BY ANTHONY MARIANI
ELAINE WILDER
CODY NEATHERY
BUCK D. ELLIOTT
JENNIFER BOVEE
INSIDE
Neathery
Anthony Mariani, Editor
Lee Newquist, Publisher
Bob Niehoff, General Manager
Michael Newquist, Regional Director
Ryan Burger, Art Director
Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director
Clint “Ironman” Newquist, Brand Ambassador
Emmy Smith, Proofreader
Julie Strehl, Account Executive
Sarah Niehoff, Account Executive
Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive
Tony Diaz, District Manager
Wyatt Newquist, Account Executive
CONTRIBUTORS
Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams
EDITORIAL BOARD
Laurie James, Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward
COPYRIGHT
The entire contents of Fort Worth Weekly are Copyright 2024 by Ft. Worth Weekly, LP. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher. Please call the Fort Worth Weekly office for back-issue information.
Fort Worth Weekly mailing address: 300 Bailey,
DISTRIBUTION
Cover photo by Juan R. Govea
METROPOLIS
The Red Zone
Red rover, red rover, let the combover be over.
BY E.R. BILLS
I recently re-read Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Dead Zone
Great book. Great movie (the one with Christopher Walken, I mean).
But there was a line in it that really threw me — a line that was much more frightening than anything in his scariest novel, It (1986). A prose excerpt (not in the movie) that really struck home.
The main character, an English teacher, takes a tutoring job at a wealthy family’s house and makes an observation about the parents hiring him to help their son with reading. He observes that he was hired “because it was a reader’s world” and “the unlettered of America were dinosaurs lumbering down a blind alley.”
King states it so matter-of-factly that it’s almost shocking.
Shockingly naïve.
The unlettered of America are now running America.
The unlettered vote prevailed in the last election cycle and the representatives they chose discourage serious reading and literacy at every turn. And not just literal literacy but cultural and historical literacy. The Dead Zone was published 46 years ago, and the ensuing half century has been blatantly hostile to the main character’s pronouncement. Gleefully hostile, in fact.
In terms of literacy, which is the percentage of the citizenry over 15 who can read and write, the United States ranks 125th out of 194 countries, and the only folks who appear to be consigned to “blind” alleys are the literate.
The lettered in this country appear to be the dinosaurs these days, and the MAGA crowd looks more and more like the meteor that took them out. But the most apt parallel is not the extinction of the dinosaurs.
It’s the onslaught of the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages as in an era characterized by sheer and willful ignorance. A period that produces little or no cultural or scientific
advancement. An era in which ignorance is not just begrudging bliss but a stated goal. And after this last election cycle, practically governmental policy. Making America Great Again means restoring blissfulness, so 2 + 2 no longer equals four. It equals 3 or 5, or, after choosing a political No. 2 in 2016, the unlettered electorate plunged the country back into No. 2 in 2024, which equals … do I have to really say it?
A gassy, reeking 47. Our 47th commander in chief. An unrepentant turd.
The unlettered demanded a sad, shitty sequel that’s far and away unequalled and both unjust and un-American. The “Dead Zone” today lies between MAGA Nation’s ears, but that’s been an extinction event in the making for years. People elected George W. Bush because he seemed like a guy they’d like to have a beer with. People listen to Joe Rogan because he seems like just a regular dude who doesn’t talk over their heads. And, for the last few decades, the authorities that most of middle and aging America have looked to for news and opinion — i.e., Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones — didn’t just not undertake or complete serious studies of journalism or history. They were entirely
unlettered college dropouts.
When Stephen King’s Dead Zone was published way back when, the Department of Education had just been created and the United States adult literacy rate was approximately 99%. Today, it’s 79%. And a harrowing percentage of Americans haven’t read a book in the past year. They get their information from X or TikTok or [insert your favorite social media platform here]. Meanwhile, conservative politicians are bent on gutting the Department of Education and limiting access to books in general. In terms of short-sightedness, they’re playing the long game, and they’re winning. It’s practically a state-sanctioned lobotomy, and it doesn’t require precognition or clairvoyance to see what’s coming.
It’s already here.
When a large swathe of the population votes against their own interests and American ideals, repudiates the established rights of women, limits their daughters’ futures, blames minorities and immigration instead of automation, outsourcing, and corporate greed for economic hardship, and vilifies the huddled masses for our problems more than the obscenely privileged few,
The “Dead Zone” today lies between MAGA Nation’s ears.
the United States is no longer a beacon of hope, justice, and enlightenment. It’s a backwater bro-hole full of the asinine and the assentient, and the unlettered and ill- or hardly literate who voted with and like Nazis unwittingly embrace fascism and voluntarily elevate close-minded louts who display unconcealed contempt for the suckers they’re fleecing.
