Summer 2014

Austin man Magazine

Third Anniversary / Rising Sons / Tequila / Lessons From My Father

SUMMER 2014

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atx man summer | contents

38

On the Cover: Family Tradition

48

Feature: Lessons From My Father

54

Photo by Amdrew Chan.

Feature: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Tequila

atxman.com 5

In the Know

➜

legal

atx man summer | contents

68 20

30

the buzz

style

14 The Buzz Roundup 16 Anniversary Review 18 The One 20 Good Sport: Augie Garrido 28 ATX Man Golf Tournament

63 Style: Summer Fashion 68 Grooming: Save Face

the good life

32

76

30 G ood Eats: Blackbird & Henry 32 Good Ride: Mustang Mania 34 Essentials: Poolside Cookout 36 Good Deeds: TOMS

in the know 70 Fitness 72 Health: Male Infertility 74 Family Man: The New Fatherhood 76 Pretty Woman: Kendall Beard 78 Relationships: Catch the Girl of Your Dreams

80 Last Word from Roy Spence

Cover Photo by Danny Clinch.

Willie Nelson wears a John Varvatos two-button notch lapel tuxedo, John Varvatos fFrench cuff wing collared dress shirt and his own boots.

Micah Nelson wears a John Varvatos two-button notch lapel suit, John Varvatos pinstripe vest, John Varvatos dress shirt, John Varvatos silk tie and John Varvatos Fleetwood boots.

Lukas Nelson wears a John Varvatos one-button peak lapel tuxedo, John Varvatos asymmetrical vest, John Varvatos silk scarf, John Varvatos Richards oxford.

6   ATX MAN summer 2014

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WORLD

VOLume 4, issue 1 Co-Founder and Publisher

Melinda Maine Garvey Co-Founder and Publisher

Christopher Garvey associate Publisher

Cynthia Guajardo Editor-in-chief

Deborah Hamilton-Lynne associate editor

Molly McManus copy editor

Chantal Rice CREATIVE Director

Niki Jones ART DIRECTOr

Jennifer Day

CLASS MEDICAL

SPA

art assistant

Nora Iglesias Operations and Brand manager

Kailin Miner Account Executives

Kelly Keelan, Alex Sizemore Contributors

Rudy Arocha, Jill Case, Andrew Chan, Claudia Fontaine Chidester, Danny Clinch, April Downs, Steve Habel, Ashley Hargrove, Cambria Harkey, Nora Iglesias, Sam Jackson, Teresa Jolie, Eric Leech, Adam Linehan, Lauren Lumsden, Matt McGinnis, Dustin Meyer, Dana Minney, Ryan Nail, Annie Ray, Ricky Rodriguez, Shelley Seale, Cheri Thompson, Steve Uhler

Discover the renewed youth and beauty that await you.

Interns

Sam Jackson, Ricky Rodriguez ATX Man is a free quarterly publication of AW Media Inc. and is available at more than 850 locations throughout Austin and in Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville.

All rights reserved. For submission requirements, visit awmediainc.com/contribute. No part of the magazine may be reprinted or duplicated without permission.

Visit us online at atxman.com.

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From the Editor

Family relationships are always tricky. We spend a lot of our lives trying to live up to the expectations of our parents only to learn after we become parents ourselves that perhaps our perception of those expectations really weren’t their expectations at all. Personally, I am still trying to figure it all out, but one thing I know for sure is that my father always believed in me. He has offered advice when asked and listened to all of my harebrained “genius” ideas with an analytical ear, but never once has he said to me, “I don’t believe you can do that.” I believe that most fathers hope their children will learn from their mistakes and perhaps choose a different path, but there are many ways we learn lessons from our fathers.

From my father, I learned many things that later became the core of who I am today. From him, I learned a great love of the outdoors and respect for nature. Well in to his 70s, my father would carry 30 pounds of fingerling trout on his back in a basket up rivers and streams, walking more than five miles to release them in an effort to preserve endangered species. I learned that the political process is important, each vote counts, citizenship in this country is a privilege and a responsibility. During his retirement, he has faithfully worked the polls on election days and campaigned for candidates that share his progressive values. I learned to always do my best before putting my name on anything because honor is important. I learned to value freedom—personal and political—education, healthy and informed debate, curiosity and the power of love. Growing up, my father did not have to raise a hand or his voice to me. All it took was a sentence I never wanted to hear: “I am disappointed in you.” In truth, I always knew that there were many times he didn’t understand me or my choices, but he always seemed to allow me to be myself and oftentimes was intrigued by the process of watching me coming in to my own.

In this issue, we look at fathers, lessons from our fathers and the relationship between fathers and sons. Steve Uhler provides a fascinating look at four young men who are the sons of well-known musicians and have chosen to follow their fathers in to the business. There is probably no more recognizable or revered celebrity in Austin than Willie Nelson, and sharing his name and legacy has meant different things for sons Lukas and Micah, both of whom are their own men with their own musical sounds and aspirations. Rising sons Colin Gilmore and Warren Hood also provide an insightful look at the family tradition that led them to their love of music and pursuit of it as a career.

Claudia Fontaine Chidester grew up the daughter of accomplished painter Paul Fontaine, and always knew that not only was her father’s art exceptional, but also that his experiences and the way he lived his life were exceptional, so much so that she decided to share them both in one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen, Work Standing Up: The Life and Art of Paul Fontaine. In honor of Father’s Day and lessons we learn from our fathers, we are pleased that she has shared those lessons and her father’s art with us.

I don’t know about you, but when the hot summer days are upon us, my mouth waters for a cold margarita. I learned a lot about tequila, the quintessential ingredient in my favorite beverage, from our spirits guru, Matt McGinnis.

This issue also marks our third anniversary, and this issue includes a retrospective of the exceptional men who have graced our covers.

We begin our fourth year of publication eagerly and with excitement to bring you all of the things that make ATX the place to be and Austin men the most fascinating and progressive men anywhere. I am grateful for everyone who has made this possible and give thanks for the writers and photographers, the men who have gracefully shared their lives and stories, the AW Media staff and especially our editorial team, who works tirelessly to put each issue together.

Roy Spence said it best when he said that although Father’s Day comes but once a year, every day is Father’s Day and provides a chance to be the best father he can be. With that thought in mind, let me say that although we celebrate the anniversary of ATX Man once a year, each issue provides us with a chance to be the best we can be and bring you the best of everything this great city has to offer. So please come celebrate with us on June 3 at the Thinkery. Let us indeed eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we will have important work to do.

deborah hamilton-lynne Editor-in-Chief

10 ATX MAN summer 2014

Photo by Destry Jaimes.

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contributors A former working musician himself, Steve Uhler knows how demanding that vocation can be.

“People think it’s glamorous, and it is, for that 2 percent of the time you’re performing on stage,” he says. “The other 98 percent is hard work. I can’t even imagine how being the offspring of somebody famous throws a whole new monkey wrench in to that equation.” While interviewing the subjects for this issue’s cover story, Steve was impressed with the élan with which they managed their respective challenges. “They all have a very clear perspective on both the good and bad sides of having famous fathers, and handle it with grace and appreciation. I ended up respecting their tenacity and work ethics as much as I admire their talents.” Family Tradition can be found on Page 38.

Andrew Chan is a freelance editorial and fashion photographer based in Austin. He is a native Texan and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. He works out of the Whitebox Studio located in East Austin. When not out grubbing the city’s finest barbecue offerings, he can be seen around town with Milton, his Boston terrier.

Andrew shot all four of the “Rising Sons” for this issue’s cover story—a very fun and labor-intensive project. See the awesome results on Page 38.

Steve Habel has covered virtually every type of sporting event, but has always yearned to be a full-time baseball writer. For his story in this issue, Steve got to spend some quality one-on-one time with Texas Coach Augie Garrido. “As a man who loves baseball and after covering the UT baseball team sporadically during Garrido’s tenure, I have been able to spend extensive time with him this season,” Steve says. “We have discussed the game in measured amounts, and I’ve been able to better understand baseball from his perspective, as a teacher and a caretaker of the UT program. Thanks to those talks, I have more knowledge of the game itself and can do a more complete job in my role as a journalist.”

As the managing director of Cohn & Wolfe Austin, Matt McGinnis provides marketing, branding and communications counsel to food and beverage clients as well as other clients globally. He is also an avid beverage enthusiast, chronicling his interests as the food and drink columnist for ATX Man and Austin Woman magazines, and as a blogger for What Are You Drinking?

His passion for the wine industry has been stoked by employment at a winery in Oregon and his journey to become a certified sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He is a frequent culinary and beverage judge for events and awards. His whimsical writing was recognized with a 2011 Texas Social Media Award from the Austin American-Statesman and he was named a Top 10 Food Blogger in 2013 by the Austin Chronicle.

atxman.com find more exclusive content at atxman.com

Hyatt Wolfdancer Golf Club

Play a Round With Dad Our picks for five local courses where you can hit the links together.

More for Father’s Day What a Guy Wants. Five gifts guaranteed to make Dad’s day.

Man Food. Our recommendations for places to get a “manly meal” on Father’s Day. Cover Man Update. Building on our first cover man Roy Spence’s Last Word column, ATX Man asked our former cover men to share their thoughts on fatherhood.

Put Me In, Coach Advice and wisdom from the winningest coach in college baseball. ATX Man reviews Life Is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball

by Coach Augie Garrido.

Beat the Heat Water, Water. The importance of staying hydrated.

Take a Swim. Roundup of pools where you can beat the heat this summer.

The Silver Screen Summer Films. We’ve got the scoop on classics, outdoor venues and must-see blockbusters hitting the screens this summer.

Mustang in the Movies. Steve McQueen drove one in Bullitt, and after 50 years, the iconic Mustang may still be the ultimate American muscle car.

Keeping Austin Weird Inaugural X Games. Join ATX Man for the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as the most extreme athletes compete for the first time in Austin.

Cocktail Cool. Austin’s most inventive concoctions for cool summer cocktails.

Plus the latest on summer concerts, festivals and comedy shows.

the buzz

Music Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association’s Hall of Fame Awards Show

6/2 Neon Trees, Stubb’s 6/6 Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, The Parish 6/6 Hugh Laurie with The Copper Bottom Band, Paramount Theatre 6/7 Austin Classical Guitar presents Rene Izquierdo and Carlo Aonzo, St. John’s United Methodist Church 6/15 Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Emo’s 6/16 Andrew Bird and The Hands of Glory, Paramount Theatre 6/22 Yuna, Stubb’s 7/2 Devo, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 7/3 Ought, Holy Mountain 7/4 Fourth of July Fireworks and Symphony, The Long Center 7/11 Lindsey Stirling, Stubb’s 7/12 Austin Classical Guitar presents Cavatina Duo, Bates Recital Hall 7/26 Iron and Wine, Paramount Theatre 7/29 311, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 8/2 Austin Classical Guitar presents Mak Grgic and Martin Chalifour, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church 8/14 John Mayall, One World Theatre 8/23 Nickel Creek and Sarah Jarosz, ACL Live at the Moody Theater 8/23 Ricky Skaggs, One World Theatre

June 22, 7 p.m., ACL Live at the Moody Theater

To honor the best songwriters and musicians in the Lone Star State, the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association is throwing its annual awards show at the Moody Theater, celebrating musicians who represent the spirit of Texas and inducting them in to the TxHSA Hall of Fame. This year’s event honors the music of Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings and K.T. Oslin, featuring electrifying performances from Oslin, Shooter Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, Lee Roy Parnell, Bonnie Bishop and more.

Tickets range from $19 to $59 and are available at acl-live.com.

The Big Chill

June 26, 6 to 9 p.m., Bullock Texas State History Museum Chill out with the Austin Food Blogger Alliance with an event benefiting Meals on Wheels. The Big Chill is the summer foodie event, serving cool foods, cold desserts and chilled drinks, along with silent-auction offerings. Vendors include The Carillon, Dolce Neve, NadaMoo, Noble Sandwich Co., Soup Peddler Real Food & Juice Bar, St. Philip, Thai Fresh and many more. General admission tickets are $65 and available at austinfoodbloggeralliance.eventbrite.com.

8/9: Austin Ice Cream Festival, Fiesta Gardens. You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream. icecreamfestival.org 8/24: Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, Fiesta Gardens. Burn your face off at the largest hot-sauce festival in the world. austinchronicle.com

Just Opened Twisted Root Burger Co., 510 W. 26th St., Suite 110, 512.925.2161, twistedrootburgerco.com. A predominantly Texas chain, this chef-driven burger joint is known for its fresh and unique flavor combinations. Must-try dish: The Frito Bandito.

Kin & Comfort, 1700 W. Parmer Lane., 512.832.6606. Located in the Hana World Market, the Southern Asian fusion restaurant serves up panang mac and cheese, catfish fries and Thai meatloaf. Must-try dish: Home-fried chicken thigh.

Sushi Junai, 1612 Lavaca St., 512.322.2428. Close to the Capitol, Sushi Junai is a joint where $25 will get you all-you-can-eat sushi. Plus, they are BYOB, with Twin Liquors conveniently located next door. Must-try dish: Did we mention it’s all-you-can-eat sushi?

Oasis Texas Brewing Co., 6550 Comanche Trail, Suite 301, otxbc.com. Enjoy a brew and view from the newest brewing company in Austin. Hours vary Thursday through Sunday. No reservation required.

14 ATX MAN summer 2014

Get Outside Float Fest

Aug. 31, Cool River Ranch For the first time in Central Texas, music and water lovers unite for this unique event. Taking place on the Southern banks of the San Marcos River, Float Fest offers tubing down the river to Cool River Ranch to catch headliners Grouplove and Portugal.

The Man. Other acts include STRFKR, Bun B, Wild Child, Run DMT, Zeale, Ishi, Whiskey Shivers, Henry + the Invisible and Roger Sellers. Once inside, enjoy the music as you sample from the array of food vendors and activities, and shuttle between several local tubing operations and concert grounds.

Tickets are $30 for general admission, $100 for VIP. floatfest.net 6/7: The Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake Grand Opening, Lakeshore Metro Park. Finally Austinites can run, walk or bike the entire loop, the Boardwalk closing a 1.1-mile gap on the Southeastern side of Lady Bird Lake. thetrailfoundation.org/boardwalk

6/9: Fifth Annual Tyler’s Dam That Cancer, Lake Austin and Hula Hut. Stand-up paddle boarders will race in a 21-mile course in efforts to raise money to provide therapeutic services to cancer patients. flatwaterfoundation.org/damthatcancer 6/28: Keep Austin Weird Festival & 5K, The Long Center. Embrace the weird with live music, family activities and vendors that reflect Austin’s creative nature, and the “wackiest 5K you’ll ever run, walk or slither.” keepaustinweirdfest.com

More Outdoor Summer Entertainment Austin Sailboat Rentals: austinsailboatrentals.com Texas Trail Rides: texastrailrides.com Shred Stixx Wakesurf School: wakesurfschool.com Texas Climbing Adventures: texasclimbingadventures.com

Shooter Jennings photo courtesy of BCM Media.

Food and Drink

Thrills

Now Playing Also at the Paramount: Classic Film Series, running through December 2014. In 2015, the Paramount Theatre turns 100, so to prepare, the theater has played classic films since January that will continue through the end of the year. The summer months include films from the 1930s through the 1950s, with a special screening on Father’s Day. austintheatre.org

the x games June 5 – 8, Circuit of the Americas It’s so close we can almost smell the burnt rubber from here. For the first time ever, Austin will host the ESPN X Games, becoming one of six host cities on the Global Games Circuit. The four-day event has 200 athletes competing for the No. 1 spot in skateboarding, BMX, Moto X and four wheels. The games provide fierce competition, extreme stunts and a dose of adrenaline, an honor that has the city pumped with excitement. Spectators enter 1,500 acres of interactive activities, including kart racing, zip lining and even running inside a human-sized hamster wheel. This year’s games will also feature top musical acts such as Kanye West, The Flaming Lips and Mac Miller. xgamesaustin.com

X Games photo by Mike Blabac/Red Bull Content Pool. UT photo courtesy of University of Texas at Austin.

