties. Prices and privileges for each of the four badges—Lone Star, Weekend, Conference and
Oct. 26–27, Texas State Capitol and grounds, free and open to the public
as children’s entertainment, live music, cooking demonstrations and more than 80 booths and food vendors.
The Texas Book Festival, founded by Laura Bush in 1995, is arguably the premier book event in the U.S., with more than 200 authors at book readings, signings and panel discussions, as well
The lineup will be announced Sept. 10, and we will have full coverage in the October issue of Austin Woman. Here is a sneak peek at some of ATX Man’s favorite authors participating in the festival this year:
20 ATX MAN fall 2013
Producers—vary. Splurge on the fest, as the special occasion it will be, with the AFF 20th Anniversary Package ($1,500) and all its perks. This year’s special events are a don’t-miss rendezvous. Network and dine like a celebrity Oct. 26 at the Awards Luncheon ($60 to add on) or at the Film & Food Party with no badge needed Oct. 23 ($80 and up). The festival broke its record with 8,648 entries for the 2013 Screenplay & Teleplay Competition. Currently, only the short film selections have been released; the full film lineup will be announced closer to the festival opening and can be found at austinfilmfestival.com/festivalandconference/festival/schedule/. With four days of panels and workshops and eight nights of films and parties, AFF is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Since 1993, AFF has encouraged Austinites to support local organizations, business and the arts. For more information call 512.478.4795 or visit the website at austinfilmfestival.com.
› Stephen Harrigan, author of The Eye of the Mammoth › Lawrence Wright, author of Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief › HW Brands, author of The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace
› Manuel Gonzalez, author of The Miniature Wife › Jarrod Neece, author of Austin Breakfast Tacos For schedule and more information, visit texasbookfestival.org.
the buzz siren songs
Women of ACL Four must-see ladies who will rock your world come October. By Katie Paschall
court yard hounds You might recognize this folk duo from a little trio known as the Dixie Chicks. In 2009, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison decided to branch off from their famous ensemble and start a “side project” of their own. After 15 years, this pair has changed their tune with the Court Yard Hounds, ramping it up with a fresh take on country music. With threir newly hatched incarnation as Court Yard Hounds, the two make it clear the Dixie Chicks is a close association and one they do not intend to neglect. However, after releasing their second and most recent album, Amelita, in July, the twosome hit the ground running, touring the U.S. before making a quick stop at their hometown stomping grounds— ACL. In fact, as the pair rolls into Austin, they will have just performed at legendary festivals such as Lollapalooza and LouFest while also making appearances on the Late Show and The View. Critics say the sisters ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie when it comes to their new album, and we would have to agree. With rich folky harmonies and bluegrass tunes resonating, this toe-tapping 11-track record will have you fighting your way to the front of the crowd at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
22 ATX MAN fall 2013
lissie
holly williams
Storming her way into public consciousness with her unique take on covers of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” Lissie is striking, clever and knows how to rock. A sweet girl from the Midwest, Lissie has been well received all over the world and has a massive fan base in the UK, where she will be touring before her ACL debut. She’s bound to be swigging shots of tequila as she sings her most recent single, Shameless, a straightforward critique on the entire music industry. With her compelling genre and down-toearth performances, this Illinois-born folk-rock star is set to wow the crowd.
An heir to the country music throne, this folky, Americana singer-songwriter is a must-see at this year’s ACL fest. Granddaughter of legendary country icon Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of Hank Williams Jr., Holly Williams is nothing short of a legend in the making. Her style is rich with deep country roots, and her honest melodies will send you right back to the good ol’ days. The inspiring purity and potency of her whiskey-kissed songs sets her apart from the vanilla Nashville mainstream singers in a city she currently calls home. With her haunting vocals, this country artist naturally lives up to the legacy of her last name and promises to send chills down your spine.
the buzz austin innovator
Natural Rhythm Playing to his passion for music, the co-founder of Daily Juice and Rhythm Superfoods launches Karmakaze Productions. By Jane Kellogg Photo by Elizabeth Shear
Keith Wahrer did not set out to be an entrepreneur. Sure, he had a newspaper route and was selling handmade tie-dyed shirts at school, but even from a young age, Wahrer has always just been doing what he loved, and that means playing music. He never went to business school—in fact, he never even finished college. But now that he’s el bow-deep in his third startup, if he’s doing what he loves, then what he loves is being an entrepreneur. Wahrer doesn’t even deny the label anymore: He’s sitting across from me at a table outside The Steeping Room Restaurant and Tea Lounge, wearing a T-shirt he got at a rock show, the word “ENTREPRENEUR” emblazoned on the front of it. I should also point out that he’s chowing down on a vegan and gluten-free tempeh bacon sandwich, something he challenges tastes better than real bacon, though I don’t dare to try it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d label him as a man who thinks carefully about every decision he makes, from what he wears and what he eats to who he hires and who he sells to. But in reality, it is his impulsive nature that has guided his entrepreneurial success. “Had I known more about what was in front of me, which I would have if I had studied business, I may have been intimidated into not trying,” Wahrer says. “I see that people who learn a lot about business, they become very hesitant to take risks.”
24 ATX MAN fall 2013
Wahrer’s decision to open Daily Juice with his friend and partner Matt Shook in 2003 was the very definition of risky. They borrowed $10,000 from their parents to get the ball rolling, but the economy at the time was still suffering after the dot-com bubble burst. Conceptually, the business model was also a risk; while Austin has
KARMAKAZE PRODUCTIONS With the growing success of Daily Juice and Rhythm Superfoods, Wahrer is now able to develop his primary passion: music. With the help of angel investor and partner John Ramsey, Karmakaze Productions launched early this year. The audio and video production company booked its first major client during South By Southwest, Snoop Lion, and they are currently producing a reality-based educational TV series. While Wahrer would be content if he just made good music for the rest of his life, he has big plans for the venture. One of the most important lessons he’s learned over the years as an entrepreneur is
a more health- and eco-conscious community than most, at the time superfoods such as maca, goji berries and raw cacao had not yet been formally introduced to the capital city, so it was unclear if our town would embrace a brand firmly based around these “new” ingredients. But embrace it we did, and Daily Juice quickly
knowing when to bring in outside support, so he has recruited local talent such as award-winning filmmaker Seth Blaustein and New York City transplant Rob Murray, a recording engineer who has worked with a range of musicians including Britney Spears, George Michael, Wiz Khalifa, Major Lazer and the Metropolitan Opera. Combining music and video, Wahrer admits Karmakaze isn’t easily definable, but that’s what he envisioned from the beginning. “A lot of studios get pigeonholed into one sort of vibe or musical genre, but our thing is all genres because that’s the way I am,” he says. “I think that some of the best music crosses those types of divides.” Karmakaze is able to offer
clients a unique package, such as the ability to produce a professional music video for live instudio performances. “We offer this on a payment plan and only to a certain number of people so that we can be selective about the quality of the artists we’re working with,” Wahrer explains. He is also looking into music licensing. “There are a lot of little directions that we’re exploring and we’ll continue to explore. I imagine certain ones will take off faster than others and lead us from one thing to another, and maybe define the business over time. But right now it’s loose, and that’s the way it needs to be. We’re focused on quality.” 9705 Burnet Road, suite 112, 512.228.8521, karmakaze.tv
became something of an Austin institution. “We grew from grossing $200 a day to $2,000 a day and beyond per shop,” Wahrer says of the company, which this summer announced plans to expand
ganic snack foods at the juice bar that were both vegan and gluten-free, such as goji bars, nut butters, flax crackers and kale chips. The folks at Whole Foods caught wind of it and wanted to start selling them too, as did a few other natural food stores around town. And within a year, Wahrer was running two successful businesses in the Daily Juice brand. “I quickly learned I was in over my head,” he says, referring to his lack of startup experience. So in 2009, Wahrer reached out to his connections and assembled a powerhouse board of directors—most notably Scott Jensen, co-founder and former CEO of Stubb’s Bar-B-Q and the man behind bringing Stubb’s famous sauces to the masses; and Clayton Christopher, founder and CEO of Deep Eddy Vodka and co-founder and original CEO of Sweet Leaf Tea—to take his ideas to the next level. They split Daily Juice the product line from Daily Juice the storefront
“Had I known more about what was in front of me, which I would have if I had studied business, I may have been intimidated into not trying.” nationally after multi-million dollar investments. “We were on the cutting edge; no one in town was selling that stuff—not even Whole Foods.” Building on the success of the Daily Juice brand, Wahrer began packaging and selling or-
and rebranded it Rhythm Superfoods, a nod to Wahrer’s first love, music. He continued to tap into his creativity by developing new recipes. “I’m so glad I acknowledged that I needed help and leadership,” Wahrer says. “I learned so much from them about being an entrepreneur and about developing strategies for raising money. It takes a team of people, and you’ve got to let people do what they’re good at. I was lucky to find these experienced people who were willing to invest and become partners in my business.” From the beginning, Rhythm has been selling nationally with a demand higher than they could produce, but now with a superteam helping Wahrer run the place, it’s smooth sailing. Its success has allowed Wahrer more time and energy (and money) to spend on making music.\ “Austin has been good to me,” he reflects. “I think this town is a really fertile place for an entrepreneur, especially someone who’s into the things I’ve been into. My projects were definitely born of Austin; they wouldn’t have been able to happen anywhere else.”
Beneetting CHILDREN and Wonders & Worries
the buzz young men to watch
Playing it Cool Roy and Ryan Seiders, cofounders of YETI Coolers, build on their love of the great outdoors. By Andy East Photo by Rudy Arocha
Co-founders of Austin-based YETI Coolers, brothers Roy and Ryan Seiders are keeping Austin cool in more ways than one. With fall around the corner and enough football, fe stivals and fun to satiate a Texas-sized appetite for the good ol’ outdoors, the autumn months are certain to be high season for cold beverages. ATX Man sat down with two of Austin’s most driven impresarios to uncover their inspirations and ambitious plans for the future. “I don’t think there would be a YETI Coolers without our love for the outdoors. We grew up in the outdoor industry, watching our dad run his own business,” says Roy Seiders, co-founder and CEO of YETI Coolers. “And just watching him made us want to start our own business. Actually, when I came out of college, I didn’t even make a résumé. I knew I wanted to find my own path and run my own business.” In fact, the entrepreneurial pedigree in which the Seiders brothers grew up predates their father’s business ventures, stretching as far back as the Republic of Texas. Even after Texas joined the Union, generations of Seiderses have been carrying on the family’s entrepreneurial tradition, inspiring future generations to start their own businesses. “In Austin, we have relatives that go back to 1836,” adds Ryan Seiders, co-founder and president of YETI Coolers. “Near where 34th Street crosses Shoal Creek today, our relatives had a bath house. Later generations ran an Austin grocery store chain called Kash-Karry.” Consequently, it came as no surprise that both brothers decided to undertake their own business ventures after college, with Ryan Seiders making fishing
26 ATX MAN fall 2013
Coolers has already made significant inroads into the rods and Roy Seiders, shallow-water bay boats. HowTexas, Southeast and Rocky Mountain regions while ever, it was a problem they stumbled upon that would also making its initial forays into the international later transform their personal and professional lives. arena in Japan, Australia and Europe. “During my first attempt at running my own “When we started YETI, our laser focus was strictbusiness, when I was building aluminum boats, we ly on the markets that interested us the most: hunting noticed that the ordinary coolers didn’t really match and fishing. But we learned it spilled over into other up with the quality of the boat,” Roy Seiders says. markets like agricultural, industrial and tailgating,” “We found out that they would break easily, and we Ryan Seiders says. “The sporting-goods market makes quickly realized that we weren’t the only ones who up less than half of our business. Everybody uses felt that way.” coolers, and if you build a quality cooler, there’s Fast-forward seven years and the Seiders brothers’ a need for it across a bunch of industries. It’s idea to manufacture premium coolers has blossomed into a cutting-edge company with a cult-like customer about building a great company that’ll be around for a long time. We want the YETI name to live base. And the success of YETI Coolers has allowed the brothers to grow together, both professionally and on forever.” personally. “It’s been great working with my brother,” Ryan Seiders says. “We both have our own individual YETI Coolers Founded in 2006, YETI Coolers has strengths, we collaborate well toquickly become a major player in several industries. Known for gether and we’ve been able to work their durability and ice retention, YETI Coolers are built with a well as a team.” one-piece, polyethylene rotational-molded construction, the “When you work closely with same technique used to construct whitewater kayaks. They someone you trust, you can share are equipped with two inches of PermaFrost insulation to keep the risk of running a small business,” contents cold longer. In 2009, YETI Coolers became the first Roy Seiders adds. “You’re willing to line of coolers to be certified Grizzly-proof by the Interagency take certain risks that you wouldn’t Grizzly Bear Committee after surviving a series of simulated normally take on your own.” bear attacks and an hour-long encounter with two hungry Although the brothers’ Austin adult Grizzly bears. In addition to coolers, YETI also offers a roots run deep, the future could not wide range of accessories and gear. yeticoolers.com look brighter for the pair, as YETI
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good life
trailer treats
Sweet and Lowdown Slider from Easy Slider
Food Trucking Through Texas A journey to find the quirkiest gourmet trailer treats in the Lone Star State. By Tiffany Harelik
cookbook series here in my hometown of Austin in 2009. Since then, my journey to find the quirkiest gourmet food coming out of Airstreams and food trucks has taken me to 10 states, where I have eaten hundreds of food-truck meals. Five cookbooks later, I found myself road tripping through the Metroplex (Dallas/Fort Worth) and the Bayou city (Houston). I found each city worthy of individual editions.
DALLAS / FORT WORTH Dallas/Fort Worth may seem like an unlikely place to accept the quirkiness of the food-truck business, but the Metroplex community has embraced what many perceive as the next step in creative entrepreneurialism in the food industry. To this end, I featured everything from herb- and pepper-infused olive oil and fried yellow tomatoes, to strawberry-basil balsamic lemonade, Cajun crawfish pasta and poor man’s paella in the Dallas/Fort Worth edition. While there, I found one of my favorite sliders I’ve eaten on this food-truck journey, at the Easy Slider truck. “Originally from Summit, Miss., Miley [Holmes of the Easy Slider truck] went to LSU and worked in retail for Fossil and Abercrombie. She transferred to Dallas for work with Fossil and ended up at the House of Blues,
28 ATX MAN fall 2013
where we met. She was the operations manager for the music hall and I was the logistics manager for special events,” Caroline Perini says. “We were at the House of Blues, working together for five years. At some point, we had a conversation about food trucks that gradually became more prominent. After many late night meetings at local watering holes, we decided we were going to have to stop talking about it or actually pull the cord and do it. We both put in our two weeks’ notice on the same day and launched Easy Slider in December of 2012. We took a little bit of everything we’ve done our whole lives
and put it in one job at Easy Slider.” Perini’s dad, Tom, has received national attention for his mesquite-smoked beef tenderloin from the Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. “My first job as a kid was slinging iced tea at catering parties. I ran my dad’s steakhouse for seven years as an adult and then worked in fine dining in Dallas. When my parents ask, ‘How’s the business?’ I have to laugh because they treat it like it’s a lemonade stand or a hobby,” Perini says.
Easy slider photo by Tiffany Harelik; Craft Infusion photo by Kelly Wendt Photography.
❱❱ I began writing the Trailer Food Diaries
Beer Braised Lengua Tacos & Beer Tortillas Courtesy of Troy Witherspoon of the Craft Infusion food truck. These “talking tacos” give you a unique recipe to use lengua in home cooking. Ingredients: 3 cow tongues 6 cascabel chiles, dried and whole 6 ancho chiles, dried and whole 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 growler of your favorite craft beer *beer tortillas onions, diced to top tacos cilantro, chopped to top tacos
HOUSTON
Shane Battier and current owner at Bernie’s Burger Bus. Originally from Chicago, Turner was excited about the opportunity to move back into a bigger city. “I like risk and opportunity, and I like to say that I’ve done it. In May of 2010, there were all of these things on the Food Network about the Great Food Truck Race, and there was nothing in no high-fructose corn syrup Houston like that,” 1 slice thick-cut fried bacon Turner explains. 1 strawberry on a skewer, for “There were two food trucks gourmet garnish at the time and I knew it was going to Directions: be big, food trucks. I wanted to get in Season beef patty on griddle on it as soon as possible. I’ll never find top with sea salt and cook each a player to work for that’s as good as burger medium to medium-well, they were to me. I knew that with his approximately seven minutes. age, he was probably getting closer to Toast the bread plain (no butter) retirement, so I knew eventually I was on a hot griddle. Place the cooked going to have to start over. I was 31 at the patty on the bottom bun. Smear time and felt like I could work 90 hours goat cheese, jam and bacon on top a week and not sleep and just do it.” bun, flipping that top bun onto One of my favorite things I tried the beef patty. Skewer it with a while in Houston came from the Craft strawberry garnish and serve. Infusion truck, where Chef Troy Witherspoon was using craft beer in all of his recipes.
Houston food trucks represent every culture and every walk of life in the mobile-dining industry. The Houston edition of the Trailer Food Diaries cookbook series features chocolate almond butter, chimichurri sauce, seafood Bloody Marys, salmon quettes, spicy escargot poppers, red velvet fritters, Froot Loop cereal milk creme brulee and more creative foods. While there, I had the opportunity to visit food-truck chef Justin Turner, former personal chef for NBA player
c Sweet and Lowdown Slider Courtesy of Caroline Perini and Miley Holmes of the Easy Slider truck. Strawberry jam, bacon and goat cheese make the Sweet and Lowdown a slider to be remembered. Ingredients: Brioche slider bun (slightly sweet) 3-ounce patty of angus beef Sea salt to taste 1 tablespoon goat cheese, or to taste 1 teaspoon homemade strawberry jam, or something with
Directions: Pour vegetable oil into bottom of pressure cooker. Cut stem off of whole peppers and layer in bottom of pressure cooker. Cut each tongue into eight equal pieces and layer on top of peppers. Add salt and black pepper. Pour beer into cooker until all ingredients are covered by at least half an inch of beer. Seal cooker and heat to pressure. Reduce to low pressure and cook for two hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once pressure has released, open pot and remove tongues, reserving liquid and peppers. Peel all skin off tongues and discard. Slice tongues thinly and then crosscut so they are approximately 1/8-inch cubes. Place in a large container. Place all peppers into blender or food processor and puree with 1/2 cup to 1 cup of
braising liquid. Combine puree with chopped tongues. Top lengua with diced onions and chopped cilantro in a warm beer tortilla. Beer tortillas Ingredients: 4 cups masa hernia 3 cups beer 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 tablespoon kosher salt Directions: Combine dry ingredients. Add beer and mix until a ball is formed. Moisture is correct when a ball can be rolled and holds together. Roll out approximately 24 balls. Use a tortilla press or just roll out with a rolling pin two or three at a time. Cook on a medium-hot to hot greased griddle or in a sauté pan.