Mr. King, the story needs an updated sequel. The horrifying Trumpish candidate you described in The Dead Zone, the one your lettered protagonist exposed for the fraud he was, actually ascended to the Oval Office.
Twice now.
I haven’t read all of your books, and I don’t know what you’ve written about zombies. But a zombification of America has already begun, and it’s more frightening than anything I’ve ever read.
Hey, I’m not trying to be presumptuous, but I’ll even help. Thematically and metaphorically. We know the color of the hats. We know the color of the party. Red rover, red rover … l
Fort Worth native E.R. Bills is the author of The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas and Tell-Tale Texas: Investigations in Infamous History.
This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly. com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
Presented by Sundance Square. Bottom right: photo by Joe Rogers
BUCK U
Front and Center
TCU women’s basketball possesses something the men are still just wishing for.
BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT
Now that the dust has settled on an acceptable — but otherwise unremarkable — football season, we’re free to retreat to climate-controlled locales and discuss other Frog sports as we venture into 2025. Different from other years, which are traditionally centered on men’s basketball to start, all eyes are on the Lady Frog hoopers right now. Women’s college basketball in general has enjoyed contemporary popularity thanks to the star power of athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, both of whom have since joined the professional ranks. TCU women’s hardwood profile arrived for the wrong reasons last season, as a roster decimated with injuries was forced to hold open student-body tryouts to fill their bench, which in the era of professional amateur athletics is one of the signs of a program’s apocalypse.
The shrewdest and most publicized off-season acquisition by second-year Head Coach Mark Campbell was the addition of point guard Hailey Van Lith. The graduate-student transfer has one of the most impressive resumes of any active collegiate player and as much celebrity cachet as any man or woman dribbling in a college jersey right now. The Olympic medalist was tabbed the top transfer player by ESPN rankings, and the splash signing was an indicator that Campbell was staying true to his track record of turning around programs hastily and effectively. Even with last year’s depleted roster, Campbell was able to log the longest win streak in TCU women’s hoops history (14) and secure an invitation and first-round win in the NIT.
That was then, and this now. Despite Van Lith’s star power and impressive stat line, it’s a different player with whom Campbell was able to reconnect and who has proved
the most pivotal piece. The difference between a promising squad and potential champion, Sedona Prince — a 6-foot-7 center — is the engine that makes this Frog truck rumble.
Prince has accumulated her own celebrity. Aside from being a dominating baller and the eighth-ranked overall prospect out of high school, Prince became known as a pioneer in highlighting different and unequal facilities and investment between men’s and women’s hoops with her social media presence. The graduate student is playing with her third school. She spent her first year at Texas, where she rehabbed a broken leg suffered while playing for the U18 U.S. National Team, then she transferred to Oregon before graduating and returning to her home state to grace Frog fans with her grit this season.
Campbell was the associate head coach at Oregon for Prince’s first two seasons in Eugene, and their familiarity with each other is benefiting every hoop-head in Fort Worth. The Frog women are 21-2 so far this season. They lost only by three to second-ranked South Carolina and made a onepoint whoopsie at Oklahoma State last week. TCU leads the conference and shows no signs of slowing after winning against Baylor to snap a 37-game losing streak against the Bears. During the 21 games Prince has played in, she’s scored more than 20 points on 11 occasions and 30 or more twice. As expected, it’s also a center’s charge to rebound dominantly, which she does with impunity. The Liberty Hill native has 10 double-doubles (10 or more points plus 10 or more rebounds) this season. The team’s anchor even logged 20 and 20 against third-ranked Notre Dame, a win that catapulted her team into the conversation as a bona fide Elite Eight contender. Add in Prince’s 72 blocks for the season on top of her other gaudy stats, and she’s an irreplaceable force amid a team with guard play that’s borderline elite.
Van Lith compiles her own impressive stat lines. The graduate student has scored double digits in all but one game this season and is 13th in the nation for number of assists per tipoff. Both Prince and Van Lith are in the Top 50 for individual scoring averages. There’s also senior Madison Conner. In her second year with the Frogs, she continues her deadly sniper ways. She nabbed TCU’s record for made triples last season and is simply picking up where she left off with 83 so far and shooting a percentage just less than half from behind the arc. Conner logged 16 double-digit stat lines this season, along with three games in which she scored 29 or more. Coach Campbell has managed to fill other holes in the roster from his West Coast connections coaching for Oregon and Sacramento State.