6/12 – 6/15: Republic of Texas Biker Rally, Travis County Expo Center and Sixth Street. The ROT Rally—the biggest motorcycle rally in Texas—returns, featuring a bike show, custom builders, stunt shows, comedians, nationally acclaimed bands, a tattoo expo, bikini contest, 300-plus vendors and more. rotrally.com

More Movie Mania

World War I Film Series

Through July, locations include Ransom Center, Paramount Theatre, Marchesa Hall & Theatre The Ransom Center, Paramount Theatre and Austin Film Society revisit the early 20th century’s history through motion pictures. Held in conjunction with the Ransom Center’s current exhibition, The World at War, 1914 – 1918, the World War I Film Series will include classic films from directors Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick and John Huston, along with All Quiet on the Western Front, Lawrence of Arabia and Paths of Glory. All films at the Ransom Center are free. Screenings for the Paramount can be purchased at the box office or at austintheatre. org. Tickets for Marchesa Hall can be purchased at the box office or at austinfilm.org. For more information, visit hrc.utexas.edu/wwifilms.

6/5 – 6/8: ATX Television Festival, various locations. TV has been as influential as film, and this festival aims to look back at its history, where it is now and where it’s headed. atxfestival.com 6/12: Movies in the Park Presents: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, at 8:30 p.m. at Republic Square Park, brought to you by the Austin Parks Foundation and the Alamo Drafthouse. Visit austinparks.org/moviesinthepark for more free summer screenings.

6/18, 7/16, 7/30, 8/13, 8/27: Sound and Cinema, The Long Center. Featuring a live music tribute to the film, followed by its screening, this free event offers music, movies, food trucks and vendors for the perfect summer evening. thelongcenter.org Don’t forget to check out Blue Starlite Drive-In (bluestarlitedrivein.com), Eastside Movies in the Park (expeditionschool.com) and Ski Shores Café (skishoresaustin.com) for more outdoor movie fun.

Newsmakers

International Waves for the Live Music Capital

On May 8, Mayor Lee Leffingwell announced the formal launch of the Austin-Toronto Music Alliance trade and export initiative, a public-private partnership comprised of City Council, City of Austin staff and private industry leaders.

The Alliance aims to identify opportunities and concurrent activities that will assist in growing the music industry, as well as create new relationships for ongoing information exchange in both cities.

Politicians Shoptalk on The Trib

Ever wondered what was going on in the minds of politicians? If House of Cards isn’t proof enough of our fascination with the inner workings of politics, then TribTalk confirms it. The Texas Tribune launched the website TribTalk on May 13. It acts as a host for opinion and commentary columns produced and submitted by influential thought leaders throughout the political and policy spectrum. With the November election around the corner, aren’t you interested in hearing from gubernatorial candidates Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott? How about lieutenant governor candidates Leticia Van de Putte, David Dewhurst and Dan Patrick? It’s all there and more at tribtalk.com.

The Texas Icon That is Always on Our Mind

We know we can always pay homage to the redheaded stranger at the corner of Second and Lavaca streets, but now we can access a newly released Willie Nelson Collection at UT. In mid-May, the internationally famous singer-songwriter donated major portions of his correspondence, manuscripts, records and awards to the Briscoe Center for American History at UT. The collection provides students with a deeper understanding of Nelson’s career, relationships and creative process, and his influence on American culture as an artist, activist and philanthropist. This significant gift includes photographs and song manuscripts, posters, illustrations and portraits, platinum records, certificates and awards, signed books, screenplays and many personal items, including American Indian headdresses, dreamcatchers and numerous tributes from fans.

Stay tuned for the upcoming exhibit at UT featuring the collection. Visit atxman.com for more info.

Groundbreaking Innovation The University of Texas at Austin launched construction of the new Dell Medical School in late April. The building is located on campus at 15th and Red River streets, and will include research, educational and administrative facilities, as well as a medical office building and parking garage totaling 515,000 square feet. The first facilities are expected to be complete for the inaugural class of fall 2016. utexas.edu/dell-medical-school

atxman.com 1 5

the buzz Anniversary Review

Insights From ATX Man Three years of quintessential Austin cover men.

Selected by Deborah Hamilton-Lynne

SUMMER 2011 Roy Spence, founder of GSD&M “Austin men are spirited, not mean-spirited. Everyone here wants to see you succeed. No one is looking to steal your ideas. The spirit of Austin allows you to be collaborative and open about ideas.

Austin men are a curious bunch. Curiosity is the search for the truth and Austin men are open to a lot of out-of-the-box ideas when searching for their truth. The spirit of Austin fosters and celebrates creativity and encourages entrepreneurial types to take a risk and try something new. We are a city of dreamers who happen to have a lot big ideas. Austin has an indomitable spirit and that spirit brands the Austin man.”

Fall 2011 Brian Jones, college All-American, retired NFL player and professional sportscaster “I’ve had many victories over there [at the Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium], but nothing compares to graduating from this great university.”

Winter 2011 Robert and Clint Strait, father/son duo, owners of Strait Music “[Robert’s] my hero. He’s survived cancer twice and had a heart attack, and I don’t think I have heard him complain one time. Not a single word. I get a sore throat, and it’s all hands on deck. So sometimes when I’m having a bad day, I think about my dad and it kind of makes the other things seem trivial.” – Clint Strait

16 ATX MAN summer 2014

Spring 2012

Summer 2012

Fall 2012

Winter 2012

Turk Pipkin, founder of the Nobelity Project, author and documentarian

Evan Smith, editor-in-chief and CEO, The Texas Tribune

Andy Roddick, tennis professional and philanthropist

Art Acevedo, Austin chief of police

“There was time in the 90s when people said, ‘Write shorter, be funny. People don’t have the attention span.’ And of course that’s wrong. People always have the attention span for good, robust stuff. They’ll invest in you if you treat them with respect.”

“I love Austin. I’ve been lucky enough to go a lot of places, see a lot of things and get a feel for a lot of different cultures.

Most cities dictate the way you live. … In Austin, you can be the person who wakes up at 5:30 in the morning and runs Town Lake and then goes home to work, or you can be the person who goes on spring break every weekend down on Sixth Street and goes mental. You can live in Austin any way you want, and that’s pretty unique.”

“Christy’s cancer and my kids and 9/11 were three linked events that really were a wake-up call to me about how I wanted to spend my life. We need periodically to ask ourselves, ‘Am I doing the thing I want to do with my life?

Why was I put here on this earth?’ And if there is anything we have learned, I think those are our core questions.”

Spring 2013

Summer 2013

Fall 2013

Winter 2013

Mark Strama, state representative, House district 50

Jack Ingram, musician and philanthropist

Peter Bay, Austin Symphony Orchestra maestro

“I’ve always loved the live-andlet-live mentality around here.

I’m not a hippie, but that freeto-be-you-and-me vibe is pretty strong here. And it really works, and you can be whoever you want to be. You can be a rich, badass investment banker or a struggling songwriter, and you can end up in the same place.”

“I’m all in favor of collaboration.

It’s all part of making music. I don’t make music by myself. In fact, I make no sounds. I rely on others to make sounds. The more different kinds of things I can do with sound, the happier I am.”

Aaron Franklin, grill master and owner, Franklin’s Barbeque

“Voters are frustrated with politics at every level. Money may be more out of control here than it is at the national level.

We have no limits on political contributions. We’ll never get where we need to on energy and education and health care until we fix the systematic problems with the way democracy works.”

“Police officers have to use humor as a coping mechanism. We make jokes about anything because if you don’t laugh, some of this stuff…will eat you up. In this career, you don’t forget the stuff you see. If you don’t develop a sense of humor and a thick hide, you’re never going to make it.”

“I’m just some dude who makes fires and sometimes gets recognized in public places. I cook stuff. It’s not a big deal.

I don’t read anything about us and I don’t watch shows that we’re on. I just don’t care. I just keep working. My No. 1 goal is to make this place consistently good every day.”

Spring 2014 Hugh Forrest, director SXSW Interactive “Geeks have become cool.

There has been this complete shift in the last 10 or 15 years in which people like Mark Zuckerberg, the founders of Twitter, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have become cultural icons. … I would never have imagined this popularization and romanticization of the geek culture.”

(Ed.: Strama resigned his seat in 2013 and is the current head of Google Fiber in Austin.)

atxman.com 1 7

the buzz The One

Five Summer Essentials

By Sam Jackson

APP What with the recent coming of the blood moon and the influx of meteor showers, stargazing is becoming a lot more interesting. However, even when there isn’t a cosmic event on display, you can get a lot out of the stars with the Sky Guide app. With incredible features that include satellite tracking, time controls to find where and when things will be, and highresolution photos of starry phenomena, in addition to identification info, this is an invaluable tool for any amateur astronomer. fifthstarlabs.com

Cd Braced by a wave of critical acclaim, including a Best New Music tag from Pitchfork, Montreal-based band Ought is turning heads, then bobbing them with its debut album, More Than Any Other Day. With a mix of spirited punk minimalism, hilariously clever lyrics and a heightened sense of artistry, the group has earned comparisons to CBGB-era groups like Television and Talking Heads. If all that isn’t enough to sell you, you’ll have an opportunity to check the band’s bona fides when they play Austin club Holy Mountain July 3. ought.bandcamp.com

Book Golf is such a coveted sport, other athletes can’t wait to finish their “day jobs” and hit the links. In Two Good Rounds Superstars: Golf Stories From the World’s Greatest Athletes, author Elisa Gaudet grills luminaries like Oscar De La Hoya and Andy Roddick about their games, what they love about golf and who they’d want in their dream foursome. A sequel to the acclaimed Two Good Rounds: 19th Hole Stories From The World’s Greatest Golfers, the book includes a foreword from PGA legend Ernie Els and would make a great Father’s Day gift for the golfer in your family. twogoodrounds.com

bike If you’re a recently displaced New Yorker or just looking to get some of that city-slicker style, Brooklyn Bicycle Company has extended its products to Austin. Ranging from single speeds to seven-speed bikes, these are prime examples of sleek and classy transportation (and priced fairly well too), with a variety of options to suit a cyclist’s taste. They’re perfect for a relaxing cruise down the city streets, although you might not want to take them out on a mountainbiking trail. The bikes can be found at Windmill Bicycles and the soon-to-open BikeHaus on Fifth Street, so definitely pay a visit and check them out. Prices range from $399 to $749. brooklynbicycleco.com

Gadget Most music lovers dream of being able to drive the neighbors into a smoldering rage by blasting their collection of obscure ‘70s prog-rock at all hours of the day through their very own wall of speakers. Sadly, the prices of decent systems, which often hover in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, have made those dreams difficult to realize. Now Kinivo has come to the rescue with their new M2 2.1 speakers. Despite being a mere (and portable) 7.7 pounds, the sound is lush, packing enough bass to rattle dishes off tables, and can easily plug into your home system or workspace, making it perfect for television or gaming.

They also come with Bluetooth capability, so you can wirelessly play your smartphone through them if you wish. This entire package comes at a serious bargain, so don’t ignore those dreams of speaker heaven. $69.99. kinivo.com

18 ATX MAN summer 2014

the buzz GOOD SPORT

Nobody Does It Better Record-breaking Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido embraces success with class and modesty.

The modern but modest office of Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido, located two strides from the Longhorns’ clubhouse at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, is void of all signs that the workplace houses the winningest coach at any level in college baseball history. There’s a burntorange pair of boots given to him by his current team, but everything else could be found in the office of a department manager or an accountant.

Perhaps that’s fitting since no one manages 18-to-22-year-old baseball players better than Garrido, and he’s prone to demanding accountability from his team, down to making outs that are productive and asking his pitchers to throw to the mitt and not be afraid to let the opposition’s batters put the ball in play.

Garrido cruised past another career milestone March 25 when he won his 1,894th game, making him the winningest coach that ever coached a college or junior college baseball team. And as with almost everything associated with the 75-yearold Garrido, his reaction to breaking the record was understated and classy.

“I get the credit, my name is on [the record], but it belongs to everybody,” Garrido says. “Out of respect for everyone—all the players for all the years, all the people I have worked with and all those who’ve stood in the shadows and supported me and my teams—I must say this means a lot to me because of them. I have worked with a lot of brilliant people and they have contributed to this every step of the way.”

When Garrido took the reins of the Texas baseball program in 1996 after the

20 ATX MAN summer 2014

retirement of longtime UT coach Cliff Gustafson, he was already a legend, with 1,151 wins and three NCAA titles at Cal State Fullerton under his belt. Since joining the Longhorns, he has won 757 games (as of May 11), compiled seven Big 12 championships and mentored the Horns to two College World Series titles.

He is only the second coach in Division I baseball history to tally 1,700 or more career victories. Garrido is also the only coach to win 600 or more games at two different schools (Texas and Cal State Fullerton).

He led both Texas and Cal State Fullerton to national titles, becoming the first coach to win an NCAA baseball championship with two different schools. Garrido is also the first coach to win national titles in four different decades and is only the second coach to win five or more total NCAA titles (1979, 1984, 1995, 2002 and 2005).

Garrido has produced three Golden Spikes Award winners, four National Players of the Year, six College World Series MVPs, 52 All-Americans, 14 All-League MVPs and 119 professional players during his coaching career.

Baseball is a game in which what goes on between the ears is as important as what goes on between the baselines.

Understanding that failure is more certain than success is something that must be dealt with every at-bat or each time the ball is in play.

Keith Moreland, the former Texas baseball standout who played 12 seasons in the major leagues, says no one is better at teaching the mental game.

“Augie prepares his team for every situation that can occur on the field, and he

Peter Yung

Yuen Yung

Photos courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin.

By Steve Habel

mentors the players in the clubhouse to teach the years. Don’t believe that for a second, says them the importance of playing for the team and Texas sophomore outfielder Ben Johnson. not for themselves,” says Moreland, who played “Coach Garrido wants to win more than for Gustafson at Texas. “He and Coach Gus had anyone,” Johnson expounds. “He’s a competitor. different approaches, but both those guys knew That’s what describes him. He’s very dedicated, how to get the most out of his players.” obviously. He’s been doing this for who knows Playing to your team’s strengths and through how many years, and he’ll do anything for any of fundamentals and attitude are paramount, and us, and we know it.” coaching to that mantra is the backbone of GarMoreland says it would behoove the current rido’s success.

Longhorns to continue to listen to what Garrido The greatest thing about watching him break has to say. the record and working with his team, which “Augie is in the moment every moment, and he he mentors as a man who could be the players’ knows more about baseball and teaching players grandfather rather than their father, at the college level than anyone,” is how much he still has in the tank Moreland says. “He’s got plenty “Augie is in and how those players respect him left to teach those kids.” and hang on his every word.

It is not the victories that the moment Some of Garrido’s detractors, define Garrido’s success, it’s the every moment” especially in the past few seasons relationships he has built with when the Horns have underhis players through the years and achieved, claim that he might have lost his touch how those players continue on as a reflection of with his players because of that age difference their time at the University of Texas. and the way that baseball has changed through “I like what I do, and I look forward to do-

ing it,” Garrido says. “I like the relationships involved with it and I like the teacher’s role that I have in it, so that’s where all the rewards are for me. [Getting to the wins milestone] doesn’t redefine who I am, it really does not.”

In the months since he broke the record, the Longhorns grabbed first place in the Big 12 Conference standings with three near-perfect weekend series and then fell back in to the pack when a combination of great play by the opposition, a rash of injuries for Texas and some bad luck erased most of the momentum his team had built up.

“This is really the first recruiting class that the current staff [which includes Skip Johnson, Tommy Nicholson and Ryan Russ] has bought here, and it’s taken everyone a little time to gel,” Garrido says. “We have three freshmen starting almost every game and another getting a lot of innings pitching in relief for this team. We already have a team that can win championships, but we will be even better in the coming seasons.”

atxman.com 2 1

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR

OUR CAUSE The second annual ATX Man Golf Classic raised more than $55,000 for 18 charities!

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SPONSORS:

BENEFITING CHARITIES: American Lung Association, Boys and Girls Club, CASA of Travis County, Con Mi Madre, CTXSports, Easter Seals, First Tee, Girl Scouts, Healincomfort4achange.org, iACT Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Ignite A Dream, Suzy’s Soliders for Seton Breast Cancer Center, Rainforest Partnership, ROCK, Student Charities, Superhero Kids, The Salvation Army and Wonders and Worries

For 2015 sponsorship opportunities contact: golf@atxman.com

Special Section :: 2014 ATX Man Golf Classic

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Photos by C. Thompson Photography.

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1 Title Sponsor Roger Beasley Mazda - Jim Bagan with his team, Steve Tonsi, Billy Martin and Landon Sims. 2 The 2014 Mazda 6 on hole #16 up for grabs in the hole-in-one contest. 3 Dr. Benjamin Nemec of Hills Dental Spa on the tee box. 4 A few of the local celebrities that came out to support these 18 deserving charities: Donnie Little, Ken Simms, Dwayne Tate and Roosevelt Leaks. 5 Pat Hazell onstage at the dinner and awards ceremony. 6 Volunteers from American Lung Association with members of the AW Media team, enjoying beverages from Sprit of Texas Distillery. 7 A few of the many sports collectables in the silent auction.