WHAT’S NEW IN AUSTIN: CO-OP FOOD COURT The Austin food-trailer landscape has undergone major changes since the trucks’ initial appearance in 2009. We have seen food-truck businesses come and go, and we have watched iconic food-truck parks be cast aside in the name of development. This early trend to use vacant land as a food-truck park to kill time until the lot can be developed is quickly transforming. More lot owners are repurposing their public spaces to be committed food-truck courts. Such is the case with Austin’s newest food truck lot: the Co-op Food Court. The lot directly behind the University Co-op on Guadalupe Street, commonly referred to as the Drag, will host a blend of new and old food trailers, movie nights and eccentric displays in the name of keeping Austin eating weird. Central in the lot is a statue of Bevo, the Longhorn mascot, where several students and Longhorn fans have enjoyed snapping photos over the years.
❱❱ For more food truck recommendations, check out trailerfooddiaries.com, or follow along on twitter @trailerfood.
atxman.com 29
good life
grilling
Fired Up Tips and tricks of the trade for novice grillers or the ultimate barbeque snob. By Rachel Merriman, Photo by Rudy Arocha
If the reactions to Texas Monthly’s list of the top 50 barbecue joints in Texas indicate anything about Texans, it’s that we are serious about our barbecue, and we’ll argue about what qualifies it as good until the cows come home. Barbecue comes in wildly different styles depending on what region you’re eating it in, and there are four different styles in Texas alone. The various ways of cooking and serving barbecue—charcoal, gas, wood, bone in, bone out, sauce, no sauce, rub—create some pretty divisive arguments, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they’ve ruined a perfectly good backyard barbecue or two. We’ve selected these nine grilling cookbooks to help you strike out on your own and find which style rocks your grill.
The Grilling Book: The Definitive Guide from Bon Appetit As the name suggests, you’ll learn to grill everything— chicken, pork, lamb, fish, veggies, pizza. Try the rack of lamb with Chinese fivespice sauce or tacos al pastor with smoky two-chile salsa. There’s an extensive section on grill preparation—arguably the most important step for grilling success. bonappetit.com
The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue by Daniel Vaughn An incredibly detailed guide on barbeque in Texas, The Prophets of Smoked Meat follows Vaughn’s 10,000-mile, 35-day pilgrimage across Texas, and features almost 200 barbecue joints statewide. Plan your own trip with the handy map at the front of the book. fcg-bbq.blogspot.com
30 ATX MAN fall 2013
Brother Jimmy’s BBQ by Josh Lebowitz In addition to the usual sections on beef, pork and chicken, Brother Jimmy’s BBQ contains an extensive section on seafood and some killer Southern-inspired sides and desserts, such as deep-fried mac ’n’ cheese, grilled plantains, cheesy grits, buttermilk pie and peach cobbler. brotherjimmys.com
The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Grilling Cookbook: 225 Sizzling Recipes for Every Season This easy-to-use grilling book has tabbed sections organized by protein and includes tabs for starters, sides and even meatless mains. There’s bound to be at least one vegetarian at the barbecue, so you’d be wise to try the recipe for flame-roasted chiles rellenos. goodhousekeeping.com
Everyday Barbecue: At Home with America’s Favorite Pitmaster by Myron Mixon
Slow Fire: The Beginner’s Guide to Barbecue by Ray Lampe
Where There’s Smoke: Simple, Sustainable, Delicious Grilling by Barton Seaver
For the no-frills griller, Everyday Barbecue contains the essential sauces, rubs and sides that, according to Mixon, are the only ones you’ll ever need. Be sure to explore the “drunken” and “barbecue fried” sections, which are as epic as they sound. amazon.com.
Though geared toward the beginner, this book’s recipes make it a go-to for all levels. The simplesounding recipes have our mouths watering, especially the smoked scotch eggs (twominute eggs wrapped in sausage, then smoked over pecan wood). drbbq.com
Seaver focuses on the various grilling techniques and different smoking woods to bring out the best flavors of whatever protein you’re cooking. The flavor that wood imparts on the meat is worth the price and extra attention. bartonseaver.org
Smoke: New Firewood Cooking by Tim Byers A perfect book for the do-it-yourself griller, Smoke features four feasts with step-bystep lessons on how to build your own drum grill, pig roaster and campfire. If that’s not enough DIY for you, check out the tips for curing meat, making sausage and dressing and stuffing a rabbit. amazon.com.
The Southern Tailgating Cookbook: A Game-Day Guide for Lovers of Food, Football, & the South
From The Southern Tailgating Cookbook: A Game-Day Guide for Lovers of Food, Football, & The South by Taylor Mathis. Text and photographs copyright 2013 by Jeffrey Taylor Mathis. Used with permission from the University of North Carolina Press. uncpress.unc.edu
by Taylor Mathis In the South, we take tailgating to a whole new level, and that includes the food. Food is an integral part of enjoying game day, which author Taylor Mathis acknowledges by weaving a number of facts about Southern tailgating traditions between recipes for tailgate-friendly main dishes, finger foods, drinks and desserts. Forego the same old seven-layer dip for more than 100 unique recipes, like fried frog legs, sharp cheddar beer bread, smoked beer-can chicken and, of course, barbeque. Try this recipe for baby back ribs, and be sure to wash it down with some bacon whiskey!
Grilled Baby Back Ribs These ribs can be cooked in about one and a half hours, so they are perfect for tailgaters who have a limited time on campus before the game. They are wonderful with just the dry rib rub or sauced with your favorite barbecue sauce. Makes four servings. Ingredients: 2 (1 ½-pound) racks of baby back pork ribs Rub: 2 tablespoons paprika 1 ½ teaspoons salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon sugar ¼ teaspoon ground cumin Pinch of ground cloves
Directions: The night before the tailgate, prepare the ribs. Use a knife to trim away any excess quantities of fat. Remove the white membrane from the ribs’ underside by piercing the membrane with a small knife and running a finger between the membrane and the ribs. Hold the ribs with one hand while pulling off the membrane with the other. Wrap the ribs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In a sealable bag or container, add the paprika, salt, pepper, sugar, cumin and cloves. Seal and shake until blended. Adding the rub prior to arriving at the tailgate could cause them to dry out, so wait until you’re on-site. On the morning of the game, pack the ribs in a cooler for transport. Keep them in the cooler until you’re ready to cook them. When you’re ready to grill, remove the plastic wrap and lay the ribs on a clean surface. Examine the ribs. If one end is drastically thinner than the other or the grill isn’t wide enough, cut the rack in half. Shake the spice container. Rub each rack with the rub mixture, covering all surfaces. Wrap each section of ribs tightly in foil. Flip the rack over and wrap in a second layer of foil. Place on a medium grill (325 to 375 degrees). Close the grill and let the ribs cook for 30 minutes, then flip them over and cook under a closed grill for another 30 minutes. Remove from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes. Remove the ribs from the foil and serve. Or, if you like your ribs wet, place the ribs back on the grill without the aluminum foil and baste with your favorite barbecue sauce. Grill over low heat for a few minutes until the sauce has formed a thick, sticky glaze.
Best Grills for Every Man Best Tabletop Grill Char-Griller Portable Tabletop Grill/Side Fire Box
Best Charcoal Grill Weber One-Touch Silver 22.5-inch Kettle Grill
With its dual use and smart design, this product can be used as a tabletop grill or you can mount it to your grill as a smoker attachment. The handle stays cool so you won’t burn your hand, and the ash pan slides out for quick clean up. It’s lightweight with easy-to-carry handles. $69.97, available at Lowe’s, 6400 Brodie Lane, 512.895.5560, or online at chargriller.com.
Esquire lists the Weber One-Touch as one of the 31 things every man should own. Try it with hickory wood chips to further enhance your experience. The metal kettle also provides you with the option to smoke your food with 363 square inches of cooking space and a one-touch cleaning system. $99, available at Breed & Co., 718 W. 29th St., 512.474.6679.
Best Gas Grill The Weber Summit S-670
Best Smoker The Big Green Egg XL
Featuring 624 square inches of primary cooking area, this grill has a stainless steel smoker box and rod cooking grates, six burners, a rotisserie, a smoker burner and, best of all, a “sear burner” to produce the mouthwatering charring you once only dreamed about achieving. $2,529, available at Home Depot, 3600 S. I-35, 512.693.9811, and various hardware store locations.
The largest Green Egg provides a cooking area ready to serve 14 racks of ribs, 24 burgers or a couple of holiday turkeys with all the trimmings. More versatile than any outdoor cooking appliance on the market, the Egg is a smoker, grill and an oven all in one. Eggcellent! $359 (Mini) to $1,099 (XL), available at BBQ Outfitters, 6715 N. Ranch Road 620, 512.347.1988, bbqoutfitters.com.
atxman.com 31
good life
Sports bars
Scholz Garten Steeped in 147 years of fun-loving history, Austin’s oldest operating business is a far cry from your local sports bar. By Erin Gray, Photo by Elizabeth Shear
When first-time visitors set foot in Scholz Garten, they might expect to get the experience of a good ol’ fashioned sports bar. Riddled with neon beer signs and regulars chatting up bartenders, it looks like an ordinary bar. But Scholz Garten is far from ordinary. The oldest operating business in Austin, Scholz Garten continues to show Austinites that things only get better with age. The year was 1866: A man by the name of August Scholz opened his café and bar to the Austin public, and quickly acquired a large following with the local German population. Scholz continued to run the place until his death in 1891, and it crossed several owners’ hands before it was sold to the Austin Saengerrunde Society, who are still the owners today. Scholz Garten has always been a favorite among politicians and political-minded people. From Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s campaign posters to Ben Sargent’s political cartoon of the Killer Bees, politics has made its home at Scholz Garten. In 1966, the Texas Legislature recognized Scholz Garten as “a gathering place for Texans of discernment, taste, culture and erudition, epitomizing the finest traditions of magnificent German heritage in our state.” It continues to house debates not just among politicians, but from other Austin citizens as well. It’s not just a place for politicians to hold their campaign dinner; sports fans also love taking in a game with a few beers at the bar. Scholz Garten’s sports history dates back to 1893, when the UT
32 ATX MAN fall 2013
football team had its first undefeated season. Since the bar was so close to the stadium (two blocks to be exact), the team started celebrating its wins at Scholz Garten. Although the football team doesn’t celebrate its victories there anymore, many Longhorn fans will gather at Scholz before or after a game to cheer on their favorite team. After 147 years of business, Scholz Garten continues to satisfy regular customers and new visitors. But what is it about Scholz Garten that continues to draw people back? There are several reasons, but the first answer is the food. If you’ve never had great German food, put Scholz on your bucket list. Scholz Garten offers four German plates for their customers: Wiener Schnitzel, Jägerschnitzel, Scholz Schnitzel and grilled bratwurst. Add some sauerkraut and German potato salad, and it will seem like you are in Deutschland. If you aren’t really interested in broadening your food horizons, that’s OK; Scholz Garten offers plenty of regular Texas fare on their menu too. If you love barbecue, they have it. If you love home-style cooking, they have it. If you just want a plain American hamburger, they have that too. Every Wednesday they have live music, and of course, we cannot forget about the beer. Scholz Garten has 26 beers on tap, as well as 26 bottled beers, ranging from Miller Lite to Franziskaner Hefe Wiessen. For the beer lover, it can be difficult to decide what brew to choose and, like a lot of places, the good stuff isn’t
always cheap. Fortunately, Scholz Garten offers a stellar happy hour seven days a week, from 4 to 8 p.m., on weekdays and all day long on the weekends. Deals include $4 20-ounce beer flights on Mondays and $2 domestic bottles on Wednesdays. But above all, the atmosphere at Scholz Garten has continued to bring in customers for one and a half centuries. People are encouraged to come as they are: Nobody is putting on airs or pretending to be somebody they aren’t. The staff and the bar take you in with open arms, and it’s nice to go to a place where no one feels like they are being judged and can instead just sit back, watch a game, eat some good food and sip on a cold one. Scholz Garten has many of the qualities that make bars successful: food, beer, fun game days, culture and a relaxing ambiance, but ultimately, the driving force behind Scholz’s appeal goes back to its roots. When a patron walks into Scholz, they can feel the energy of 147 years of fun-loving patrons. From TV broadcasts and political fundraisers to music performances and wedding receptions, people choose Scholz for their special moments year after year and will continue to do it for 147 more. One of the managers at Scholz Garten, Jeremy Benton, believes a lot of Scholz’s success has to do with its legacy. “Being open for more than 140 years, they know we aren’t going anywhere,” he says.
Austin’s Best Sports Bars Bar 96 Since opening its doors in 2010, Bar 96 has been a favorite place for sports fans to kick back and relax while taking in a good game. Although the Rainey Street bar is relatively new, it feels like home the second you walk in the door, with a wraparound porch, games such as cornhole and Jenga, and a variety of beers and drinks. Hit up the backyard food trailer, Bomb Tacos, and wash it down with a Grapefruit Shandy or Moscow Mule. 96 Rainey St., 512 .433.6604, 96austin.com The Tavern In its 80-year run, many people have walked through the Tavern’s doors—from politicians to students—and there has never been a dull moment . Built in 1916, it was originally established as the Enfield Grocery store, and in 1933, was turned into what is now known as the Tavern. The current menu includes chicken-
fried steak and their signature Kolache bun burgers. Catch a game on one of the many 50inch LCD TVs while enjoying a beer from their 50-bottle list . 922 W. 12th St., 512.320.8377, tavernaustin.com The Park at the Domain After a full day of shopping with your significant other at the Domain, treating yourself to a much-needed game and a beer is a must. Find yourself a seat at The Park at the Domain. Located on the ground level of the Aloft Hotel, the bar has something for everyone to enjoy with an atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re at the game. They have 35 HDTVs, 12 HD projectors and an awesome 360-degree “Ring Screen” to boot . Guests who want a private party can reserve the Clubhouse Room, which holds up to 40 people and features a big-screen projector, plasma TVs and a private bar with servers. They have daily specials every day, such as the BBQ Mutha Clucker and Sirloin Sliders. 11601 Domain Dr., 512.478.7275, theparkdomain.com
Cover 3 Sometimes when you get off work, all you want to do is have a cold beer and watch a game. But downtown isn’t always the best option. For those of you who call North Austin home, Cover 3 has your back. As far as sports entertainment goes, they seem to have every thing: 20 TVs, audio air and a great sound system— perfect for a viewing party. They offer a wide variety of food, from beef tenderloin sliders to grilled ruby trout , and they have a wine cellar with 100 wines, 10 Ice Cobra beer taps and two chilledliquor taps. Happy hour is every day and all day on Mondays and Tuesdays. 2700 W. Anderson Lane, suite 202 , 512 .374.1121, cover-3 .com Cain and Abel’s Since 1991, Cain and Abel’s has been a UT staple. But it’s not just a bar for college kids; the central bar provides an abundance of good fun for everyone. The bar has a very relaxed feeling. Sit on the porch and people-watch, or take in a game on one of their many TVs inside. The food at
Cain and Abel’s is worthy of a shoutout, such as The Famous Fumbler or the 512 Burger. As far as drinks go, they are famous for their Texas Tea, as well as dollar beers on Tuesdays. So if you are looking for a place in the heart of Longhorn country, stop by Cain and Abel’s. They will be sure to treat you like an old friend. 2313 Rio Grande St., 512 .476.3201, cainandabels.com Lavaca Street Bar With a number of TVs showing ever y game, Lavaca Street B ar makes ever y spor ts fan feel at home. If you want to keep your energy up during halftime or you jus t feel like getting up from your seat , the back room at this Warehouse Dis tric t bar has a ton of games including pool, Skee ball, ping pong and shuffleboard. This bar would not be complete without some great drink specials: On Sundays, they have $3 wells and Tuesdays, they have $1 Tecate. For Houston Texans football fans, Lavaca Street is their official Aus tin headquar ters. 405 Lavaca St ., 512 .469.0106, lavacastreet .com
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good life
job envy
So you want to be a sommelier?
SOMM’s Dustin Wilson
What it takes to join the elite and become the ultimate wine authority. Fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what a sommelier was, let alone pronounce the silly word. That has changed. Now it seems like I encounter sommeliers everywhere I go: in restaurants, wine bars, wine shops and even grocery stores. Hell, even I am now a sommelier. The growth in the profession is mirrored by demand for educational opportunities. Programs such as the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif., are seeing increasing enrollment. The number of people studying for professional sommelier certifications and pursuing becoming a sommelier as a career is growing, with more than 4,300 taking CMS exams in 2012 alone. Conferences are on the rise as well. James Tidwell, Master Sommelier and cofounder of the world’s largest sommelier education conference, TEXSOM, says that forum has grown substantially in its nine-year existence. “In 2005, when we started TEXSOM, we had
four Master Sommeliers and one Master of Wine conducting educational seminars for about 100 attendees,” Tidwell says. “This year, we have 33 Master Somms, four Masters of Wine and six Certified Wine Educators, and many other luminaries teaching sessions for more than 500 attendees. Nine years ago, there was only one Master Somm in Texas: Guy Stout. Now we have seven Master Somms in the state. While the conference has grown, it has kept a sense of great camaraderie and a sense of purpose.” Sommeliers have been around for a long time, but the allure of the career is on the rise. It has evolved from a job for frumpy footmen to a career for sophisticated bon vivants. June Rodil, Advanced Sommelier and › 4,316 people took all four levels of CMS exams in 2012 general manager › 30 percent more candidates took the certified exam in 2012 than in 2006 of Qui restau› 60 percent of candidates passed the certified exam in 2012 › 29 percent more Master Sommeliers in CMS American chapter in 2012 than in 2003 rant in Austin, believes it’s a › One of 70 candidates passed the Master Sommelier exam in July 2013 natural exten› 134 Master Sommeliers in North America and the CMS Americas › 115 Master Sommeliers are male sion of the foodie › 19 Master Sommeliers are female culture and the › 202 people worldwide have earned the title Master Sommelier since 1969 culinary world.
