Feb/Mar 2016 - The Sounds Issue

EAST THE ROCKING

side

OF AUSTIN

MUTUAL BROKENNESS

Makarios: making an impact and empowering future generations

PRIMITIVE COOKING

Justine’s Brasserie Sous Chef, Taylor Chambers: is playing with fire and sharing his recipes

THE SOUND of east Austin and beyond

n um er o us m usi c wo rl ds o rb i t i n g i n p e rfe c t h a rm o n y

eastside / editor’s note

Dear Neighbors, This is truly a special time to live in east Austin. The economy is growing, employment is rising, and our region seems to be thriving. We feel the time is long over due to highlight all the fabulous aspects of living on the east side.

We’ve been Texans all our lives and Eastsiders for nearly a decade. We love it here! We started our design business here ten years ago and are raising our kids here. We know first hand that this is a wonderful place to live and work. We love supporting the local business and hope to gain your support and trust as we do just that.

our mission:

EASTside Magazine is a lifestyle and entertainment magazine that delivers passionate and creative coverage of the community in which it’s published. EASTside’s goal is to embody the character, the voice, and the spirit of its readers because their community is unique. Through in-depth features, extensive art and music coverage, comprehensive event listings, and charitable causes, EASTside gives its readers defined and diverse sections in which to explore and embrace their neighborhoods. EASTside strives to ignite community with its innovative design and creative cultural content that will expose readers to the history of their neighborhood and excite them to participate in its future. As a community magazine, EASTside supports aspiring journalists, artists, and activists by offering them the opportunity to exercise, contribute, and develop their skills to help launch successful careers.

It is our goal that within the pages of EASTside Magazine, people will discover what we already know to be true—the east side of Austin offers a unique and diverse lifestyle that you simply cannot find any where else. Whether you’re just starting a career, recently moved to the area, or have been a life long resident, we hope you will enjoy what these pages have to offer—what the east side has to offer because we are telling your story.

Sincerely, Will & Ashley Bowling VOLUME 1/ISSUE 1

will@eastsideatx.com

EAST THE ROCKING

Although Aisha Burns resides in small town New England, her heart and music always lead her back to Austin. Cover photo shot at Brew & Brew. Photo by Ashley Haguewood.

THE SOUNDS ISSUE

On the Cover

side

Makarios: making an impact and empowering future generations

PRIMITIVE COOKING

Justine’s Brasserie Sous Chef, Taylor Chambers, is playing with fire and sharing his recipes

THE SOUND n u m e r ou s m u sic w or ld s or b it in g in p e r fe c t h a r m on y FEB/MAR 2016

[the rocking side of austin]

For More Information Contact us at

advertise@ eastsideatx.com

OF AUSTIN

MUTUAL BROKENNESS

of east Austin and beyond

LET US SHOWCASE WHAT'S Great ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

Get all that is in this issue and more every day at EASTSIDEATX.com eastsideatx.com

3

www.ngkf.com

p, who has plans to open up a second Rainey Street. The bar features plenty eer and food.

THE 78702 4pm - 12am, Wed-Sun: 11am-12am

ommercial Real Estate News for East Austin

Hours: M-T

EAST THE ROCKING

n the move: live oak brewing company COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FOR EAST AUSTIN

1801 East 51st Street, Suite 365-501 Austin, Texas 78722 512.809.9804 eastsideatx.com 3301 E 5th St, Austin, TX 78702

Photos & Guest Editor Eric Morales Live Oak Brewing Company is truly a home-grown Austin enterprise. We are the city’s oldest craft brewery, making extraordinary Account Executives Lori Bodine, Emma Lacouture lagers and ales since 1997. Live Oak employs an old-world style of brewing rarely found in America today but practiced extensively Copy Editor Pam Bowen throughout Germany and the Czech Republic.

Culinary Contributor Taylor Chambers OPA Design Studio handled the architecture for the project, and Culinary Photographer Ashley BIG RED DOG Engineering handled theHaguewood Civil Engineering. Structura is the general contractor.

Live OakJen hopes to move in to their new Fashion Photographer Rachid digs later this year.

Contributing Photographers Whitney Runyon, Tamir Kalifa, Rachel Sawyer, Molly Winters

• Landlord Representation

ut Newmark Grubb Knight Frank - Austin • Investment Sales

ark Grubb Knight Frank's Austin, TX office covers Central Texas, with • Property Management mphasis on the nation's fastest growing metropolitan area. With a full of integrated services including leasing advisory, investment sales nancial services, consulting services, project management and facilianagement, we are optimally positioned to meet the diverse needs of ents, locally and globally. Our professionals approach each client's real needs with a methodology that analyzes the nancial, cultural, operal and strategic impacts of their real estate strategies as they relate to business operations.

Contributing Writers Jess Hagemann, James Krogh, Camille Smith, Aisha Burns, Jordan Gass-Poore, Whitney Runyon, Iesha Boitmann, Ben Haguewood

OPENING

• Tenant Representation

Marketing Erin Fonner

Submissions info@eastsideatx.com

Advertising emma@eastsideatx.com lori@eastsideatx.com

Copyright © 2016 Nillo Studios, LLC. EASTside Magazine is published by Nillo Studios, LLC. No portion may be reproduced without express written consent. Editorial or advertising does not constitute advice, but is rather considered informative. Expressed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ownership.

The Lustre Pearl bar has opened! The new location is CONNECT located at 114 Linden WITH USStreet. The bar is owned by Bridget Dunlap, who has www.eastsideatx.com plans to open up a second location on 94 Rainey Street. The bar features plenty eastsideatxmag of cocktails, beer and food. eastsideatxmag

D: 512.329.2783 M: 936.648.8813 jahernandez@ngkf.com

eastsideatxmag Hours: M-Tue: 4pm - 12am, Wed-Sun: 11am-12am

www.ngkf.com 4 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

OF AUSTIN

Publisher Live Oak Brewing founder Chip McElroy has purchased that 22Nillo Studios acre property to turn into the brewery’s new home, a move that will Creative Director Bowling allow Live Oak to begin canningWill their beers and to double production capacity within a year of moving into a 22,000 sq. ft. brewing facility. Managing Editor Ashley Bowling

We approach each client’s real estate needs with a methodology that analyzes the financial, cultural, operational and strategic impacts of their real estate strategies as they relate to their business operations.

Jacob Hernandez Eastside Austin Specialist

side December 2015

find more at eastsideatx.com

contents

22 features

Editor’s Note 03

20 The Sound of the East Side

EASTside Local 06 Style+Beauty 08 Art+Entertainment 15

For five East Austin bands, their art drives them across the country, but it all starts here. Hikes, Aisha Burns, Roger Sellers of Bayonne, Laura Patiño of Holiday Mountain, and Mariclaire Gamble of The Band MCG tell us what it’s like living in the music.

40 30 A Haven for Austin Musicians Like James Stevens’ early music career, EAR Studio began in a garage. Today its soundproofed walls and soaring ceilings, state-of-the-art equipment and lofted control room would be wholly unrecognizable, save for the occasional motor oil stain on the original concrete floor.

Go+Do 32

34 Mutual Brokenness

Home+Away 39 Sip+Taste 45

46 [the rocking side of austin]

Chris Buster is an unassuming thirty-something with short blond hair and a smile that could melt a cone of rocky road. He’s learned to navigate down his own rocky road and is helping others do the same. eastsideatx.com

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eastside / local

WORDS BY: JORDAN GASS-POORE PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

RIDE ONE, RIDE ALL no matter your size, no matter your reason, you’re welcome here

I

t started out like any other day for Sara Lynn and Aaron Goeth, that is, until the owners of east side-based Windmill Bicycles found themselves caught up in a bike and run.

Aaron recalls the tale with an impish grin. He was sitting merely feet away from the entrance of Windmill Bicycles, repairing the spokes on a bike wheel, when he saw the shop’s tandem bike whoosh past the display window. The tools and tire he had in his lap clinked to the floor when he shot up and ran outside to catch the thieves. Sara Lynn followed suit.

Two strange men pedaled the tandem slowly down Manor Road, having difficulty pedaling in unison. This gave Aaron and Sara ample time to pounce. It was brother

and sister versus the strangers, and it was on like Donkey Kong. They duked it out in broad daylight until bro-sis were declared the winners.

That tandem bike now stands proudly in the middle of Windmill Bicycles. It represents the siblings’ hiring philosophy: “If you’re polite, you’re not gonna get pretty far,” Aaron says.

They’ve hired a few folks that have lasted about as long as a windmill’s revolution. But Kari’s stuck. Sarah’s known her for four years, harkening back to their days as burristas at Zooka’s Burritos in San Marcos.

Kids work here “until they find a real job,” says Aaron, citing former employee and North Carolina native Dean as an exhibit A.

“It’s not for sport or exercise; it’s not ideology or something we have to do.”

6 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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SARA LYNN

“It was rare to find bike shops with female employees,” says Sara.

“Sexism in the bike world wasn’t contained to Austin,” adds Aaron. Sara would go to bike shops in San Francisco, New York, anywhere they were traveling, to see how she would be treated by staff.

“Most(ly male) staff were condescending and rude,” Sara says. She and her brother wanted to change this by opening a bike shop with Sara in the spotlight.