2014 ATX Man Golf Classic :: Special Section

BENEFITING CHARITIES

Donor: Doug Maass, ARM, Inc. The American Lung Association focuses on healthy air, tobacco control and all lung disease, including asthma and COPD. Their mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease and to do that through education, research and advocacy.

CON MI MADRE Donor: Jose Martinez, Will Penny, Robert Franco and Cynthia Guajardo Con Mi MADRE strives to help young Latinas to graduate high school and graduate prepared for post-secondary education. Girls and their mothers are encouraged and supported to maintain good grades, take AP coursework, have a deeper understanding of post-secondary expectations as well as increase financial literacy, confidence and their support system.

FIRST TEE Donor: Howdy Honda The First Tee of Greater Austin (TFTGA) is a youthdevelopment organization dedicated to providing young people with educational programs to build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF AUSTIN

CTX ABILITY SPORTS

GIRL SCOUTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS

Donor: Terrell Gates

Donor: Chive Charities

Donor: Anonymous

The Boys & Girls Club of Austin is a youth-development agency devoted to providing hope and opportunity to all kids between the ages of 6 and 18 by inspiring and enabling all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

CTX Ability Sports provides year-round sports and activities to children with disabilities, their siblings and parents free of charge for total family inclusion, with an emphasis on teaching life skills through sports and activities.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas serves 20,000 girls in kindergarten through 12th grade and 12,000 adult volunteers in 46 Central Texas counties. As the premier leadership organization for girls, GSCTX continues to provide outcome-based opportunities for Girl Scouts of all ages.

CASA OF TRAVIS COUNTY

EASTER SEALS

HEALINCOMFORT4ACHANGE

Donor: Austin Sonic

Donor: H-E-B

Donor: Adam Mathews, Progressive Waste Management

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Travis County believes every child who’s been abused or neglected deserves to have a dedicated advocate speaking up for their best interest in court, at school and in our community.

Easter Seals promotes independence and creates opportunities for people with disabilities to pursue their hopes and dreams. Each year, Easter Seals Central Texas provides more than $150,000 in uncompensated care to the local Central Texas area.

Healincomfort4achange provides specialty surgery packages that include a post-operative Heal in Comfort Shirt, educational materials and inspirational gifts. These packages are helpful for patients who have had upper-body surgeries such as breast cancer mastectomies, heart and organ transplants, as well as hospice patients.

Photos by C. Thompson Photography.

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

Special Section :: 2014 ATX Man Golf Classic

STUDENT CHARITIES

IACT

RAINFOREST PARTNERSHIP

Donor: Marianne & Martin Rochelle

Donor: Lee Thomas

Donor: The Groom Family

Interfaith Action of Central Texas exists to build healthy relationships between the faith communities of Central Texas and believes that a future of peace and respect beings with you, and that together we can all be the “I” in “iACT.”

Rainforest Partnership partners with forest communities to help them make an income that allows them to protect their forests. They do this by working with communities to develop and market products made out of raw materials found only in the rainforest or by providing services that are unique to rainforests.

Student Charities’ mission is to provide nutritious food and alleviate hunger in the community through education and connections to community resources. They accomplish this by sending bags of food home with students during the weekend who may otherwise go hungry. This year, they will have given out more than 7,000 bags of food through the LISD Backpack Program.

IGNITE A DREAM

R.O.C.K., RIDE ON CENTER FOR KIDS

SUPERHERO KIDS

Donor: Carrie Arsenault

Donor: Joe McSpadden

Donor: Samia and John M. Joseph

Ignite A Dream uses programs as a vehicle to introduce and reinforce positive life lessons that will prepare children for a better future. These programs are geared toward building self-esteem and self-respect, teaching sportsmanship and teamwork, as well as providing leadership opportunities.

R.O.C.K. provides equine-assisted activities and therapy to children, adults and veterans with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. Their clients range from 2 to 88 years old and see improvement in most aspects of their life, from muscle tone, strength, flexibility and balance to cognitive, behavioral and emotional improvements.

Superhero Kids Provides funding for the Children’s Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families during treatment, and is committed to raising awareness of the special needs of children fighting pediatric cancers and blood disorders.

SUZY’S SOLIDERS

SALVATION ARMY

WONDERS & WORRIES

Donor: Mark Rook, MAR Global

Donor: Jackson Walker, L.L.P.

Donor: Meredith & Duane Cooper

Suzy’s Soldiers raises money for a local organization dedicated to supporting breast-cancer patients and their families—The Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas.

The BCRC of Texas serves women with breast cancer, their families, spouses, partners and friends.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Wonders & Worries provides individual and group support services for children ages 2 to 18 and parenting support for parents and caregivers. Services are offered free of charge in a variety of school and community-based settings, with program services provided by professional child-life staff.

the buzz

Oscar L Jeff Gro Mark Ro Chris C played Suzy’s S charity

River Place Country Club

An Over-theTop Success Second annual ATX Man Golf Tournament raises funds and profiles for 18 local charities.

By Steve Habel, Photos by Cheri Thompson

When it comes to fundraising and charity, exposure is the first step toward gathering the pledges and the checks and the volunteers that can make a real difference for the cause. The holy grail of the business is when a charity can both increase awareness and recognition while raising money.

Through the years, charity golf events have been a perfect avenue to reach people with money who care and want a way to make a difference.

In 2013, the ATX Man Golf Tournament was established as a unique melting pot of a handful of local charities and those people and organizations that can bring those causes the most benefit. This

28 ATX MAN summer 2014

year’s event, held April 4 at River Place Country Club in Austin, featured 94 players on 24 teams, a number limited to allow a better flow and more fun afternoon for all involved.

The tournament raised more than $55,000 via entry fees and silent-auction items donated by the community and area business, more than three times the amount from the first tournament.

AW Media’s owners and publishers Christopher and Melinda Garvey have a solid and documented history of giving back to the community and local charities through the monthly launch parties for Austin Woman magazine, the cornerstone publication of their company.

Once they founded ATX Man, they needed a

way for men to get more involved in helping area benefactors, so they hatched the idea for a golf tournament that adheres to the company’s core philosophy, which dictates they have a charitable or giving element to everything they do.

The big question was: How could they pick just one beneficiary when so many causes need the exposure? That led to the birth of the idea to benefit not one, but 18 local charities.

“This way, we allow each charity not only the opportunity for a cash donation for their cause, but also the significant exposure from actively participating on their ‘hole’ on the day of the tournament and from the print exposure through the magazines,” Christopher says.

This year’s event helped raise funds and visibility for The First Tee, The Girl Scouts of Central Texas, The Salvation Army, The Rainforest Partnership, Easter Seals, Con Mi Madre, CASA of Central Texas, Wonders and Worries, and Suzy’s Soldiers (for the Seton Breast Care Center).

Other beneficiaries include The Boys & Girls Club, healincomfort4achange.org, Superhero Kids, CTX Sports, R.O.C.K. (Ride On Center for Kids), Student Charities, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, the American Lung Association, and Ignite a Dream.

Each charity received an additional $675

Lopez, oom, ook and Chase, who for the Soldiers y

Con Mi Madre, one of the 18 benefiting charities.

entertainment from comedian Pat Hazell.

The winning team: Oscar Lopez, Jeff Groom, Mark Rook and Chris Chase, who played for the Suzy’s Soldiers charity with Melinda and Christopher Garvey.

Jim Bagan, managing partfrom auction super tickets and mulligans, and ner of Roger many received cash donations from the players Beasley Mazda and Roger Beasley Hyundai, during the tournament. helped the Garveys get the ATX Man Golf “One of the coolest things about this tournaTournament off the ground in 2013. In its first ment and working with the charities is the total year, the tournament raised $18,000 for the sense of cooperation and community amongst all charities that were profiled. Bagan is not surthe groups,” Christopher says. prised at how the event has been received by The event was won by the team of Oscar the community and the way it’s grown from Lopez, Jeff Groom, Mark Rook and Chris Chase, the first year to the second. who played for the Suzy’s Soldiers charity, which “To be able to spread out the proceeds from seeks to provide awareness of and a cure for this event allows us to touch more people and breast cancer. create better awareness across the board,” After the golf, participants were treated to a Bagan says. “We’re all coming together for a steak dinner from Fleming’s and after-dinner better cause. This tournament, because it’s

Funny Guy, Bad Golfer

If the participants in the ATX Man Golf Tournament hadn’t already split their sides from laughter at their own performances on the windwhipped River Place Country Club golf course on April 4, the after-golf entertainment from comedian Pat Hazell more than filled the quota for grins and guffaws.

Hazell, one of the original writers of the Seinfeld television show, a regular performer on The Tonight

unique and because it allows us to help the many rather than the few, should be the premier such event in the area as it continues to grow.”

Former University of Texas at Austin quarterback Donnie Little was part of a group that included former Longhorn greats Kenneth Sims and Roosevelt Leaks.

“Any time we can do something to help the local community, then we are glad to be a part of it,” Little says. “We get asked to play in a lot of these kinds of events but this one, because so many charities are involved and there’s something new to be learned from the stations at every hole, is special. The only thing that could make it better is if we could win the thing.”

The Garveys are already working on next year’s tournament, which is sure to be tops on the 2015 event calendar.

Show and contributing commentator for NPR, had the golfers rolling in the aisles and nodding their heads to his funny stories and jokes.

“I knew I could make people laugh but I wasn’t planning on getting them going with my golf swing,” Hazell said during a firsttee interview. “Seriously, this is a great event, and I’m very honored to have been asked to be a part of it.”

Showtime has declared Hazell one of the five funniest people in

America. His 25 years of experience as a writer, performer and producer have made him the go-to guy for custom corporate entertainment.

Hazell is recognized for his genuinely funny Americana humor and his salute to pop culture.

His ability to integrate humor in to a business meeting has led to hosting hundreds of award shows for clients.

See sweetwoodproductions.com for more information.

atxman.com 2 9

good life

GOOD EATS

Blackbird and Henry Mark Schmidt brings a bit of the English Tavern to Austin.

By Shelley Seale, Photos by Ryan Taylor

❱❱ Blackbird and Henry is one of Austin’s newest culinary offerings, located on Guadalupe and 30th streets. With its casual, neighborhood ambience, it is a comfortable place to try the creative dishes of Executive Chef Mark Schmidt, who was inspired by both his Texas roots and British upbringing when creating his menu.

“Spending a lot of my childhood in England exposed me to things that weren’t available in Farmers Branch, Texas,” Schmidt says. “We traveled around the U.K. on holidays and it was really interesting to see all the regional differences in food back then. It imprinted in my memories and gave food a sense of place for me. That’s what I try to do now, give my food a sense of place.”

The 35-year veteran of the restaurant industry is a self-taught chef. He remembers being interested in food as young as 6 or 7 years old, being introduced to cooking by his mother and spending time at her side in their kitchen in Liverpool.

“At the time, I didn’t know I could make a career out of it. All I knew was that it made me happy to be in the kitchen,” he says.

By the 1970s, when it was time to think about college, the idea of a culinary school never crossed Schmidt’s mind. He had never heard of the Culinary Institute of America or any other culinary schools, for that matter.

“In Europe, you became an apprentice if you wanted to be a chef,” he says.

“I thought that was how you did it.”

However, he was also painfully aware that most cooks never make much money, and so his university major took another direction: geology. He used cooking to pay his way through college, working at restaurants until he graduated with his degree in geology and went to work in the oil industry.

As with many people who aren’t following their true internal passion, that didn’t last long. After only a few years, Schmidt returned to cooking full time.

“When I was coming up as a chef, I think my biggest inspirations were cookbooks and ethnic grocery stores,” Schmidt says. “It gave a poor, struggling cook a chance to travel in his mind.”

He worked at AquaKnox in Dallas, where he received his first of four invitations to cook at the James Beard House, and went on to Max’s Oyster Bar in Connecticut and The Compound in Santa Fe, N.M. Moving back to Texas, Schmidt opened Café 909 in Marble Falls in 2003. In its five years, Café 909 went on to become nationally acclaimed, and Chef Schmidt, a culinary force to be reckoned with.

During the past several years, Schmidt began visualizing a concept for his own restaurant in Austin.

“I wanted it to be a neighborhood restaurant, a place where you can come in for a nice dinner or come hang out and unwind after work, gather with friends and share some oysters and drinks,” he says.

The name came about while he and his wife, Shelly, were sitting in a pub in Northern England.

They were brainstorming possible names for the new restaurant in the back garden of the pub, which was covered in ivy and had birds flitting about.

“Shelly initially suggested Blackbird and Ivy, but the space [in Austin] that I had just signed a lease on had no ivy, so we decided that didn’t make sense,” he says.

But the couple really liked the name, and after

proud of “ I amsomereally of the drinks we came up with for brunch. ”

30 ATX MAN summer 2014

trying a few variations, the final inspiration came from one of their dogs, named Henry. Back in Austin, Schmidt began working on the finish-out and décor of his new place, which included salvaged materials and vintage brick veneer on the back wall. But he knew that wall needed something to anchor it.

“I worked with [Well+Done] design company, and we decided to do a series of vintage photos of people and their dogs. Some we found online and others I found by spending many hours going through vintage photos at local antique stores,” Schmidt says.

The result is a restaurant that is modern yet warm, with a pretty décor that is understated and provides simply an inviting backdrop for the main event: Chef Schmidt’s award-winning food, inspired by his time in Texas and England, as well as his travels throughout the world.

The curried prawn kedgeree includes trout, couscous and cilantro, and is finished with a quail egg.

“The kedgeree is a good example of the English influence,” Schmidt says.

The menu also includes a staple of the British pub, fish and chips, and a grilled Scottish salmon with sourdough panzanella, cucumber and heirloom tomato.

Schmidt is dedicated to sourcing ingredients from local farmers and independent suppliers, including Dyer Dairy of Georgetown and Houston Dairymaids, among others. Some examples of more locally inspired dishes include the Southern fried Texas quail with homestead white corn grits, and the cast iron Texas redfish with Andouille sausage, oyster and gumbo spice.

Although the food is personal and pretty special, beverages don’t get left behind. Shelly Schmidt is a sommelier and designed the wine list, and they partnered with Lara Nixon of Boxcar Bar Consulting to offer local craft ales and unique cocktails on tap.

“I am really proud of some of the drinks we came up with for brunch,” Schmidt says, citing the coconutspiced rum lassi as his favorite.

After starting with dinner service, Blackbird and Henry recently opened for lunch and brunch, and offers special nights such as Curry & Pint Night on Wednesdays and half-priced oysters on Sundays. There are also plans for more special nights in the near future.

“I hope people enjoy Blackbird and Henry as much as I do,” Schmidt says. “My plans are for it to be just the first of more to come.”

❱❱ Blackbird and Henry 3016 Guadalupe St., 512.394.5264 blackbirdandhenry.com

Couscous Kedgeree Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup couscous (Mediterranean style) 1 tablespoon shallots, minced 2 teaspoons curry powder 2 cups orange juice Zest of one orange 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 1/4 cup red onion, minced and rinsed 12 ounces smoked trout filet, skinned and flaked 1/2 cup English peas (optional) 8 quail eggs, hard-boiled 1/4 cup toasted coconut 1/4 cup fried shallot rings Cracked black pepper and nutmeg to taste

Directions: Toss the couscous with half the olive oil in a mediumsized mixing bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan and cook shallots over medium heat until they start to color, about five minutes. Add curry powder and cook for an additional minute. Add orange juice and zest then bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over reserved couscous and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let steam for five minutes and fluff with a fork. To finish: Add the cilantro, red onion, trout and peas (optional) to the couscous and mix just to incorporate. Divide the mixture between four service bowls, quarter the quail eggs and arrange on the top of each bowl. Garnish each bowl with the toasted coconut and fried shallots. Finish with fresh cracked black pepper and grated nutmeg.

Coconut-Spiced Rum Lassi Ingredients: 1.5 ounces spiced rum infused with orange, lemon and five spice 2 ounces coconut milk .75 ounces spiced jaggery simple syrup 2 ounces banana puree 2 ounces yogurt Heavy dash salt and Kashmir chili Directions: Mix chilled ingredients and pour into a tulip glass. Garnish with Kashmir chili.

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good life

GOOD RIDE

Mustang Mania Ford celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic sports car with a limited edition of 1,964 racy ponies.