As good as the guard play is, none of this works without Sedona Prince. If you’re an avid Buck U reader — which I really assume no one is, so I’ll expound — you’d know my most common and consistent criticism of TCU men’s basketball is Coach Jamie Dixon’s inability to find and/or retain power forwards and centers. To be fair, they don’t grow on trees, because you’re looking for one the size of one, but it never fails that after a respectable season, with the TCU men trudging their way through a competitive conference and agitating hope among the fan base, the Frogs and their supporters are dashed at the oversized mitts of some lumbering 7-footer dominating the paint in the first round of the tournament. A good coach with a roster equipped with capable big (wo-)men can stymie the run-and-gun style necessary of teams based around talented guard play and shooting forwards.
Prince is the type of player I’ve been hoping the men’s team could nab for years, the baller you ride when outside shooters can’t buy a basket. When nothing is going your way, you need length and grit to bring that basket within reach, which is exactly why these Lady Frogs have the legs to improve upon their Top 10 ranking and compete in the women’s dance far beyond what this program and fans have experienced before. l
The dominating inside presence of Sedona Prince gives TCU women’s basketball a legitimate chance to be a Final Four team.
Courtesy TCU Athletics
Art, Comedy, History & Music: The Best Things to Do This Week
Does anyone remember the Tom Green Show? Green also appeared in some flicks back in the day, like Charlie’s Angels, Freddy Got Fingered, Road Trip, and Stealing Harvard. Oh, and inventing podcasting. (Webovision. True story.) He left Hollywood long ago and moved back to a farm in his native country of Canada. He’s now on a comedy tour in support of his latest project, the documentary film This Is Tom Green, which is available to stream via Prime. Tom Green’s Home to the Country comedy show hits the Granada Theater (3524 Greenville Av, Dallas, 214-824-9933) at 8pm. Tickets are $40 on Prekindle.com.
Now thru Fri, Feb 21, Laura Wilson’s The Heartland will be up at Fort Works Art (2100 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-759-9475) 11am-5pm Tue-Sat. Along with exploring the American West, her photography showcases Texas culture, from homecoming celebrations to rodeo trick riders and more. At the closing day reception (11am-2pm Sat, Feb 22), Wilson will discuss her work and sign copies of her limited-edition catalogue ($175). Admission to and parking at Fort Works Art are free.
Tonight, the 2024 Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards winner for best place to hear live music —
The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, @The_Cicada_FTW) — is celebrating 60 years of Professor Fuzz with The Prof. Fuzz 63, Crooked Bones, and fellow Music Awards nominees the Go-Go Rillas and Stem Afternoon. The music starts at 9pm, and the cover is $10 cash at the door.
Let’s all start going to Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, 817-367-9798) on Sunday nights! Last Sunday, it was the location of our epic Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards ceremony, celebrating our winners from the 2024 ballot. This Sunday, it’s the second night of the inaugural Jambaloo festival, which features 100 artists at 25 free showcases over eight days in four venues in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Denton. Tonight at Tulips, the Mark Lettieri Group will perform with Michael Lee, the Selfless Lovers, and Cameron Smith + Jakob Robertson. Check out a massive amount of more information at Jambaloo.live.
Most of our area museums are closed on Mondays, but during the Stock Show, you can enjoy the Moo-seum Experience (their words) at three museums 10am-5pm Mon-Sat or noon-5pm Sun, with today being the final Monday. Admission to the Fort Worth Museum of Science
and History (1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth, 817-255-9300), the Cattle Raisers Museum (1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth, 817-332-8551), and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (1720 Gendy St, Fort Worth, 817-336-4475) is free when you show your same-day Stock Show grounds admission tickets. For more information, visit FWMuseum.org/Calendar/FWSSR/.
William Campbell Gallery (217 Foch St, Fort Worth, 682-224-6131) has the group show Grit & Grace:
An Exhibition of Strength & Beauty now thru Sat, Feb 8. Like Heartland at Fort Works Art, this exhibit is also focused on cowboy culture but juxtaposed with contemporary concepts of identity, resilience, and the enduring spirit required to navigate life’s challenges while embracing change. Admission is free.
By Elaine Wilder
Bob Wade’s “Fandango” is part of the group show Grit & Grace at William Campbell Gallery.
Tom Green’s comedy tour Home to the Country hits Granada on Thursday.
EATS & drinks
Big Yummy
In South Main Village, this Venezuelan eatery is large and in charge (of your hunger).