Taste Test
34 ATX MAN fall 2013
“The starlight shining on celebrity chefs has never been brighter,” Rodil says. (Her boss and Top Chef winner Paul Qui is an excellent example.) “TV cooking shows have gained incredible prominence and are reaching an entirely new demographic beyond the people who traditionally go to fine-dining restaurants. People now understand the care a chef gives to the ingredients and the preparation that goes into making elegant meals. That awareness spills over into paying more attention to which wine pairs best with food. People expect to find high quality in both food and wine.” While celebrity chefs may still soak up most of the spotlight, sommeliers have a documentary of their own, cleverly named SOMM. The film, which ran at the Violet Crown Cinema in Austin this summer, chronicles the obsessive study habits of four candidates pursuing the coveted Master Sommelier diploma. It’s a window into how challenging it is to master the beverage world. One of the documentary’s stars, Dustin Wilson, now a Master Sommelier and wine director at Eleven Madison Park in New York, feels there was a need to tell this story in film because most people are unaware of the role of the sommelier and the work that goes into the profession.
Photo courtesy of Forgotten Man Fimls/Samuel Goldwyn Films.
By Matt McGinnis
Bottom right photo courtesy of Forgotten Man Fimls/Samuel Goldwyn Films.
“Sommeliers are certainly becoming more popular and carving out a stage presence in the burgeoning food and wine world, which makes the SOMM documentary appealing,” Wilson says. “The film gives the public a better idea as to what we do. Even non-wine geeks like the film because it’s not just about wine; it’s about wanting to achieve something very difficult. There is a
Follow My Path to Become a Sommelier You don’t have to be born and raised in the restaurant or wine industry to become a sommelier. I’m living proof that anyone can become a sommelier. It just takes desire and a lot of studying. If you want to spend countless hours s tudying the soil types, the geography and the climate of wine regions throughout the world; if you want to learn how to recognize the smells, flavors, tas tes of wine that let you identify the grape, the countr y, the region and the year the wine was produced; if you want to learn how to pair the right wine with an elegant meal to bes t bring out its flavors; if you want to learn how to open a bottle of Champagne using a saber, then you want to become a sommelier. Here is how to get s tar ted.
humanizing element in the film that can touch anyone who has ever pushed themselves to attain something challenging, be it a test, a sporting event, a career change, etc. It tells the story of struggle, success and failure.” Being a sommelier requires more than tasting wine all day and gliding about the dining room recMatt McGinnis with ommending wines to pair other sommeliers after passing the with a meal. The business level two exam. of wine takes up a good part of the day too. Buying wine, schlepping boxes to cold cellars, cellar management and pouring over spread sheets to figure out the complex challenges of finding the right wine at the right price are all critical parts of the job. It might not always be glamorous, but Paula Rester, wine director at Congress Austin, finds it rewarding.
“I get the most Top Somms’ Top Picks satisfaction when James Tidwell people don’t Drink now: Sean Minor Four know the role of Bears Central Coast Pinot Noir a sommelier, but 2011 they have a great Save for later: Hanzell Vineyards Chardonnay 2010 experience with my food-and-wine June Rodil pairing recomDrink now: Ameztoi mendation,” she “Rubentis” Rosé Getariako says. “When I can Txakolina 2012 turn someone on Save for later: Chateau to new wines, it Musar Cuvée Rouge 2004 makes me excited. Dustin Wilson Other times, I just Drink now: Domaine de make sure guests Belliviere “Les Rosiers,” get exactly what Jasnieres 2011 they want. My Save for later: J.L. Chave, mom likes pinot Hermitage 2010 grigio with ice cubes in it. It’s my job to get that for her. The key to success in the service industry is you actually have to give a s**t. You can’t fake that.”
➤ Decide which certification program you want to pursue. Consider studying for exams with either the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) or Society of Wine Educators (SWE). Both organizations have websites where you can find course and exam schedules to plan your education process. I went with the CMS.
You will benefit immensely from studying with others.
➤ Gather your study materials. Join the Guild of Sommeliers to gain access to its amazing study guides and sample quizzes online (guildsomm.com). Buy a few books like the Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil, The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia by Tom Stevenson and The World Atlas of Wine by Mitchell Beazley.
➤ Take the introductory course and exam, and pass it with flying colors.
➤ Join or create a sommelier study group that meets at least weekly. Make sure you select serious study partners and try to include at least one member who is already certified (level II), or better yet, reach an advanced level III in the CMS or the equivalent in another organization.
➤ Set a budget for wine. It’s more important after the first level, but you will need to practice blind tasting a few different wines at least once a week (learn to spit and be OK with wasting wine). It’s preferable to drink “testable” wines multiple times a week, and stop drinking wines that won’t be
➤ Set aside two to three hours a week to study. That’s a good amount of time for the beginning of the process, but be ready to ramp up your hours as you progress in the certification process. on the exam (obscure wines).
➤ Get your study group back together and add blind tasting and service to your curriculum. Learning how to do blind tastings correctly can be daunting without a little guidance at first.
➤ Practice proper wine service in a fine-dining setting to pass that section of the level II exam in CMS. If you don’t work at a restaurant, find someone who can help you practice proper wine service. ➤ Study all coffee, cigars, sake, beer, spirits and cocktails because they can all be on the test too. ➤ Pass your Certified Exam and wear your lapel pin. The path is not quick or easy, but if wine is your passion, you too can earn the right to call yourself a sommelier.
atxman.com 35
good life
good sport
F1 Returns to Austin How the ultimate Euro-centric motor sport took ATX by storm, and what to look for this year. By Anthony French
“It’s not vital for F1. There are bigger markets for us to be in in other parts of the world. Let’s see if we miss America.” That’s Bernie Ecclestone speaking in November 2007, after it emerged the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway would not be hosting a US Grand Prix Formula 1 in 2008, or beyond, for that matter. “The future of F1 in the USA? I think we’ll finish with three races here within the next three years.” That’s the very same Mr. Ecclestone in November 2012, after the world’s top motorsport category returned to American soil with the inaugural US Grand Prix in Austin. Why was it such a success? How did Austin get it right when Watkins Glen, Dallas, Las Vegas and Indianapolis got it so wrong before? Is there any hope of a long-term future for the Euro-centric sport in Texas?
F1 versus America F1 has never had an easy ride in the United States. Since the dawn of the world championship in 1950, nine attempts have been made to break into this most lucrative of markets. All have failed. No long-term home for the race has ever been found, and you would be forgiven for thinking the oval track-rich state of Texas a bad choice for the 10th attempt. The Circuit of the Americas, a 3.4-mile ribbon of tarmac weaving its way across 890 acres of land in Travis County, cost about $400 million in private investment, and created approximately 6,000 jobs in the surrounding area. It wasn’t without dissent; a mere fortnight before the Grand Prix was due in town, residents protested the placing of a temporary heliport near their homes for the duration of the five-day event. It even attracted attention from the notorious Westboro Baptist Church, which feared those flocking to the circuit to watch their heroes in action were
36 ATX MAN fall 2013
worshipping “false gods.” Yet Austin was, on reflection, the natural setting for F1 to stage its U.S. comeback. A city with a vibrant cosmopolitan scene and a record of hosting live events, few places in the American South would open their doors to this foreign sport like Austinites did. The 2012 event attracted 265,499 spectators during the three days of on-track action, ranking it third behind only the British and Canadian Grand Prix events. Austin garnered $191.2 million in global media coverage, hotels in the city took in $32 million (triple the amount for a University of Texas football game) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport saw 21,725 people pass through its doors Nov. 19, a new record for a single day. Was it mere novelty? Can 2013 live up to the 2012 billing as the potential title-deciding race, the penultimate event of the year? Much hinges on what happens between now and November. Or, to be more precise, what happens on-track.
A Year of Living Dangerously With 10 races gone in the 2013 Formula 1 season, few would bet against Germany’s reigning world champion, Sebastian Vettel, claiming his fourth straight title crown. He has driven his Red Bull RB9 car to four victories already this season (at press time), and sits at the head of the championship points table on a comfortable 38-point margin over nearest rival Kimi Raikkonen. The season began well for the German, with a thirdplace finish in Australia behind archrival Fernando Alonso and the Lotus car of Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, who managed one pit stop less than his opponents. The event was the first indication of the major role Pirelli tires, fitted to all the cars, would play in the
outcome of the world championship. Unlike the Indy Racing League, F1 cars are all different; no two teams run identical machinery, and much hinges on how the aerodynamics of the car and the skill of the driver preserve the fragile Pirelli rubber. By July’s British Grand Prix, the tire debate had taken on the proportions of a monolithic struggle between supplier and user after a series of unsavory incidents throughout the first half of the year. Mercedes’ illegal test after the Spanish Grand Prix at the behest of Pirelli saw the team fighting a costly legal battle in court while on-track tire failures for Toro Rosso, McLaren, Ferrari and the hapless Mercedes at Silverstone raised serious concerns about driver safety. Lewis Hamilton branded the Italian manufacturer “stupid” before promptly winning the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July, two races with tire controversy at their heart book-ending what had been an extraordinary start to the season. The politics didn’t stop there. Team orders, once the reviled outcast of the F1 paddock, reared their ugly head once more in the Malaysian Grand Prix, with drastic consequences. Mark Webber was muscled out of the way by a defiant Sebastian Vettel as the Red Bull duo came to conflict once again while an irate Nico Rosberg, desperate to secure his first podium in almost a year, was denied the opportunity to pass teammate Hamilton.
Three Key Moments Malaysian Grand Prix, lap two. Fernando Alonso crashes at turn one after his front wing, damaged during a squabble with Vettel on the opening lap, disintegrates and sends him aquaplaning off the circuit. Ferrari’s decision not to pit, and Alonso’s misjudgement in agreeing with the decision, may cost the Spaniard a world title.
Malaysian Grand Prix, lap 46. Vettel passes Webber in defiance of team orders to win the race, but receives no punishment from Red Bull management. This is probably the moment Webber realized his time in Formula 1 was up. Hungarian Grand Prix, podium. Hamilton’s maiden victory for Mercedes was also the first without significant tire problems for the Anglo-German team, and sets the team up perfectly for a serious assault on Vettel and Red Bull in the second half of the year.
Three to Look Out for Jules Bianchi, Marussia. The Frenchman is competing in only his first season in Formula 1, but has stunned observers with his speed and consistency. Finishing just one lap behind race winner Raikkonen in Australia was a sign a fierce new talent had arrived. He won’t win in Austin, but you shouldn’t bet against him for a shock result, all the same. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull. In red-hot form since Abu Dhabi 2010, when he clinched his first championship, the young German has romped from success to success. He only lost victory in Austin last year because of a misunderstanding about yellow flags, so he could easily put the record straight this time. Romain Grosjean, Lotus. The French driver teeters on the brink between F1 oblivion and greatness. A torrid finishing record in 2012 was interspersed
with some great podium finishes, and 2013 has been the same. Austin could be his last chance to prove he can take it to the next level needed to save his career.
Three Places to Watch Turn one. In a move appreciated by real racing fans, designers made the Circuit of the Americas’ first corner a general-admission zone; grandstand seats are not available, but in return, those on a budget can get three-day access to a superb viewing point at the top of the track for a mere $181.84. The same ticket at Silverstone would cost you $264. If you want value for money and a view of the key first-lap action, look no further.
Noteworthy Races at the Circuit of the Americas Le Mans Series/World Endurance Weekend, Sept. 20–22, 2013 It’s not just Formula 1 that visits Austin’s doorstep in 2013. Oh no! September’s penultimate weekend sees the arrival of what is one of America’s favorite motorsport categories. With tickets ranging from $79 to $549, there are spaces for everyone to enjoy the finest sports-car racing in the world, combined in the American Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship. Boasting headline names like Tom Kristensen, nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, spectators can enjoy Audi and Toyota battle for supremacy while GT cars from Chevrolet, Aston Martin and Porsche fight for GTE class honors. This is the first running of the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas endurance race, so be sure you don’t miss out on what promises to be a motorsport extravaganza. Sept. 20 and
Turns three through eight. Four grandstands and two general-admission areas ensure plenty of choice for those wanting to appreciate the sight of a Formula 1 car battling the laws of physics. With seven high-speed direction changes in excess of 120 miles per hour, this is a great place to see man and machine in harmony. Ticket prices range from $181 to $366 for threeday passes. Turn 12. With the pit straight grandstand fully booked well in advance, there is really only one place you should look for action of a racing nature. Sitting at the end of a .62-mile flat-out blast through a DRS (drag reduction system) zone will afford fans plenty of chances to see overtaking moves into the tight left hand of turn 12.
Three Opinions on Austin Jenson Button, 2009 world champion: “The change of direction is faster
21 offer the best of the ALMS action while Sept. 22 is the date set for the headline WEC event. U.S. Vintage Racing, Oct. 25–27, 2013 From Formula 1 racers to production sports cars, the U. S. Vintage Racing national championship boasts the lot . Grand Prix winners from Lotus and Brabham share the track with Mini Coopers and Chevrolet Monza sedans, enabling fans young and old to get up close and personal with the history of motor racing in its entirety. Unlike mainstream motorsport events at COTA , such as Formula 1 and Moto GP, the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) is eager to introduce new fans to the pastime, and tours of the paddock and cars are freely available to the general public . Tickets at $59 are not to be ignored, regardless of whether you are a true petrol head or inquisitive first-timer. Students and military personnel with appropriate ID can obtain discounts on tickets in accordance with COTA policy.
than Silverstone, and that’s saying something. It’s fantastic.” Mario Andretti, 1978 world champion: “Let’s face it, we’re saying F1 needs America and America needs Formula 1. I think it’s both. It’s a win-win situation. The majority of the sponsors there in F1 are global companies that do a lot of business in the United States, so to have the exposure in this big market here is what’s needed. This is a good thing.” Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal: “I believe it’s fair to say that [the 2012 race] was a brilliant day for motorsport in the United States. The Austin racetrack is a magnificent one, and it staged a wonderful motor race. The city of Austin has welcomed us and our sport, and on behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I want to extend our friendship and gratitude in return.”
atxman.com 37
good life
Getaway
Great Golf on the Emerald Isle Moving beyond the coast, inland travel in Ireland begets great golf. The idea that comes to mind when one thinks of playing golf in Ireland is of a sumptuous smorgasbord, with the greens greener than any green you’ll likely see anywhere else, the grasses high and waving in the cool breeze along the tops of huge dunes and the courses carved along the edges of the cliffs or the beaches, with the ocean or the sea so close one can rip a golf ball into the teeming surf. Yes, that notion pretty much exemplifies the “links” golf experience on the Emerald Isle and the game as it’s played along the craggy coastline that reaches along the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the North Sea to the north and the Irish Sea to the east in the pass that separates Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. But golf in Ireland is much more than the courses in the island’s edges. According to the Golfing Union of Ireland, an organization that dates back to 1891, there are more than 350 courses in the country. With a population of 4.5 million (about one-tenth less than that of Houston’s urban area), Ireland is the most densely populated country per capita in the world for golf courses. Just 49 of Ireland’s tracks are categorized as links courses. The rest are considered parkland courses and set inland atop and across the rolling hills and through thick forests, watched over by the mountains that seemingly mark every horizon. Some are routed
38 ATX MAN fall 2013
Powerscourt Golf Club
along massive lakes, and others are segmented by roaring streams and wide rivers. Some are on ancestral land marked by seemingly endless gray rock walls and are routed past castles and ancient homesteads. Others are parts of grand resorts (the Irish do love their holidays) and are popular because virtually everyone in the nation has some knowledge of golf, and most are regular players. Anyone who truly enjoys the game of golf owes it to himself or herself to keep a trip to Ireland on their bucket lists. Yes, the famed links courses (The European Club, Ballybunion, Lahinch and Old Head) are musts to any journey to Eire. Just make some room for the inland parkland courses as well. Here are four parkland destinations to keep in mind when teeing it up in Ireland:
Killarney Golf & Fishing Club It’s hard to find a more stunning setting for golf anywhere in the world, so much so that the Killarney G&FC carries nicknames of “heavens reflex” and the “nearest golf club to heaven.” The backdrop of the course is Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland, and a handful of its holes are played on and over Lough Leane, the largest freshwater lake in the Irish Southwest. Set just west of the charming town of Killarney
in County Kerry in Southwest Ireland, the Killarney G&FC is unique in that it is considered the only true “lakeside” golf club in the country, and with that designation, it has attributes of both a seaside track and an inland course. The Killeen Course is the flagship track of the club’s three courses (the others are Mahony’s Point and Lackabane) and is a true Irish gem. The Killeen Course has hosted five Irish Opens, most recently the 2009 and 2010 tournaments. Golf at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club dates back to 1893, but the Killeen course was fashioned in 1972 by Billy O’Sullivan and Fred Hawtree, and was the second of the three tracks built at the club. In 2006, Killeen was again renovated, this time by Tom MacKenzie, who added new tees and bunkers and lengthened the track. The track’s tree-lined fairways can seem confining (especially from the back tees) but they are actually very generous. Some of the holes adjacent to the lake are quite exposed to the fickle winds, and when the lake is not in play, ponds and burns often are, as water comes into play on 11 out of the 18 holes.
Druids Glen Druids Glen Golf Club lies in County Wicklow, about 20 miles south of Dublin in the tiny village
Photos by Steve Habel.
By Steve Habel
The 12th hole at Druids Glen
Sign on the first tee at Carton House’s Montgomerie
of Newtownmountkennedy (yes, that’s one word). It is less than one mile from the Irish Sea and within shouting distance of the towering Wicklow Mountains. It is appropriate that Druids Glen is in County Wicklow. The county is known as The Garden of Ireland, and the course is as breathtaking visually as any parkland course golfers will play. The course’s name, Druids Glen, originates from the Druids altar, a preserved stone located on a hillside to the right of the downhill and overwater par-3 12th hole. The course is laid out across the estate of the Woodstock House, which was built in 1760 by an Irish earl. The property features ponds, high banks planted with trees and shrubs, a walled garden and low-lying areas where streams
meander over rocks. The course is turfed completely with bentgrass and is impeccably landscaped with all kinds of trees, shrubs and flowering plants. The design makes masterful use of the terrain’s natural contours and elevation changes. Opened in 1995 and host to three Irish Opens, Druids Glen was fashioned by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock, veteran Irish designers who were heavily influenced by both St. Andrews and Augusta National. As an example, the par-3 second hole is played entirely within a walled garden and mimics No. 17 of the Old Course at St. Andrews, while the stretch of holes from 12 to 14 is called “Ireland’s Amen Corner.” The long dogleg-right par-4 13th hole ends at a green that’s a tiny island, a spot allegedly used by the Earl’s family as a place to swim and sunbathe.