Sara laughs, “I try to pretend I’m not a nerd about bikes but I am.”

contact:

512.215.2395 windmillbicycles@ gmail.com 2209B Manor Rd. WindmillBicycles WindmillBicycles

“Kari didn’t even know how to ride a bike when she was hired,” Aaron recalls. She just posted a message on social media saying she was moving to Austin and needed a job. So, Aaron taught her his Jedi ways, much like he did Sara.

It took about a year for the siblings to get investors on board and work out the logistics. But in 2012, they opened Windmill Bicycles. According to the pair, the shop used to be an office for the nearby El Chito’s restaurant.

Aaron’s Obi Wan were the husband-wife owners of the San Francisco-based bike shop Manifesto.

He worked there while going to grad school. The small “culturally-driven place” served as inspiration for Windmill Bicycles. A Manifesto sticker can be found in the shop as a reminder.

In the three years since the shop opened, they’ve cultivated a loyal clientele of both males and females, with half of all monthly bike sales being from people who don’t or didn’t know how to ride a bike at the time of purchase.

After graduating from Texas State with a geography degree, Sara moved in with Aaron in San Francisco to work for an environmental nonprofit.

The City By The Bay is where she learned to bike commute. From home to work, work to band practice, the siblings’ relationship grew with their physical endurance.

Growing up in San Antonio, Sara and Aaron weren’t close; they’re seven years apart. Now they’re thick as thieves. They continued to be roomies when they moved to Austin’s east side and now only live minutes away from each other.

Aaron and Sara can teach people how to ride a bike, sometimes in a matter of minutes. Now, learning how to bike commute is another story.

“People have to worry about blinkers, parking, locks and helmets,” Sara says, “things recreational bikers may not have to worry about.”

“Bike commuting is worth it though,” adds Sara.

“When riders are able to zoom past Austin rush-hour traffic, waving at drivers, the moment is priceless.”

Native Knowledge:

Windmill Bicycles hosts themed movie nights open to the public.

The house they shared off Holly Street in Austin is where Aaron began fixing bikes, in a back bedroom with a tool setup similar to that of Windmill Bicycles.

“It’s not for sport or exercise; it’s not ideology or something we have to do,” says Sara of biking.

She and Aaron use bikes as transport machines and as a vehicle for their own manifesto: to see more short, female and inexperienced bike riders on the road.

When they began doing research to open their own bike shop, the duo discovered there were none of its kind on the east side.

“It was rare to find bike shops with female employees,” says Sara, a bespectacled twenty-something with a pixie cut.

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eastsideatx.com

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Dust&Drag hand dyed silk chiffon caftan

by Laced With Romance

8 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

find more at eastsideatx.com

Style + beauty

February + March 2016

08 spring

fashion

Classic Threads

No need to wait around for spring to start enjoying the wonderful weather. Here in Austin, we get to jump into spring early. And we’re showing off the classic fashions that are coming back in style with some vintage looks from Laced with Romance.

THOUGH IT’S COLD OUTSIDE, SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

11 beauty

expert

ONE OF AUSTIN’S TOP MAKEUP ARTISTS CHATS WITH US ABOUT HOW SHE THRIVES IN THIS ARTISTIC COMMUNITY.

Vintage 1970s dusty teal cut out floral blouse with vintage cream 1930s hand painted silk pants

by Laced With Romance

10 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

find more at eastsideatx.com

Vintage 1970s Char hand painted leather blazer atop a 1970s dusty teal cut out floral blouse

by Laced With Romance

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Claire Puckett model & musician Receiving her first guitar at 8 years old, Austin native Claire Puckett has played all over the country, most notably with orchestral “none of the above” band Mother Falcon. She cites studying classical guitar as a huge influence on her style, but doesn’t shy from rock-nroll. She played bass in Patches, led by Fabiola Reyna, (who later went on to create the innovative guitar magazine She Shreds), and electric guitar with Hikes on their debut album “Friends.”

Her newest venture is her rock three-piece Ponca, with Nathan Wilkins (of Hikes) and cohort Dwight Smith.

Throughout her involvement with these bands, she has also maintained a solo career under her own name. Claire describes playing music as “a way to make tangible the things we are unable or unwilling to express in everyday life.” motherfalconmusic.com tinyurl.com/ClairePuckett facebook.com/poncamusic patches1.bandcamp.com sheshredsmag.com

Vintage 1930s black and red poppy gown

by Laced With Romance

contacts+credits: Model: Claire Puckett Hair // Makeup // Photo Assistant: Taylor Brandegee | @taydevochka Stylist & Photographer: Jinni J. | @heyjinnij Wardrobe Provided by: Laced with Romance Vintage 512.567.9693 2404 E 7th Street lacedwithromance laced_with_romance

12 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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Q& A eastside / beauty

WITH MAKEUP ARTIST

Maris Malone-Calderon Award winning and internationally known makeup artist and owner of Pearl Hair & Makeup Studio, Maris began her beauty career with a desire to create a job out of an art she truly loved.

What led you into a career in makeup artistry? To be honest, I just wanted to be part of the film and television industry and thought being a makeup artist sounded really awesome!

What were some of the challenges as an up and coming makeup artist? I started

my freelance career in 2004 but was only working part time in Mississippi, not an ideal place to be a makeup artist at the time. I think the only challenge for me was location. Once we moved, it was really easy to build my career. It began to take off about a year after I moved to Austin in 2007.

Any hiccups or embarrassing moments on the way up? There have been times earlier in my career where I forgot tweezers, lashes or some other important item, but I always made it through! That taught me to always keep everything important in my kit at ALL times.

How would you describe your signature style for makeup? Sculpting and highlighting

What do you enjoy most when doing bridal makeup? What inspires you?

What does your creative process look like? The wedding day is such a special day for

a woman. She wants to look the best she’s ever looked but also like herself. I love helping her to find that. My brides inspire me; it’s always about them. I talk a lot to a bride when she comes in about style and what makeup style she wears every day. I start with a basic idea of what they want and then refine as I go along.

Which makeup products are essential?

Personally, I would say mascara, concealer and blush. These products can transform the face.

Describe a perfect day in Austin for Maris. A run at Lady Bird Lake, a little admin

work, makeup for a client or two, then dinner and time with my family.

If you could work with any face in the world, celebrity or otherwise, who would it be and why? It may sound cliché,

natural features. I always want my clients to look like the person who walked in the door with no makeup, only more polished.

but I already work with my dream faces everyday, my clients. I love all the beauty and diversity I see.

What are some of your favorite things about working in the beauty industry?

What do you do to ensure your client is having the best experience? Always being

My clients and work colleagues. I love seeing and talking to them every time I go to work! I also love that I am able to work with clients to find the perfect makeup style for them.

on time, professional and prepared is a must. I am also a firm believer in talking to my clients. I feel it’s really important to understand who they are in order to find the perfect makeup style for them.

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When you aren’t doing makeup, how to you flex your creative muscles? I love to craft for

my home and friends!

What would you like us to know about yourself and your studio? We are a group of

talented, consistent artists, with a passion for our craft and our clients. Our artists are highly skilled, trustworthy, and lead with ethics. We treat everyone with kindness and always value you, your time and your opinions. We strive to achieve perfection for our clients with each and every visit.

contact:

512.499.0570 | pearlaustin.com 1601 E Cesar Chavez St. #101 marismalonecalderon.com pearlhairandmakeup pearlhms

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O U R FAV E E V E N T S

Pick 9

FOR THE EAST SIDE

&

FEBRUARY MARCH Mardi Gras Party with Gumbo Ya Ya Feb. 6, 8pm at Stay Gold Gumbo Ya-Ya is a New Orleans term meaning “everybody talking all at once, at a loud party.”

They’re an Austin-based band combining many different styles into one uncontrollable, danceable, New Orleans style groove. Stay Gold is a groovy new night club on East Cesar Chavez playing live music and serving up hot food from the food trailer Toaster; 21 and older, no cover. staygoldaustin.com | 1910 E Cesar Chavez Street

Nerd Nite

Feb. 10, 7pm Each month The North Door hosts three intellectual obsessives who lead the audience through topics pulled from the ivory towers of academia all the way to the weird basements of geekdom. For the more socially-inclined, The North Door offers speed-dating, friend-matching and a curated pop-up library. Free for all ages. ndvenue.com | 502 Brushy Street

Heckle Her LOVE ME TINDER

Feb 10-13, 8pm; Feb 12, 10pm; Feb 13, 2pm “Love Me Tinder” is Chicago-style musical comedy focused on dating in the digital age.

Catch one of the six performances at the Salvage Vanguard Theater. In this high energy, comedy filled musical revue, “Love Me Tinder” asks, “What is love?” In this day & age, do our screens bring us closer together or tear us apart? Tickets start at $10. salvagevanguard.org 2803 E Manor Road 14 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

La Femme Boheme

Feb. 12-13, 6:30pm Feb 14, 2pm

is returning to regular residency at East Side Showroom, with no cover. East Side Showroom serves up farm-to-table Creole-Italian cuisine. eastsideshowroom.com | 1100 E 6th Street

Modern Homes Tour LOLA Austin presents the very first all-female version of Puccini’s La Boheme at The North Door.