By Steve Habel

❱❱ There’s just something about the Ford Mustang, which holds a permanent position on the list of the world’s most desired and iconic cars. One of the rites of passage for young men since the car’s debut in 1964 is riding in a Mustang. The next milestone is owning one.

Ford is marking the 50th anniversary of the Mustang with a special version of America’s original pony car. Only 1,964 of the distinctive limited-edition cars will be built, a reference to the Mustang’s unveiling on April 17, 1964, commemorating the year the Mustang made its debut at the New York World’s Fair.

32 ATX MAN summer 2014

It doesn’t need to be said that these automobiles will be in high demand, especially given the fact that there are more than 3,000 Ford dealerships throughout the nation.

Based on the all-new 2015 Mustang GT fastback, the 50-year limited edition is designed to provide customers with enhanced performance and a unique appearance that will be instantly recognizable on the road. The only options for the 50-year limited edition are the choice of two exclusive colors (Wimbledon white or Kona blue) and a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

The 50-year limited edition will be dressed up with several retro cues, including an extra helping of chrome exterior trim, a unique grille with its mustang in a corral logo and rear quarter windows designed to look like louvers. The car also features a faux gas cap on the rear of the trunk with a 50th anniversary badge.

Each car is equipped with an upgraded performance package and powered by a 5.0-liter V8 with at least 420 horsepower, according to Ford. All will come with the Mustang GT performance package—even the one with automatic transmission— that includes six-piston front brakes and 19-inch alloy wheels with high-performance summer tires.

Inside, the aluminum trim gets an axel-spin finish, two-tone seats are upholstered in cashmere and black-colored leather, and cashmere stitching is featured throughout. It already comes loaded with pretty

much every option.

Each anniversary edition will have a numbered dashboard plaque signed by company Executive Chairman Bill Ford, and a leather-bound owner’s manual with a 50-year badge.

“It is an extremely limited edition for our most diehard enthusiasts,” says Ford, great-grandson of Founder Henry Ford. He drove a Wimbledon white Mustang onto the stage in April at the New York Auto Show. “The Mustang is a symbol of where Ford has been and it’s a vision of where we are going.”

To promote the new model and the car’s 50th anniversary, a Mustang was assembled on and driven around the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York, harkening back to a promotion when the car was unveiled in 1964. There were also ceremonies in Fleshing Meadow at the site of the 1964 World’s Fair and at racetracks in Concord, N.C., and Las Vegas.

“If we look at what Mustang was originally, it appealed to the masses,” says Mark Schaller, Mustang’s product marketing manager. “It had a certain appeal we’re trying to recapture with the 2015 model.”

Pricing won’t be announced until later in the year, but it’s certain the anniversary edition will carry a higher MSRP than the standard GT fastback. It’s also likely that dealers will add their own substantial premium to the anniversary edition. Those MSRP dealers lucky enough to have one to sell, that is.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company.

2015 50th Anniversary Edition

atxman.com atxman.com 33

good life

ESSENTIALS

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From Shoes to Home Brews Entrepreneurial innovator Blake Mycoskie expands his philanthropic enterprise.

By Ricky Rodriguez, Photo by Dustin Meyer

Blake Mycoskie, CEO and founder of TOMS, announced the opening of the second TOMS retail store and coffee shop in our capital city during South By Southwest Interactive in March. The newly renovated Victorian revival has become the true embodiment of the entrepreneur’s style and philanthropic passion. A native Texan, Mycoskie purposefully chose Austin to home his latest business venture, an honor that has Austin abuzz with excitement.

“Austin has always been a second home to me and the brand. Some of the earliest supporters and advocates were here in Austin,” Mycoskie says.

“When we found the location, it seemed like a no-brainer!”

Mycoskie reminisced on his high-school years at Austin’s St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and his journey from aspiring entrepreneur to successful business owner and philanthropist.

He started his first business in college, establishing a collegiate laundryservice company. He saw a need for it in an environment in which laundry was a constant subject of inquiry for the on-the-go university student.

From there forward, Mycoskie launched several other small businesses, paving the way for the establishment of TOMS. While traveling the Argentinian countryside in 2006, he witnessed the lack of resources available to many of the locals, especially those who could not afford protective footwear. Without shoes, children are more susceptible to cuts and scrapes, increasing their risk of infection and the development of diseases.

In response to the growing demand for shoes, Mycoskie developed a business model in which every pair of shoes purchased would help a person in need of protective footwear. Since its establishment in 2006, TOMS has supplied more than 10 million pairs of shoes and counting. The one for one model has successfully given thousands of people throughout the world hope for a better tomorrow. Mycoskie’s philanthropic efforts and his resulting success are a testament to the power of one-for-one.

In 2011, TOMS expanded the company and launched TOMS Eyewear, a program in which every pair of glasses purchased helps a person suffering from cataracts and severe eye injuries who requires critical surgery and medical treatment.

The company’s latest business venture, TOMS Roasting Co., has been successful in providing clean water to communities that lack access to safe, drinkable water. TOMS has partnered with Water For People to support water systems in five countries: Honduras, Peru, Rwanda, Malawi and

36 ATX MAN summer 2014

Guatemala. For every bag of coffee purchased, 140 liters of water is given to a person in need.

For Mycoskie, the evolution of TOMS from shoe atelier to coffeehouse brewer is owed to the 38-year-old’s passion for change.

“There is more likelihood for success if you take something that you’re deeply passionate about and put everything that you’ve got in to it and turn it in to a business. In my different businesses, this has always been the case. I’ve never had experience per se in that space—definitely not in shoes or eyewear or now coffee—but I’ve been passionate about those things to help people in an impactful way,” he says.

Mycoskie has proven that success, philanthropy and personal meaning can co-exist.

“You can be financially successful and give back in a significant way and

Watch your home or business from anywhere in the world

they don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” Mycoskie says. “That’s what I have been really focused on the past seven years building TOMS.” It is Mycoskie’s hope to extend his one-for-one model to various other industries and expand the ability to change people’s lives in many ways.

“The idea is to position [TOMS] as the one-for-one giving brand that can work throughout many industries to help in many different ways,” Mycoskie says. “If you want to build a business and have a giving component to it, you can’t build a business and decide to give back. What do you want to address? Is it education? Is it hunger? Is it water? And then develop a company or service that would help serve that need. That’s the way we approach it and that’s a really important way to think about it.”

TOMS Roasting Co., located at 1401 S. Congress Ave., has become the newest hotspot for locals to gather. The 2,400-square-foot property features various hangout spots with outdoor and indoor seating space for conversation and relaxation. Almost half of the property is devoted to outdoor seating while the other half provides guests with plenty of space for browsing through some of TOMS’ signature footwear and eyewear.

The ambiance is relaxed and eclectic, featuring one-of-a-kind furniture pieces and accessories that reflect the CEO’s personal style.

Calm, cool and collected, Mycoskie is a man who has exemplified the importance of ambition, perseverance and compassion. At times, his job can be a bit chaotic, but he tries to find moments to reflect and center himself through meditation and enjoying some coveted quiet time. He keeps a balance between his hobbies and continuing his mission for a better tomorrow.

“I try to spend as much time on the lake as I can. We have a little piece of property on Lake Austin with a great boat dock. I like to wake surf and play golf too,” he says.

As for the future, Mycoskie has more than just dreams of entrepreneurial expansion on his mind.

“My wife and I want to have a family and that’s something that we’re working on. I’ll hopefully be a dad in 10 years,” he says.

To find out more, visit toms.com/toms-roasting-co.

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38

By Steve Uhler Photos by Andrew Chan and Danny Clinch

Rising out of their fathers’ shadows, four talented young musicians come into their own.

Photo by Danny Clinch.

Family

What Wou ld Willie’s Boys Do?

Photo by Andrew Chan.

I

t’s called the Julian Lennon Syndrome— a peculiar malady visited on the sons of famous musicians. Symptoms include critics and audiences compulsively comparing the talents of the sons to the fathers.

Notable cases include Julian and Sean Lennon, Ziggy Marley, and Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, twin sons of the late Ricky Nelson. Coincidently, it also afflicts another pair of siblings named Nelson: Lukas and Micah, heirs apparent to the kingdom of their dad, Willie.

On this particular day, the brothers are in a festive, rambunctious mood. It’s their dad’s 81st birthday, and later they’ll be celebrating by playing with him at his annual birthday party-cum-concert at The Backyard. Right now, though, they’re setting up shots at a photo shoot. Mugging, wrestling and trading quips, they’re driving the photographer to distraction, but having a good time.

Though only two years apart, Lukas and Micah Nelson don’t appear much alike.

Twenty-five-year-old Lukas is compact and muscular, with a finely chiseled face and easygoing but outwardly wary demeanor that can effectively stave off the curious.

When he speaks, the unmistakable inflections and twangs of his father’s voice pepper his conversation. Younger brother Micah is tall and wiry, loose-limbed and loquacious with no discernible accent when he speaks, which he does with exceptional articulation and candor.

On the surface, no one would assume they were brothers. Until someone brings up the subject of their dad. Then they blend in to one protective entity.

“I rarely tell people who I am ’cause it seems to make people act differently,” Lukas says. “I don’t mind introducing people to my father if they’re my friends, but I’m very protective of my family, of my dad’s privacy and my own.”

“There’s a lot of mosquitoes in the world,” Micah says. “It’s a small fraction of humanity, but when my brother and I were growing up

in that world, we realized that when we met new people, it was better to have them get to know us for who we are, and respect and appreciate us as individuals before they knew who our family was. If our last name falls in to the picture, then a lot of times, there’s an agenda behind it. There’s a lot of fake people

surrounding the music industry and entertainment business in general, people who just want to suck your blood and get what they can out of you.”

Both brothers are keenly aware of the unique position of having Willie Nelson as a father.

atxman.com 3 9

40

lukas MICAH

Photos by Andrew Chan.

“I wouldn’t say he’s a textbook parent,” Micah says. “But he’s the greatest dad that anyone could ever have. Just by growing up around him and observing how he interacts with people and how he carries himself, the respect he shows for people and having that example to live by. He’s the best.”

“We have a family rule, which is don’t be an asshole. If you can master that, you’ll have a good time being alive,” Micah says.

“Our family doesn’t live the same way a lot of people do in terms of the kind of traditional values that some people would impose on others,” Lukas says. “We really believe that caring for others is the most important thing in the world. We forgive each other a lot of mistakes that we make because we understand that everybody’s got a light and a dark side, and those who pretend they don’t have a dark side are controlled by it. It’s the yin/yang thing. They both work together.”

The brothers were raised together, often spending summers on the road with their dad.

“We did a couple of tours with Bob Dylan,” Micah recounts. “My brother had picked up a guitar when he was about 10. I was younger, so I figured, ‘Well, I guess I’ll play drums.’ I was his rhythm section, basically.

We learned by jamming with each other. That was a lot of our musical education, learning through observation and playing with each other.”

As time passed, each “We really believe that developed his own unique vicaring for others is the most sion and talents, though they important thing in the world.” still collaborate frequently.

Both brothers understand the slippery slope of celebrity, their father’s and their own.

“Whatever anybody thinks about me—or anybody else in the limelight—I’d caution them that you never truly know who they are; you never truly know why they do what they do,” Lukas says. “Like Miley Cyrus, for example. Everybody gives her a bad time. Nobody knows her the way she knows herself. When you’re in front of everybody, you’re never going to be safe from criticism. That’s just how it is. We’ve learned to deal with it.”

The two brothers’ respective artistic pursuits reflect their differences.

Lukas is drawn to the grittier side of blues and country, and his finely honed guitar chops owe more than a little to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. He wrote his first song at 11, You Were It, which impressed his father so much that he recorded it. His band, Promise of the Real, has built a solid rep with audiences, tours constantly and has appeared on numerous late-night shows, including a memorable appearance on Letterman when Lukas’ glasses went flying off his head in mid-flail.

“I didn’t have ’em on tight enough,” he confesses. “Maybe I should’ve taped ’em to my head.”

His early recordings came under occasionally snarky fire from critics, who accused him of dabbling in different genres. Lukas is unfazed.

“That’s kind of how I am,” he says. “I don’t like to be in one genre. I have no boundaries. The sky’s the limit. I’ve got 100 songs that I haven’t released or recorded yet, and they’re all in different styles.”

He lives to tour, calling the road his home.

“I’m in it for the rush, really,” he says candidly. “The rush of playing for people. It doesn’t matter if it’s 300 or 30,000, it’s the same. When the energy is flowing back and forth and everybody’s jumping up and

Paul Q ui’s Cote de Boeuf

and brother’s. He’s also incredibly prolific, with together, and I’m always trying to explore different ways to explore those links, just trying a musical output that far outpaces his dad’s to find the links between all of our senses, and his sibling’s, both as a solo artist and the way we’re receiving and putting out founder of his touring band, Insects vs. Roinformation. They’re all from the same place bots. (When he tours alone, he’s sometimes billed as Particle Kid.) As a boy, he was heavily somehow.”

Therein lies the key link in the Nelson brothinfluenced by movie soundtracks. ers: the desire to explore new means of “When I was in middle school, I’d “My dad, to me, is like artistic expression, whether through a shredding guitar solo or a surreal film of get those CDs and a f**king superhero.” seemingly random images. Lukas and be sitting at the bus Micah Nelson are taking their own paths on stop listening to this music and seeing entire their own terms, just like their father did. films inside my head,” Micah says.

“My dad, to me, is like a f**king superhero,” Micah doesn’t place one artistic outlet Micah says. “His whole story of doing it his above the others. way and succeeding. I make much different “To me, they’re all kind of one and the music from my dad—from different worlds same thing,” he says. “They all inform each almost—but at the same time, I connect with other and complement each other. I’ll see a him on a much different level because we’re film or painting and I’ll have an entire conboth doing what makes sense to us, regardcept album pop in to my head. Or I’ll hear a musical piece and a whole body of paintings less of anyone’s expectations or what the end will come to me. They’re symbiotically linked goal is. The end goal is right now.” g

Photos by Andrew Chan.

down and dancin’…it’s like riding a big wave.

Rock ’n’ roll, that’s what I love.”

While Lukas embraces the rowdier side of the musical spectrum, Micah is at once more introspective and diversified, taking his considerable talents beyond traditional song templates, incorporating animation, art, video and film in to his palette. His website is more of an interactive museum than a marketing tool, incorporating samples of his work. His animation and video work are particularly arresting, with surreal shades reminiscent of Edward Gorey and David Lynch.

“My mom will tell you some of the stuff I used to draw as a kid freaked her out,” he admits. “She brought in psychiatrists, thinking I may turn in to Jeffrey Dahmer or something.

And they were like, ‘No, he’s just a creative dude. He’s OK.’ ” His music is abstract and impressionistic, more informed by Brian Eno than Johnny Cash, and light years removed from his dad’s

atxman.com 4 1

A Life In Th e Hood A

s a rule, musicians aren’t crazy about Sunday gigs. Crowds can be sparse, money sparser. But most musicians aren’t like Warren Hood.

So on a cool Sunday evening at Strange Brew Lounge, Hood is finessing a final sound check for his second gig of the day. By all

accounts, he’s a compulsive performer. Longtime musical partner Willie Pipkin has known Hood since his boyhood.

“It’s just in his blood,” he says. “I don’t think he’d know what to do besides that. I don’t even think Warren’s ever had a job. Since he first picked up a fiddle, he’s been playing for a living.”

Still boyishly handsome at 31, Hood is the kind of casually charismatic performer that mothers want to feed, guys want to emulate, and girls want to, well, do what girls have wanted to do with musicians since Sinatra first stepped up to a microphone.

In addition to his prodigious talents as a singer and songwriter, Hood has the unlikely ability to make the fiddle a seductively sexy instrument, spinning a dizzying reel one minute, strumming it like a guitar the next, swaying in time to the beat. He can channel the swampy Louisiana chops of Doug Kershaw, the graceful jazz flights of Stéphane Grappelli and the classical virtuosity of Paganini, sometimes within the space of a single solo, skipping over genres like a pebble bouncing across Lake Travis. Sometimes, old timers will say, he looks just like his late father, the much-missed Austin icon, guitarist and singer Champ Hood.

Hood accepts the compliment just as graciously now as when he first heard it years ago as a boy.

His dad sauntered in to Austin from Spartanburg, N.C., in 1973, and never really left. With bandmates Walter Hyatt and David Ball—collectively known as Uncle Walt’s Band—the trio blended country, jazz and folk in to a gumbo of good-time music that won rabid cult status locally but never achieved national success.