Powerscourt Golf Club Powerscourt Golf Club is part of a 1,000-acre estate that dates back to the 13th century, when it was a stronghold for Anglo-Normans coming to Ireland. Just half an hour south of Dublin, set in surroundings of one of the finest manors in Europe, Powerscourt is one of Dublin’s premier golfing venues, with two championship courses. The resort’s East Course, designed by Peter McElvoy, is the resort’s original course and hosted the 1998 Irish PGA and the 2001 Irish Seniors Open. Its routing is enhanced by the panoramic views of both the Atlantic and Sugarloaf Mountains. Some holes have links characteristics that contrast nicely with the parkland holes at the track’s beginning and end. There are trees throughout the golf course, many of which are more than 200 years old, and the track’s multi-tiered greens range from mildly
to severely sloped because of the dramatically undulating terrain. The West Course, opened in 2003 and fashioned by renowned designer David McLay Kidd, is currently rated among the top 20 parkland courses in the country. Its routing is even more challenging and hilly than its older sibling, and its intense elevation changes are further enhanced by strategically placed bunkering. The property also is the site of the lavish Powerscourt Estate, noted for its house (originally a 13th-century castle) and its lush 47-acre landscaped gardens.
Carton House Carton House, one of Ireland’s leading luxury destinations, renowned for its exceptional hospitality on Dublin’s doorstep, hosted the 2013 Irish Open on its Montgomery course, one of two tracks on the massive property. Voted Golf Resort of the Year in 2008 and located just 14 miles west of Dublin city center and 30 minutes from Dublin Airport, Carton House not only features two of Ireland’s finest though widely differing championship golf courses, it is also home to a stylish hotel and luxurious spa and leisure suite. The O’Meara Course, designed by American two-time major winner Mark O’Meara, offers a classic parkland experience, as it meanders through acres of glorious pastures and ancient woodlands. O’Meara is the older of the two courses, but only by a year. The 14th through the 16th holes are a memorable stretch, as they play along the banks of the River Rye. In 2005, this course hosted the Irish Amateur Championship. The Montgomerie course, the battlefield for this year’s Irish Open, was designed by seven-time European Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, and is a 7,300-yard “linksstyle” track. It sweeps across firm fairways and through a maze of cavernous bunkers that surround its large, undulating greens and narrow fairways. The designer paid homage to some of the greatest links courses in the world, with skillful and abundant bunkering, which combine with blustery, prevailing winds to provide the maximum level of challenge. Carton House’s 1,100-acre private parkland estate is an all-encompassing playground for leisure and corporate guests alike. One of the many unique attractions here is Shell Cottage, situated on the 16th hole of the Montgomerie Course and decorated with an endless assortment of seashells.
atxman.com 39
good life
philanthropy
A Night with Andy and Sir Elton A grand slam gala benefiting under-privileged Austin youth. By Erin Gray
He is best known for being a grand slam singles champion, but recently, Andy Roddick has been hitting grand slams in other aspects of his life. Since retiring from tennis last year, 30-year-old Roddick has focused on philanthropy through the Andy Roddick Foundation, whose mission is to help youth in lowincome areas through educational opportunities and sports mentoring. Founded in 2000, the foundation has since raised more than $11 million for youth in Texas and South Florida communities. In its eighth year, the Andy Roddick Gala has always been the largest fundraising event for the Andy Roddick Foundation. The high-profile event
ATX MAn sponsored events The 11th Annual Brian Jones Classic Sept. 9, 1 p.m., The Hills of Lakeway, 26 Club Estates Parkway Join former UT and NFL linebacker Brian Jones to support the Austin Boys & Girls Club. Register an individual or team and enjoy a fun day hitting a few golf balls. The tournament begins at 1 p.m., Sept. 9, with a post tournament dinner and awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. brainjonesclassic.org
Sixth Annual No Worries Classic Sporting Clay Shoot Sept. 13, 9 a.m., Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranch, 11508 Carl Road, Buda The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foun-
40 ATX MAN fall 2013
has allowed the foundation to raise awareness and money to help children and teens. In August 2012, Roddick moved his foundation to Austin. To expand ARF’s capabilities, ARF announced the construction of a state-of-theart facility that will include more than 10,000 square feet of computer From the 2011 ARF Gala labs, meeting and mentoring rooms, office space, a nutrition and physical-education center and seven lighted tennis courts. The 2013 gala will take place Oct. 17 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. The event includes a cocktail reception and dinner, but also a live auction with highly spirited bidding on luxury items and packages. In addition to cocktails and dinner, guests fortunate enough to have tickets to attend the gala will have the great pleasure of seeing the legendary Sir Elton John perform. John was the event
dation and Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranch sponsor the No Worries Classic Sporting Clay Shoot to bring awareness to Wonders & Worries, an organization that helps children whose parents have a serious disease. The Clay Shoot begins at 9 a.m., Sept. 13, and ends at 2 p.m. dojiggy.com
19th Annual Kids Classic Sept. 15 - 16, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, 4900 Mueller Blvd. For 19 years, Tim and Christy Kite have hosted the Kids Classic in order to support Dell Children’s Medical Center. With the support of the Austin Chapter of Credit Unions, the Kids Classic will feature an auction and a golf tournament. The auction will be held Sept. 15, and the golf tournament will be held on Sept. 16 at The Hills Country Club.
Second Annual Whiskies of the World Austin Oct. 2, 7 p.m., Austin Music Hall, 208 Nueces St. Mingle with other whiskey enthusiasts while meeting distillers and brand ambassadors. Individuals also get to participate in a mixology class, take part in a whiskey and cigar pairing, and an artisanal food and whiskey pairing. The event runs from 7 to 10 p.m., with VIP hour staring at 6 p.m. whiskiesoftheworld.com
The 22nd Annual Penick Award Dinner Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Four Seasons Hotel, 98 San Jacinto Blvd. Presented by Caritas, the Harvey Penick Award Dinner is hosting its 22nd annual event to award individuals who show great leadership and excellence in life. Guests can sponsor or make a reservation
headliner in 2011, and he continues to support the mission of the Andy Roddick Foundation. Anticipating the return of John, Roddick says, “I am thrilled to have longtime friend and philanthropist Elton John return to Austin to help us achieve our goal of raising over $1 million in one evening. Our guests can expect a wonderful evening with a music legend while supporting us in our efforts to raise funds for the foundation.” For more information, visit arfoundation.org.
to witness a truly great event. The award dinner begins a 6 p.m., and will end at 9 p.m. caritasofaustin.org
ZERO Prostate Cancer Run Oct. 26, 9 a.m., Camp Mabry, 2200 W. 35th St. Join hundreds of men and women as they run the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run, an event that aims to stop prostate cancer. Not much of a runner, but still want to support ZERO? Select Snooze for Dudes on the registration page, and you can still show your love from the comfort of your own couch. The run begins at 9 a.m. zerocancer.org
2013 More Than a Game Celebrity Golf Tournament Nov. 10 - 11, 12:30 p.m., Barton Creek Resort-Fazio Foothills Course, 8212 Barton Club Dr.
At the More Than a Game, a celebrity captain leads each team, with captains including Ben Crenshaw, Huston Street and Jody Cornradt. Golfers will be greeted with drinks and treats, like cigar rolling and a Tito’s vodka bar. VIP reception is at 6 p.m., and general reception is at 7 p.m., Nov. 10. thefirstteeaustin.org
Austin Classical Guitar Series Oct. 5, Oct. 24, Nov. 9. All at 8 p.m., Austin Classical Guitar Society, 5900 Balcones Dr., and The Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr. Audience members will be able to witness the beautiful sounds of classical guitar from Pepe Romero, (Oct. 5, Austin Classical Guitar Society) and Niño de Pura will blow people away with his genius (Oct. 24, The Long Center). Tickets are available at Austin Classical Guitar Society. austinclassicalguitar.org
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A Classic
Maestro with an Austin Attitude
The musical odyssey of Peter Bay.
By Steve Uhler / Photos by cody hamilton Hair by Maegan Foster, Avant Salon, 507 Pressler St., Ste. 800, 512.472.6357, avantsalon.com Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, Rae Cosmetics, 1206 W. 38th St., 512.320.8732, raecosmetics.com Styling by Ashley Hargrove, dtkaustinstyling.com Shot on location at The Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr., thelongcenter.org
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Overture: When Peter Met Lenny
As Peter Bay recalls meeting his boyhood idol, his hands begin shaking slightly. Whether brought on by the power of the past or just the caffeine in the present, Bay prudently sets aside his coffee cup before continuing. “It was 1973 or 1974,” he remembers. As a young flute player in a high school band, Bay had dreams of becoming a classical music conductor, and legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein was due to visit Bay’s hometown of Washington, D.C., to conduct the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. Through a friend, Bay finagled his way backstage during a rehearsal intermission. Tentatively knocking on the door, he poked his head inside Bernstein’s dressing room. “There he was,” Bay recalls, “with a posse of about four or five people: one holding a lit cigarette for him, another with a bottle of bourbon and some other assistants. He’s sitting there in a Japanese robe, which I thought was kind of weird, smoking cigarettes. He looks at me and says, ‘So…I hear you want to be a conductor. Why is that?’ I said, ‘Honestly, it’s because of you.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, god! Another one!’ ” “The world is filthy with conductors,” Bernstein pronounced. “You’re young enough that you can change your mind.” Luckily for the world of music—and for Austin in particular—the star-struck boy didn’t heed the master’s advice. Instead, Peter Bay marched to the beat of his own baton.
First Movement: Main Theme Peter Bay is arguably the only prominent Austin music artist who is more recognized from behind than in front. For 15 years and counting, as conductor and music director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, he has often appeared with such distinguished companies as the Austin Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin and just about any other artistic consortium that piques his interest. He’s such a frequent guest on classical music station KMFA that they could consider renaming it KMF-Bay. Still, for all his ubiquity, few recognize his face. But when he turns his back and raises his arms, baton in hand, the familiar silhouette falls into place, unmistakable: It’s Maestro Peter Bay in his element. “I do come out and take bows either before or after the pieces,” he points out. “But most people say I look better from the back.” Meeting Bay in person is eerily akin to shaking hands with Dorian Gray; at age 56, there is nary a line on his face, though a few random white hairs are beginning to fleck his scalp. Just back from a short
44 ATX MAN fall 2013
vacation in Hawaii with his wife and 5-year-old son, Bay appears relaxed, freshly tanned and affable on a summer afternoon in an East Austin café. Toss out an opening question, “What is music?” and Bay proffers a considered and unexpected response. “I think music, in its base form, is basically sustained speech,” he answers. “If I say the word ‘mama,’ that’s speech. If I say, ‘m-a-a-a-a-a m-a-aa-a-h-h,’ I’m basically just elongating those two syllables; I’m creating music. If you think about it, we don’t speak in a monotone. We speak with a certain inflection. If I slow my words to a crawl, it winds up taking on the quality of a musical instrument.” As he demonstrates, stretching out the word “crawl” for what seems like an eternity, a few nearby diners tilt their heads in curiosity. Bay’s penchant for quirky responses to left-field questions isn’t confined to the realm of classical music. In casual conversation, he ricochets and bounces from one off-the-wall topic to another like an eloquent pinball. Consider a few of his random pop-culture predilections: He carries a longtime torch for Elaine May (“I had the hots for her when I was a kid.”). He’s addicted to All Sports Talk Radio, religiously watches The Daily Show and has a passion for vintage movies (favorite film: Psycho.). Bay’s list of non-classical music favorites includes Sergio Mendez, Sting and—honestly—The Monkees. He’ll careen from Paul McCartney (“I always wanted to talk to him about why he doesn’t want to learn how to read music.”) to Leonard Cohen (“I never got what the whole experience was about until I saw him live in concert.”), pausing to ruminate on the oeuvre of such musical obscurities as Martin Denny and Esquivel. University of Texas composer and Director of New Music Ensemble Dan Welcher, a longtime friend, recalls “sitting in a car with Peter and hearing him sing/speak through Frank Zappa’s Billy the Mountain without missing a cue. The song is at least 15 minutes long, I think!”
Second Movement: A Chorus of Hallelujahs Bay’s reputation as a consummate conductor has won accolades from audiences, critics and peers alike. He is revered by players for his ability to embrace fresh ideas, adapt to challenges, follow lagging soloists and anticipate rushed stanzas. “Peter’s beat is the clearest there is,” Welcher marvels. “I have never seen him give an upbeat or a cue that wasn’t totally on target. Musicians who can’t follow Peter can’t follow anybody.” “To my eyes and ears, he strikes the perfect bal-
ance between leading the orchestra and sharing the emotion of the music with the audience,” says KMFA host Dianne Donovan. “Plus, he’s fun to watch. Fluid but clear.” Despite his lofty position in a profession largely populated by divas, spoiled prodigies and Mensa members, Bay has an enviable reputation among his peers and co-workers as a Good Joe, a genuine Mensch. “He’s a regular guy,” testifies longtime friend and music aficionado Stephen Aechternach. As former artistic administrator for the Houston Symphony, Aechternach sensed a kindred and accessible spirit in Bay. “When Peter first arrived in Austin in 1998, I sought him out to meet. At the time, I wasn’t involved in the local arts scene. I was merely a music lover who wanted to get to know our new music director. We had lunch and hit it off immediately. He made an instant impression upon me as the kind of guy I’d like to have as a lifelong friend. You must understand that most
Photo by Robin Rowell.
Overture
Compose Yourself
With Peter Bay
Like any music pro, Maestro Peter Bay knows both words and music, and he enjoys word games. ATX Man tossed out some random music names and asked Bay to come up with one nonmusical word—and one word only—to describe them. Think you know music? Think you know what Peter Bay knows about music? Take our quiz and find out how “attuned” you really are!
Must-see fall programs: Sept. 13–15: Ballet Austin—A Midsummer Night’s Dream Oct. 11–12: Austin Symphony Orchestra—ChoLiang Lin
1. Igor Stravinsky a. Cantankerous b. Irreverent c. Revolutionary d. Mundane
6. Bill Evans a. Complex b. Pensive c. Temperamental d. Extroverted
11. Johann Sebastian Bach a. Mathematical b. Obsessive c. Prolific d. Overdone
2. Claude Debussy a. Impressionistic b. Solemn c. Wistful d. Colorful
7. Aaron Copland a. Grandiose b. America c. Elementary d. Corny
12. Stephen Sondheim a. Eclectic b. Abstract c. Profound d. Detached
3. Duke Ellington a. Sophisticated b. Visionary c. Soulful d. Meticulous
8. Ella Fitzgerald a. Sassy b. Versatile c. Underrated d. Pretentious
13. Brian Wilson a. Unappreciated b. Lightweight c. Commercial d. Quirky
4. Glenn Gould a. Private b. Disturbed c. Flamboyant d. Generous
9. George Gershwin a. Brilliant b. Theatrical c. Urbane d. Accessible
14. John Cage a. Deranged b. Experimental c. Pleasant d. Bluesy
5. Frank Sinatra a. Suave b. Romantic c. Articulate d. Troublesome
10. Chuck Berry a. Fun b. Inventive c. Pioneering d. Ridiculous
15. Leonard Bernstein a. Genius b. Problematic c. Spoiled d. Buoyant
Oct. 20: The Long Center presents Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis Oct. 24: Flamenco Austin— Nino de Pura Nov. 16–20: Austin Lyric Opera— Verdi’s Don Carlo
What’s your score? 12 – 15 Correct: Congratulations, Maestro! Step up to the podium! 9 – 11 Correct: Pretty good for an oboist. 6 – 9 Correct: Brush up your Stravinsky. 0 – 6 Correct: Time to start listening to something other than Taylor Swift.
Answers: 1: c 2: d 3: c 4: a 5: a 6: b 7: b 8: a 9: c 10: a 11: c 12: c 13: d 14: b 15: a
The Long Center Fueled by literally thousands of donations large and small from Austinites in 2008, the converted Palmer Auditorium opened with a stunning conversion to become The Long Center. Home to founding resident companies Ballet Austin, The Austin Lyric Opera and the Austin Symphony, it provided a long-awaited and world-class performance center, with the Michael and Susan Dell Hall featuring amazing acoustics. The Debra and Kevin Rollins Theatre and the City Terrace and lawn provide venues for diverse programming. Local resident companies Austin Shakespeare, Conspirare, Pollyanna Theatre Company and Tapestry Dance Company have also made The Long Center their official home. The Long Center overlooks Lady Bird Lake and the downtown skyline, and its design reflects Austin’s commitment to sustainability, environmental responsibility and the region’s natural beauty. Utilizing more than 80 percent local programming, The Long Center is Austin’s Creative Home, built by the community for the community. thelongcenter.org
atxman.com 4 5
conductors don’t make friends readily; they tend to be completely wrapped up in their work and career and don’t make time for casual, buddy-like friendships. From the moment I met him, I knew we’d be friends forever. Peter is very easy to like. When I was evacuated from my home in 2011 on account of the Labor Day Pedernales Bend Fire, Peter generously offered to house me, my wife and our two golden retrievers. And he is a cat lover! That is a true friend!” Craig Hella Johnson, founder and artistic director of the celebrated vocal ensemble Conspirare echoes that endorsement. “Peter Bay is easily the most approachable, ‘real’ conductor I’ve ever known. There’s something about being an orchestral conductor, especially in the U.S., that tends to make most people become hard-shelled or even distant, as a means of self-preservation. … But Peter has not only flourished as a conductor, he’s also preserved his warm, outgoing personality and his concern for other people. He’s funny, clever, super talented and extremely bright. And a very good friend.”