By creating an all-female production of Puccini’s classic opera, La Bohème, they thought it fitting to call the production La Femme Bohème. With a team of highly skilled local talent, a show was born. Tickets are by donation. $25 gets you 2 tickets—check out lolaaustin.org for more details. ndvenue.com | 502 Brushy Street

Spirited Journey Gospel Concert Series

Feb 1 through 29 George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center presents Spirited Journey Concert Series! Plus six days of historical character-led tours and programs that celebrate the African American experience during Black History Month! carvermuseum.org | 1165 Angelina Street

March 5, 10am-5pm The 8th annual Modern Homes Tour Austin is presented by GoodLife Realty. Advance tickets are $30 until the day before the tour. Tickets purchased on day of tour will be $40 dollars at the door of any home on the tour. modernhometouraustin.com

Pirelli World Challenge

March 4 through 6 Kick off the 2016 season with production-based cars from Bentley, Cadillac, Ferrari, McLaren, Maserati, Porsche, and more at the Race Track. Explore the open paddock, get up close to these extraordinary cars and chat with the drivers about their machines. It’s the car you drive, built to race, and it all kicks off soon at Circuit of The Americas. Tickets are $29 for a 1 day pass to $50 for a 3 day pass. circuitoftheamericas.com | 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd.

Austin Blues Society

East Side Dandies

Feb. 25, 10pm Austin’s premiere cracker-jack 1920’s jazz dance band find more at eastsideatx.com

March 31, 8pm Twenty something local blues artists performing throughout the night at the Skylark Lounge. The Austin Blues Society is an organization dedicated to creating higher awareness and a greater appreciation of this historic art form. It exists to represent the past, present, and future of blues music rich history. Cover is $5. austinbluessociety.org | 2039 Airport Blvd.

Arts + entertainment

February + March 2016

16 enter--

tainment SAHARA LOUNGE: CONTINUING PART OF EAST SIDE’S JAZZ HISTORY

18 visual

artist

ART THAT PORTRAYS THE EAST SIDE SO WELL, COMBINING MODERN AND TRADITIONAL, OLD AND NEW, CLASSIC AND SURREAL

Artwork by featured Artist, Joseph Magnano Page 18

Native Knowledge:

• Free parking—ample if haphazard—in the adjacent lot • Stellar back patio with fire pit and monstrous vintage motel sign

16 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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eastside / entertainment

A CULTURAL OASIS SAHARA LOUNGE Eastside venue unique in its vision WORDS BY: JAMES KROGH PHOTO BY: TAMIR KALIFA

For the uninitiated, Sahara Lounge–its ambiance a cross between a psychedelic estate sale and a hostel operated by Sun Ra–embodies Austin eclecticism in decor as well as musical programming.

E

ntranced at the entrance, you may mistakenly think you’ve stumbled decades backward in time within this charmingly shanty venue tucked off Webberville, previous home to T.C.’s Blues Lounge, a bustling juke joint from 1978 to 2011.

A nominal door charge allows visitors unlimited access to the crockpot of tastily seasoned bean stew, situated on the table against the back wall.

To wash down the buffet offerings – a practice held over from the T.C.’s era, most nights worth the price of admission alone – the bar boasts an array of beverages, including Akpateshi, tantalizing rum infused by African spices and herbs.

The walls inside contain a smörgåsbord of cultural treasure and detritus: a glass case of teeth, African maps, a broken trophy, an all-Black rendition of The Last Supper, a bejeweled owl lamp, a lengthy swath of bamboo fence, beaucoups of disco balls...

On Mondays, the place is literally jumping with “lindy hoppers.” Exquisite, old-timey swing, courtesy The Jonathan Doyle Swingtet’s weekly residency, draws oodles of dancers who deftly execute the Charleston and Balboa shuffle as the elastic dance floor cambers beneath them.

Richard Martinez routinely cuts the rug here.

Sipping a Mexican Coke, he credits Sahara’s “rawness” and capacity “to nurture a variety of local scenes, from Jazz to Blues to African music.”

A staple of Sahara’s sonic showcase is Africa Night, every Saturday, featuring stirring house band, Zoumountchi, of which lounge co-owner Eileen Bristol is a founding member.

Bristol’s son is fellow co-owner, Topaz McGarrigle of Golden Dawn Arkestra fame. He says

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their venue, principally staffed by residents of the neighborhood, aims to appeal to a broad base.

“We take pride in bringing a diversity of quality music. Sahara is a place of culture; it’s a place for the community.” McGarrigle, an ATX native who grew up a disciple of jazz, helms a pluricultural vision that would fly in the face of countless Austinites during the Jazz Age. In fact, jazz has been a thriving part of this music capitol’s scene for over a century. In August 1917, The Austin Statesman explained the advent of jazz to their readership: “Born of the jungle, it has reached American cafes and roof gardens as a result of ... sailor-merchants who in the days of our grandfathers exchanged trinkets made in New England for the captives of African warriors.”

By 1924, a huge Ku Klux Klan benefit concert in Austin featured the Rodger & Harris Cowboy Band performing “Original Jazz.”

The next year, the Klan threatened to tar and feather Alphonso Trent‘s orchestra, a popular jazz outfit comprised of Black musicians that repeatedly played at UT. Then, in 1928, the City Plan explicitly resolved to relocate and segregate Black Austinites in the undesirable east side, dubbed “the Negro District.”

Today, Sahara Lounge, a dusty jewel of east Austin, represents a unique coming together of distinct cultures, unified by music, against a striking historical backdrop of racial separateness and exclusion.

contact:

1413 Webberville Rd. SaharaLounge.com

SaharaLoungeATX

eastsideatx.com

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eastside / art

SPACE TO CONNECT from california kid to austin artist: the evolution of finding yourself

WORDS BY: CAMILLE SMITH PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

“Cows are awesome.

They’re not just meat… they’re super curious.”

I

f you google Joseph Magnano, the first image to appear is his mugshot. In March of 2014, Magnano doused the wall of the PRADA MARFA art installation in blue paint and littered the place with TOMS brand paraphernalia and philosophical queries, in an installment he called TOMS Marfa. The act got him arrested, and the subsequent attention has impacted him both personally and professionally. “It was a nightmare.

You tell yourself this is gonna be hot, this is gonna be awesome, the art world is going to embrace it…instead it turned out to be a consequence.” In the wake of his arrest and proceeding soul searching, Magnano found himself asking, “How am I gonna grow from this experience?

Am I just going to be considered a vandal, or am I going to be the artist that I say I am and continue to keep growing?...It’s been a very humbling and humiliating experience.”

In the aftermath of TOMS MARFA, Magnano switched gears. “I grew up from that experience. I don’t really want to be a rebel artist and I’m really not. Getting arrested cost a lot of money. That’s not who I want to be… I don’t really feel like getting ridiculed by the public that doesn’t know me. I’d rather sell a painting to someone that makes them happy. You gotta find the balance between your happiness and the person’s happiness that’s buying it…I gotta find something that connects. Texas has really given me the space to connect.”

Magnano got his start doing commissioned cow paintings after a mural he painted at Baylor University ended up in the newspaper. Magnano has a deep affinity for the gentle giants and loves spending time just sitting and observing them. “Cows are awesome. They’re not just meat…they’re super curious. The cow paintings express love and happiness and color.”

When not painting cows or doing commissioned pet portraits, Magnano explores more subversive subject matter in his personal work. His latest series is entitled Return from Autonomy

18 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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“It was a nightmare.

You tell yourself this is gonna be hot, this is gonna be awesome, the art world is going to embrace it…instead it turned out to be a consequence.”

contact:

and centers on modern day issues such as technology, capitalism, isolation, ego and communication. They feature bold lines and bright colors and utilize whimsical imagery.

info@josephmagnano.com

josephmagnano.com

somuchcolor nice_art_brosef

Magnano has found a niche in the Austin art community and now calls the east side home. While working the Cherrywood Art Fair, Magnano hooked up with Brian Johnson, who’s affiliated with Big Artist Little Artist, and is excited about the opportunity to work with kids in the community. He empathizes with the way kids think and creates pieces with them in mind. Magnano enjoys advocating for the arts and is a champion of his fellow artists.

When asked about his goals for the future, Magnano replied, “I think my next phase in life is to focus on community, friendships, and family and keep making art and keep building on that. Right now I am going through a process of transformation, self-forgiveness, slowing down, removing the ego, and focusing on nonviolent communication.

It’s a practice.”

HOW HE GOT HERE Magnano grew up in the California suburbs and recalls thinking that southern California was the place to be. “I would have loved to have stayed

in California but that’s all I would have been, just a southern Californian and that’s all I would know…

I’d have my prejudices and judgments to the rest of the

world based on my southern California opinion of things. You definitely need to go out and see the world.” Magnano has always loved creating art

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but didn’t know quite how to make a career out of it.

At age 33, he said, “It’s now or never.”

He quit his job as a fungi

salesman and professional chef in Nevada and made his way to the east side of Austin via Seattle, San Francisco, and Brooklyn.

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20 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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THE SOUND of east Austin and beyond

It is in the happy accidents. It’s in the near silent seconds of gentle tape hiss before the sound of what may be the perfect take.

It is your heart pounding at the foot of a stage, somehow feeling the eyes of the expectant crowd, eager for something from you. It is possessing the bravery to share.

It is laughing in camaraderie with your band mates though you’re tired inside, stranded in anywhere USA while your van falls apart. It is both feeling so sure that you have something begging you to create and feeling completely uncertain about it all.

It is day jobs and shared houses. It is highway signs, rest stops, and green rooms. It is listening to yourself and the beauty that rises from a melding of minds. It is both purity and reinvention of a sound. It is ownership of and surrender to the mystery of where the sounds that roam your mind are truly born. It’s the bass drum echoing underfoot. It is in the space between the last note ringing out and the first applause.