Big Yummy, 816 W Daggett Av, Fort Worth. 945-233-5293. 8am-11pm Sun-Thu, 8am-2am Fri-Sat.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY CODY NEATHERY
From the shared parking lot of the upcoming Morton’s Tavern (formerly Twilite Lounge), throbbing cumbia music from inside South Main’s newest restaurant made locating the entrance relatively easy. This massive warehouse has been vacant for years until its transition into Big Yummy in December with a Venezuelan menu nearly as big as the space. The concept comes from Genesys
wearing headphones. Perhaps this is Big Yummy themselves.
Añez. After living in the United States for only seven years, the owner opened two Big Yummy locations in Dallas to go with her new address here on the Near Southside.
A garage door opens to a spacious patio under trendy rattan light pendants and complementary resort-style furniture. The same light fixtures carry throughout the dining room along with luscious greenery to capitalize on the subtropic theme. Near the entrance, a dark-stained wood wall stretches
the length of one side of the restaurant, mimicking the dark-stained wooden bar that runs parallel opposite this wall. A lounge area sits near the bar, where a DJ booth is situated in the corner. And just like that, I’m ready to shimmy and shake late into the night, and this venue has the capability to transition into an event space for parties when the lights dim.
Diners eat under the watchful eye of a large mural depicting a smirking monkey
Sitting at the bar, I studied the vast two-sided menu as if I am fluent in Spanish, even glancing at the soccer game on the TV as if I were a fan of either team. I am not. Pictures somewhat helped guide my choices, but eventually I was given the English version of the menu when I tried ordering a dish that was available only during the day. My ignorance had been exposed, but now I’ll never forget almuerzo translates as “lunch.”
Though Big Yummy offers a wide range of food options, and I do mean wide, sandwiches largely dominate. Traditional Venezuelan handhelds are followed by hamburgers and hot dogs. Tacos and an arsenal of Venezuelan cuisine shape the rest of the menu.
A fried plantain sandwich? Only at Big Yummy.
Big Yummy’s Venezuelan sampler platter puts hunger to sleep.
If you’re dining alone, the lunch portions would be ideal, but unfortunately these aren’t offered during dinner service, essentially forcing a solo guest into ordering large-format plates that consist mostly of grilled meats like carne and pollo asada, mixtas (hot dogs, basically), or a combination of the three. The familia sizes graduate to surf and turf. A bounty of sides is available as shareables.
To kick off my journey to South America, I skipped the familiar ceviche and chicken wings for the party-size pasapalos, much to the surprise of my server, because I was ready to party solo. This offered a respectable sample of Big Yummy’s traditional Venezuelan dishes: heavy on bread, baked or fried, with different insides.
Tequenos, empanadas, tequeyoyos, pastelitos, papitas yuca, mandocas, sweet pastry-type arepitas — they all came in pairs rounded out with six bolitas de carne, or mini-meatballs. With similarities stringing them together due to breading, every bite was different. From the spiced minced-meat filling of the flaky empanadas to the sweet plantain and cheese of the mandocas and the fried potato-like substance of the yuca, not one was off. This dish alone would have been enough for a solo diner.
After asking and pointing to a few different menu items, I was led to trying the
morocho. Between a toasted French baguette that reminded me loosely of a po’boy or a Cubano, shredded marinated meat plus lettuce, tomato, cheese, tartar sauce, and ketchup made for a solid sandwich.
Next on the agenda, the server suggested the plantain cabimera: fried plantains in lieu of buns with ham, egg, grilled cheese, and your choice of protein — the pork chop was my server’s choice for me. At this point, one would have thought I was eating for two. Alas, it was just me destroying my New Year’s resolution.
Big Yummy serves standard cocktails a margarita, sangria, and negroni as well
as the Spanish carajillo and an espresso martini. Standouts were the Orgasmo, full of Bailey’s, licor de cacao, licor de café, and leche, and the tropical-laden Golden Boy (mezcal, passion fruit, pineapple, and lime juice with a dash of chipotle tabasco and roasted pineapple syrup and rimmed with blue corn salt).
Big Yummy is a much-needed concept in Fort Worth’s burgeoning international dining scene, showcasing foreign cuisine rather than the humdrum of steak and potatoes. And what might have been lost in translation was overcome with a simple smile. l
Big Yummy Pasapalos $29.99 Morocho $14.99
Plantain Cabimera .................................... $16
Big Yummy’s new SoMa location is oozing beach resort vibes.
Big Yummy is watching you.
Getting two morocho sandwiches for $16 is a steal.