One devoted fan was a young journalism student named Lyle Lovett, who would go on to record a number of the band’s songs. When Uncle Walt’s Band broke up in 1983, Champ Hood stayed behind in his adopted hometown, settling in to a leisurely if not highly profitable life of being a sideman and session player. He also had a new son to look after, and he made sure their time together was special.

“Most of the time, we were fishing or camping or throwing a ball around,” Hood recalls.

“He was very laid back. You know that old saying, ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small stuff’? Dad was definitely a believer in that, and that can be a double-edged sword.

He seemed to be kind of content with just getting by, whereas I work pretty hard to try to keep a band together and book dates. He really

42

42 ATX MAN summer 2014

Photo by Andrew Chan.

“IT’s just in his blood.”

had no drive to be a solo performer. He had done all that with Uncle Walt’s Band, and they had broken up around the time I was born.”

Hood inherited his father’s musical gifts, taking up classical violin as a boy. He impressed his teachers and peers as a prodigy, all the while subliminally soaking up the influences of being around his dad and his cronies.

“It comes from my early childhood, always being around that scene,” Hood says. “The people that were in bands with my dad, all these people that just like being around other people that enjoy music and positive vibes and good times. I think it’s half about the music and half about the sense of community.”

It was an idyllic boy’s life, until Champ Hood developed lung cancer, a condition that he took pains to conceal from friends, fans and family.

“My dad didn’t tell anyone about his illness,” Hood recalls. “Those of us close to him did not notice him getting thinner and losing his hair because it was gradual. I had noticed changes, but he would say he had surgery to remove some kidney stones and the pain medication made him not hungry. He had all kinds of excuses. I was 17, so I believed him. He told me the truth at home one evening and was very lighthearted and funny about it. … He said he was going to beat it. It was only about a month or two before he died that he was so thin that there was no hiding it anymore. When word got out, it spread fast. Old friends traveled from far away to visit, and it was actually a very happy time. He played shows up until his last days, and people gave him his space.

“The last thing a sick person wants to do is talk about being sick. It was a nonstop party for several days. I was given a pamphlet about what to expect those last two weeks, and it was very accurate. … I kind of wish I had not read that. He had the surge of energy mentioned in that pamphlet the three days leading up to his last. He did not sleep for three days and just visited with old friends and family, sitting on the porch drinking Shiner Bock. Then one night, he said, ‘I’m tired. I’m gonna hit the hay and I’ll see y’all tomorrow.’ He just didn’t wake up. He went very peacefully.”

In the wake of his father’s death, Hood was offered a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. He returned to Austin in 2004 a transformed artist.

“I felt like when I got back from Berklee, I was actually a worse player than before I went.

You learn so much, it takes you about five years to decompress. … They kind of tore me in the ground and built me up from scratch. I didn’t know I had bad rhythm until I went there and they pointed out how bad it was. Then I became self-conscious about my rhythm.”

But the experience exposed the budding virtuoso to a new world of musical genres, styles and influences, especially jazz.

“I came back and played a gig with Bruce Robison and started playing some jazz,” he says, “and he looked at me like, ‘What was that?’

And I was like, ‘I don’t know. Berklee did it.’

“From then on, I got in to blues and rock ’n’ roll and country. It’s all perspective and it all comes around. When I was 14, I’d rather hear Itzhak Perlman play a concerto than Bill Monroe. Now I think I’d rather hear Bill Monroe. I love ’em both.”

In addition to backing artists like Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and old friend Lyle Lovett, Hood currently fronts his own band.

While he’s in constant demand for festivals, tours and sessions, he prefers staying within the warm and welcoming

embrace of his hometown, another predisposition he inherited from his dad.

“Austin is a great place to get stuck,” he says.

“Just look at a map. It’s really far from anything in terms of national touring. It’s kind of like the Australia of music. You have all these weird little koala bears and kangaroos and strange creatures that you don’t see anywhere else. And they don’t leave. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out.” g

Photo by Andrew Chan.

“austin is a great place to get stuck.”

atxman.com 4 3

M

emories can be dicey reference points for the artistic process (see Taylor Swift for details), but they can also serve as a mother lode for the creative muse. Just ask Colin Gilmore.

The Texas-bred singer-songwriter draws a lot of inspiration from his memories, and he has a wealth of material to draw from. He has the distinct advantage of being raised in Lubbock, the small Texas burg with something in the water that has managed to produce an impressively inordinate number of musical

44

44 ATX MAN summer 2014

artists, from Buddy Holly to Natalie Maines. social climate there, plus the scenery and And, of course, the Flatlanders: Joe Ely, what this whole gang of people was like. That Butch Hancock and Colin’s dad, Jimmie shaped me in ways I had no idea of at the Dale Gilmore. time. Years later, I looked back on it and all “In hindsight, so many of the the traveling that I’ve done since songs I write now, I won’t even becoming a musician. I’ve never “I remember think about it, but it’ll be a piece of coming up with seen anything quite like it.” a melody from something I heard Asked if he remembers his pieces of songs when I was young,” Gilmore says. very first self-penned composiin my head when tion, he laughs.

“The group of people and the setting in Lubbock was something I was about 6 “It depends on how you define that was out of this world—the a song,” he says. “I remember years old.” coming up with pieces of songs in my head when I was about 6 years old. Even younger than that, my mom tells me, I’d start singin’ all this nonsense and jumping up and down.”

Somewhere along the way, Gilmore began to realize that his dad was, well, different.

“It happened in stages,” he says. “The first time I saw he was getting any attention outside of the family in Lubbock was when I saw him on the news. And I was like, ‘My dad was on the news!’ I remember when he did the single for Mudhoney. I was in high school and got to put up flyers for it. I got to meet Natalie Merchant, who sang with my dad. Then seeing him on Letterman. …

It happened so incrementally that it wasn’t like one moment where it was like, ‘Oh my god, my dad’s famous!’ It happened bit by bit.”

The journey from impressionable young kid surrounded by elder musical pickers on the porch to respected singersongwriter was not without its potholes and detours, many attributable to the inevitably traumatic art of just growing up. Gilmore’s first dip in to the musical pool was as a member

Photo by Andrew Chan.

Th e Gilmor e Guys

Photo by

by Andrew Andrew Chan.

Chan.

Photo

of a punk band in high school, a development that sometimes perplexed his more musically conservative dad.

“I don’t know if he knew quite what to think because the music I listened to at that time was abrasive and would just irritate people,” he remembers. “I’d force him to listen to things he would never have listened to otherwise, and sometimes it was like fingernails on a chalkboard to him. I made him listen to live Sex Pistol tapes, which were horrible. They were intentionally horrible. Then one day, I played him Slayer, and he almost seemed relieved. He was like, ‘I can actually hear the notes these guys are playing and sometimes I can actually make out what he’s saying.’ ” Gilmore gradually turned his creative vision toward a more refined and traditional approach to musical storytelling. During the course of endless road trips, opening slots and bar gigs, he began honing his own unique persona and songwriting craft. His lyrics became less angry and more reflective. His voice grew more confident, a distinct hybrid with echoes of his father’s Flatland tenor with a dash of Greenwich-era Bob Dylan added to the mix.

Eventually, his father began noticing his son’s unique gifts.

“I knew he loved guitar from an early age, but I didn’t know he had a talent for writing until he already had a number of songs,” the elder Gilmore recalls. “My wife, Janet, is very close to Colin. We remember seeing him play at the Green Mesquite on Barton Springs Road in what might have been his first official gig. Somewhere in to the set, Janet turned to me and said, ‘He was actually listening all that time!’ ” Gilmore’s debut LP, 2004’s The Day The World Stopped and Spun the Other Way, impressed critics and audiences with its rootsy blend of country, rock and finely imagery.

“Then one day, crafted While actively pursuing his own solo I played him career, Gilmore also frequently appears onstage with his dad, sometimes as an Slayer.” opening act for the Flatlanders, but often it’s just the two of them huddling over a single microphone. Audiences invariably note the symbiotic musical chemistry, the mystical osmosis of sharing the same melodic DNA. “I love playing with Colin because his sense of rhythm and harmony are so strong, much more so than mine,” his dad says. “And he seems to have been born with a calm stage presence. I learned to get over stage fright, but Colin never appeared to have it.”

Being the son of a musical icon can carry plenty of baggage, both light and heavy. Jimmie Dale Gilmore is well aware of the mixed blessing he’s passed on to his son.

“It might open some doors, but it can also place strange obstacles,” he says. “Unwarranted comparisons and prejudgment about style or taste can sometimes cause people to miss what is really unique and original.”

“There’s definite upsides,” Gilmore says. “Being the son of who my dad is, I got to hear him sing all my life and got to be around that

spirit and essence that he brings to performing and songwriting. Also, it’s opened a lot of doors that otherwise wouldn’t be open. Part of the downside is that as far as it lifts you up, there’s also a ceiling there.

I’ve been to shows where I’ve opened for the Flatlanders or my dad, and people come up to me afterward and said, ‘We were surprised you were actually good. We were expecting you to be bad.’ Sometimes they set the bar pretty low.”

Now closing in on 40, Colin Gilmore is no longer an up-and-comer; he’s a seasoned road veteran with his own singular sense of style and delivery. His most recent release, last year’s critically lauded The Wild and Hollow, reflects a hard-won self-assurance and maturity while retaining rock ’n’ roll roots.

At this point in his career, Gilmore has a seasoned perspective that matches his talent. g

atxman.com 4 5

The Essentials Colin Gilmore

The Wild and Hollow (2013) Gilmore’s most recent LP may have been recorded with two different producers in two vastly different locales (Chicago and Austin), but it has a cohesiveness that belies its origins.

The Austin American-Statesman raved, “Colin Gilmore uncorks deep feelings… while never letting the bubbles go flat.” The record features the catchy single Into My Future, and the rousing Nick Loweesque closer, Raging Eyes. colingilmore.com

Lukas Nelson

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (2010) From the snaky blues of Four Letter Word, to the evocative and haunting Don’t Lose Your Mind, Nelson’s debut recording mixes DIY garage-band ethos with impressive guitar chops and lyrics peppered with dry humor. (“It’s only been two years and she already hates my dog.”) It includes heavy influences

by Neil Young and SRV, and guest vocals by some old geezer named Willie on a couple of cuts. promiseofthereal.com

Micah Nelson

Soundtrack To A Non-Existent Film (2014, digital download only)

One of several digital EPs released under Nelson’s alter ego nom de plume, Particle Kid, this short but evocative sound canvas summons the mystic guitar vibes of Steve Tibbetts, and The Astronaut Song skirts traditional progression with its guitar and accordion pas de deux—the closest this experimental piece gets to mainstream. jmicahnelson.com

Warren Hood

Even though his latest LP, The Warren Hood Band, is more polished and diverse, Hood’s earlier self-titled CD showcases the young virtuoso fiddler singer-songwriter’s vast canvas in a more intimate, cozier setting. It includes the beautiful and wistful Savannah, the Chet Baker-influenced I Will Never and Black Cat, Hood’s warp-factor-two selfcomposed showcase for his fiddle chops, which is always a show stopper at his live shows. warrenhood.com

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Photo by Andrew Chan.

Warren Hood (2008)

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Lessons From My Father

Mileposts from a life well lived.

My father, Paul Fontaine, was a painter, but he was nothing like the stereotypical image of an artist as isolated, disorganized, impoverished and impractical. His life and art were marked by the years of the Great Depression, the harshness of war, the challenging but invigorating life of an expatriate—in countries where he had to learn, at least 48   ATX MAN summer 2014

By Claudia Fontaine Chidester

minimally, the language—and the unending responsibility of being a father to three daughters, all while working to establish his career. His experiences taught him lessons about the best way to live, and we children experienced, in part, the outcomes firsthand. What follows are some of his lessons as mileposts for the journey his life took.

Marry a Woman Who Is Above Your Standing But Not Your Skills, Who Likes Taking Risks, Who Is as Handsome as You and Sometimes Smarter.

My parents’ first date was a movie, a walk to the Italian section of town for pizza and beer, and a walk back. Dad had to compete with the wealthy Yale boys she was dating, but none of them gave her the promise of adventure that Dad did.

She was pleased that Dad was top in his class, but she fell in love with him over their conversations. The irony is that Mother always said it was better to marry someone from your own block with whom you had money, education and religion in common, but their connection in the realm of art was decisive.

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What Seems Like an Obstacle May Be an

Opportunity.

50 ATX MAN summer 2014

By living in the Virgin Islands for a year right out of art school, my parents learned a few things about being expatriates, namely, that the benefits can outweigh the drawbacks. After the war, Dad was stuck in France waiting for a boat to get home, so he took a job with civil service. He wrote to my mother to join him in Paris: “Come over quick to Papa and after a year of Europe all your passions for traveling will be appeased. You and I can have a lot of fun here. The caliber of people you will be surrounded with are of the very highest.”

Make Friends, Be Friendly and Have Friends in Every City.

Another advantage to being part of the U.S. government overseas is that it paid for travel home every two years. We would slowly work our way across the country, through Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco and San Diego. We stayed with relatives or my parents’ chums from college, the war or Stripes, all the way from one coast to the other and back again. Museums were our only form of entertainment. Movies or amusement parks were not on the roster. I cried when we passed Disneyland while Dad yelled in disgust that he wouldn’t waste his money on the $5 entry charge.

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Getting Old Is

No Fun, But Mentoring the Young Helps.

Dad was not a natural art teacher, but he gave my daughter the ultimate compliment when he used one of her sketches to create a large painting. He taught me to realize how little you need to enjoy a good life, and to know that education doesn’t stop with the diploma. Dad taught me about the value of taking calculated risks, investing in the future, thinking globally, giving back to others through mentoring and the value in making things. It could be the children you raise, the novel you write or the song you create. It could be a painting. Just make something good since that is like living forever.

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Claudia Chidester was born and lived in Germany in her youth, lived her high school years in Guadalajara, Mexico, and transplanted to Austin from New England nearly 30 years ago. She is the director of the Fontaine Archive, an archive focused on preserving and making accessible through publications and the website, fontaine.org, the works of writer and photographer Virginia Fontaine and painter Paul Fontaine.

She is also an adjunct professor at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses on business and competitive intelligence research strategies. She is vice president of the board of the Austin Bat Cave, a writing and tutoring center for children 6 to 18. She has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Wellesley College and a master’s degree

in library and information science from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Independent Book Publishers Association's Benjamin Franklin Awards, in their 26th year, includes 52 categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design.

They are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.

Chidester’s Work Standing Up has secured the silver, possibly the gold award for Interior Design-3-color.

The winners will be announced May 28 at the award ceremony at New York University's Kimmel Center.

Work Standing Up is available at Collectic Furniture, BookPeople and the Blanton Museum shop, as well as Amazon and fontaine.org

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Mexican Heart

and Texas Sold Everything you ever wanted to know about tequila.

By Matt McGinnis

Tequila

Photo by Matt McGinnis.

Hecho en Mexico The drink world is all about authenticity and sense of place. Champagne can only be from Champagne, France. Cognac can only be from Cognac, France. Wines all list their appellation and speak of the importance of terrior, that special something that only comes from the area, the soil and the climate where the wine was born.

The same is true for tequila. If it’s called tequila, it has to be from Mexico.

In 1978, Mexico established the Appellation of Origin Tequila, which delineates the location of production and sets the standards for how tequila is made. The law, which is recognized worldwide, states that tequila can only be made in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit and Tamaulipas, and must be made with blue agave to be sold with the name tequila.

Like Scotch, tequila’s sense of place is further defined by being from highland or lowland. Agave grown in the higher elevations and red clay soil of the highlands of Jalisco matures slower, producing sweeter tequila with bright floral and citrus notes. Representative highland tequilas are Don Julio, El Tesoro and Milagro. The rich volcanic soil of the lowlands agave makes tequila that is rounder and less sweet with more earthy, herbaceous and woody flavors. Examples of lowland tequilas include El Jimador, Herradura and Sauza.

Mexico is serious about the quality of its tequila. Weber blue agave is controlled by the Mexican Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT), a governing body established in 1993 to monitor the industry. The CRT authenticates each brand and tracks every blue agave plant in Mexico with GPS chips to examine output. That allows the CRT to determine whether producers are augmenting tequila with cheap sugar alcohol rather than 100 percent agave by tracking the yield of the plants on their map.

It is clear that many in Mexico consider tequila a national treasure worthy of protection.

That quality control during the past few decades has brought tequila a long way from being a shot of fire that peels paint and leaves you crying in the morning.

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Tequila Tejas

We have established that tequila is from Mexico. So how is it that there are several tequilas from Texas? It’s all about the origins of the tequila and not how it is marketed.