This is living in music.

For five East Austin bands, their art drives them across the country, but it all starts here.

WORDS BY: AISHA BURNS

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“I kinda feel like my inner soul is a mix of an old sassy black lady and a fierce drag queen.”

EVERY DAY

IS LIKE A HOLIDAY MOUNTAIN WORDS & PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

22 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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It

would be an exercise in futility to listen and try staying still while Holiday Mountain’s music is on. Everything about them and their music is large and unapologetic. The way they look, the way they move, and most importantly, the way they sound is all about unfettered expression.

Laura Patiño and Xander Kagle made the move to East Austin a few short years ago. “[Free Week] sold me on the city,” explained Laura.

“It was so cool to see how the whole scene could agree on that just because we all love music.”

Xander’s appreciation of Austin comes from its balance as place where one can get stuff done while still living a “sensible and chill life.”

Laura was eager to tackle political issues inspired by Wendy Davis when she first arrived in Austin. But, the mission is becoming more personal and internal. “How can I be these things I’m hoping to find? How can I exude them? How can you be all these things you wish to attain and spread them out to the world?” Laura pondered.

Holiday Mountain’s music is continually evolving. Like any good storyteller, Holiday Mountain uses fiction to tell the truth. “Having a character can allow you to be more vulnerable because the character

“How can I be these things I’m hoping to find? How can I exude them? How can you be all these things you wish to attain and spread them out to the world?”

is an aspect of you,” said Laura, “but you don’t feel as worried about what people might say.”

When it comes to style, Laura listens to little voices in her head.

“I kinda feel like my inner soul is a mix of an old sassy black lady and a fierce drag queen. And they kinda mix together in my head and are like ‘That would look… excellent’, and I’m like, ‘You’re right’,” she laughs.

Holiday Mountain works a lot with Alice (aka xxWitchDoctorxx) when it comes to wardrobe. “Alice is already light years ahead of the style things I think about. We love glitter spandex and wet look pleather.”

For Laura, fashion is about expression and trying to make others around her feel good. “I just feel most comfortable when I look most ridiculous. It’s letting it out in your own unique way.

And, hopefully, if you’re doing it, it’ll make other people feel like it’s okay for them to feel whatever makes them comfortable.”

And sometimes it’s just about pure joy. “It’s the little things in life,” she said, looking down at what she was wearing, smiling.

“I can see the whole rainbow on my arm right now.”

contact:

holidaymountainmusic@gmail.com holidaymountainmusic.com HolidayMountainMusic HolidayMtnMusic

[the rocking side of austin]

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23

something meaningful aisha burns WORDS BY: CAMILLE SMITH PHOTOS BY: ASHLEY HAGUEWOOD

She’s plucking at guitar strings and bowing violin melodies into the air. She’s a self-proclaimed over-thinker. She’s

a

never without her morning cup of joe. She’s strolling down the oldest streets she’s ever lived amongst.

isha’s voice is steady and serene over what seems to be a pensive mind. Born in San Antonio, she moved to Austin in 2005 and was an active player in the music scene for ten years. She’s recently migrated to Massachusetts, and now splits her time between a small town north of Boston and the live music capital of the world.

“I’m continually amazed at the number of musical worlds that exist in Austin,” she says. “The city has so many spaces for bands to play and is home to such a vast number of musicians who’ve formed numerous tight-knit communities. I felt like people around me were constantly working on new projects or honing their live shows. It was so inspiring and exciting. It took leaving to realize how truly special and rare that is.”

With great affection for the city, she admits to feeling unfocused in the months preceding her move. “It’s easy to get distracted with all that’s going on,” she said. “So I decided to pluck myself out of it for a while and move to a place where the pace is a bit slower.” She’s taking advantage of her new-found stillness to focus on her second album, which she plans to record in Austin.

Aisha began playing violin at the age of ten. “It’s the instrument I know most thoroughly, and for a long time it was where I was most comfortable,” she adds.

While studying journalism at the University of Texas, a classmate approached her about a band in need of a violinist. She grappled with the idea for a while, wanting to make a break from her previous incarnation. “I’d been playing violin since I was 10 and had spent so much time and

24 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

energy being an orchestra kid…I think I was enticed by the idea of going to college and becoming someone new, apart from music, apart from violin.”

Nevertheless, she was intrigued, albeit a little apprehensive. “I didn’t know the first thing about writing music,” she said, “especially for a folk band. But I’d dreamed in high school about composing someday, and I’d made up little songs on my own, so I decided to check it out.” The group was Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band (now IDYL), and after one show, Aisha joined the ensemble. Through playing with Dupree, she met Rob Lowe, a founding member of the band Balmorhea, and went on to record several albums with the group.

After returning to her stringed roots, she began experimenting with her vocal abilities--always “singing in secret,” until a group of friends convinced her to take a turn at a house show. If at first she was nervous, eventually she became excited to share her songs and sing in front of people. “They tricked me into doing that,” she laughs.

On her debut solo album, Life in the Midwater, Aisha wrote and performed vocals, guitar, violin and viola, with Travis Chapman of Balmorhea on bass. The album plays as an ethereal daydream that meanders into shadowy territory. “When I’m writing, it’s about something I’m trying to process. It’s all really personal,” Aisha says.

“These songs were written when everything felt like it was in flux. [There are] songs about heartbreak, sorting out my old ideas of spirituality and coming to terms with those ideas shifting, and my

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mother, who passed away from breast cancer.” When asked about the origin of the album’s title, Aisha recounts a passage she read about bioluminescent fish. “They create these brilliant lights that shine through their bodies, but predators are sitting and watching for something to happen to cause the fish to illuminate so they can capture their prey. The author described the fish as being paralyzed with fear.”

Aisha is no fish. Regarding her goals for the future, she prefers to think in small steps. “Right now, my hope is to make a record that I’m really proud of and tour to support it.” So while she’s no fish, she’s no shark either. Aisha is humble and doesn’t appear to be interested in fame and fortune. She isn’t running toward the bright lights of late night, she simply wants to create something meaningful.

In her own words, she wholly desires to, “make music, share it, and build a life out of that”. Look out for Aisha performing live this spring, and in the meantime, you can listen to some of her dreamy work at aishaburns.com.

“What I hope happens is people have some kind of emotional experience of their own. Each song becomes something very special for that person.�

contact:

aishaburnsmusic@gmail.com aishaburns.com balmorheamusic.com aishaburnsmusic aishaburnsmusic

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IN IT TOGETHER HIKES

WORDS BY: AISHA BURNS PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

Fueled by positive thinking, community, and nature, Hikes smiles through meticulous composition and embraces process, as they buckle down for their fifth release.

S

itting down with Hikes is to meet an unbelievable wave of positivity in its most genuine form. It’s evident in the ease with which they burst into laughter, and through the melody-driven, energized melding of technical chops with pop-sensibility that forms a rock sound that’s uniquely theirs. On top of it all is an optimistic drive, unphased by change, that just won’t quit.

“Our band is that very classic story of a bunch of punk and hardcore kids who got older, didn’t want to play [that] anymore, and started listening to jazz and world music,” says bassist, Colin Jenkins. “Hikes is what that sounds like.”

Reminiscent of early 2000’s bands like Owls and Do Make Say Think, Hikes fuses an affinity for heavy music and indie rock with jazz, bossa nova and classical guitar into songs that traverse the space between

26 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

explosive anthems and rolling, delicate grooves.

Guitarist William Kauber and guitarist-vocalist Nathan Wilkins formed Hikes in 2011, and later expanded to a four-piece, adding Jenkins on bass and drummer Chris Long. With four releases under their belt via Raw Paw Records, the band is writing more collaboratively than ever while preparing for an upcoming vinyl split, a full-length record, and a run of shows in Alaska this spring.

Hikes rehearses in east Austin, where most of the group has recorded, worked and resided for years.

Although Long’s seen businesses demolished near his Ceasar Chavez pottery workspace, and Jenkins’ east side home was leveled for condo construction, the group’s unshaken in the face of east Austin’s changing creative landscape.

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“It’s a really important part of being on tour, those connections with people,” Long says. “If you’re not going and doing that, you’re missing out on something that you could learn a lot from. Outside of playing the actual show, it’s definitely my favorite part.”

“I think everything getting pushed around is just pushing people into venues, and the quality of venues is increasing,” says Wilkins. “I think the scene is stronger than ever.” They dote on Austin’s vibrant network of eager artists and encouraging environment.

“It just puts the fire under your ass in a different way, because you can’t stop this kind of change from happening,” adds Long. “This is organic growth that a city does. There’s a lot of good and uncomfortable things that come with it, but you just have to work harder and understand it better and push yourself more.” This kind of drive is Hikes in a nutshell.

They revel in working hard, working together, and fostering community at their shows.

“It’s a really important part of being on tour, those connections with people.” Long says. “You can meet really cool people and have a beautiful, heart-opening time.”

contact:

hikesmusic512@gmail.com hikes.bandcamp.com/album/hikes

hikesmusic

[the rocking side of austin]

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Bayonne Formally known as Roger Sellers WORDS & PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

R

oger Sellers is not a DJ. He never was. And, now he is no longer Roger Sellers…sort of. Sellers is now performing his electronic music under the name Bayonne. There are several reasons for this, but at least now, there will be less confusion when someone goes to check out a ‘Roger Sellers’ show, expecting electronic music and witnesses an acoustic set.

such competitive territory. “It just means crowds are tough, the industry is tough. Keep pushing, work on your craft.