Third Movement: Variations on a Fantasia by Ferrante & Teicher It all started with a tone-deaf dad, a hi-fi stereo system and a decidedly bizarre record collection. “My father was a consul for the Philippine embassy,” Bay explains. “He had a tin ear, but his hobby was stereo equipment. He came to Washington, D.C., in the mid-50s, and had MacIntosh preamps and amplifiers, and these very tall speakers. We lived in an apartment, so I’m sure it drove the neighbors crazy. We had a lot of records. One of the first records I remember—and I still have—is a very odd Ferrante & Teicher record called Soundproof. Remember them? They played these twin pianos. The picture on the record was taken from a sci-fi film, Forbidden Planet, I think. The pianos were prepared ala John Cage, with rubber stoppers and nails. It just sounded so weird. But this record stuck in my brain. It was so bizarre, it made me want to listen to records and music all day long.” So Peter Bay’s earliest musical passion was easy listening? “Absolutely,” Bay admits. “Jackie Gleason, Ray Conniff, Mantovani, Percy Faith. My dad’s eclectic record collection led me to genres that, to this day, I still adore. He brought home the first American bossa nova record, Jazz Samba, Stan Getz and Charlie Bird. He brought home Meet the Beatles when it first came out. So I owe that to him. He just played stuff in the house all the time.” After his family moved to the suburb of Hyattsville, Md., Bay discovered the sanctuary of the local public library and the solace of classical music. “Every Saturday, my parents and I would walk to the library and I would check out a stack of records,” he says. “Bernstein was the link. While rifling through the records at the library, I saw that he had written music: West Side Story, Candide. I listened to all of
46 ATX MAN fall 2013
Peter Bay’s Guide To Classic Austin
his music first. Then I saw he Classic Austin Night on The Town Classic Austin Theater had recorded Having a wonderful meal on Second Alamo Drafthouse for a movie, or Zach dozens of other Street and then experiencing the powScott for a play or musical. composers. er of Verdi’s Requiem. Copland—I took Classic Austin Dining Experience home Billy The Classic Austin Car What could be more of a classic Kid and Rodeo. Hmmm. Do pedicabs count? than Threadgill’s or Trio at the Four Pretty soon, I Seasons? had listened Classic Austin Outdoor Activity to every single Anything that involves activity on Lady Classic Austin Family Place classical record Bird Lake or Zilker Park. The playground at Zilker. that was in that library.” Classic Austin Film/Movie Experience Classic Austin Clothes/Style About that Watching a classic film during the sum- In Austin, anything goes. People dress time, the budmertime at the Paramount. up or down for concerts, and I love it. ding audio connoisseur caught a broadcast of “I’m all in favor of collaboration,” he says. “It’s all Young People’s Concert on PBS, and for the first time part of making music. I don’t make music by myself. saw Leonard Bernstein conducting an orchestra. It In fact, I make no sound. I rely on others to make was a turning point. sounds. The more different kinds of things I can do “Something happened that afternoon that locked with sound, the happier I am.” me in to classical music for good,” Bay recalls. “It was Bay’s love of the collaborative process has brought seeing the orchestra play on TV, watching him and his him into prestigious artistic circles throughout the unbridled enthusiasm for what he was doing. He was world, but none more so than in his adopted homeat times literally jumping off the podium with glee, town. He often partners up for projects with Austin and then turning around and talking to kids about Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin, Conspirare and the Austin what he’d just done. There was something about him Classical Guitar Society. and his magnetism, the electricity with which he ACGS Executive Director Matthew Hinsley is an spoke about music and conducted it. It was riveting to unabashed fan. me. I wanted to do that. It looked like fun. Most boys “We did a project called Austin Pictures where wanted to be a baseball player or a fireman at that age; Peter was to conduct 115 young guitarists with the I wanted to be a conductor.” Miro Quartet in a new five-movement work,” Hinsley Bay entered his high school band, learning to play relates. “The guitarists came from as far away as Albuflute. He went on to attend the University of Maryland and the Peabody Institute of Music, becoming the assis- querque, Oklahoma City, Brownsville and, of course, tant conductor for the Annapolis Philharmonic Orches- all over Austin. Watching Peter walk calmly into the high school where we were hosting the first rehearsal, tra. During the next few years, he forged an enviable and commanding instant undivided attention, watchreputation conducting for the Rochester Philharmonic ing him lead those young players to excellence, is Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony in Virginia, as something I’ll never forget.” well as touring extensively as guest conductor. Perhaps Bay’s most challenging collaboration took In the summer of 1997, ASO board member Jane Parker attended a concert Bay guest conducted in Vail, place last year with dance choreographer and Forklift Danceworks founder Allison Orr. Orr had just comColo., and was suitably impressed. pleted her massively ambitious Trash Project and was “She introduced herself afterward and asked if I contemplating her next project. would be interested in auditioning for the music di“I went to a performance of the symphony and, rector post in Austin,” Bay recalls. “I immediately said as I usually do, was watching the conductor,” Orr yes! Having visited twice previously, I loved the city.” Following a brief stint with ASO as a guest conduc- recalls. “The idea hit me: Wouldn’t it be incredible to make a piece on Peter Bay because he’s such a tor, he was offered the job. He began his tenure in mover? He’s so engaged in his conducting style. And January 1998, and never looked back. through a friend of a friend, I was introduced to him. He said yes immediately.” Fourth Movement: Collaborations and The idea behind the project, dubbed Solo SymSymphony Solo phony, was to have Bay reverse his usual position in As both music director and conductor of ASO, Bay has performance: He would conduct a 13-piece orchesfrequent collaborations with other artists, both traditra while facing the audience. Perhaps even more tional and avant-garde, and they’ve become a cornerdisconcerting was the fact that he wouldn’t be callstone in his career. ing all the shots.
surrender to the music, sculpting sounds in the air, arms undulating in rhythm, senses attuned to every nuance and note. His face especially was a kaleidoscope of expression, alternately pensive, joyous, playful, enraptured. One of the audience members attending the show was KMFA President Ann Hume Wilson, who found herself deeply moved by the experience. “Peter’s performance ended with its musicians playing Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze, which is one of my favorite pieces,” Wilson recalls. “As they played, Peter stepped off the podium and walked among the musicians, just looking at them with a smile that brought tears to my eyes. His love of the music shone through at that moment. It is not about him; it’s about the music.” [left] Calibrate gingham shirt, $59.50, and sweater, $69.90, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom. com. Shot on location at Threadgill’s, 301 W. Riverside Dr., threadgills. com [opening spread] Topman navy blazer, $300, Bonobos khaki chinos, $88, and 1901 blue checkered shirt, $39.50, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com.
Coda: Ode to Austin
Orr spent the next year shadowing the conductor, attending concerts and rehearsals, and studying his moves and body language. “I’m drawn to movement that I see as skillful and virtuosic,” Orr says, “but I’m also drawn to people’s stories and why they do the jobs they do. So I learned a whole lot about the world of conducting: What it takes to be a conductor, all the different components of that job.” Bay may have been willing to embrace the artistic
alliance, but he was uneasy about being in the center of the spotlight. “He did keep asking early on, ‘Well, aren’t you going to be in the dance?’ ” Orr relates. “I said, ‘No, that’s not what this is.’ I think it was difficult for Peter to imagine that he himself would be interesting enough.” “I was petrified,” Bay reveals. The performance was a triumph, exceeding everyone’s expectations, especially Bay’s. Audiences were mesmerized watching Bay both control and
With the arrival of fall and the opening grace notes of a new season, Bay looks forward to several special projects, including a rare professional teaming with his wife, the celebrated soprano Mela Dailey, in a staging of Verdi’s Requiem. He’ll also be reuniting with Allison Orr, conducting for a major new endeavor, PowerUP, featuring workers at Austin Energy. Along with his assorted other appearances and tours, it looks to be one of Bay’s busiest years ever. In a city that prides itself on its discerning taste, Peter Bay has become assimilated as an iconic part of the local cultural Zeitgeist. “Austin and I get along very well,” he says. “Austin is a very eclectic town. My taste for music—all kinds of music—is very eclectic. I came here because of the job. But once I was here, I absolutely adored everything about the city. I liked the eclecticism of the offerings in town. This is a really vibrant place. Record stores, all kinds of ethnic food, the downtown area. Not to mention the fact that it had an orchestra, a ballet and an opera.” He pauses for a moment, reflecting on those early days. “There was a period of time when I conducted the opening of all three seasons,” he remembers. “I’d go from a symphony rehearsal to an opera rehearsal to a ballet performance within the space of one week. It was tiring, but what an experience I’ve been able to get in this town! I love that entire repertoire, and to get to do it all in one town? Ridiculous! And rock ’n’ roll if I want! So, I don’t want to leave here. I’d be missing too much if I leave.” Somewhere, Leonard Bernstein must be smiling.
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By Andy East Photos by William Russell Type by Katie Holmstrom There is nothing more human than creativity. In fact, everything from the streets on which we drive to the art that inspires us is the product of ingenuity. Given Austin’s fabled music scene, it should come as no surprise that the Live Music Capital has long been seducing the artistic spirit of creators the world over. But Austin’s unique mélange of artists transcends its insatiable appetite for music and extends into the realms of literature, dance and film. ATX Man takes you inside the creative minds of three of Austin’s most prolific creators—New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan, critically acclaimed composer/bandleader Graham Reynolds and Ballet Austin’s award-winning artistic director and choreographer, Stephen Mills—as they reveal the driving forces behind their illustrious creations.
Although best-known for the New York Times best-selling historical novel The Gates of the Alamo, Stephen Harrigan is a former staff writer, senior editor and current contributor to Texas Monthly. He has authored nine books, four screenplays—including HBO’s The Last of his Tribe starring Jon Voight and TNT’s King of Texas starring Patrick Stewart—and dozens of articles that have appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, Life, National Geographic and Slate. Harrigan has won several awards including the TCU Texas Book Award, the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West and, most recently, the James Fenimore Cooper Prize from the American Society of Historians for his latest novel, Remember Ben Clayton. “Writing a good Three Influential Writers sentence is like hitting a baseball just right,” Ernest Hemmingway says Harrigan. “What’s “I’ve had all the standard influences as a writer. frustrating is it’s hard to Hemmingway is probably hit a baseball just right. the strongest, but I actively You swing and miss a lot. try not to write like him. There’s no guarantee that But once you read his the harder you try, the betwork at an impressionable ter it’ll be. You’re always age, it’s in your DNA.” working with blind faith Willa Cather that there’s this perfect “I think she was one of the sentence that you just great American writers. can’t grasp.” With her, like Hemmingway, Although Harrigan there was a supernatural strives to maintain a clarity to her writing. It’s work routine, his creative breathtaking.” process is comparable to Hillary Mantel literary backpacking, as “She is someone who has really impressed me lately. he navigates through his research and planning [Her books] are almost spooky with how they take while maintaining a flexible itinerary to explore you back in time.” the story that is unfolding before him. “You need to plan to a certain degree, and then you need to jump in before you think you’re ready
so you’ll see where the characters and landscapes of the book are going,” says Harrigan. “I come out [to my office] every day. I wake up to go to the gym or take a walk. I’m usually in my office by 9 a.m. on a good day, working on books.” The amount of research involved with writing accurate historical fiction is a demanding task, even for a New York Times best-selling author. For his latest novel, Remember Ben Clayton, Harrigan travelled to France and even meticulously researched the brands of chewing gum that could be found in stores in early 20thcentury France. “I try to be honest, precise and emotionally rich,” says Harrigan. “Whether I succeed at that, I don’t know. But those are the values I aspire to as a writer.” Harrigan confesses he is not the same writer that he was when he scored his first big break with the publication of The Dawning of the Age of Armadillo in thennascent Rolling Stone Magazine in 1972. “Now I’m less interested in literary effects and elegant phraseology [than before],” says Harrigan. “I’m more interested in the story and the characters. It used to be the writing itself that excited me, and now what excites me is communicating what’s in my head directly to the readers.”
With a bibliography comprised of several critically acclaimed books and screenplays, it follows suit that choosing a favorite may be toilsome. But if asked to name the three oeuvres he is most proud of writing, without vacillating, Harrigan would likely rattle off the titles of the last three he finished in
Selected Works The Eye of the Mammoth
The Gates of the Alamo
Released in April, this career-spanning compilation of essays highlights the best non-fiction in Harrigan’s fourdecade career as a writer for several magazines including Texas Monthly and The Atlantic.
Harrigan’s famed work was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book, and won the TCU Texas Book Award, the Western Heritage Award and the Spur Award for the Best Novel of the West. Maxwell Jones of Newsweek called The
Gates of the Alamo “masterly storytelling…Harrigan makes us care afresh…The result is a genuinely moving epic.”
Remember Ben Clayton The Wall Street Journal heralds Har-
rigan’s latest novel as “a poignantly human monument to our history.” It also won a Spur Award, the Jesse H. Jones Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and, most recently, the James Fenimore Cooper award for the best work of historical fiction.
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reverse chronological order. “I’m most fond of [my most recent work] becasue I haven’t had time to fall out of love with it,” says Harrigan. “The further away in time you are from something you’ve written, the less impressed you are with it. I always equate it to your high school yearbook. There you are, forever enshrined just as you were. It can be embarrassing. “There are books—without naming names—that I don’t think were the right books for me to have written at that time,” Harrigan continues. “But you don’t know that. You keep plugging away. Some are more successful than others, but the ones that aren’t pave the way for more successful ones. In my mind it’s all one big project.” Harrigan, an Oklahoma native, has spent all but five years of his entire life in Texas, growing up in Abilene and Corpus Christi. As a longtime Austin resident, he has witnessed the metamorphosis of the city’s writing scene. “The more I lived in Austin, the more interesting it got,” says Harrigan. “I feel the city and I grew up together. There’s a lot of great writing in Austin. [The writing scene] is thriving. It’s bursting at the seams. I feel at home in all sorts of ways. But especially in the way that I am surrounded by people who understand the kind of work I do and do that kind of work themselves. It’s a real community.” Recently inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, Harrigan has no plans to rest on his laurels and does not worry about running out of new material. “The idea that, ‘Wow! I’ve done that now!’ is a foreign concept to a writer,” says Harrigan. “You’re always trying to better yourself, write a book that’s better than the last one, one that is more appreciated, one that tells a story in a different way. It’s endless. It all still remains to be done.” Visit stephenharrigan.com for the latest updates on Harrigan’s work and appearances. You can also catch him at the Texas Book Festival, Oct. 26-27, promoting The Eye of the Mammoth.
Heralded as “the quintessential modern composer” by The London Observer, Austin-based composer/bandleader Graham Reynolds has genre-meshing sonic tapestries that have spawned a panoply of critically acclaimed film, theater and dance scores, resulting in dozens of awards including the Lowe Music Theater Award, an AMP Award and five Austin Chronicle Best Composer Awards. Besides film scores, Reynolds’ diverse works include more than 50 altclassical concerts, five symphonies, two concertos, a touring live-action graphic novel and he is a member
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of Austin theater companies Rude Mechan- Three Influential musicians ics and Salvage Vanguard Theater. Sergei Prokofiev “Music is very friendly. It gives me an “The thing I love about early 20th-century classical music is that it was excuse to meet other people,” Reynolds in a weird transitional phase from being a popular act to an academic says. “I can create on my own or collaboart, where music went from being written taking the audience into conrate with others. It never ceases to be fresh sideration to not taking the audience into consideration. It goes from being a conversation with the audience to being a monologue.” and exciting, but it’s also a language unto itself [that is] most overt when you are improvising with other musicians, creating Duke Ellington new phrases, sentences and paragraphs. “Jazz was in a similar phase [as early 20th-century classical music], “It’s a very complete experience,” he con- from being dance music to becoming academic music. You escape tinues. “Take acting [for example]. Acting is certain parameters by going from dancing music to listening music. performative, but it’s not something you can You don’t go the Broken Spoke and play country music you can’t dance to. Ellington crossed both periods. He has the perfect balance between do by yourself. Acting without an audience improvising and composing, not only composing for an instrument, doesn’t feel complete. Music has it all.” but for specific players. He was a good coach.” Reynolds’ collaborators run the gamut from actor and Tenacious D frontman Jack The Beatles Black and film director Richard Linklater to DJ Spooky, Ballet Austin and Forklift Dance- “The Beatles are just inescapable. It’s hard for any Western musician that has anything to do with rock or pop to deny that the Beatles are a works. With such a wide array of projects major influence. To me, they were the most influential rock musicians and collaborators, Reynolds’ creative process of the 20th century. They were in a constant state of exploration. They can greatly vary from project to project. blew up the parameters they were playing in, pushing the boundaries, “The process depends drastically on what but they still had a core that could communicate to a wide audience.” the project is,” says Reynolds. “It’s coloring the lines of that concept and flushing it out. I try not to put the editor hat on and let it all come out.” influenced his music. Oftentimes, Reynolds will listen to other music and “Austin’s always had an exciting [music] scene,” write additional parts to it. he says. “It was always reasonably diverse and “I will, in my head, be playing a different guitar reasonably active, but it has gotten a lot stronger and line or a different string line,” more diverse. What really he says. “I write it down and impressed me here was the Upcoming Events take away the pre-existing country music scene. It has PowerUP music to build up new music. always been a pillar of qualSept. 21–22, Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo It usually ends up sounding ity for Austin.” nothing like what I was origiReynolds, a ConnectiPowerUP is the third and final installnally constructing on top of.” cut native, recalls visiting ment of a trilogy of collaborative dance Physical spaces also provide Austin for the first time in efforts with the Forklift Danceworks the Austin-based musician the 1990s. and the City of Austin starring linemen with sources for inspira“I grew up in Connectiand women from Austin Energy, with 20 tion, allowing him to journey cut close to New York, but I utility poles, bucket trucks and cranes as deeper into the ethos of place. felt I wanted to see another props. Reynolds’ score will be performed Reynolds cites a recent trip part of the country. San by a 30-pience ensemble featuring Austin to Marfa to experience the Francisco was too expenSymphony Orchestra conductor Peter West Texas city in preparation sive, and I play the drums Bay. forkliftdanceworks.org for his upcoming project The and other loud things, so an The Marfa Triptych: Three Portraits Marfa Triptych, commissioned apartment wasn’t an option. of Texas: Part One: The Country and by Ballroom Marfa. I didn’t want to have a speWestern Big Band Suite “I spent time in Marfa and cial practice facility. Nov. 16, Crowley Theater, Marfa, TX took notes,” says Reynolds. “I I was [in Austin] for an try to have my head swimafternoon, and I loved it. I Featuring an eclectic 13-piece country ming in the language of the came back as a follow-up to band including Merle Haggard guitarist place or whatever world I South By Southwest to conRedd Volkaert, Dale Watson collaborator am writing in so an idea is firm. South By Southwest is Ricky Davis and Reynolds’ band, Golden developed in a half-conscious, a pretty good sales pitch for Arm Trio, the night will pay a musical half-unconscious way.” a musician, and I could have tribute to West Texas live from the high While Reynolds has had a house.” desert of Presidio County. Ballroom a big impact on the Austin While living in Austin has Marfa has brought on Reynolds to debut music and art scenes, the provided Reynolds with a one piece annually for the next three Live Music Capital has also creator-friendly environment, years beginning in November.
since coming to the Live Music Capital, Reynolds has also evolved as a musician. “I’ve tried to embrace things I tried to resist at first,” explains Reynolds. “I tried to avoid predictability or worry about things that had been used before. By the end of the 20th century, [there were] these ideas of the more you push the boundaries, the
better. It’s easy to mathematically come up with music. To create something new is not nearly as special as people think. Newness has become equated with value. I love to explore, but there are many ways to value music, and newness is just one of those ways.” Reynolds continues to expand his repertoire and is currently working on an album with Austin-based
country singer Dale Watson that will surely regale our eardrums for years to come. “The list of things I want to do will never end,” says Reynolds. “There’s always a new person to collaborate with, new genres to explore or redefining what I’ve already done.” Visit grahamreynolds.com for the latest on concerts, albums and projects.