Consumer demand for high-quality tequila has resulted in dozens of new premium tequila brands hitting the market in recent years. There are now more than 1,300 registered brands, made by only 154 registered Mexican tequila distilleries. Many of those tequila brands are owned and marketed by U.S. companies, including some boutique companies in Texas.

Because the raw material, agave, is only from a small five-state area in Mexico and the production is done by a small number of Mexican distilleries, the difference in each tequila sold by Texas companies all comes down to the specific recipe of how it’s made.

Tequila starts its life from the juice of the sugar-rich heart of the blue agave plant, called the piña, which is harvested when the plant is about 8 to 10

years old. The piña is prepared for fermentation by cooking it either in stone ovens or in autoclaves, which are pressure cookers. The difference between the two methods is like the difference between baking a potato in a convection oven versus a microwave. The liquid from the cooked piña is fermented in big steel tanks.

Once fermentation is finished, the tequila is distilled twice. The resulting liquid is called silver, blanco or plata tequila. Silver tequila is then aged between two and 12 months in oak barrels to make reposado, between one and three years to make añejo, or aged for more than three years to make extra añejo.

It’s the differences in where and how the agave is grown and the subtle differences in each step of this production process that create varying flavors in the Texas tequilas on the market, including Ambhar, Dulce Vida, Man in Black, Pura Vida Tequila, SOAH Tequila, Republic Tequila, Tequila 512 and Z Tequila.

Man in Black Tequila Kinky Friedman has always been a fan of tequila.

Brian Kanof, who supported Friedman’s run for Texas governor in 2006 and is currently supporting his run for the Texas agriculture commissioner job, started Man in Black tequila in February 2012.

Kanof brought on beverage-industry veteran Dianna Offutt and Friedman to help get the new tequila brand off the ground.

Kanof and Offutt went to Mexico to work with master distillers to select a recipe. Man in Black Tequila is made with 100 percent blue agave grown in the highlands outside Arandas, Jalisco. The distillery and the production method for this tequila were selected for its true agave nature.

“We wanted to make one [in which you can] smell the agave, taste the agave. The agave plants used in Man in Black have a unique thumbprint that is registered with the CRT,” Offutt says. “The piñas are well ripened and picked during the hottest part of the day to ensure their sweetness. The plata is distilled twice, filtered only once, rested and then bottled. That gives it a nice spiciness, like black pepper, and a smooth finish.”

Man in Black also makes reposado, aged eight months in new American oak, giving it a sweet, smoky flavor. The añejo is aged for 14 months, and the extra añejo is aged for seven years in French oak, and an additional year in a port cask. If you

56 ATX MAN summer 2014

can find one of these special aged tequilas, be prepared to shell out as much as $200 for a bottle.

Friedman is a born pitchman for Texas tequila. It combines his love of the state and his love of tequila.

“Tequila is something I’ve liked for a long time, particularly when I’m onstage,” Friedman says.

“I call it the Barry Manilow drink because it makes you feel good for a very short period of time.”

True to his character, Friedman doesn’t pull any punches in describing its rustic style.

“We say this is not your father’s tequila. This is your grandfather’s gardener’s tequila. It’s not homogenized crap,” he says. “It’s distinctive and really, really good. Everyone that tries it loves it. The rest of the other stuff is promotional crap. People pump millions of dollars in to marketing to sell crap.

One of the problems with our culture is that things are homogenized, sanitized and trivialized.”

Friedman drinks Man in Black with panache too.

“I drink it cowboy-style,” he says. “You snort the line of salt, take the lime and squeeze it into your eye and then you kill the shot. That’s how we do it in Bandera, Texas.”

Man in Black is sold exclusively in Texas, starting at $26, and can be found in stores such as Twin Liquors and Spec’s. A portion of the profit supports Friedman’s Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch.

Tequila 512 Tequila 512 launched in November 2012 after a sixyear journey from idea to product. It took President Scott Willis that long to find the right distillery in Mexico and to do the necessary legal work to get licensed.

“I have invested a lot of energy and emotion in to Tequila 512 to get it started,” Willis says. “I traveled to Mexico to find a distiller that would make tequila to my specifications. I chose Tequila La Cofradía in Jalisco, a family-owned business for 50 years. I then tasted multiple distillation varieties and eventually chose one with the right smooth, round agave flavor that is appealing to the American palate. My process uses a 24-hour filtration to mellow it out and an oxygenation process for silky mouthfeel to make it enjoyable to sip.”

Tequila 512 currently makes one product, blanco tequila, using 100 percent estate-grown Weber blue agave from the Central lowlands. It is USDA-certified organic. It is made using traditional stone ovens to roast the piña, distilled three times in pot stills and given a final filtration. Tequila 512 will introduce a reposado this summer.

Willis is almost a one-man operation, handling distribution on his own, driving his Tequila 512 pick-up throughout Texas. He is focused on growing locally until he identifies the right distributor. He’s inspired by the bootstrap beginnings of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and aims to emulate the consistency of Tito Beveridge. He also calls on Clayton Christopher, cofounder of Deep Eddy, as a mentor. Their inspiration and his work are paying off.

“My dream was to see it on the shelf of a bar and a liquor store,” Willis says. “A year ago, if you told me I’d be on the menu at all Maudie’s, at the ball park in Arlington and in more than 200 locations, I’d be happy. Now I want to be in more than 1,000 locations.

I want people to try it and enjoy it. Until they do, my work is not done.”

Some of Willis’ success can be attributed to making an award-winning quality at a reasonable price. It’s hard to find a bottle of tequila that wins gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and sells for $24.

Tequila 512 is readily available at liquor stores, bars and restaurants throughout Austin, including Little Woodrow’s, Uncle Billy’s, Shady Grove, Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Red’s Porch, Ranch 616, 508 Tequila Bar, The Parish and many others.

Republic Tequila Ken McKenzie, tequila importer and co-founder of Republic Tequila, was introduced to Texas businessman Tom Nall and to an idea for creating premium tequila in a distinctive Texas-shaped bottle. The two set out to start Republic Tequila with only that iconic bottle as a simple idea and they quickly built a business around it.

McKenzie put 16 years of experience in the tequila business to work to find a distillery that could produce Republic Tequila to its exact specifications. Throughout the years, it has changed distilleries and is now produced at the Leyros Distillery using 100 percent blue agave grown in the black volcanic soil of the Central lowlands. Despite the recent surge in agave prices, Republic has a steady supply of agave because it invested in the futures market that allows the distillery to ensure consistency of sugar levels from the plants.

Republic is made with a few modern methods, including the use of a diffuser to extract more juice from the piña and natural aerobic fermentation. It is distilled twice and rests in open-air steel tanks to get a taste as

pure and smooth as a Texas drawl.

While Texas is the second-largest market for tequila in the United States, and the U.S. buys 76 percent of all tequila made, it’s a bit of a stretch to package an authentically Mexican product in a Texas-shaped bottle.

McKenzie acknowledges that the Texas tie gave him pause in 2008.

“For me, that didn’t scream traditional tequila. But what I’ve learned over time as I’ve taken the Republic bottle to tequila distillers in Guadalajara is that any vessel that gets attention in a bar or store gets you one step ahead,” he says. “This bottle will never get lost. Our job is to make sure the tequila is exceptional.

People will buy it as a novelty first, but they will buy it again if it’s really good.”

While the plata is the bread and butter of Republic sales because of its versatility in margaritas and palomas, the company also sells quite a bit of reposado and añejo, which are aged in Jack Daniels barrels.

“People are sipping tequila a lot more in the past 10 years,” McKenzie says. “Americans understand its complexity. Because blue Weber agave is in the ground for eight to 10 years, it has time to pick up a lot of complexity. Cognac has 300 taste components. Tequila has more than 620 flavor characteristics.”

Republic Tequila has outgrown the state’s borders and is now sold in 15 states. One of those states, Oklahoma, isn’t a huge fan of all things Texas.

“In Oklahoma, bartenders will let the person who bought the last shot of Republic Tequila go outside and shoot the Texas bottle,” McKenzie says with a laugh.

Dispelling Misconceptions Tequila comes with a worm in the bottle.

If you see a worm in any bottle of alcohol, run. That’s nasty. It is true that some crappy, low-grade kinds of mezcal have come with a gusano worm or a butterfly caterpillar as a marketing gimmick. This is not the case with tequila.

Tequila is made from cactus juice.

Nope. Tequila is made from distilled juice of the heart, or piña, of the agave plant, in particular, the blue agave.

Agave is a succulent and a relative of the yucca plant and Joshua tree, but not a cactus. It takes eight to 15 years for the long-leafed agave to mature, growing to heights of 5 to 8 feet and 7 to 12 feet around.

Tequila and mezcal are the same.

Tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal is not tequila. The similarity is that both are made from the agave plant.

While mezcal can be made from up to 30 different types of agave, most are made with agave espadin. Tequila is made from only blue agave. Mezcal gets its characteristic smoky flavor because the piña is roasted in earthen pits before extracting the juice to distill. Agave piña for tequila is baked or steamed in ovens.

Tequila is a hallucinogenic.

Excessive consumption of tequila will certainly get you drunk, but that ain’t trippin’. This myth is sometimes attributed to that nasty worm.

It likely came about through the confusion of mezcal with mezcaline, an actual hallucinogen, found in the peyote cactus.

Tequila is just for shots and margaritas.

A shot is a sure road to drunkville, but if you want to enjoy the tequila, pour it into a snifter to release the aromas.

Rather than the lime and salt tripe, try chasing it with a dose of sangrita, or “little blood,” a Mexican concoction of orange juice, tomato juice, chili pepper and lime. Margaritas are excellent, but you’re more likely to find a paloma in Mexico.

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Z Tequila With more than 35 years of experience in the booze industry, Pepe Zevada, founder of Z Tequila, brings extensive knowledge to his young brand. He had previously introduced Jack Daniels whiskey to the Latin American markets, served as the vice president in the Southern Europe region for Hiram Walker, and as the worldwide vice president of Sauza Tequila before settling in to a life of leisure in Austin.

Born in Spain, Zevada has lived in the Italian Alps, spent more than 20 years in Mexico City and has traveled to 106 countries.

“The Dos Equis most interesting man in the world guy is an actor. I’m a real guy,” the worldly Zevada says. “I truly am the most interesting man in the world. I speak four languages and have led a very interesting life.”

Faced with interminable boredom after retiring at a young age in 2000, Zevada re-entered the liquor business to launch Espolón Tequila. It was during his frequent commutes between Guadalajara and Austin that he decided to start Z Tequila. It took three years to develop the tequila, which finally hit the market in 2008.

Z Tequila is serious about its agave. There are no insecticides or fertilizers used in the field and agave leaves are used as mulch.

“We never use a young agave plant,” Zevada says. “It takes seven to nine years before we harvest. Using young plants to cut corners is like eating a green orange. They give very little juice and it’s bitter. The mature plants might look rotten, but no, that’s when the plant is ready to go.”

The process to make Z Tequila takes up to three weeks to ferment and distill. It is distilled in a short column still with a continuous distillation process

Texas Ties

that lowers the methanol to a minimum. Zevada has been friends with his distiller in Arandas, Jalisco, for 30 years.

“He is the best master distiller in the industry. He is extremely careful making our tequila. Our tequila has one of the lowest in methanol content in the industry,” Zevada says. “You will never have a hangover drinking Z Tequila. Never.”

The reposado is aged in American oak for nine months while the añejo is aged for two years. Z Tequila has won accolades for its quality, including a double gold medal in 2013 from thefiftybest.com for the blanco, and a double gold medal at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for the blanco.

Zevada attributes the success to the close-knit team.

“It’s like a band of brothers,” he says.

“Work together for the brand. Having my name on the bottle gives the brand a personality.”

Z Tequila is sold at more than 400 retailers, bars, restaurants and hotels in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

It is a sponsor for the Round Rock Express and Houston Astros, with a tequila bar in Minute Made Park.

In addition to having several tequilas with a home base in Texas, there are others that make Texas a second home.

Real Gusto Tequila It’s not marketed as Texas tequila, but Real Gusto just started selling its tequila in the United States six months ago, starting in Austin.

The company chose Austin for its first U.S. beachhead because of the ambiance, the environmental consciousness and appreciation for organic products.

Real Gusto was started in 1966 by the grandfather of the current CEO, Jaime Gonzalez. In its second generation, Gonzalez’s father endeavored to make the best tequila in the world, and moved the distillery from its original location in Guadalajara to a ranch in the highlands of Jalisco. The current location allows for all operations, from planting through production, to occur on the same property.

“We plant the agave and take care of it for 10 to 12 years before

harvesting,” Gonzalez says. “They don’t get very big because we don’t use fertilizer or herbicide. Ours reach only 80 pounds rather than the 200 of typical plants. It’s like an organic tomato in that it’s smaller, but with better flavor.”

Real Gusto steams its piña in stone ovens for 48 hours. The juice is then fermented using natural yeast for five to eight days depending on the weather.

“When it’s warmer, fermentation goes faster,” Gonzalez explains.

Real Gusto goes through a double distillation in the same copper stills from the original distillery. The blanco that comes out of the stills at 110 proof is blended with natural spring water from the mountains on the ranch to reduce it to 80 proof before bottling.

“We take really good care during distillation to remove the heads and tails of the tequila,” Gonzalez says. “We take special care to keep only the heart of the distillation. We get rid of the part that can give you a bad hangover. It’s like the venom of the plant. Our process is the same as the way good tequilas were made 100 years ago. We have recovered that craftsmanship of very fine tequila that gives you the original flavor of the product.”

Real Gusto makes reposado aged for six months in new white oak barrels from Tennessee. The barrels give it a mellow vanilla flavor without imparting a whiskey flavor that comes with using a bourbon barrel. The añejo is aged for 14 months.

The quality of Real Gusto has been recognized with a double gold medal for the blanco, and gold medals for both the reposado and añejo single gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is available in Austin at retailers like Spec’s, and restaurants such as Benji’s.

Ten Tequilas to Try r Don Julio Anejo Tequila, $60 r El Tesoro Platinum Tequila, $50 r Herradura Seleccion Suprema Tequila, $390 r La Fortaleza, $60 r Maracame Tequila Anejo, $75

58 ATX MAN summer 2014

r Milagro Select Barrel Reserve, $55 r Siembra Azul, $35 r Siete Leguas Reposado Tequila, $45 r Tequila Ocho, 2009 Rancho Los Pomez Reposado, $60 r Tequila Tapatio Reposado, $35

Tequila Cabeza Famed barman, founder of Employee’s Only in New York and cocktail author Jason Kosmas co-founded the spirits company The 86 Co. with three partners in 2009. The inspiration for the company was to take their knowledge as bartenders and make the kind of spirits they would like to serve. The result is four brands of spirits: Aylesbury Duck Vodka, Caña Brava Rum, Fords Gin and Tequila Cabeza.

“We started The 86 Co. to 86 the bullshit that surrounds the spirits industry,” Kosmas says.

“We listen to bartenders to what they want and what they need and that influences the vodka, rum, gin and tequila we make. It even influences the design of our bottles.”

Kosmas moved to Austin last summer after his daughter was born, in order to be close to Grandma. From this home base, he introduced the first bottle of Tequila Cabeza to Texas on Jan. 1, 2013.

To create Cabeza, they visited 18 distilleries before deciding to work with the Vivanco family at the El Ranchito Distillery in Arandas, Jalisco.

The family has been growing highland agave for more than 80 years and oversees everything from sprout to bottle. Because the agave grown on the property is handpicked, the tequila represents the terroir of the land, letting influences of the iron-rich soil shine through.

“The land around the distillery looks like

Mars,” Kosmas says. “It is stark red. It’s located in the mountains, where the plants are challenged more by cool nights and hot days. That produces more flavor.”

The agave is harvested with just a bit of the leaf along with the piña to give the tequila a peppery flavor. The piña is brick-oven roasted, shredded and fermented in open tanks using Champagne yeast for a slower fermentation to bring out more robust, deeper vegetal and fruity flavors. The tequila is distilled twice, filtered once and left to rest for 60 days to let flavors meld.

Cabeza is bottled at 86 proof because it is the sweet spot of flavor in classic cocktails like margaritas and polomas. The result is agave-forward tequila that is aromatic with rich viscosity. It starts vegetal with good pepper, eases in to sweet fruit and ends with soft vanilla spiked with pepper.

“Our philosophy for our spirits is that they are made to be used in cocktails,” Kosmas says.