Play and share as much as possible.”

“I did it for 6 years without getting paid,” he says. Roger was able to quit his day job making sandwiches at Thundercloud Sub’s just last year and is just now able to make a modest living off his music. “I think this is where the actual work comes in.”

We are sitting on the back patio of Rio Rita’s, our usual spot for drinks, snacks and conversation.

We’ve known each other for some time, and we’ve been all across the country together on both East and West Coast tours.

We skip the details and dive right into bigger ideas.

The work isn’t just about music and industry. There are lessons to be learned about being human. He talks about his experiences opening for bigger acts like Khaki King, Ghostland Observatory, Battles and more. “It’s always nice when a headlining artist reaches out to you. That always means something because I know how tired they are,” Roger says.

“I think we’re in a golden age of media,” Roger says. “There’s so much great shit everywhere. So many artists. Television shows are like movies now, so incredibly made.”

Aaron Behrens of Ghostland spent 45 minutes chatting with Roger before a show, asking questions about Mom and Pop, swapping stories. “He was just so involved and sweet. If nothing else, that teaches me that if I’m ever to make it to a certain point, I want to be that way to others. I want people to say ‘Yeah, he’s actually a really sweet, awesome dude.’”

The single responsible entity for all of this faces little dispute.

“The internet,” he says. “There’s a lot of things that do suck about it, but it’s collectively come together and the best of the best are working together now. People are sharing ideas more than ever, and there’s this ‘same idea’ that we’re all working toward.”

Roger feels that if his album had come out five years earlier, it may not have been as well received. But, because of the internet, people are more open to new and strange things. That’s just speculation. What we know is that people are gravitating toward this new and interesting sound that Bayonne provides.

Bayonne is also signed to a 28 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

mindie (major indie label), and he now has a team guiding his every step. Everything is in place, but there is no guarantee.

“The whole team is there. It’s just a matter of ‘can we do it’? Can this be a reality? Can it be prolonged?”

Roger takes it one day at a time.

When asked about Austin, and

why he’s decided to stick around his response is simple, and humble: “The crowd in Austin really gives a shit. Austin has been very kind. I’ve lucked out. That’s all I can really say about it.”

“If you have nothing going, it doesn’t mean you suck,” Roger adds, thinking of other musicians who may be up and coming and struggling in

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Keep an eye out for Bayonne’s album Primitives to be released under Mom and Pop Records in February before it is released worldwide.

contact:

rogersellersmusic@gmail.com bayonnemusic.com

bayonne bayonnemusic

“Music has given us so much, so instead of being a constant consumer I want to give too, I want to be a part of adding instead of just subtracting…”

-Drew founder and front-woman of MCG and the curator of the current lineup. Mariclaire started playing music with her brother Evan, but when he left to pursue an acting career, she stayed to see her musical dream to fruition.

After writing and releasing her own songs on guitar, she started craving a bigger sound and a more collaborative process. “I was tired of having my own self to bounce ideas off of …I just knew I needed to gather these guys together,” she says, “but then I had no idea what to do next. I need you to be in a band with me, then I need you to teach me how to be in a band.” The guys she’s referring to are Cesak (bass), Andrew Bennett (guitar/ synth/backup vocals), Drew Silverman (drums) and David Tenczar (rhythm guitar/backup vocals).

Love is in The Outside with The Band MCG WORDS BY: CAMILLE SMITH PHOTOS BY: ASHLEY HAGUEWOOD

The five members of MCG share a love of creating and playing music as well as a love for each other that is easy to see both onstage and off.

I

t’s January in Texas, and the audience at the outdoor venue is dressed in parkas and huddled together under a lone patio heater. Onstage Mariclaire Gamble, MC to her band mates, bounces around in a coon skin cap, panty-hosed legs seemingly impervious to the bitter cold. She alternates between pounding on the synthesizer and belting out loaded lyrics. Behind her, the guys in the band exchange grins and slap their respective instruments; a palpable sensation of excitement fills the air. It is hard to know whether everyone on stage is in high spirits because of the cold or in spite of it, but one thing is clear: they are enjoying what they are doing. As the band plays

on, a lone dancer hitch kicks his way into our collective memory, the band beckons the crowd closer and the energy builds. People trickle in, the cold is harsh but it doesn’t subdue the vibe.

Everywhere you look you can see heads bobbing, shoulders bouncing, and fans being born. This is a night for MCG to be proud of.

The five members of MCG share a love of creating and playing music as well as a love for each other that is easy to see both onstage and off. Watching the boys in the band gather around Mariclaire is like watching planets orbit a humble sun. Mariclaire is tall and stately, but “a passive leader” by her own definition; she is seemingly shy and unassuming. She is the

[the rocking side of austin]

“We all joined this band because we all really believe in Mariclaire,” says Andrew. “Since this band came together, we have been actively building this new sound that represents all of us,” he adds. The sound itself is born from a blend of shared influences including Fleetwood Mac, Metric, Jamiroquai and the Cardigans.

It is pop rock performed with passion. The band just recorded their first EP together titled The Outside, and the experience has only deepened their commitment to each other and their musical goals. “Of all the bands I’ve been in, this band has the best work ethic and the most care for each other,” says Andrew. “We hold each other accountable as friends but also as musicians,” adds Mariclaire. “The song comes first.” The band sees music as a “celebration of life” in the otherwise mundane daily details. “When I think about music, I think about it in a very personal way. I remember the first time I walked into a cool record store I was blown away, ‘I want something that I made on that shelf.’ Now we do that, that’s part of our life, so that’s what I think about when I think about music,” says David.

“It’s nurturing to your soul, it’s part of being human,” adds Andrew. “In practice [we’re] wrestling through those ideas, putting our heart on our sleeve…you get on stage and you see people dance and laugh, and it’s very humanizing. But if we could come down from the clouds,” Andrews says with a chuckle, “we really just want people to buy our albums, enjoy our music, and come to our shows.”

contact:

MCGtheband@gmail.com mcgtheband.com MCGtheband MCGtheband MCGtheband

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EAST AUSTIN RECORDING STUDIO A Haven and a Vehicle for Austin Musicians James Stevens built a recording studio in his East Austin backyard because music goes everywhere that he does. Having grown up in a tiny Mississippi town where “the only things to do were skateboard and play in a band.” James formed his first garage rock group at age twelve, before eventually following his indie dreams to Austin. These days, the now forty-two-year-old singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist fronts local foursome Moonlight Towers (est. 2001), named of course for the self-same structures that have graced Austin’s streets since 1894. It is at James’s East Austin Recording (EAR) Studio that Moonlight Towers, in between EAR Studio’s other clients, cuts each of its new records.

WORDS BY: JESS HAGEMANN PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

James still prizes his first guitar: a 1961 Gibson Epiphone, on display in EAR Studio.

30 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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Like James’s early music career, EAR Studio began in a garage. Today its soundproofed walls and soaring ceilings, state-of-the-art equipment and lofted control room would be wholly unrecognizable, save for the occasional motor oil stain on the original concrete floor.

James hand-built EAR Studio’s mobile acoustic panels, allowing him to rearrange the panels as necessary to capture the best sound.

EAR Studio is actually James’s second attempt at the venture: his first studio opened in South Austin over a decade ago.

Along with business partner and veteran Austin musician Stephen Doster, James chose East Austin for round two after driving around and noting the neighborhood’s quirky, artist-centric vibe, as well as the more relaxed zoning restrictions that made building an on-site studio possible. Like James’s early music career, EAR Studio began in a garage.

Today its soundproofed walls and soaring ceilings, state-ofthe-art equipment and lofted control room would be wholly unrecognizable, save for the occasional motor oil stain on the original concrete floor.

From its secluded perch on 11th Street, EAR Studio is easily spotted by its trademark turquoise exterior and bright orange door. Inside, comfortable couches, vintage guitars, and plenty of natural sunlight (James says it helps offset his “studio tan”) make the space ultra-inviting, and its proprietor is no different. Quick to smile and laugh, James recalls EAR Studio’s first paying client in 2007: it was, as he says, a true “trial by fire.” Waiting impatiently by the red Southwestern Bell telephone for someone—anyone—to call, James couldn’t believe it when the phone finally rang and the WOXY radio station of Cincinnati fame was on the other end of the line.

WOXY booked EAR Studio for the whole week of SXSW, using James’s baby as a live broadcasting studio for up to five different bands a day. “I learned my studio very well that week,” cracks James. More than just a lucky break, he knew they could handle pretty much anything after that; and indeed, EAR Studio currently works with acts from as far away as Scotland.