Selected Works Before Midnight (2013)
Bernie (2012)
Rife with alluring piano and guitardriven compositions worthy of the Greek Isles, the soundtrack for Richard Linklater’s latest feature film starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is a must.
This soundtrack has it all. From Austin country music and vocals from Jack Black to classical compositions and Egyptian rhythms, Reynolds’ score captures the soul of Richard Linklater’s quirky true-crime dark comedy.
Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington (2011) Reynolds conjures up the spirit of Duke Ellington in this stunning exploration of the jazz legend, combining jazz, big band and string compositions.
A Scanner Darkly (2006) Reynolds’ score for Richard Linklater’s cinematic adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s legendary existential nightmare is touted as the best soundtrack of the decade by Cinema Retro Magazine.
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"When I was 8, I had encephalitis, and I was in a brief coma,” Mills says. “The fact that I was able to walk in the end was miraculous. So sports were not part of my life. When I went to college and I learned that I could use my body like this, it was a revelation.” Fast-forward to today, and Mills has choreoEven during his inaugural season as Ballet Austin’s graphed more than 40 works in the U.S. and abroad, artistic director 13 years ago, critics extolled Stephen establishing himself as one of the world’s most inMills for the originality of his choreography. In 2004, novative voices in ballet. The Washington Post went so far as to declare Mills “Making dance is always interesting,” says Mills. “one of the nation’s best kept secrets” after Ballet “It’s like writing. You’re standing there in front of Austin’s performance of The the blank piece of paper and Taming of the Shrew at the people are waiting for you John F. Kennedy Center for the to do something. You’re on Ballet Austin Upcoming Events Performing Arts in Washingthe clock. The idea that you A Midsummer Night’s Dream ton, D.C. And Ballet Austin has build something massive Sept. 13–15 not missed a step under Mills’ from nothing and you do it The Nutcracker direction, blossoming into one with your body is just mindDec. 7–23 of the highest-regarded ballet blowing.” Ballet Austin in Israel companies in the U.S. Mills has Mills’ creative process is Sept. 21–24 won several awards for his chooften collaborative, allowing reography, including recently for spontaneous interplay beBallet Austin is gearing up for a taking top honors at the Festitween him and the individual five-show tour of Israel, performing val des Arts de Saint-Sauveur dancers. at the September 2013 Acco Festival International Choreographic “The thing I love most of Alternative Israeli Theatre in the Competition and the Audrey & about making dance is the Western Galilee Region of Northern Raymond Maislin Humanitarcollaborative part, working Israel, where they will perform Light/ ian Award by the Anti-Defawith different artists, and The Holocaust & Humanity Project. mation League for his seminal afterward it’s either good or The final performance will be at the work, Light/The Holocaust & bad,” says Mills. “But people Beit Ha’am theater in Jerusalem, the Humanity Project. But if asked, make art because they need location of the trial of infamous Nazi SS Mills is quick to point out that to make art. What happens Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann, destiny can strike when you afterward is insignificant. who was in charge of the logistics of releast expect it. “When I go into a studio locating Jews to concentration camps “[Until college], I didn’t with dancers, sometimes I in Eastern Europe. know ballet as an art form have an idea and sometimes 3M Grant for Innovation even existed. It didn’t register I don’t,” he continues. “I give Sept. 2014 with me,” says Mills. “In high them movement tasks such Mills has recently been commissioned school, I got into theater. as, ‘I want you to inscribe by 3M Corporation to create an original When I graduated, I got a the alphabet with your right ballet based on the concept of innovatheater scholarship to a small arm,’ and send them away in tion, premiering September 2014. college in Northern Kentucky little groups. We go back and “It’s the largest commission I’ve and I was required to take show each other what we’ve ever gotten,” Mills says. “3M Corpoa dance class. The second I done. There’s not a lot of ration is making a nice investment in stepped into the studio, I knew danceable moves, but it starts the arts.” that was what I wanted to do. a conversation that we can
build from.” Influential dancers From classical to Mikhail Baryshnikov contemporary ballet, “As a man starting out Mills’ work covers myriad dancing, I don’t think I themes, even taking ballet could’ve landed in a betinto uncharted territory ter period than the late with his award-winning 1970s and early 1980s. When Mikhail Baryshwork on the Holocaust, nikov from the Kirov Light/The Holocaust & Ballet in Russia defected, Humanity Project. this explosion of dance “It was simultaneously happened. The level the most challenging and of the man in classical rewarding, and continues dance became elevated. to be so,” Mills says. “It was He became an influence hard because of the obvious as setting an unreachable reasons. You’re talking standard for me.” about one of the most cataGeorge Balanchine strophic events in human “[As] the director of the history and trying to draw New York City Ballet, lines of relevance from 70 he was certainly one years ago to today, crossing of the most influential choreographers of the generations. A dance about 20th century and had the Holocaust is ridiculous an influence on me as a if you’re not doing as much dance maker.” teaching as you can. But it brings out the best in people and the spirit of volunteerism in the community.” Ballet Austin is going to Israel in September for five performances, with the final performance taking place in the theater where the Adolf Eichmann trial took place. Although Mills has created in works all over the world from Hong Kong to Cuba, he is more than grateful for the opportunities and environment Austin has provided. “I came to Austin 25 years ago as a dancer needing a job,” says Mills. “The community is very supportive. I’m allowed to do pretty much what I want. Art can only flourish in an environment where there is philanthropy. That’s just the way it is. Here at Ballet Austin, we have built a nice support and structure about the work we do. We don’t have to go out and make the case for our work. We have people in the community that are very generous, and because of that generosity, we are able to do what we do.” Visit balletaustin.org for more information about Stephen Mills and upcoming productions.
Selected Works
Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project Since premiering in 2005, this fulllength, contemporary ballet has been celebrated by critics across the U.S. and abroad for its focus on discrimination and the protection of human rights. The project was made possible through the support of several
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organizations including the Holocaust Museum Houston, the Anti-Defamation League and the National Endowment for the Arts, and consisted of the dance, a public lecture series, teacher development, an outdoor art exhibit and community dialogue.
Hamlet
Cult of Color
Mills’ modernization of Shakespeare’s classic harrowing tale of vengeance set to the music of Phillip Glass has been seen all over the U.S. performed by several ballet companies.
In collaboration with Graham Reynolds and Houston-based visual artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, Cult of Color tells the story of a vegan priest that is propelled on a quest to bring color to the black and white underworld.
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The
Ultimate
Bison Tailgate
Bison connoisseurs Corey Harris and John Russell share their recipes for an unforgettable tailgate menu.
It’s time for a little change up this year with a healthier tailgating recipe. Not to worry; those beloved hot dogs will still be in abundance, but instead of regular hot dogs made from those unidentified meats, try adding bison hot dogs and burgers to the menu. This healthier and tastier bison meat is the latest obsession for red meat lovers. Master connoisseurs John Russell and Corey Harris created this mouth-watering menu exclusively for ATX Man.
By Caroline Khoury, Photos by JoJo Marion 55
John Russell and Corey Harris After retiring as a pilot for Southwest Airlines, Russell purchased a small ranch in San Saba and started raising strictly grass-fed bison. As opposed to grain-fed bison or cattle, which are usually raised in a confined space called a feedlot, grass-fed bison makes for the healthiest type of meat. “Most bison you’re going to find at a grocery store has come out of a feedlot where they eat grain. The problem is when you have animals that are kept in the feedlot, The 411 on bison: they start to develop all ❱ Bison spend most of sorts of sicknesses. So their lives feeding on they have to have antigrass, so they are not subject to drugs, horbiotics administered to mones or chemicals. them,” Russell says. ❱ Bison meat has fewer The Illinois native calories and less cholesnow owns two bison terol than chicken or fish. ranches in Colorado ❱ Bison are the only and New Mexico with mammals to not get cancer. conditions better suited ❱ Bison has 40 percent for the mighty animal. more protein than With intentions to beef, so you can eat sell his bison for food 1/3 less volume and production, Russell still be satisfied. founded High Country ❱ Eating 5 ounces of Bison and also invested bison three to four times per week can in a food trailer to use at help most people Austin farmers markets reduce LDL cholesand other events. terol 40 to 45 percent “The biggest event within six months. *Compiled from the we’ve worked is the National Bison AsAustin Powwow, where sociation. we sell our buffalo burgers, our famous buffalo green chile cheese burgers and our 100-percent bison hot dogs,” Russell says. The other half of this masterful duo, Harris is the main intelligence behind the recipes. With a background as a pastry chef, Harris has won awards for her recipes. “I think John and I both feel we’re lucky because we do complement each other and what we’re doing,” Harris says. “My passion is food and his passion is really working with the animals. And his animals are very well taken care of.” Visit the High Country Bison trailer at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and Lone Star Farmers Market or email them at highcountrybison@gmail.com.
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Apple Hatch Bison Meatballs with Smoky Hatch Blue Corn Grits
3 tablespoons butter
2008 Winner of the Central Market Hatch Chile Contest
Green onions, chopped for garnish
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground bison meat 1 cup Central Market roasted hatch poblano pesto 4 roasted mild or hot hatch chiles, seeded and chopped 1 granny smith apple, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped 1 cup pecans, toasted and ground Salt and pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste Tomatoes, diced for garnish Fresh corn kernels, for garnish Directions: In a heavy saucepan, bring water to a boil. While whisking, add cornmeal in a steady stream to boiling water. Lower heat so mixture simmers slowly rather than boils. Using a wooden spoon, continue to stir. Cook until grits are thick and grains are tender, approximately 20 minutes. During the last five minutes of cooking, stir in cheeses, cream and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with Apple Hatch Bison Balls. Garnish with chopped green onions, diced tomatoes and fresh corn kernels.
Oil for sautéing Directions: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly except oil. Make desired size of meatballs. Cover and refrigerate. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Sauté meatballs in batches until well browned on all sides. Be careful not to overcook. Serve with Smoky Hatch Blue Corn Grits.
Boilermaker’s Bison Chili Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups onion, chopped 3 pounds ground bison 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Smoky Hatch Blue Corn Grits
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Ingredients: 1 quart water
3 tablespoons chili powder, preferably hot New Mexico chili powder
1 1/2 cups Arrowhead Mills Organic Blue Cornmeal
1 cup bourbon
1/2 cup smoke Gouda, grated
1/2 bottle of beer (sip the other half while cooking)
1/2 cup Central Market hatch green chile Jack cheese, grated
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans
1/4 cup cream
Salt to taste
2 14 1/2-oounce cans diced tomatoes
Directions: In large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat, add oil. Add onions, garlic and bison meat. Cook until meat is nicely browned and add cumin, chili powder and salt. Cover pot and cook about 10 minutes. Stir in bourbon and beer and continue cooking for about 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beans, lower heat and simmer for two hours.
Pulled Bison BBQ Brisket on Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits: Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds bison brisket 6 slices of bacon 1 large onion, halved and sliced 3 bay leaves 1 tablespoon each salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder, Mexican ground red chile 1 (12 ounces) bottle beer 2 cups beef broth, wine or water 1/2 cup barbecue sauce Directions: Rub the bison brisket with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Mexican chile. Set aside. In a large heavy-bottom Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat just enough to render fat. Remove bacon from pot (add oil if needed for browning along with bacon fat). Place brisket over medium-high heat and brown on all sides. Remove brisket and add onions, cooking for a few minutes. Place browned brisket back in pan and add liquid and bay leaves. Top brisket with barbecue sauce and bacon. Cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until meat is fork-tender, approximately four to five hours. Baste and turn meat occasionally to keep moist. Once meat is cooked, let sit in broth for an hour to cool. Shred brisket, adding a little meat juice and your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve in cornmeal buttermilk biscuits with smoky paprika slaw. For tailgating: Put prepared meat in aluminum pan or iron skillet and place on grill to heat. Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits Yield: Approximately 36 medium-sized biscuits. Ingredients: 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups Stoneground cornmeal 2 tablespoons sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces 8 tablespoons shortening 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash Freshly ground pepper
Directions: Mix together dry ingredients. Add butter and shortening. Mix well (I use my hands) until you have small peasized pieces of butter and shortening. Add buttermilk and mix. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for an hour. Roll dough on floured board to 3/4-inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Place on baking sheet. Chill biscuits again for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Before baking, brush biscuits with egg wash and freshly ground pepper. Bake approximately 25 minutes.
Smoked Paprika Slaw for 100-percent bison hot dogs Directions: Whisk together in a bowl: 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. Toss dressing with 5 cups shredded red and green cabbage. Add chopped fresh parsley (optional). Thaw dogs and grill for about five minutes, then top with the slaw!
atxman.com 5 7
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Gearing up for Cooler Weather
Photos by Rudy Arocha
dress it up
go casual
APC beanie, $95; By Hudson Swathmore suede boot, $330; Miansai leather bracelets, $85-$128; Levis 1947 501 jeans, $275; Levis Made & Crafted leather jacket, $850; Engineered scarf, $144, available at By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., # 103, 512.472.5951, bygeorgeaustin.com. Gray T-shirt $5.95, available at H&M, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 512.873.0375, hm.com.
58   ATX MAN fall 2013
John Varvatos USA chukka boot, $198 and John Varvatos USA blazer, $199, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com. WANT Narita iPad zipfolio, $395, available at By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., # 103, 512.472.5951, bygeorgeaustin.com. Timex Classics watch, $34.99, available at Target, 2300 W. Ben White Blvd., 512.445.2266, target.com. Shirt, $39.95, available at H&M, 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 512.873.0375, hm.com. Bonobos chino, $88, available at Bonobos Guideshop, 436 W. Second St., 877.294.7737, bonobos.com.
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Festival Fashion:
Boots for Every Musical Journey Comfortable and durable, Chippewa boots are the perfect festival fashion statement. By Caroline Khoury, Photo by Rudy Arocha
The Bonobos Guideshop The men’s clothing store opens a location in Austin, dedicated to personalized shopping, fit and style. ❱❱ Austin welcomes the latest trend in men’s fashion—The Bonobos Guideshop—a new men’s shopping experience, opened this August, that not only tailors clothing for every man, but provides personalized, easy shopping. Bonobos, which previously was an online-only clothing
60 ATX MAN fall 2013
site, gives men the opportunity to shop at their Austin location with a personal shopper and stylist, otherwise known as a Bonobos Guide. The guide is expertly trained in fit and style, directing men through the apparel, educating them on the proper flattering fit for their build, and providing style tips to work with their current wardrobe. Bonobos launched its online business in 2007, and within one short year, was named Best Men’s Pants by New York Magazine. With online success, the company decided to test a pop-up store in New York in 2012 to see how the brand fared among actual street shoppers. Customers worked with a trained Bonobos Guide, trying on samples that could easily be ordered and shipped to customers’ doors. The in-store concept took off, as Bonobos provides a luxurious shopping experience without the premium price tag and time
commitment. Now with eight locations and one in Austin, guys can rebuild their entire wardrobe or simply discover how Bonobos fits, without purchasing. When visiting Bonobos, guys can enjoy a complimentary beer while shopping the collection, and receive one-onone attention from a guide to give them the hybrid service of a personal shopper, stylist and fit expert, in a relaxed environment without the lines, crowds and hassle of a traditional retail store. Appointments are in 45-minute blocks and can be made at bonobos.com/ guideshop. Schedule your appointment soon, as Bonobos is giving ATX Man readers 15 percent off purchases made in store. Mention ATX Man Magazine to the store manager, or in the Notes section of the appointment scheduler online. 436 W. Second St., 512.243.6206, bonobos.com
Attention all fashion-forward festival lovers. Want the latest in comfortable festival attire for men? Look to the original Chippewa boot, a brand founded in 1901 that manufactured boots for American engineers, pilots, hunters and army soldiers. Chippewa was the brand of choice in combat boots for World War I and World War II, and is credited with creating the engineer-style boot during the 1930s. In an effort to promote American-made products and combat outsourcing of the current manufacturing labor force, Chippewa continues to produce different types of boots for everyday use and only utilizes American laborers. Chippewa’s goal is to capitalize on American authenticity and to promote “the positive effects manufacturing products in the United States has on our nation’s economy, employment and the environment.” Made for the rugged outdoors and intended for wear for an extended period of time, Chippewa boots are designed for comfort and durability while exhibiting classic fashionability. These boots are perfect for the long trek from stage to stage at your favorite music festivals. So strut your American pride with a pair of these original Chippewa boots while comfortably standing for hours watching your favorite artists.
Where to find: Mcbrides Guns Inc. 2915 San Gabriel St., Austin, 512.472.3532 Cavender’s Boot City 4435 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, 512.892.4747 Galls 2545 Brockton Dr., suite 200, Austin, 512.873.8381 Sportsman’s Finest 12434 FM 2244, Austin, 512.263.1888 Cabela’s 15570 N. I-35, Buda, 512.295.1100
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Power Washing
Seven Products to Keep the Most Active Men Fresh and Clean. Photo by Rudy Arocha
Aveda Men Pureformance Shampoo, $19, available at Avant Salon & Spa, 507 Pressler St., #800, 512.472.6357, avantsalon.com.
Every Man Jack Cedarwood Body Wash, $4.94, available at Target, 10107 Research Blvd., 512.687.1315, target.com.
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Herban Cowboy Organic Grooming Milled Soap, $4.97, available at Whole Foods, 9607 Research Blvd., 512.345.5033, wholefoodsmarket.com.
Awildsoapbar black-willow bark shaving soap, $7.99, available at Whole Foods, 9607 Research Blvd., 512.345.5033, wholefoodsmarket.com.