“We want them to shine in drinks, want our tequila to be able to express that highland characteristic in a cocktail. The finished product isn’t the tequila. It’s what ends up in the glass.”

It is sold in 18 states and throughout Texas, including shops like Austin Wine Merchant and Spec’s, and bars and restaurants like Bar Congress, Benji’s, drink.well., Half Step, Firehouse, Midnight Cowboy and Whisler’s.

ATX Man’s Guide to Drinking Tequila in Austin 508 Tequila Bar and Pelons Tex-Mex 802 Red River St.

They pour more than 50 types of tequila and several tequila cocktails, including the Cuernos Largos, a hearty margarita made with Dulce Vida 100 proof tequila. It packs a punch, so they only allow customers to order two.

Benji’s Cantina 716 W. Sixth St.

Guero’s Taco Bar 1412 S. Congress Ave.

With a respectable list of tequilas, 17 signature margaritas and several tequila specialty drinks, Guero’s fits the bill for a casual watering hole.

Half Step 75 1/2 Rainey St.

Serving more than 80 labels of tequila, this Tex-Mex restaurant and bar is shooting to have more than 100 tequilas in the near future. Try a frozen Tequila Sunrise made with Z Silver Tequila while sitting on the rooftop patio on a hot summer day.

Half Step features 20 kinds of tequila and classic cocktails made by notable barman Chris Bostick.

This Rainey Street bar is a step ahead with an impressive ice program that includes hand-cut ice cubes from huge blocks of ice made in their icehouse and Sonic-like ice, pellet ice crushed for cold tequila cocktails inside or out on the patio.

drink.well.

207 E. 53rd St.

Iron Cactus 606 Trinity St.

Always on the list for excellent cocktails, drink.well.’s award-winning bar staff mixes classic drinks with more than 20 tequilas. Chat up the bartender while enjoying a Jalisco Foxtrot.

This Sixth Street mainstay has more than 100 tequilas and fantastic happy-hour specials to get your night started. Try a Z Best margarita on the rooftop patio.

La Condesa 400 W. Second St.

Accomplished bartender Nate Wells oversees an award-winning cocktail program that draws from more than 80 tequilas for a base. Snuggle up with your date in the cozy bar or take your Roble Especiado to the street-side patio for a little people watching.

Tacos and Tequila 507 Pressler St.

Claiming the largest selection of tequila in town, TNT has more than 100 kinds of tequila, including five poured cold on tap. Try one of the monthly featured distilleries neat in a snifter.

Takoba 1411 E. Seventh St.

With two full bars and a large outdoor seating area, Takoba pours more than 20 kinds of tequila.

Try a house-made sangrita to follow your tequila.

ATX Man’ s Favorite Summer Tequila Cocktails The Maverick

Man’s Paloma

Cabeza Tequila Old Fashioned

Ingredients: 3 1/4-inch cucumber slices 1.5 ounces Z Tequila 2 orange slices, juiced Club soda 1 tablespoon sugar-salt mixture Sriracha hot sauce to rim glass 1 paper-thin cucumber slice to float on top 1/4 orange wheel

Ingredients: 2 ounces Man in Black Tequila Juice from 1/2 a lime Pinch of salt Grapefruit soda (Jarritos works well) Ice cubes

Ingredients: 2 ounces Tequila Cabeza 3/4 ounce honey syrup (1:1) 3 dashes Bitter Truth grapefruit bitters 1/4 ounce Tennyson absinthe

Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle cucumber, sugar and orange juice into thick liquid consistency. Add tequila and set aside to allow it to fuse together. Rim martini glass using Siracha hot sauce then dip it into the salt-sugar mixture. Add ice to the drink mixture and shake thoroughly. Strain into glass. This cocktail was created by Louis Sandoval of Mavericks Country and Rock.

Real Gusto Margarita Ingredients: 2 ounces Real Gusto Tequila 2 ounces fresh lime juice 1/2 ounce light agave nectar Directions: Shake well and serve over ice.

Directions: Pour tequila into a highball glass and squeeze in lime juice. Add ice and salt, fill with grapefruit soda, stir and garnish with a lime wheel.

Directions: Stir, serve over a big piece of ice and garnish with a big twist of Rio Star grapefruit rind.

Hot Flamingo Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Dulce Vida Tequila 1/2 ounce agave nectar 2 strawberries Cayenne pepper, seeded, cut into 1-inch strips Soda

The Republic Classic Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Republic Plata Tequila 1 ounce Cointreau 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice Salt for garnish Directions: Combine tequila, Cointreau and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Moisten rim of a margarita or other cocktail glass with lime juice or water. Holding glass upside down, dip rim into salt. Shake and strain drink into glass and serve.

Directions: Muddle strawberries, pepper and agave in a shaker.

Add tequila and a splash of soda. Shake gently and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with more soda and garnish with a slice of strawberry.

512 Cucumber Caliente Ingredients: 2 ounces 512 Blanco Tequila 3 slices cucumber, peeled 3 slices of fresh jalapeno (or to taste) 1 ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce St. Germain Directions: In a glass, muddle the cucumber and jalapeño slices.

Add tequila, lime juice and St. Germain. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

60 ATX MAN summer 2014

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su m m e r

Style

All the Right Moves Pro football player Alex Albright and singer Courtney Shields tie the knot and look to a bright future.

Photos by Annie Ray. Styling by Ashley Hargrove, dtkaustinstyling.com. Hair by April Downs, avantsalon.com.

Makeup by Lauren Lumsden, raecosmetics.com. Shot on location at Travaasa Austin.

On Courtney: ASTR multi floral top, $48; Tarnish cowboy hat, $48, available at Nordstrom, S. 2901 Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com; jeans and boots, model’s own.

On Alex: Benson floral print shirt, $120; Joe’s classic fit jeans, $198; Lucchese black cherry lonestar calf cowboy boots, $300, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com. atxman.com 6 3

S U MM E R

Style

64   ATX MAN summer 2014

Tommy Bahama salt and lime swim trunks, $68; Ray Ban blue mirror sunglasses, $160, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com.

On Courtney: Joie deep lapis tank, $158; Joie merci printed flax shorts, $178; Kendra Scott blue skylar earrings, $65, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

On Alex: Benson camo short-sleeve shirt, $120; Bonobos medieval blue striped shorts, $85, available at Nordstrom, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512.691.3500, nordstrom.com; shoes, model’s own.

atxman.com 6 5

S U MM E R

Style

Ale x Al b r i gh t Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Alex Albright did not grow up wearing cowboy boots or riding on the back of a horse, but on a photo shoot at Travassa, he was game and ended up enjoying a taste of the equine experience.

Albright attended Boston College on a football scholarship, where he played for five seasons, having to take a year off in 2008 due to a spinal injury. His senior year, he was named team captain and graduated in 2010 with a degree in communication. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in July 2011, and played with the team until an injury placed him on the waived/injure list in August 2013. As a rookie, Albright was converted to outside linebacker, a position he played backup for in all 16 games, finishing third on the team with 14 special-teams tackles. In the 2012 season, he showed his versatility, backing up all four linebackers, and finished the season third on the team with 17 special-teams tackles. He is currently a free agent.

Courtney Shields and Alex Albright were wed May 24 at The Vista on Seward Hill. They currently reside in Dallas.

TRA V AA S A Just a short drive west from downtown Austin, Travaasa is located in the Hill Country, adjacent to the Balcones Canyonlands preserve. The tranquil resort boasts

66   ATX MAN summer 2014

70 guest rooms spread out among seven lodges, and includes an award-winning spa.

Travaasa also specializes in healthy farm-totable cuisine. With an array of spa treat

ments and activities for both men and women, ranging from yoga to hiking to horseback riding, Travaasa is ideal for a closein R&R getaway or day trip. travaasa.com

On Courtney: Alice & Trixie blue and pink maxi dress, $395, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

On Alex: Peter Millar white linen sport coat, $345; Peter Millar navy print dress shirt, $125; AG Protege gray blue jeans, $178, available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com; watch and shoes, model’s own.

atxman.com 6 7

Summer

Grooming

Save Face Go smooth for summer with these supreme shaving products.

Photo by Rudy Arocha

68 ATX MAN summer 2014

The Art of Shaving Mach 3 razor, $90; The Art of Shaving fine badger hair brush, $110; The Art of Shaving Brush or Brushless Shaving Cream, $25; Kiehl’s Since 1851 Sky Flyin foaming shave-gel & face cleanser, $19; Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultimate Brushless shave cream, $16; Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultimate Man razor bump relief, $27.50; Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion shave lather, $23, all available at Neiman Marcus, 3400 Palm Way, 512.719.1200, neimanmarcus.com.

Bearded dragons courtesy of Zoo Keeper Exotic Pets, 9012 Research Blvd., 512.453.8800, zookeeperpets.com.

& Benefiting CENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION

THANK YOU SPONSORS! THE 12TH ANNUAL CARING FOR KIDS BANQUET & NFL ALUMNI GOLF CLASSIC WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!

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Westlake Golf ClassiC Allen Financial Services Arrow Land Group, LLC AW Media Inc. Carlson Brigance & Doering Chasco Constructors Coastal Leak Dickey & Son Concrete Inc DOCUmation Espinoza Stone Inc. Gibson Plumbing

HomePro JCS Consulting/Austin Capitol Concrete LaneHart Electric Maxwell Locke & Ritter Parrish and Company/ Quality Cabinets PartnersFinancial Rainmaker Document Technologies, Inc. Randy & Dawn Eckert

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Benefiting Mobile Loaves and Fishes What: 12th Annual Westlake Golf Classic - Four Person Scramble When: Monday October 6th Shotgun start at 1:00pm Registration and Driving Range open at 11:30am Where: Lost Creek Country Club Four Person Team: $400 Individual: $150

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In the Know

➜

fitness

The Truth About Gym Jones Training Director Rob MacDonald on personal and physical transformation.

By Ryan Nail

70 ATX MAN summer 2014

We continued on to discuss personal stories and inspirational moments.

When I asked MacDonald Rob MacDonald if there was a specific moment that stuck out to him when he had been training either one person or a group that became inspirational to him, he replied with a story about a man who trained at Gym Jones named Rob Jones, who lost both of his legs fighting in the military in Afghanistan (his story can be found on robjonesjourney.com). Although a double amputee, he worked out at Gym Jones with two prosthetic legs.

MacDonald went on to say, “Watching how hard he worked out showed how remarkable of a human being he was. He never complained or felt sorry for himself. He didn’t come here looking for a handout.

It put in perspective the things we complain about in life really don’t matter compared to what he was going through. We complain about being sore or being stiff and we make all kinds of excuses when we workout, but compared to him, none of those excuses matter. Things today are made to be easy and all of this can be problematic when it comes to health.

There are even moving walkways on the floors of airports because we are lazy and don’t want to walk the distance. Out of pride, Rob Jones wouldn’t even take those walkways, and seeing that mentality at Gym Jones really just puts things in to perspective.

“Gym Jones takes pride in not just getting doctors and lawyers to look good, but it’s more. We take pride in educating others without compromising our ethics, brand, integrity or our message. Gym Jones was created to be a beacon of knowledge where people can learn and grow.”

My personal journey of going to their seminars and doing their workouts has changed not just my life, but the lives of my clients. I have dedicated myself to attending the rest of Gym Jones’ seminars, with the goal of being certified as an official Gym Jones instructor by the end of this year. The process isn’t just educational; it screams quality. The exercises I’ve learned

from them have been fun and exciting, but more than anything, it’s been an adventure of a lifetime.

I will leave you with the Gym Jones definition of how the mind is primary: The mind drags the body— struggling behind it—rarely the opposite. When spirit increases, improved physical performance is a consequence, and as performance improves, spirit soars, confidence evolves and character develops.

Gym Jones was founded by Mark and Lisa Twight.

For more information, please visit gymjones.com.

RYAN NAIL is the owner of CoreFit Training. For more information, visit traincorefit.com.

Photos courtesy of Mark and Lisa Twight.

❱❱ When they hear of Gym Jones, most people think of the cult, but not when it comes to training. Gym Jones pretty much set the industry standard for being and looking in shape on film. You will recognize their work in the popular movies 300, Man of Steel and 300: Rise of an Empire, as Gym Jones trained the cast members for these movies.

To follow the Gym Jones lead when it comes to fitness, you must drink their Kool-Aid to adapt successfully through the training programs. I personally have always been in shape and have had a rigorous exercise routine, but going from my own disciplined regimen to the Gym Jones workouts was fun but challenging. In a way, it peels layers of weakness like an onion not just from your body, but also from your soul.

When faced with a difficult exercise, you get gut-checked, but when it is topped with the task of performance, any insecurities you might have in your life or problems that might be going on will surface and at that present moment, you are faced with either defeat or the opportunity to overcome the challenge.

I recently did an interview with Rob MacDonald, a former UFC fighter, current Ring of Fire light heavyweight world champion and the general manager and training director for Gym Jones. Since I have had a self-defining journey in to Gym Jones, I wanted to know how his personal journey was from being a UFC fighter and having a strict training regimen himself to adapting to the Gym Jones training. His response was that Gym Jones is not just some philosophy that people can use to classify workouts, routines and classes.

“The mind is primary and the way we workout is really an adjustment learning period, and that adjustment for me was fun, challenging and exciting,” he says. When I asked MacDonald how teaching others and sharing the beacon of knowledge that is Gym Jones has been for him, his response was, “Teaching people is rewarding. It holds an intrinsic value, healing people and helping people get new PRs [personal records], which can all translate in to them being a better person and father, living a better life or even helping a marriage. These are all results from living healthy in a gym, and to know that’s what is happening feels good to me and all of this makes me proud of what I do.”

For making the

such a success!

In the Know

➜

health

Male Infertility What you need to know if you are trying to have a child.

By Jill Case

When couples decide they are ready to have a baby, they often expect a pregnancy to occur pretty quickly, and when it doesn’t, they begin to worry. The truth is infertility is usually defined as having unprotected sex for one year without becoming pregnant. If you have been trying for 12 months or more without conceiving, you and your partner may want to consult with a fertility specialist. ATX Man spoke with Dr. Kaylen Silverberg from Austin’s Texas Fertility Center, who offered his knowledge and expertise on male infertility..

ATX Man: When a man and woman begin to experience infertility problems, should they both go to a fertility specialist together for a consultation?

Dr. Kaylen Silverberg: Infertility is a couple’s disease. About a third of the time, it’s strictly female, a third of the time, it’s strictly male and a third of the time, it’s both. Therefore, we like to see both members of the couple. I tell my patients all the time that infertility is a team sport. We like to see them together and treat them that way.

AM: Do you figure out what tests you want to do based on an initial consultation, or do you have a common battery of tests that you run right away?

history that may cause us to focus on tests that we might not ordinarily order. Conversely, there are other things that would cause us to eliminate part of the evaluation that a patient might not need. What we do not want to do is a lot of unnecessary testing, so we individualize every diagnostic workup and treatment for every couple.

AM: Why are men so surprised that so many fertility problems are caused by the male. Many men think it’s a female problem. Is it a cultural thing?

KS: Everybody uses the same common battery, but you have to improvise based on the patient’s history.

For example, a man may have a history of scrotal trauma, or he may be a diabetic on insulin, so those things start raising different kinds of alarm bells, causing us to look in a direction that we might not look at routinely. Another example is a man who has had a vasectomy reversal. In addition to doing a sperm test, we would also want to check for the presence of antisperm antibodies.

KS: That’s exactly what I think it is. It’s a cultural phenomenon. Women are the ones who spend most of their lives trying not to get pregnant. When you think about it, women are responsible for the overwhelming amount of contraception use in the United States.

Precisely because women are responsible for almost everything in terms of contraception, people look at infertility as a woman’s condition, a woman’s disease.

Guess what though? About half of the time, a woman can’t have a baby because her husband or her partner doesn’t have sperm, he has a low sperm count, he has antibodies or he has some other type of problem that makes conception difficult.

AM: The history is very important. You must spend a lot of time taking the patient’s history.

AM: What tests do you do to determine if a male is having fertility problems?

KS: Absolutely right. That’s another reason why it’s important that we see both members of a couple.

There are a lot of issues that we uncover in a patient’s

KS: A basic test we do is a semen analysis. We ask the man to have two to five days of abstinence and then we get him to collect a sperm sample. We evaluate the

72 ATX MAN summer 2014

sample for multiple different factors, including: • Sperm count. It’s not really a count, but rather concentration, the number of sperm per milliliter of ejaculate. A normal sperm concentration is 20 million sperm or more per milliliter of semen.

• Sperm motility, the percentage of sperm that is alive and swimming.