While he won’t admit to recording a “favorite” act, James just wrapped up a memorable session with Austin’s own Lower Class Brats. A hardcore punk group with a “Street Noize” sound, James’s 10-year-old daughter Scarlet especially liked the guys’ “spiky hair and leather.” (Scarlet, by the way, “dabbles” with the bass but hasn’t taken up her dad’s obsession— yet). EAR Studio records and/or mixes everything from bluegrass to jazz, and James loves it all. What really does it for him is an astonishing vocal performance, of which he’s heard many (and humbly) over the years. James and Stephen host 20+ acts annually. To schedule a tour or book a session with EAR Studio, check out their website.

contact:

East 11th Street 512.440.7218 earstudioaustin.com info@earstudioaustin.com

EAR-Studio [the rocking side of austin]

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5

eastside / go

days Kids Eat Free a Feed the Fam for Next to Nothing! Check week out our 10 picks of local spots to fill the little

SUNDAYS

MONDAYS

Wingzup

Café Hornitos

One free kids meal with each adult meal purchased, all day long. They also offer bottled beers for $3 on Sundays. wingzup.com 1000 E 41st St, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 323-2587

Mama Fu’s

All day, 11am-9pm, kids eat free with the purchase of an adult entree. Dine in only. mamafus.com 100 Colorado St. Austin, TX 78701 (512) 637-6774

Kids 10 and under receive a free kid’s menu item with purchase of an adult entree, until 7pm. cafehornitos.com 3704 North I H 35, Austin, TX 78705 (512) 524-4195

Cafe Mueller at HEB

Kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal over $8, 4pm - 9pm.

1801 E 51st St, Austin, TX 78723 (512) 236-1020

32 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

and the large appetites alike.

Tres Amigos Restaurant & Cantina

For each adult entree purchased, one child eats free, 4pm-close.

tresamigosehwy290.com 7535 U.S. 290, Austin, TX 78723 (512) 926-4441

TUESDAYS Baby Acapulco

One free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree, 5pm-10pm. babyacapulco.com 5610 N IH 35, Austin, TX 78751 (512) 302-1366

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Kerbey Lane Cafe

All day long, kids under 12 years of age receive a free kids menu meal and drink. kerbeylanecafe.com 2606 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705 (512) 477-5717

Jamba Juice

Free kids smoothie for children ages 1-12 years with the purchase of any drink, all day long. jambajuice.com 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd., Ste. 1295, Austin, TX 78723 (512) 482-9722

WEDNESDAYS EZ Cafe

One free kids meal per adult entree purchased, 5pm-close. ezsrestaurants.com 3918 N. Lamar Austin, TX 78756 (512) 302-1800

SATURDAYS Texas Land & Cattle Steak House Kids eat free after 4pm with purchase of an adult meal.

texaslandandcattle.com 6007 North I H 35, Austin, TX 78746 (512) 451-6555

Godo+

February + March 2016

34 go eat

FEEDING THE FAMILY IS NO SMALL TASK. EASTSIDE SIMPLIFIES IT FOR YOU AT LOCAL ‘KIDS EAT FREE’ SPOTS.

36 go &

make a difference

WE HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD THAN ANY OTHER TIME IN HISTORY. ASK HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.

40 do

palates PHOTO BY: RACHEL SAWYER

DEEPLY CARE FOR YOUR BODY WHILE GETTING IN SHAPE

34 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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MUTUAL BROKENNESS How do we know if our idea of help is what people actually need?

What would happen if we offered excellent eduction— the best education in the country—to those with the least access to any education? The Makarios school on the north coast of the Dominican Republic arose from that very question.

PHOTO BY: ERIC MORALES

WORDS BY: IESHA BOITMANN PHOTOS BY: RACHEL SAWYER

[the rocking side of austin]

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35

to find that many would be returning to my doorstep later that week,” he laughs.

His mother stressed the importance of giving back, no matter how little they had.

They were never victims, but generous givers of what they could give, and thankful recipients of what was given to them. “She pushed us to have grateful hearts,” Chris recalls.

When asked how he relates to the Makarios students, who live on very little, Chris made a point to emphasize that we all have opportunities. That’s how he chooses to relate rather than focusing on the lack of materials. “The worst thing we can do is make ourselves needed. We empower through education and relationships and create opportunities. We want to work our way out of a job.”

PHOTO BY: ERIC MORALES

The key to the success of Makarios is summed up in one word: intentionality. They are not interested in just doing good. They intend to impact generations and change the future of the Dominican Republic. This goal is not an easy one to reach, but the staff and the supports of Makarios are dedicated to being catalysts for change through relationships that empower.

“It has to start with relationship,” says Executive Director, Chris Buster. “When you intend to impact generations, you have to be willing to listen to their needs and invest in sustainable solutions. Too often, people decide what others need without asking. We are committed to providing hope and maintaining the dignity of our students and their families.” Relationships that empower begin with a healthy perspective of what poverty is.

This perspective is foundational for Makarios. They do not operate from a position pity for others; it’s about understanding that we all have a need for encouragement, friendship, education, and hope. The Makarios staff and their students exchange hope through relationship.

Reflecting on the experiences of poverty is not foreign to Chris Buster, Executive Director of Makarios. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Fort Worth, he was often on the receiving end of generosity from others. Chris’s leadership draws from his experiences receiving gifts that empowered him and gifts that made him feel undervalued.

“I remember taking cans to school for the canned food drives, only

“Until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do more harm than good. [We] sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that [we] use to fulfill [our] own need to accomplish something.”

–When Helping Hurts

36 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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Chris can recall very few times in his life where tangible gifts alone were empowering. At 23, he was living without insurance when he was diagnosed with cancer. The medical bills became overwhelming very quickly. When a friend heard about what Chris was going through and stepped in to cover the entire cost of his surgery, Chris was humbled and grateful. “It was so impactful because it came from someone I knew well. I was working hard, and I needed help. It was the relationship that made the difference.”

Makarios encourages mission-trip teams to make friends, build relationships, and connect with the students and staff. It is much easier to give tangible gifts than to invest time in someone daily, but the investment produces more fruitful results: life transformation on both ends.

Makarios takes a holistic approach towards helping alleviate poverty.

They strive to help maintain, and focus on creating a cycle of hope.

It is the students’ relationships with their teachers and other staff that empower them to overcome their circumstances. “Children don’t have the ability to help themselves,” Chris explains. “That’s why we start there. We want the students to know that they can give back to their community no matter

“When you intend to impact generations, you have to be willing listen to their needs and invest in sustainable solutions.

Too often, people decide what others need without asking.”

what age they are.”

Chris is visibly brighter when he speaks about those who make this organization run.

“There are two groups of people who carry out the vision of Makarios: the donors and the staff. I am honored to be working with a staff of Dominicans, Haitians, and Americans who pour out their hearts for these children.

We have a lot of dedicated professionals who have moved their families to the Dominican Republic to work with us.”

The school now houses over 150 students from surrounding Haitian and Dominican communities, and that number increases every year. They are providing quality education for children ages 2-12. Makarios’ goal is

to expand the school by one grade per year until they have the first high school graduating class, all grades being dual language, and with the possibility of the organization starting a vocational school. Makarios is able to provide several opportunities throughout the year for people who wish to serve the children. As they expand, sponsorship and partnership opportunities grow as well.

“The students we work with empower us to do the work that we do,” Chris says, “and we want to celebrate them and share their stories with others.” Makarios’ work challenges us in how we think about our impact and the value of our resources. It’s clear there’s a part for each of us to play.

[the rocking side of austin]

Enjoy a cup of coffee from their partner coffee shop Dominican Joe, here in Austin, where pictures of Makarios students cover the walls.

Proceeds from sales benefit the Makarios’ school and their sustainable education, outreach, and medical programs.

contact:

markariosinternational.org 512.589.9018

makariosintl MakDR makdr eastsideatx.com

37

eastside / do “Pilates transformed my body, and I can help you do the same.”

-Matthew Carney

V-BODIES WORDS & PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

Combining the best proven methods for a healthy, strong body

M

atthew Carney is the founder and trainer at V-Bodies. His personality is what you might expect: high energy and mentally positive. But Carney’s approach to training is vastly different from what one might think. It’s not just all about pumping iron. In fact, Carney has had to invent a new machine to meet his ideal training regimen.

“A combination of Pilates principles, weight training, and other athletic training techniques are the foundation of VBodies.”

Carney has filed for provisional patents on the machine that he has created and brought to life. The machine is called Powerformer.

Carney’s goal is to create leaner, more

38 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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supple and youthful bodies by using a blend of strength, limbering, and metabolic training while maintaining complete body awareness. The exercises are low-impact and easy on the joints and spine.

The training sessions only have up to 3 people in a workout, so clients get a sense of both group and personalized fitness training. The best of both worlds! Stop by or call to set up a free introductory workout.

contact:

512.585.4975 4600 Mueller Blvd, Suite 1005 vbodiesfitness.com Vbodiesfitness MatthewVBodies

Home + away February + March 2016 Surprise your love with a weekend escape to the city of lights.

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4O home

TALENTED EAST SIDE DESIGNER & STYLIST BRINGS SOPHISTICATION AND COMFORT TO AN EAST AUSTIN TOWNHOUSE.

44 away SWEEP YOUR

VALENTINE OFF THEIR FEET WITH A GET AWAY TO ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC CITIES IN THE WORLD.

eastside / home

A

sk Ann Lowe Edgerton, 29, who her favorite artist is, and this design guru will light up over Donald Judd, the father of American minimalism.

“I like clean lines and open, well-organized spaces,” Ann extols; such is the aesthetic she brings to her east Austin business, Ann Edgerton Interiors & Styling. Making spaces beautiful since 2011, when Ann partnered with the local restauranteur behind culinary wonder Contigo to facilitate a “complete dining experience,” she draws on both her studio art background and her genuine love of all things funky and functional to decorate a space. “I will stay up late. I will have all the excitement anyone could possibly have,” when it comes to creating the perfect environment, Ann says—the “perfect environment” being one that celebrates her clients’ personalities while maintaining a desired “mood” and minimizing clutter.