Bull Dog Original Face Wash, $9.99, available at Central Market, 9607 N. Lamar Blvd., 512.206.1000, centralmarket.com.
Jack Black Turbo Wash, $23, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com. Travel case, $13.19, available at Target, 10107 Research Blvd., 512.687.1315, target.com.
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Austin rAdiologicAl AssociAtion fActs & stAts ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ARA HEALTH PROFESSIONALS expert 215 technologists, nurses
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and paramedics
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percent of ArA health professionals are registered in their field.
Technologists refresh their expertise with continuing education.
Maribel Escobar Quality Assurance Coordinator Visit www.ausrad.com to see a video of Maribel discussing ArA quality.
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Each ARA technologist’s work is reviewed every month for quality assurance.
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ARA TECHNOLOGY ArA performs comprehensive and meticulous QuAlitY control tEsting And cAliBrAtion on all equipment.
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9
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types of diagnostic imaging at ARA, including general x-ray, digital mammography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear radiology, bone densitometry, interventional radiology and neurointerventional surgery
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ArA images are coMPlEtElY digitAl for best image quality.
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ARA is Accredited by the American College of Radiology.
u Photo co
schedule at 512.453.6100
We support the Image Gently™ campaign to lower radiation dosage in children.
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We’re on the Honor Roll! Image Wisely™ Radiation Safety in Adult Medical Imaging
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Two ACR Designated Breast Imaging Centers of Excellence
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health
Noise Control Preventing and dealing with hearing loss. By Jill Case
❱❱ Fall is coming, and with it some of the things we especially enjoy in Texas— hunting season, sporting events, F1 and concerts. What might surprise you is how these activities might be harming you. Without precautionary steps these activities can be contributing factors to hearing loss. There are many causes of hearing loss at every age, but one of the most common causes is exposure to loud noises over a period of time. In general, one loud noise will not cause hearing loss, but repeated exposure definitely can. Noise is measured in decibels (dB), and, generally repeated, prolonged exposure to anything over 85 dB can be dangerous for your hearing. For example, a vacuum cleaner usually creates about 75 dB, while a gunshot creates about 140 dB. A concert generates 120-130 dB or more, and one F1 race car revs up a whopping 147 dB. How can you tell if the noise you are hearing is too loud? The Hearing Loss Association of America says there is too much noise if: ➤ You have to raise your voice to be heard ➤ Your ears hurt ➤ You develop a buzzing or ringing noise in your ears ➤ You don’t hear as well as you normally do several hours after the event You can protect your ears by wearing earplugs or ear protection, avoiding loud noises, or even putting your hands over your ears if there are no earplugs available.
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HUNTING PROTECTION
CONCERT PROTECTION
RACE PROTECTION
According to a Sight and Hearing Association article about hunting and hearing loss, “Most firearms range from 140 to 170 decibels.” This is a dangerous level—any sound above 85 dB has the ability to cause permanent damage to your hearing, but this is loud enough to cause permanent damage instantly. If you value your eardrums, the association recommends an electronic hearing protection device, which are smart devices that “close off sounds louder than 110 dB, such as gunfire.”
Whether you are a musician or just a concert lover, you are exposing your eardrums to loud sounds. How can you hear the music that is so important to you while still blocking the noise? The answer is musician’s earplugs, which reduce the decibel levels while still allowing you to hear the undistorted music. Custom-fitted earplugs can also be created exclusively for your ears, though they can cost more than $100 (plus the audiologist’s fee for the impressions). See your audiologist or check online at a source like the Earplug Store.
At a minimum, you should wear foam earplugs, but for better protection, you should consider headband-style ear muffs (sometimes called ear protectors). Many race fans enjoy listening to scanners, and there is ear protection available that allows you to hear the scanner while still blocking out the harmful noise. For babies and children, ear protection made especially in their size (for a proper fit) is extremely important if you are taking your family to the races.
Range Master W/C ElecWtronic Hearing Protection, $359, available at electronic-hearing-protection.com
Hi-Fi earplugs from Etymotic, The Earplug Store: earplugstore.com
Foam earplugs f1store.formula1.com
N!
HEARING AIDS
In her book Hear Your Life: Inspiring Stories and Honest Advice for Overcoming Hearing Loss, Melissa Rodriguez shares stories about the life-changing effect that hearing aids can have on a person’s life. One man’s hearing test showed that his hearing ability was only at about 44 percent, yet he refused to get a hearing aid. Two years after his test, he had to return for a hearing aid, but the wait had cost him his job. Rodriguez says there are many options available today, and the analog technology that was used from the 1930s through the 1990s should not be considered an option. You should instead look for a hearing aid that uses digital technology. According to Rodriguez, “Digital technology means the [analog] sound gets sent through a converter so that these sound waves are now a series of digits. These digits can now be manipulated with precision.” The cost of hearing aids varies—anywhere from $1,000 to more than $5,000 each. Rodriguez recommends that you see a trusted audiologist or a hearing aid specialist and to trust your instincts and seek out a second opinion if necessary. Rodriguez says that it is best to get a hearing aid as soon as you find out about the loss. “It is much easier to adapt to amplification with a mild hearing loss, and hearing aids prevent misunderstanding and missing out on the important sounds around you. If you wait too long, hearing aids are more difficult to adapt to and the help they can provide is more limited.”
ARE YOU LOSING YOUR HEARING? How can you tell if you are suffering from a hearing loss, whether noise-induced, age-related or otherwise? Symptoms of hearing loss include: ➤ Speech and other sounds seem muffled to you. ➤ You have difficulty hearing and understanding words, especially when there is background noise. ➤ You need to turn up the TV, radio or computer sound to a higher volume. ➤ You constantly ask people to repeat something
TINNITUS Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus), or persistent ringing in the ears, is a problem for one in five people. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, “Tinnitus is not a disease itself; it is a symptom that something is wrong in the auditory system, including the ear, the auditory nerve and the areas of the brain that process sound.” Some causes include:
➤ Age-related loss of hearing ➤ Exposure to loud noise ➤ Earwax blockage ➤ Ear bone changes ➤ Meniere’s Disease ➤ TMJ (muscle and joint) disorders ➤ Head or neck injuries ➤ Medications (antibi-
or to speak up. ➤ You withdraw from or avoid social situations
or conversations. If you or your family members notice these symptoms, you should see a doctor for a hearing test as soon as possible to prevent further hearing loss. Denying the problem is not the answer and will only lead to further problems. If you value your hearing, protect it!
otics, cancer medications, diuretics, some antidepressants and high doses of aspirin) The condition can cause sleep problems and fatigue, as well as stress, difficulties with concentration and memory. You might want to see an ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) or audiologist to get help with your tinnitus.
There are no medications that can get rid of tinnitus, but doctors may prescribe tricyclic antidepressants or Alprazolam (Niravam, Xanax) to help reduce your symptoms. They may also recommend white-noise machines, hearing aids or masking devices. For more information, visit hearinghealthfoundation.org.
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fitness
Chained to Your Desk?
Push-up Hand Slaps: This works your whole body and lets you focus on the core as you high-five your partner in a push-up position.
Try a simple workout with a colleague at the office to stay in shape, clear your mind and increase productivity. By Ryan Nail, Photos by Rudy Arocha
You’re at your desk, your eyes are burning from your computer screen, your back is achy from sitting all day and you’re dreaming of being anywhere except work. This is a great example of when it’s time to rejuvenate and catch your second wind. Most companies are fortunate to have wellness programs and trainers come to the workplace, train the employees and whip them into shape. But, for those that don’t have that benefit, the best way to get out of this funk is by doing a few key exercises at your office. I’m going to show you exactly what to do and how to do them—even with a partner.
RYAN NAIL is the owner of CoreFit Training. For more information, visit traincorefit.com
66 ATX MAN fall 2013
Partner Sit-ups: Next, do a sit-up as your partner holds a push-up position on your feet. This helps you with sit-ups while your partner gets a core exercise as he positively motivates you to finish!
Bridges and Dips: The third exercise is to do bridges while your partner does dips. This will help strengthen your lower back as your partner blasts their triceps.
Leg Throws: The last exercise incorporates leg throw-downs and light punches. Violence is not a crime in this exercise! While you are standing and your partner is lying down, throw down your partner’s legs and as they go down, do some light punches on their abs before they get a chance to bring their legs back up. This will create rock-hard abs and, before you know it, you will be walking around with your chest out.
In the Know
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Brian Jones' sports report
College Football Preview You know how the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The Texas Longhorns sure fooled the hell out of me a season ago. In the second year with fresh faces throughout the coaching staff and a number of returning starters, surely this portended a breakout year for the Horns. I actually predicted they would contend for the conference title. I could not have been more wrong. After a strong win north of the boarder at Oklahoma State, everything headed south. West Virginia won a shootout at DKR. Then, inexcusably, Oklahoma once again thoroughly embarrassed Mack Brown 66-13 (5-10 record versus OU, and ownership of the most lopsided defeat in the history of the rivalry). As my grandma would often remark, “It’s a sin and a shame.” Shortly after the Red River Rivalry, Big Tex, a staple at the Texas State Fair, went up in flames. Rumor spread that he committed suicide because the stress of watch-
Top Five Under the Radar
1. Michigan State. Fifteen returning starters and QB Andrew Maxwell has a year under his belt. Hopefully, receivers have been cured of the dropsies. This team may have the nation’s best linebacker tandem in Denico Allen and Max Bullough. 2. TCU. Seventy percent of players on the roster a year ago were freshman, redshirt freshman or sophomores. No worries; they led the Big 12 in defense their first year in the league. They return very good QB Casey Paschall. He was suspended during the
68 ATX MAN fall 2013
ing Texas get neutered was too much to bear. However, as usual, the Horns did manage to rebound after such a deflating defeat to their archrivals. They reeled off four consecutive victories before being outplayed at home on Thanksgiving night versus TCU. Kansas State continued its reign
season last year. CB Jason Verrett may be the best cover man in the game. 3. Miami. My 1990 Texas teammates may hate to read this: “The U” is back! Like Texas, almost everyone returns from a season ago. QB Stephen Morris and exceptional RB Duke Johnson lead an explosive offense. I’ll have them favored in the big matchup versus Florida in week two. 4. Washington. QB Keith Price may not be well known outside of the Pacific Northwest and Pac 12. If he can find the magic and protection he enjoyed two
seasons back, everyone will be aware of this young man. This may be the best team the Huskies have fielded in a long time. Plus, they move back to the newly renovated Husky Stadium, which provides legitimate home-field advantage. 5. Fresno State. QB Derek Carr and WR Devante Adams adjusted nicely to their new no-huddle spread offense last year. Both were Mountain West players of the year. After sharing the 2012 league title with San Diego State and Boise State, the Bulldogs, I predict, will sit alone atop the Mountain West this season.
over UT the following week. The Alamo Bowl win against Oregon State concluded a 9-4 season for Texas. Now, if you know anything about the great history of Texas football, you know 9-4 won’t cut it around these parts. Looking forward, the 2013 season holds a lot of promise. The Horns return 18 starters, a well-seasoned quarterback in David Ash, one of the best stables of running backs in the nation, a healthy stud linebacker in Jordan Hicks, big-time defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat and veterans manning the cornerback positions. Therefore, the motto for this team should be: NO MORE EXCUSES! To his credit, Mack Brown in his pre-camp press conference essentially agreed when he quipped, “It’s time to stop talking and do something!” The Horns will have a chance to impress and do something during early games at BYU and home versus Ole Miss. These matchups should bring significant competition while simultaneously providing an initial assessment as to whether this is a team and coaching staff Longhorn loyalists can believe in. While Oklahoma State and TCU may sit atop my Big 12 rankings, there’s no reason why the Longhorns shouldn’t contend for the title. Oh yeah, it’s still “shame on you Texas” if I get fooled again!
Photo by Cody Hamilton.
By Brian Jones
National Top 5
1. Alabama. The manner in which they reload from year to year is unrivaled. QB A.J. McCarron deserves more praise than he receives. There are holes to fill on the offensive/ defensive line and secondary. 2. Ohio State. Sensational QB Braxton Miller returns, as does most of the offense. There are plenty of stud recruits to fill voids on defense. 3. Oregon. So what if Chip Kelly left? The high-powered offense will still be a juggernaut. Surprisingly, recruiting violations only led to a slap on the wrist.
Heisman Hopefuls
Top Newcomers
2. Todd Gurley. The only RB to run for 100 versus Bama’s No. 1 defense last year. He’s smooth, big and tough.
2. DE Robert Nkemdiche. This No. 1 2013 recruit has Ole Miss fans salivating. The same could be said for his would-be suitors on the recruiting trail. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound frosh is already penciled in as a starter.
1. Braxton Miller. A dynamic QB that just keeps getting better. Led Ohio State to an undefeated 2012 season. Will be the key to a title shot this year.
3. Jadeveon Clowney. Yeah, I know he’s on defense and the Heisman is an offensive award. But this man-child has a serious appetite for destruction (13 sacks last year).
4. Georgia. Offense will be loaded, with QB Aaron Murray returning for his fourth year as starter, and dynamite RB Todd Gurley. The offense will have to carry the day early, and the team lost a lot on defense.
4. Johnny Manziel. After a tumultuous offseason, the Loose Deuce has to be more than ecstatic to be back on the field. It will be extremely difficult to dazzle his way back to New York the way he did last season. But, you never know. He’s the best improviser in the game.
5. USC. This team has much more depth this year, in addition to possessing the best wide receiver in college football, Marquise Lee. I’m believing in the Trojans again.
5. Teddy Bridgewater. A 2102 Big East Title and a Sugar Bowl win versus Florida have Bridgewater and his Louisville team on everyone’s radar.
1. QB Jameis Winston. Florida State has a new potential star under center. Redshirt frosh Winston is a viable dual threat quarterback and dual threat athlete (pitcher, 1.80 ERA).
3. RB Derrick Green. While proven backs like Fitzgerald Touissant and Thomas Rawls return, Green has many intrigued by his ability. 4. QB Max Browne. USC seems to always have a steady supply of QBs. There’s no difference this year, as they add 6-foot-5-inch Browne. He will definitely push returnees Max Wittek and Cody Kessler. 5. WR Marquez North. It was a delight to watch Tennessee wide receivers Cordarelle Patterson and Justin Hunter during their careers. They are now in the NFL, and North brings his 6-foot-4-inch frame to fill the void.
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working life
The Art of Persuasion Seven winning ways to approach your boss with a problem. By John Langenfeld, Illustration by Sarah Quatrano
❱❱ There are good butterflies to have in your stomach, and there are bad butterflies to have in your stomach. The good kind are a bit goofy and swirling from too much hibiscus nectar. We feel those when we’re in the same room with a pretty woman or a handsome man we have a crush on. The bad butterflies, though, seem hungover, sour and choppy in their flight. These are the ones we experience when we have to inform our supervisors of a problem, and we’re dreading it. I don’t know anybody who looks forward to lumbering into their boss’ office and announcing, “Hey, there’s a big mess you need to know about. Brace yourself, because…” But sometimes we have to address uncomfortable issues with the men and women upon whom we’re dependent for employment. It’s not a fun position to be in, but there are techniques that are helpful for doing so. Here are seven suggestions for broaching distressing conversations with your supervisor and potentially even impressing with your tact and finesse. Time it right. Who’s happy to be back in the office on a Monday? Not many people. Plus, it’s frantic. Better to wait at least a day to introduce a conflict. And if you bring it to your boss’ attention on a Friday, even if all goes well, there’s too good of a chance he or she will forget it over the weekend, which means either nothing will get done, or you’ll have to approach the subject again later. It’s better to bring up the problem on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
Lead with a solution. A friend of mine who is a self-made millionaire business owner gave me an invaluable piece of advice years ago: “Never go to a supervisor with a problem unless you have a viable solution to it.” It makes perfect sense. He urged,
70 ATX MAN fall 2013
“Knock on her door and when she lets you in just tell her, Ms. So-and-So, I have a solution to a problem I’d like to discuss with you. She’ll appreciate hearing about it when posed that way.” The years have proven my friend right.
Anticipate objections. Most people prefer maintaining the status quo to making changes, because changes can turn out to be good or bad. That’s a risky proposition for the one having to make the final decision. Your best bet is to foresee potential objections to your solutions. Once you’ve identified them, work out your spiel for each and practice your pitches. Practice them in the mirror, and practice them relentlessly. When you’re sitting in front of your supervisor assuaging his or her concerns, you should have your responses internalized so they flow naturally. Your supervisor will be reassured by your poise, foresight and acumen.
Propose win-win solutions. Rather than seeking solely to get your way, come up with solutions that benefit all involved. As Stephen Covey explains in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Winwin means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial, mutually satisfying. With a win-win solution, all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan.” A solution to any problem is going to affect multiple people. Your proposal will breeze by if all parties are on board with it.
Weigh them down, then lighten their load. Robert Cialdini, best-selling author on the art of persuasion, cites baseball as an example of this strategy in his book, Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. According to Cialdini, baseball players routinely warm up by swinging a bat with a weighted ring on it. This is because when they are at the plate, their bat is not only lighter without the added weight, it feels lighter than it would had they not practiced with its weight. In other words, 32 ounces feels lighter than 32 ounces. Use this phenomenon to score with your boss by proposing multiple solutions, starting with your least favorite, which should be the heftier burden for him or her. Then propose your favorite, which is a lighter load.
Show the bill. The only reason there’s ever a problem is because the situation is costing something, whether it be a loss in terms of money, morale or human resources. Oftentimes, people don’t equate a problem with a cost because they don’t see the indirect loss. If there is a problem with computers functioning slowly, then failing to invest in better equipment could mean less productivity, hurting profits. Show that the loss in profits outweighs the price of new equipment. If a coworker’s negative attitude is the problem, show how negativity diminishes overall morale, which adversely affects performance. Lead along stepping stones of yes. If your supervisor does not immediately commit to one of your suggestions and a dialog ensues, follow the advice of Dale Carnegie. In his classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie says, “Keep emphasizing, if possible, that you are both striving for the same end and that your only difference is one of method and not of purpose.” In so doing, according to Carnegie, ask questions that will elicit yes responses from your boss according to his or her self-interest. Accrue enough yeses, and it will be difficult for your boss to ultimately answer no. Hopefully you won’t be knocking on your supervisor’s door any time soon with a dreaded problem. But when that time comes—and it will eventually—just follow the suggestions listed above, and you’ll be set for success. Have your plan mapped out and your presentation practiced until it flows naturally, then stride to your boss’ office with confidence. And say goodbye to those acerbic butterflies churning in your tummy. Consider them dispelled when you’re deft at the art of persuasion.