• Sperm morphology, the percentage of sperm that has a normal shape.

In addition, we examine the sperm for the presence of white blood cells, which might indicate an infection or inflammation. All that testing is included in the basic semen analysis.

If that’s normal, we move on with the remainder of the couple’s workup. If it’s abnormal, then we’ll typically get a physical examination performed by a urologist who specializes in male fertility. We ask them to check for several factors, including: • Varicoceles, enlarged, varicose veins in the scrotum.

• Obstruction, a blockage in the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to the penis.

• Problems with erectile dysfunction.

We will also check the man’s hormone levels.

We’ll check their FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) levels, as well as their testosterone level to make sure they are OK. Some men come in and they are taking steroids.

Steroids, especially anabolic steroids, can actually decrease sperm production, sometimes completely.

AM: What are the most common causes of male infertility?

KS: There are a lot of different causes of male infertility. The most common—and most frustrating—cause is idiopathic, which means that, despite testing, we can’t identify the actual cause. Causes we can identify include: • Anatomical issues (varicoceles, scrotal trauma, vasectomy reversal) • Hormonal imbalances • Lifestyle factors (smoking, drug use, steroid use, overuse of a sauna or hot tub, stress) • Medical problems (diabetes, high blood pressure) AM: How do you usually treat male infertility?

KS: We can sometimes treat male infertility with medications like Clomid, or anastrozole. Sometimes we use fertilization methods such as IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF (in-vitro fertilization). Some men need surgery to fix anatomic problems.

AM: What are the emotional issues that can occur with male infertility?

KS: Men, like women, often struggle emotionally with infertility. The difference is that, unlike women, they often won’t admit it. Some men are uncertain about whether or not they actually want to have a child, but they won’t be honest or upfront about it. We see men

in our practice who have no problem at all having sex at the beginning and end of a woman’s cycle, but midcycle, when the woman is fertile, they report problems obtaining or maintaining an erection. Issues like these are usually easy to deal with, especially if these guys are willing to see one of the outstanding psychological counselors we partner with to help them. There are also support groups available for both men and women.

We have nurses at Texas Fertility who actually facilitate support groups in our office, and they meet every month.

AM: What is the most important takeaway for men about male infertility?

KS: The most important thing to know is that male infertility, like infertility in general, is a curable medical condition. When you think about it, we can’t cure diabetes, high blood pressure or even the common cold, yet infertility is usually curable. Studies show that the overwhelming majority of couples who walk in our door (85 to 88 percent) and stick with the plan will walk out with a baby.

Dr. Kaylen Silverberg is a fertility specialist and medical director at the Texas Fertility Center. He is board certified in both obstetrics and gynecology, as well as reproductive endocrinology. He was recently honored by the American Fertility Association with the national Family Building Award, and he is recognized annually by the Best Doctors in America. To learn more about Dr. Silverberg, visit txfertility.com.

AUS T IN

Common Treatments for Infertility Defined In many cases, the treatment for cases involving male, female or male/female combined infertility is either IUI or IVF. IUI (intrauterine insemination). During this procedure, the man’s sperm sample is placed directly into the women’s uterus.

This procedure is often recommended when the male’s sperm count (or concentration) is low or if the couple has unexplained infertility. The procedure is sometimes combined with medications to stimulate the woman’s ovaries.

IVF (in-vitro fertilization). This is a multistep procedure that involves retrieving eggs from the woman and joining them with the man’s sperm in vitro (in a laboratory). The fertilized egg divides, forming an embryo, which is then implanted into the women’s uterus.

RADIOL OGICAL

ASSOC IAT ION

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60

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www.ausrad.com

In the Know

➜

family man

Coaching is the New Fatherhood Developing the unique masculine parenting style.

By Dana Minney

Breaking news: Dads are great! Previous generations had very rigid parenting roles. Our dads and our dads’ dads often brought the masculine traits of discipline and authority to family life while moms brought nurturing and sensitivity. Those welldefined roles are history.

Single parents are increasing in number. Changes in the work and business environment may require parents to travel or work outside the home for longer periods. Today’s parents, single or not, may feel a pull to play the role of both mother and father.

Modern men may try to develop a feminine side to be more sensitive. At the same time, many men are discovering their innate male qualities make them wonderful fathers. This may be different from how our forefathers approached parenting, but contemporary dads are finding new applications for the abilities unique to men.

Scientific research has found very real and specific differences between male and female brains that impact behavior. How can men utilize their unique male qualities to be great dads?

Sports psychology provides a useful parallel for parenting. A skilled coach sees the best performance in each player and uses different methods to bring that out. Men have a natural ability to do this. What attracts men to sports is what also makes men great parents: 1.) the ability to focus, 2.) goal orientation and 3.) thinking of the pack (teams).

This doesn’t mean women can’t apply this psychology or can’t learn it. Anyone can learn to think and act like an inspiring coach.

Phil Jackson, considered one of the all-time greatest coaches, said, “A coach uncovers the curiosity of each player and directs it on to the playing field.”

Children are like athletes, with curiosity and ability.

Parents can find a way to blend their child’s curiosity with family goals.

Although I am a woman, I have learned game theory. I apply it to parenting by creating games with my sons. One of them loves winning. He wants to be first at everything. Games based on speed really work for him. If I need him to clean up, I give him a time challenge and see if he can

74 ATX MAN summer 2014

beat it. For Christmas, he got a stopwatch. He wears it around his neck constantly. Clearing the table is fun when it is a challenge that lights him up.

A game, defined in simple terms, is “something that happens within a specific period of time within a specific set of rules.” Because men’s brains tend to function in linear patterns, they are great at creating games and breaking down a game in to smaller goals.

When applied to family life, it takes some finessing to get the players (you and your kids) functioning like a team and making home life in to an ongoing game. But it’s worth it.

First, decide the goal for your family (for example, team spirit). Then create a game by keeping score and awarding points. A game is a way to make it fun and stay accountable to reaching the goal.

If your family goal is to have more teamwork and cooperation, keep track whenever someone does something that contributes to the team. Discuss as a family examples of team-spirit actions such as offering to help carry groceries, caring for a younger sibling when needed, etc.

Next, create a “scoreboard” with stickers or markers to show what each player earns each day. Points can be turned in for money (pennies or quarters.

Mind you, this should not break the bank!) or passes for fun activities. Hand out rewards at the end of the day according to the score and enjoy the result.

So dads, go ahead and be dads. And play ball!

In Dana Minney’s The One Minute Parent, second edition, you will learn how to create more harmony, integrity and fun in your family. Applying the coaching tools developed throughout years through her business and her study of family dynamics, Minney shows the three basic habits that make organizations successful and how to apply them to your family.

For more information, visit danasmycoach.com.

Tips for Single Dads 1 R ead Your Child. That’s not a typo. I don’t mean read to your child. Read your child like a sports coach. What is he or she curious about? You’ve seen how your child’s face lights up during certain activities. Create a game in which this can be expressed.

2 Stay Connected. Even when they aren’t listening, keep communication lines open. Ask open-ended rather than yes-or-no questions. For example, “What would you do if you had superpowers?”

3 One Play At A Time. The most important thing is what is happening now. Show leadership with phrases like, “Let’s complete this. Then we will do something fun.”

4 Timeouts, Not Knockouts. When your kids goof up, use natural consequences. Timeouts give firm guidance while punishment (verbal or physical) inhibits growth. A coach preserves an athlete’s desire to play.

5 Celebrate. Every game needs a celebration to reward the players for playing and encourage bonding. Have a picnic, sing or prepare a favorite meal.

In the Know

76   ATX MAN summer 2014

➜

pretty woman speaks her mind

Texas Made Kendall Beard has our attention, and possibly our hearts.

By Adam Linehan, Photos by Teresa Jolie

Here at ATX Man, we love Texas. And Kendall Beard is about as Texas as it gets. Born and raised in Lufkin, Beard kicked off her music career at the age of 13, performing on the Texas Rodeo circuit before eventually moving to Philadelphia to sing with the pop trio Sahara Lane. In 2008, after graduating from the University of Texas, she auditioned for American Idol and managed to make it all the way to the semifinals, cultivating a dedicated fan base along the way. Buoyed by the experience, she returned to Austin to create her first full-length album, All Around Girl, her most personal work to date.

With her charming East Texas accent and Southern good looks, Beard has a stage presence that is just as vibrant as her sound, an energetic blend of pop-rock and Texas country. In a city where singer-songwriters have come to monopolize the country music scene, Beard offers a refreshing alternative that fans of more pop-oriented country musicians like Miranda Lambert will surely appreciate.

Luckily, this summer will offer no shortage of opportunities to catch Beard rocking the stage throughout the Lone Star State. Keep your eyes peeled for regular performances at Moontower Saloon and Rattle Inn. For tour dates and a chance to hear her music, check out kendallbeardmusic. wordpress.com. But before you do that, take a look at what she had to say in this recent interview with ATX Man: On Going Out in Austin “I like that whole West Sixth area, if we’re going to do the bar-hopping thing. We usually go to Star Bar when we go out. It’s always like a regular stopping point somewhere along the way. That and Rattle Inn. Every now and then, I’ll head to Rainey Street too.

I want to explore the Eastside, but I just haven’t had the chance.”

On Having a Good Time “I love working out and I love being outdoors.

And I love brunching. There’s nothing better to me than sitting on a patio on a beautiful day.

I’d rather day-drink, enjoy the sunshine and go home and pass out early than go out at night.

Honestly, those are my main things—just being able to explore the city, try new restaurants and eat lots of good food.”

On the Ideal Date Night “My perfect date night would be starting early while the sun is still up, hanging out on the patio somewhere then moving on to a nice dinner and then going to someplace kind of quaint and dark and not so crowded to hear some good music. I love going to the Gallery above Continental Club.”

On What Makes a Man Attractive “I find it really cool when someone is just really laid back and down to go with the flow. They also have to have a good sense of humor. What most girls don’t find funny, I’ll laugh at, so someone who finds that stuff funny too. And someone who if I throw them in to a situation with a bunch of people they don’t know, they can get along with them just like I can. Just someone who is outgoing and a people person— that’s very attractive to me.”

On How a Guy Should Dress “I think it’s nice to see a guy in a sharp suit, but I also think it’s really sexy if a guy can pull off a nice pair of jeans and a shirt, who can pull off something casual but can clean up as well. I don’t mean baggy jeans or anything like that, but a guy who is comfortable in his own skin. I think a guy should have enough style to dress for the occasion or the situation they’re in.” kendallbeardmusic.wordpress.com

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Call today for a complimentary consultation: 512-343-9355 Ruthie Harper MD Nutritional Medicine Associates

3901 Medical Parkway, Ste. 100, Austin, TX 78756 ruthieharper.com

In the Know

➜

relationships

The Ultimate Connection Seven ways to catch and keep the girl of your dreams.

By Eric Leech

Relationship experts know a lot about practical dating and often have a lot of great advice on how to approach and make a connection with a woman. However, their method of describing it usually comes in the form of a 200-page relationship book filled with diagrams, soul-mate projections, love quotes and heart-shaped chapter numbers. Most of us guys don’t have time to read through this stuff, so to make life easier, I’m going to break down all this information in to a simplified seven-chapter Cliff Notes version.

Chapter 1: Assume She’s Interested Confidence is at the core of every man who is worthy to women. If you are in an unfamiliar situation and would like to get to know a woman better, you should assume interest and verify as you go. Women are complimented when a confident man expresses curiosity, regardless of whether she is interested.

Chapter 2: Proposition While Comfortable Women are repelled by stress hormones just as much as they are driven toward confidence.

First impressions are almost always based on how a man makes a woman feel. The problem is that most guys feel stress when approaching any woman for the first time. Women can sense a guy who is anxious, so if you are nervous, go ahead and admit it. Women are comforted by men who seem familiar, similar or are men they share proximity with, such as working in the same building. This means that if you do not have any prior history to work from, you must create a connection based on trust, which means admitting why you may seem apprehensive.

Chapter 3: Signs of Interest Part of being a good catch for a woman is being yourself. Playboy model Krystle Lina has told me, “Don’t bullshit me, or any woman for that matter.

We will find out who you really are eventually.”

The other half is using your Spidey senses to judge when you need to back off. A woman will make it obvious when she is not jiving with you.

Occasionally, this can be an outside force you cannot control (bad day, etc.). The idea is to base your next move on her reactions. The most common positive signals to watch for are her leaning in your direction, teasing with her hair or neck, and mimicking your actions.

Chapter 4: Don’t Over-Impress A lot of guys go all out on a first date. They go to the best restaurant, toss down their Armani coat in a puddle for her to walk on and open every door they come across. Then, by the time the third date rolls around, they are texting on their phone and hinting about going Dutch.

As the sexy and opinionated Joanna Krupa has explained to me, “I hate when men try to show off how much money they have on a first date.” A polished impression is always good. However, if you build up a tall order of expectation, a woman may doubt your sincerity later. Never overextend your-

“Women do not like a man who tells her what to do. However, they do like a man with a plan”

78 ATX MAN summer 2014

self in to territory you will never live up to. There is nothing wrong with being yourself.

Chapter 5: Difficult to Conquer Bad boys have an edge on nice ones because they offer a challenge to women. A bit of mystery and danger is attractive to women, so long as it has some sort of safety net (public place, etc.). Women also like being engaged in a playful disagreement or a bid to prove a silly boast of yours to be untrue.

Chapter 6: Make a Plan Women do not like a man who tells her what to do. However, they do like a man with a plan, and they like a man who has some prior knowledge of her interests to back it up. An indecisive man who is constantly asking a woman what she wants to do eventually begins to sound like a dentist’s drill. This is why it is best to ask a woman what she likes once and then use this information to surprise her with an original date idea. Don’t worry, if she really doesn’t like something, she’ll let you know.

Chapter 7: Catch and Keep The best tactic to getting the girl is to have her best interests at heart and demonstrate true admiration and affection. “A very good question to ask [a woman] is ‘How can I make your day better?’ ” describes Guess model Julia Lescova. “Show interest in her life, and most women will be happy.”

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The Last Word

Man’s Work Making every day Father’s Day. May I present my awesome new grandson: little Charlie Spence Clauer, born on April 9 to my precious middle daughter Ashley and proud and loving father Jason. And now, in addition to my favorite titles of Daddy and Dad, I can add Poppie, which is what my kids called my Dad, and is what my wonderful granddaughter Maddie calls me.

My wife, Mary, and I have been blessed with three most excellent kids and I have been a father for 34 years now. So what have I learned in the past 34 years about being a father and what am I about to learn about being a grandfather?

First, about being a father. I am in awe of my wife, Mary. Never was there a time when our kids were growing up that she did not love, guide, laugh, play, read, counsel, shuttle, party, feed, nourish, correct, challenge, encourage, comfort and, most of all, shower each of them with unconditional love—still does. What I am learning is that no matter how committed my love and intentions are to being the best father to my children and now to their children, I am forever amazed, humbled and grateful for the unwavering love and support of

80 ATX MAN summer 2014

my wife, Mary, and the example she has set with our children and now theirs too.

Secondly, being driven to build a business from scratch with my partners of purpose and employees of talent, love, faith, passion and dedication serving clients throughout America and the world too, I was and still am a Sky Warrior. And while I was not there in person all the time, my children were never out of my heart and mind. I know now for certain that I am only as happy as my saddest kid and now their kids too. Making happy for them is a job that I relish and I am on a mission to get better and better at making happy for them. I also think that we as fathers are at our best when we gladly assume the role of coaches and confidants as our kids enter that new world of work, family and a grownup life. Because there is nothing quite like a, “Thanks dad. I love you so much,” at the end of a conversation dealing with

some not-so-fun stuff at times—something we all have to do.

And finally, I now know that although fathers get to be celebrated one day each year, I have learned that every day is Father’s Day. For each day after you have fathered a child, you have an opportunity to be a good father. I am so grateful for that. At the end of every day, we fathers get the chance to ask ourselves, “I wonder if I was a good enough dad today?” If the truth in your heart was no, then don’t give up because tomorrow is a new Father’s Day and a brand new chance to be the father we all want to be. So, as I am now blessed with the opportunity to be a poppie to my kids’ kids, I am challenging myself to live up to the calling of being a good grandfather because now I know that every day is not only Father’s Day but Grandfather’s Day too.

So happy Father’s Day, Austin dads, and enjoy because tomorrow is Father’s Day again and we have work to do.

“I am only as happy as my saddest kid and now their kids too.”

Photo by Matt Lankes Photography.

By Roy Spence

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5/19/14 11:44 AM • May 19