Those who have patronized Contigo are familiar with its outdoorsy rustic charm, featuring lots of natural wood, handmade tiles, and iron accents. After seeing what their daughter could do with everything from lighting to seating, Bruce and Martha Lowe hired Ann to decorate their vacation home on the Llano River and then their permanent residence in the Mueller neighborhood on Page Street. From these early forays into both commercial and residential space development, Ann built a portfolio that soon attracted commissions for numerous other Austin area homes, as well as downtown office spaces like PGI Studios, now housed in the renovated La Zona Rosa nightclub.

WORLDLY SOPHISTICATION

meets

COMFY&NEW

Shared taste and an appreciation for the family’s global treasures helped designer Ann Edgerton take a couple’s east Austin townhouse from spec to spectacular.

PHOTOS BY: MOLLY WINTERS WORDS BY: JESS HAGEMANN PRODUCED BY: ASHLEY BOWLING 40 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

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For Bruce and Martha’s townhouse on Page Street, the design is rooted in tradition with a fresh modern edge. Ann explains, “The house was well-laid out but generic and impersonal before we made our additions.”

The goal was to make the home feel more sophisticated than their Llano River house (since we are in the city), but also keep it earthy, globally-inspired, and mostly comfortable. Classic fabrics were used, yet not precious, so that one could always find a space to flop down and read a book or a newspaper. Rich woods bring depth to each space while peaceful color palettes of grays and blues shift emphasis from room to room. The chocolate and sandstone colored linens confidently combine with more refined metals such as chrome and brass, giving each space an earthy elemental character with a touch of sophistication.

This is home owner, Martha’s, favorite space in the house. “It is such a cozy place to drink a cup of coffee with the morning newspaper or sip a glass of wine while someone is prepping away in the kitchen.” The clients had a sitting area like this in their previous home they used all the time.

There was no need for another eating area in the kitchen since they had an island bar. “After implementing this,“ Ann advises, “a small seating area near the kitchen is very much worth incorporating into a design.”

alhweddings.com info@alhweddings.com

“The clients have traveled all over the world so I had some beautiful objects and art to work with,” Ann enthuses. “I wanted to create a space where these objects were allowed to tell their story and compliment other elements of the home. So we added rugs with ethnic patterns, horned lamps, bone bowls, and handmade rugs from around the world.” In Bruce’s office, Austin woodworker Brian Chilton built rustic modern bookshelves made from reclaimed longleaf pine accented with black metal showing off its purity in form. Martha’s office features a custom wall-desk with a natural pecan surface held up by sleek black cabinets by TreeHouse, an Austin supplier that Ann calls an “eco-Home Depot for whole kitchen design.”

Copious shelving is incorporated into nearly all of Ann’s designs because good organization reduces the amount of “stuff” needed (especially when a client is downsizing space) while making it easy to display family

“treasures.” “People rarely think to go up,” she explains, “but it’s like, use the walls!” Vertical storage turns unused space into a place for story-telling.

For Bruce and Martha, that means showcasing their many artifacts from a lifetime of travel on clean shelving that Ann designed. It was important to them to use the space extremely efficiently since they were losing so many square feet moving from Midland, Texas where everything is bigger. A wall-to-wall custom built in storage system is also on display in the living room in order to maximize and organize the space. “Since this is the only living room, I wanted it to be able to be lived in and not just look good,” Ann explains.

“In the end, the space feels open and airy because there is little clutter and everything is displayed on a shelf or concealed inside of cabinets.”

Ann’s own tastes tend toward the found and the vintage— pieces that are truly one-of-a-

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Martha’s sleek and eclectic office boasts colorful botany posters from Uncommon Objects complimented by a rug from the Austin Antique Mall. These two lively elements balance the neutral surfaces in the room elegantly.

kind, and that you won’t find anywhere else. She scours thrift shops and antique malls, consignment stores and flea markets to source everything from furniture to wall art. When she has a concrete idea for what she wants in her head, Ann will wait patiently for as long as it takes to uncover the perfect mid-century lamp or native rug, because it makes each space in the project unique. The Page Street project boasts a heavy tree stump table in the middle of the living room.

Ann recounts the process of 42 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

hunting that center piece down.

“We needed something very specific in that space since we had two elegant swivel chairs, and a comfy sofa in a small area.

It needed to be very minimal in order to not overwhelm the space. We found this super sturdy piece at Uptown Modern and knew it was perfect. It has the tulip base that keeps it open and not too chunky, and the top is super heavy and sturdy so you can put your feet up on it, kick back and relax. Plus it swivels which is just fun.” find more at eastsideatx.com

In addition to decorating, half of Ann’s business takes the form of “styling,” or staging spaces for photoshoots. Big-name magazines including Good Housekeeping and Country Living have hired Ann to style spaces for their shoots, as have local architecture firms. For these quick turnarounds, Ann brings in props and makes minor furniture arrangement and color palette tweaks to instantly transform a space. Ann offers the same service for as little as $100 to home consultation clients who just want to explore the possibilities for better working with the decor they already have. “[Decorating] is really what I love, what I really want to do,” she affirms. “Being creative, and being able to express yourself— it’s vital.”

The dining set was a mid-century find from Uptown Modern and is anchored by a minimalist modern light fixture from Pottery Barn.

The Page Street project is now one of many projects under Ann’s creative hat, but it will always be a “special one because the clients are my parents who I respect and am constantly inspired by. It was an honor and joy to get to work with them.”

contact:

ALHWEDDINGS.COM INFO@ALHWEDDINGS.COM 512.431.4161

annedgerton.com annlowedesign@gmail.com

annedgerton

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eastside / away

A Weekend In

PARIS

the city of lights

walk from Sacre Coeur to the Moulin Rouge. You can invest in tickets for a show, or simply snap photos in front of its windmill.

DESPITE RECENT TRAGEDY, PARIS IS HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN THE WORLD, MAKING IT A REWARDING TRAVEL DESTINATION, EVEN FOR JUST A WEEKEND. WORDS BY: ERIN FONNER

Friday Stay at the Artus Hotel. A boutique hotel in the St. Germain district, Artus provides a delicious full breakfast and a central location.

Wander through the streets of Saint Germaindes-Prés, taking in the sights and sounds of Old Europe. Stop for a coffee or a glass of wine or a leisurely bite to eat at one of the many cafés along the way. Walk to the Notre Dame Cathedral

if you go

to appreciate its French Gothic architecture and intricate stained glass.

Entrance is free. There’s a fabulous crêperie next to Notre Dame if you’ve got the grumbles. The egg, ham, and cheese crêpe is mouth-watering good.

Visit the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in the Latin Quarter.

Enjoy dinner along Rue de la Huchette and watch the lively university atmosphere created by the nearby Université Paris-Sorbonne.

Getting Around:

The metro is the best way to get around. Buy a tenpack of tickets, and watch out for pickpockets.

44 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

Sunday Saturday Walk along the Seine to the Musee du Louvre. It can take up to a week to see everything inside, so save that for your next visit. Instead, admire the iconic Pyramide du Louvre, which serves as the Louvre’s main entrance.

Stroll through Le Jardin des Tuileries, a sprawling green space stretching from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde. Pass by the Egyptian Obelisk and head down the Champs-

Security:

Register for the U.S. State Department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive security messages and communicate with officials in the event of an emergency.

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Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.

From there, hop on the Metro and take it up to bohemian Montmarte (Metro stop Anvers) to enjoy lunch in one of the eateries surrounding the artists’ square. Take the funicular, or the stairs, up to the famous Basilica Sacre-Coeur to catch a breath-taking view of the city and admire the stunning white domes and intricate golden mosaics. Entrance is free.

It’s about a 20 minute

Forecast:

Expect springtime highs

in the 50s and lows in the 40s. April and May are the rainiest months.

Arrive early at the Musee D’Orsay and admire the impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and others.

Relax in the Luxembourg Gardens. Pack a picnic, or enjoy traditional French cuisine at nearby Le Petit Medicis. Reservations recommended.

Cap off your visit by seeing the Eiffel Tower by night. Its lights twinkle every hour on the hour, and it is truly breathtaking. C’est magnifique!

Who to follow on Twitter: @ParisJeTaime @Paris @Paris_Is_Paris

Sip + taste February + March 2016

46 taste feature FUKUMOTO - A TRUE JAPANESE PUB

48 taste

expert

OUTDOOR TEX-MEX WITH TAYLOR CHAMBERS

51 sip

feature MOVE OVER MOSCOW MULE THERE’S A NEW LADY IN TOWN.

Fukumoto’s

local vegetables artfully arranged atop a shallow reservoir of delicate sesame dressing

eastside / taste

SEA Smoke AND

CHEF KAZU

fukumoto

DOES TRUE IZAKAYA AND SUSHI JAPANESE PUB STYLE WORDS BY: BEN HAGUEWOOD PHOTOS BY: ASHLEY HAGUEWOOD

46 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

find more at eastsideatx.com

urchin marinated jellyfish), ochappa dai (green tea fed snapper – yes, fed!), hotate (Hokkado scallop), and many more. Can’t decide? Eat Omakase style (chef ’s tasting selection), and the chef will make the ideal selections based on a diner’s preference, budget, and courage. This is the kind of place you want to do this, because proud tend to be generous chefs.