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family man
Creative Language in the Digital Age Understanding the new shorthand. By Clay Nichols
What do I think about emotipros and emoticons? Fair warning: This column will include closed captioning for non-native digital citizens and may still confuse the hell out of those of you who have no idea what I am talking about. For a veteran of more than a decade in the English classroom, the following is a difficult thing to admit: I <3 emoticons. (I appreciate the value of the strings of symbols found in digital communications used to represent an emotional state.) :P To make my point even more devastating, I stick out my tongue at those who differ. As a person older than 40, I may be almost alone in the opinion that digital slang, emoticons and acronyms are essential tools for today’s teens, signposts for communication composed at breakneck speed. For most adults however, digital shorthand is no cause to LOL (Learn Online Language). Fears are widespread among those born BC (Before Cable) that kids today are learning bad habits from their digital devices, dispensing with the rules of spelling and grammar, and hastening the end of literacy as we know it. Are gadgets compromising kids’ ability to read and write? Does the use of digital slang degrade kids’ abilities to use more formal modes of expression? A recent poll of teachers by the Pew Internet & American Life Project probed exactly those questions. Not surprisingly, the more than 2,000 writing teachers polled expressed concern that informal digital shorthand may indeed be creeping into more formal types of writing. Like many parents, the teachers fretted that the brevity of digital communication might be impacting teens’ ability to sustain focus on longer writing projects. On the flip side, the teachers see digital technol-
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ogy encouraging their students to be more creative and expressive with language, more collaborative and aware of their audience. In the eyes of their writing teachers, today’s students act like little publishers, taking pride in the “content” they produce and seeing written expression as a potential source of popularity. Good status updates confer status. Peer pressure to produce clever writing, even if it’s only 140 characters at a time, can’t be all bad IMHO (In My HolierThan-Thou Opinion). My concern isn’t that digital communication will turn this generation of children into twitchy, attentionfree, sub-literate goons, rather that it will turn them into thieving, emotionally fragile shut-ins. The real hazards of the speed and access to information that technology provides teens are miscommunication and failure to recognize ownership. The founders of YouTube, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, recently launched a new video sharing app. One thing that distinguishes their offering, MixBit, from rivals Vine and Instagram: All uploaded videos are available to all users to mix, mash and incorporate into their own digital concoctions however they see fit. It’s the way of today’s teens. They have grown up on a digital commune where movies, TV shows and music flow freely between friends. Copyright? What’s that? This creates problems not only for artists and writers trying to scratch out a living, but also teens engaged in formal critical writing expected to attribute ideas and cite sources. Is it clear that this trend concerns me? If I have successfully conveyed my feelings, it may be because I knew they would appear in print. I took a little extra time to compose them. But time is not something teens often expend on their digital communication. How could they attend to tone and nuance when, on average, they are blasting out 60 to 100 text messages a day? Kids can find themselves in a breakneck hurricane of messages without the many cues of face-to-face communication. Add hormones. Click “send.”
So drama happens. Misunderstandings. Hurt feelings. Apologies. Retribution. Anger. Endless strings of communication. Kids report hating drama, and it is one reason that platforms that led themselves to text-based discussion threads (Facebook) are not keeping track with hipper forms of social media (tumblr, Twitter, Instagram). How can kids spare themselves the drama of being misunderstood? ;) By indicating tone with invented symbols. JK Letting each other know when they are just kidding. o_O And being playful and creative with written expression. Writing online using shortcuts, kids are making problems almost as fast as they are finding solutions. If you as a parent are still confused as to what this new shorthand means, translations can be found at wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_emoticons. :-) Clay Nichols is co-founder and chief creative officer at dadlabs.com, the web's leading resource for all things dad. He is also an author, playwright, former teacher, husband and father of three living in Austin.
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finance
It’s Not About Getting Rich Quick Staying on track with your retirement investments. By James W. Hamilton, III
Investing for your retirement isn’t about getting rich quick. More often, it’s about having a game plan that you can live with for a long time. You wouldn’t expect to be able to play the piano without learning the basics and practicing. Investing for your retirement in the long term also takes a little knowledge and discipline. Though there can be no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful and all investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, there are ways to help yourself build your retirement nest egg.
Compounding is Your Best Friend It’s the rolling snowball effect. Put simply, compounding pays you earnings on your reinvested earnings. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you invest $100, and that money earns a 7 percent annual return. At the end of a year, the $7 you earned is added to your $100. That would give you $107 in your account. If you earn 7 percent again the next year, you’re earning 7 percent of $107 rather than $100, as you did in the first year. That adds $7.49 to your account instead of $7. In the third year with a 7 percent return, you’d earn $8 and have a total of $122. Like a snowball rolling downhill, the value of compounding grows the longer you leave your money in the account. In effect, compounding can do some of the work of building a nest egg for you. The longer you leave your money at work for you, the more exciting the numbers get. For example, imagine an investment of $10,000 at an annual rate of return of 8 percent. In 20 years, assuming no withdrawals,
your $10,000 investment would grow to $46,610. In 25 years, it would grow to $68,485, a 47 percent gain on the 20-year figure. After 30 years, your account would total $100,627. (Of course, these are hypothetical examples that do not reflect the performance of any specific investment and assume that no taxes are paid or withdrawals are vmade during that time.) If your workplace savings plan contributions are made pretax, as most people’s contributions are, compounding really becomes a powerful force. Not having to pay taxes from year to year on either your contributions or the compounded earnings helps your savings grow even faster (though you’ll owe taxes on that money when you start withdrawing from your account). The value of compounded tax-deferred dollars is the main reason you may want to fully fund all tax-advantaged retirement accounts and plans available to you, and start as early as you can. Money invested in time offers the greatest potential for compounding to help produce a significant return. With time on your side, you don’t necessarily have to aim for investment home runs in order to be successful.
Diversify Your Investments Asset allocation is the process of spreading your dollars across several categories of investments, usually referred to as asset classes. A basic asset allocation would likely include at least stocks, bonds and cash, or cash alternatives, such as a money market fund. The term “asset classes” also may refer to subcategories, such as aggressive growth stocks, international stocks, investment-grade corporate bonds and high-yield or “junk” bonds. Asset allocation is important for two reasons. First, the mix of asset classes you own is a large factor—some say the biggest factor by far—in determining your overall investment portfolio performance. How you divide your money between stocks, bonds and cash can be more important than your choice of specific investments. Second, by dividing your portfolio among asset classes that don’t respond to market forces in the same way at the same time, you can help minimize the effects of market
by dividing your portfolio among asset classes that don’t respond to market forces in the same way at the same time, you can help minimize the effects of market volatility. 74 ATX MAN fall 2013
volatility while maximizing your chances of long-term return. Ideally, if your investments in one class are performing poorly, assets in another class may be doing better and may help stabilize your portfolio. Remember that during any given period of market or economic turmoil, some asset categories and some individual investments historically have been less volatile than others. Bond price swings, for example, have generally been less dramatic than stock prices. You can manage your risk to some extent by diversifying your holdings among various classes of assets, as well as different types of assets within each class. Taking steps that can help manage the amount of volatility you experience can help you stay with your game plan in the long term.
Take Advantage of Dollar Cost Averaging One of the benefits of participating in your workplace savings plan is that you’re automatically using an investment strategy called dollar cost averaging. With dollar cost averaging, you acquire shares of an investment by investing a fixed dollar amount at regularly scheduled intervals over time. When the price is high, your investment buys less; when prices are low, the same dollar investment will buy more shares. A regular, fixed-dollar investment should result in a lower average price per share than you would get buying a fixed number of shares at each investment interval. The accompanying graph illustrates how share price fluctuations can yield a lower average cost per share through dollar cost averaging. In this hypothetical example, ABC Company’s stock price is $30 a share in January, $10 a share in February, $20 a share in March, $15 a share in April and $25 a share in May. If you invest $300 a month for five months, the number of shares you would buy each month would range from 10 shares when the price is at $30, to 30 shares
Dollar Cost Averaging $35
10 Shares
$30 12 Shares
$25 15 Shares
$20 $15 20 Shares
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$10 30 Shares
$5 $0 JAN
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APR
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when the price is $10. The average market price is $20 a share ($30 + $10 + $20 + $15 + $25 = $100 divided by five = $20). However, because your $300 bought more shares at the lower prices, the average purchase price is $17.24 ($300 x five months = $1,500 invested divided by 87 shares purchased = $17.24). In addition to potentially lowering the average cost per share, investing the same amount regularly automates your decision making, and can help take emotion out of investment decisions.
Stick to Your Strategy Try to resist the impulse to change your investment strategy with every news headline or investing tip from a relative or co-worker. Timing the market correctly is very difficult; even professionals find it a challenge. Most people fare better by having an investment game plan that can weather good times and bad, and then sticking to it. That doesn’t mean you should simply forget about your investments altogether. At least once a year, you should review your portfolio to see if your choices are still appropriate. Even if your circumstances haven’t changed, market movements can affect how your money is divided among various types of investments. For example, if one type of asset has been very successful, it may now represent too large a share of your holdings. To rebalance your portfolio, you could sell some of an asset that’s now larger than you intended and buy more of a type that is lower than desired. Or you could keep your existing allocation but shift future investments into an asset class you want to increase. But if you don’t review your holdings periodically, you won’t know whether a change is needed. James W. Hamilton, III is a financial advisor in the private wealth-management division at Morgan Keegan. He oversees the diverse needs of clients in a highly personalized manner, including wealth management, retirement planning and succession strategies. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in economics and organic agriculture. For more information, email jimmy.hamilton@morgankeegan.com.
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“Any time you put me in front of live music with a cold beer, I’m probably going to be pretty happy.” 76 ATX MAN fall 2013
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pretty woman speaks her mind
Eyes of Texas Attention sports fans: We’ve found the girl of your dreams. By Adam Linehan, Photo by Rudy Arocha
If you’re a fan of UT sports, chances are you’re familiar with this lovely young lady from Baton Rouge, La. At 27, Kaylee Hartung has already made quite a name for herself in the behemoth world of sports broadcasting, beginning with a stint as a sideline reporter for the CBS Sports Network and now with a job as one of the Longhorn Network’s sports anchors, where she covers a range of UT sports and hosts Longhorn Extra several nights a week. Before delving into sports journalism, Kaylee covered politics in Washington, D.C., working as an associate producer for CBS’s Face the Nation hosted by Bob Schieffer, a job that allowed her to hone the skills crucial to her becoming the versatile reporter she is today. While at CBS, Hartung’s reputation as a talented young journalist with a stunning camera presence and a fierce passion for sports eventually got the attention of the CBS Sports Network president, and it wasn’t long before she was putting her talents to work moonlighting as a sideline reporter. Ultimately, she was offered a full-time gig right here in Austin with the Longhorn Network in 2012. It’s rare that a person as young as Hartung is given a chance to do precisely what it is they’ve dreamed of doing their whole life, so, needless to say, she couldn’t be more thrilled about her situation. “One of the first questions I always get from people— being that I’m a sports reporter—is, ‘Do you even like sports?’” Hartung says. “I grew up in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You would have to try not to like sports in a college town that saw the success LSU did while I was growing up.” As far as sports anchors go, Kaylee Hartung is, without a doubt, the real deal: charming, exuberant and sincerely dedicated to covering one of Austin’s most beloved pastimes—the University of Texas Longhorns. ATX Man sat down with Hartung to find out how she’s taken to her new life in the heart of the Lone Star State. On living in Austin “I love Austin. I mean, who doesn’t love Austin? Everyone knows Austin has this reputation for being such a cool city, and by ‘cool,’ I mean it in the best sense of the word, without being cliché. That is, unless you’re talking about the temperature.” On love for college sports “For some of these kids, it’s the last time they will ever play that game—the one they’ve grown up loving, the one they’ve dedicated their lives to. And there’s something so special about being able to witness that.” On where you can usually find her “Let’s see…West Sixth—that’s where I frequent. Star Bar and Woodrow’s are two great spots. And I love Rainey Street. Any time you put me in front of live music with a cold beer, I’m probably going to be pretty happy.” On what makes a man attractive “I definitely need to date someone who enjoys watching sports and talking about sports. I go for a pretty classic look. I’m not going to say that I’m married to a polo-and-khakis or a button-downand-khakis look, but I just like someone who is put together. Whatever their style may be, as long as it’s clear they’re put together and put a little thought into it, and that they take pride in their appearance...I am a Southern girl, in heart and in mind.” On where you should take her on a date “Somewhere not too loud. I like to have a good conversation. If you manage to find a bad restaurant in Austin, this date is clearly going nowhere.”
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single guy
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places There is no shortcut to finding a compatible partner. By Eric Leech
The best way to find a woman with similar values is while you are out enjoying your favorite hobbies and interests. You might find this hard to believe, considering that life on this planet has become so over-organized, alphabetized and computerized. When you want to exercise, you go to a gym. If you want good barbecue, you go to Franklin’s. If you want to find a date, you hang out in a singles bar or speed-dating venue. When you streamline love so that it fits into your busy schedule, you miss out on the opportunities that are all around you. Think about the places you’re currently looking for love, and consider this old adage: Birds of a feather flock together.
There’s No Shortcut
If you have the confidence to be your own happiness, you don’t need to fear being lonely. You are self-assured, self-sufficient and would be a great catch for any woman. Studies show that men make the best choice in women when they narrow down their choices to just a handful of hopefuls. Nevertheless, it seems that men are drawn to singles bars, which offer too many fish, with too little in common with most of them. There is a better way.
Overcome Your Fears
One of the biggest draws to a singles bar is the reduced fear of rejection. You may hesitate to approach a girl in a grocery store because you’re risking the possibility that she’s attached, or even worse, of appearing desperate. It’s easier to approach a girl wearing an “I’m available” tag at a speed-dating event than it is to strike up a conversation at the deli counter and casually offer your phone number, in case she has any other questions about macaroni and cheese. What you have to consider is a girl at a dating venue might be looking, but she might not necessarily be a good match (i.e. secretly married, prefers women, prefers cats, whatever). Finding love is more about overcoming your fears first, then discovering the best place
to meet a girl. You already know where to go. She’s waiting at your favorite barbecue pit, church or golf course.
Finding Nemo
Make a list of all the things you like to do and then join a club, volunteer or take up a leisure sport you’ve always wanted to try. Immerse yourself in the world around you and the activities you enjoy. You will have a better chance of finding the woman of your dreams, fishing in your favorite goldfish bowl than throwing your hook into the vast ocean. Don’t get me wrong—finding love takes effort, but probably not as much as you think. If you define happiness as being loved by a woman, then your ultimate happiness will always be when you control the choice of your potential mate. Today, I invite you to take back that control and discover that time is on your side when you’re spending it in great company... your own company! While doing the things you enjoy, you’re reminding yourself that happiness can be achieved whether you’re alone or in a relationship. This is easy to forget, considering the advertising media is constantly bombarding your senses with images of sex, love and romance. Spend your days doing what you enjoy rather than dangling in murky water, waiting for your tuna to arrive.
Finding love is more about overcoming your fears first, then discovering the best place to meet a girl. You already know where to go. She’s waiting at your favorite BBQ pit, church or golf course.
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The Last Word
Honor Flights Journey to a higher ground. By Roy Spence
Veteran’s Day is Nov. 11. It is a federal holiday, a day set aside to honor those men and women who served their country in the armed forces, and it honors the service of all military veterans. Approximately 1,000 veterans of World War II live here in Central Texas, and we’re losing many of them each day. There are many of these veterans who have never seen or experienced the memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the service of the “Greatest Generation,” who fought, sacrificed and won that most noble war. The Honor Flight Austin mission is to transport veterans to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices, and return them home to their families and loved ones. Our mission (should you choose to join me) is to get these proud veterans on an Honor Flight. And the time is now. I believe that we—the good men and women of Austin—are being called to serve in this mission. Recently, as part of a public-service campaign, our advertising agency, GSD&M volunteered to do a PSA in support of raising money for the Honor Flights. I was honored to sit on the porch and film a conversation with Mr. Richard Overton. At the young age of 107, Mr. Overton is the oldest living World War II veteran in America, and he still lives strong and happy right here in Austin. He was born in 1906, and was drafted when he was 38. Mr. Overton spent his time in the service fighting for freedom in the Pacific, came home and built his house himself. He also built a life of hard work, humility, humor, service and love. Most of all, Mr. Overton believed in living life to its fullest. He still drives his 1971 pick-
80 ATX MAN fall 2013
up for work and his 1971 Monte Carlo for church. He still smokes cigars and, on occasion, has a little Roy Spence shot of whiskey and Mr. Richard in his coffee. He Overton still wakes up at all hours and goes out and sits on his awesome porch, where I had the privilege to join him to rock and chat for a spell. Mr. Overton participated in Honor Flight visiting the World War II Memorial last spring. This wonderful hero is calling all of us to listen to the call of destiny. I was the lucky son. I was called to take my dad to experience the emotionally charged courage and nobility of the World War II Memorial’s tribute to the Greatest Generation. My dad, Roy M. Spence Sr., served in the Navy Fleet Airwing 14/VR-12 in the Pacific. In May 2004, I flew him to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II memorial. What happened while we were there changed my life and made his complete. I was walking hand in hand toward the entrance of the memorial with this still strikingly handsome 6-foot-5-inch war veteran, who was wearing a World War II cap, when it first happened. Two women walked up respectfully and said, “We would love to get a picture with you and then give you a hug.” With my dad’s classic humor, he replied, “Of course, and I don’t want to be rude but since I am 90 years old, I would love the hug first, just in case, and then snap the picture.”
They hugged my dad and then I took several pictures of these women holding on to my dad. One of the women softly said as tears were welling up, “Our dad was killed in the war and we were little and did not know him that well. But we promised ourselves that we would come here and take pictures of World War ll veterans and hang them in our homes in honor of our father.” Daddy bent down and hugged them again. And at that precise moment in time, a father long ago reunited with his precious daughters. This happened to us over and over again. Today the oldest living veteran lives right here in Austin: Mr. Richard Overton. And he is calling us to share my dad’s and my experience with our World War II veterans by providing them with an Honor Flight. Time is of the essence. It is our last chance to lift up these veterans so they can set foot on the higher ground of the World War II memorial. It is our turn to answer the call so I am encouraging you to consider getting involved in Honor Flight. For more information or to make a donation, visit honorflightaustin.org.
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