This is not to say that there aren’t creative flourishes. There are in the form of updated presentations of Japanese classics using the best ingredients: dashi braised daikon smothered in a long-simmered curry that would delight a Japanese grandmother, local vegetables artfully arranged atop a shallow reservoir of delicate sesame dressing, cornflake-crusted shrimp with Japanese tartar sauce, and other creations that change daily to include imaginative preparations of a diverse crew of chefs that drive the open kitchen.

E

ngland has its pub. Germany has its bierpalast. Japan is home to the izakaya - casual after-work bars with sushi, Yakitori, tempura, comforting classics, and ample pours of shōchū, sake (the root word of izikaya), and cold lager. It is no surprise that Japan’s notoriously immoderate work schedules have a corollary drinking establishment. And Izakaya Fukumoto has plentiful options on traditional Japanese drinks for any taste. Food, however, is the focus.

The star of the menu though is the Yakitori, of which there are many imitators, but which Chef Fukumoto has meticulously reconstituted. Chicken thigh, neck, heart, and butts (the fatty tip of the tail), salmon, octopus, beef tongue, and pork belly seared just centimeters away from glowing binchō-tan (hot-burning Japanese Oak coals) that give the meats their clean, crisp char.

The doors open at 4:30 for drinks and the kitchen at 5:00 - just in time - and once they close behind you, you’re welcomed into an amplitude of warmth and ease, the dining room filled with greetings, just-loud-enough music, grill smoke, and liberal pours, more than enough to celebrate the closing bell – or wash it away.

NATIVE KNOWLEDGE

THREE HOURS VALIDATED GARAGE PARKING IS AVAILABLE IN THE CORAZON BUILDING LOCATED ON SAN MARCOS STREET BETWEEN 5TH & 6TH STREETS.

contact:

512.770.6880 514 Medina St. fukumotoaustin.com Fukumoto-Sushi-Yakitori-Izakaya fukumotoaustin

Kazu Fukumoto has been in Austin over sixteen years, but the most Texan things on the menu are the fresh produce, quail eggs, and various cuts of chicken – destined for the traditional Japanese grill – sourced mere miles from Izikaya Fukumoto’s Sixth Street location.

The fish comes from an expert purveyor that scours markets in Japan, basically on demand, to send the latest catch to Izakaya Fukumoto (via direct flight to Houston). Fresh is an understatement.

Relying on the quality and freshness of the ingredients, the menu is wonderfully direct.

The conviction is implied that food should taste like itself rather than masquerade in a costume of mayonnaise and sweet sauces.

The fluid sushi menu features familiar pieces one expects at the best sushi restaurants – beautifully striated fatty salmon and tuna belly and creamy slabs of uni (sea urchin roe) – but also many that will arouse even the most seasoned sushi fanatic: uni-kurage (sea

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eastside / chef de cuisine

CHEF DE CUISINE with Taylor Chambers

SMOKE &FIRE primitive cooking never tasted better

F

WORDS BY: ASHLEY BOWLING PHOTOS BY: ERIC MORALES

rom dishwasher in the valley (Texas valley that is) to Sous Chef at one of Austin’s most popular restaurants, Taylor Chambers is up and coming! EASTside Magazine spent the day with him as he shared his secrets and passion for cooking Texas Bistro cuisine.

Living and working on the east side, most nights you can find Taylor at Justine’s on East 5th. Justine’s is a “true French brasserie,” serving up old-fashioned Gallic comfort food in a lively atmosphere. On a busy evening, there are four chefs on the line serving an average of

48 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

300 guests. “It’s like a finely tuned machine,” Taylor explains. “It takes rhythm & pattern.”

As the restaurant gets busier, they turn up the beats per minute. “Cooking with the team at Justine’s is a lot like playing in a band. Everybody working in perfect harmony to reach a common goal, making something beautiful, and entertaining the audience. And when the show is over, there’s a party.”

There is something about soul and passion that beautifully intertwines music and cooking.

Taylor adds, “Whether at home or at work, I cannot cook without music.” As Taylor cooked

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for us in his home off Springdale, we listened to tunes like Sweet Little Angle by BB King and Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire. The meatballs were baked in a clay roasting pot over hot coals in his backyard. Taylor reminisces as he talks about his earliest memories, “I like to cook with fire because it reminds me of my childhood. Growing up in Boy Scouts, I often built fires with my dad. The smell of the smoke is comforting to me. It’s as if the rest of the world disappears when I sit in front of a campfire.”

Taylor dreams of the day when he will open his own restaurant, cooking most dishes (if not all) over an open flame.

Albondigas with Spanish Rice Pilaf SEE PAGE 50 FOR FULL RECIPE

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eastside / chef de cuisine

Albondigas with Spanish Rice Pilaf /AL’BAN’DI’GES/ NOUN SMALL MEATBALLS, PREPARED IN THE MEXICAN, SPANISH, OR SOUTH AMERICAN WAY.

chili sauce

15-20 Dried Chilis (Ancho, Chipotle, Guajillo) 1-2 t. Vinegar Salt to taste

telling your story

Fill pot with water to cover chilis. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Let them steep for about 1 hour, covered. Remove from heat, and reserve the chili water. De-stem the chilis. Blend chilis in food processor with reserved chili water. (Caution: Do not place lid over blender if chili water is hot. Cover blender with a kitchen towel instead.) Blend to the consistency of marinara—add water as needed. Pour sauce through a strainer or sifter to remove the seeds from the sauce. Add a few teaspoons of vinegar and salt to taste.

meatballs

The most important step in making a meatball is what’s called the “Primary Bind” when the meat and the fat, needed together make a compound structure easy enough to bind together without your typical binding agent.

In other words, if you mix the meat well, you do not need a binding agent such as flour, eggs or cream. Voila! A gluten free meatball.

5 lbs. Ground Pork (sub ground beef 85-90% lean) 1/2 c. Cilantro (chopped) 1/2 Yellow Onion (diced) 1 T. Salt 1 T. Pepper READ ONLINE AT

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eastsideatxmag

50 EASTside | Feb/Mar 2016

Mix ground meat, cilantro, onion, salt, and pepper in mixer (or knead by hand). Work it until the meat mixture is tacky and sticky.

This is when you know that you have established a primary bind. Form 3 oz. balls in hand. Place meatballs in skillet, cook about 2 min on each side. Searing the meat briefly achieves a browned crust to retain and develop flavor. Then place meatballs in a baking dish with lid. Cover with chili sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until find more at eastsideatx.com

meatballs are cooked through.

Serve meatballs over rice pilaf and garnish with radish, red onion, cabbage, and avocado.

spanish rice pilaf 2 c. Long Grain Rice 2 c. Chicken Stock 2 Garlic Cloves (finely chopped) 1/2 Yellow Onion (chopped) 2 T. Olive Oil 1/4 c. Cilantro 2 t. Tomato Paste Salt to taste

Add olive oil and onions to skillet and cook until onions are caramelized. Add garlic and rice and continue cooking for two more minutes. Then add chicken stock, tomato paste, cilantro, and salt. Bring stock to boil. Then cover with lid and place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. After removing from oven, allow to set for 5 minutes before removing lid.

I know. More waiting, but it’s worth it!

“Searing” Cooking nerds refer to this as the “Maillard Reaction.” This is a complex process involving many exchanges between heat, amino acids, and various compounds within the animal protein. Wikipedia’s version: “The reactive carbonyl group of the sugar reacts with the nucleophilic amino group of the amino acid, and forms a complex mixture of poorly characterized molecules responsible for a range of odors and flavors.” Regardless of how poorly understood many of the complexities are, the basic idea is when food is applied to heat the sugars and or proteins react to the heat causing them to burn.

Contrary to popular belief, searing does not seal in meat juices. However, the flavor and textural improvement are a fine tradeoff.

This is what gives caramelized onions their great flavor, and why steaks can build a crust, or why bread turns brown in the oven. Every food can go through a Millard Reaction to change or enhance its flavor.

eastside / sip

La Mula by licha’s cantina

WORDS & PHOTOS BY: WHITNEY RUNYON

LA MULA INGREDIENTS: Ginger beer Mezcal Jugo Aromatic Bitters

Move over tequila, take the backseat whiskey, there’s a new (actually it’s quite old) alcohol in town. Ladies and gentlemen, we would formally like to blow your minds by humbly introducing you to Mezcal if you have not met before.

Similar to tequila, Mezcal is made from agave. The making of Mezcal is an ancient Mexican tradition of roasting the heart of the plant for days in a pit oven fire, producing a smoky flavor that you often won’t find in tequila. [the rocking side of austin]

To help your taste buds adapt to the distinct flavor of Mezcal, the kind folks at Licha’s Cantina (lovingly named after the owner’s mother) have concocted a hip spin on the traditional Moscow Mule. The ‘La Mula’ is a Mezcal based, ginger beer craft cocktail served up in a tin camping mug that will blow your mind. Make sure to check it out during their daily happy hour from 4-7pm and also indulge your taste buds in their traditional interior Mexican cuisine!

NATIVE KNOWLEDGE: Licha’s Happy Hour is Tuesday through Friday, 4pm-7pm with an amazing $5 menu!

La Mula is $5 during happy hour!

contact:

512.480.5960 1306 E 6th Street lichascantina.com lichasaustin LichasCantina lichascantina

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