EATS & drinks
ATE DAY8 of Feeding My Feelings
BY ELAINE WILDER
Yes. I’ve got the winter blues. Inaugural blues? That, too. I’ve decided to eat my feelings. Join me, won’t you? Here are eight selections for just such an endeavor.
1.) The Cookie Heard ’Round the World
Right after the inauguration and the emotional sermon by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde pleading for the president to show mercy toward LGBTQ+ and migrant people, an independent baker became internet-famous for putting the bishop’s image on a cookie. That baker would be Haley Popp of Hive Bakery (360 Parker Sq, Flower Mound, 972-316-7625), right here in North Texas. (#SheIsWithUs — literally.) Well, she’s still making them. When they are available — they tend to sell out quickly — they are $6 apiece, with 50% of the proceeds going to charity. For updates on the next batch, follow Facebook.com/HiveBakery.
2.) A Big Ol’ Bowl of Chili
Why do I talk about Town Talk so much? Because food (especially meat) is freaking expensive right now. When I was a kid and we were navigating multiple family Christmases and dates that worked for everyone in our blended family, my mom and stepdad picked New Year’s Day. With everyone already being turkey’d out from the holidays, we cooked chili. I still hold that tradition to this day. In fact, with the cold weather here, I’ve cooked it twice so far this year. All three locations of Town Talk have frozen ground beef in packages slightly less than a pound for only 79-cents each. Grab three of those, convert your favorite recipe to a 2-pound version, and — voila! chili on a budget. Town Talk also sells
various chili spice packets as well as canned tomatoes. You’re welcome.
3.) Chocolate Blackout Cake
If you’re out for brunch or pizza at Pie Tap (1301 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-7078888), save room for their decadent dessert. For $10.50 per slice, the Chocolate Blackout Cake comes with chocolate sauce, caramel, candied pecans, and whipped cream. Yum!
4.) Eggs from Happy Hens
I’m not the type to get up early and cook a homestyle breakfast, but I do keep eggs handy. We devil them upon occasion, and I also need them if cooking boxed mixes. Most importantly, I love making quiche. With continued on page 16
Haley Popp’s now-famous business is right here in North Texas. #SheIsWithUs — literally.
If you’ve got the inaugural blues, these custom Bishop Cookies may cheer you up.
ATE DAY8 a Week continued
eggs as expensive as they are, you might as well support local businesses and local producers by being selective about where you purchase these little golden delights. For example, Green’s Produce & Plants (3001 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, 817-274-2435) is now stocking fresh pasture-raised eggs from Happy Chick Farms (4120 Old McMahan Rd, Lockhart, 512-217-9634), whose hens are raised outdoors with care. Since they are allowed to forage naturally, these eggs are nutrient-packed. The current price is $8.99 per dozen or $17.99 per flat — which I was just informed is 30-count. You learn something new every day!
5.) Go for the Gustos
Sometimes, you just need some meat on a bun. I highly recommend the Double Backyard Burger at Gustos Burger Bar
+ More (1229 7th Av, Fort Worth, @___ Gustos). Along with two smashed patties, it includes American cheese, two thick bacon slices, Best Maid pickles, green leaf lettuce, and tomato, plus ketchup and mayo, all on a buttered bun for $10.70. You should also add a side of the deliciously seasoned tots for $2.99. Dip them in some garlic aioli-based Gusto Sauce. Trust me.
6.) German Pancakes
Ol’ South (1509 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-336-0311) is known for its delicious, signature, crepe-like German pancakes. It starts open-faced and is assembled tableside, where it is finished with butter, powdered sugar, and fresh-squeezed lemon, then folded right before your eyes. I like to order a side of bacon or jalapeno sausage to cleanse the palate every few bites. It’s one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
7.)
A Pick-Me-Up from Panera
Panera Bread sure knows how to read the room. For $14.99/month, membership in their Sip Club affords you “endless access to 20+ drinks for the price of just one iced coffee.” The benefits listed only include hot or iced coffee and tea, plus fountain drinks, so I’m guessing the “20+” is about flavor combinations. You can use the membership once every two hours and enjoy refills while you’re in the cafe. Now thru Fri, Jan 31, new and lapsed members can join for $3/month for the first three months. You can cancel at any time. For more info, go to PaneraBread. com and click “Sip Club.”
8.) Pizza Cupcakes
They had me at “as seen on Shark Tank.” The Pizza Cupcake claims to be flaky, buttery, doughy, and irresistible, and it is indeed. You can find them at Kroger in a pack of six for $10.49, but you can also sometimes find them for (much) less in the frozen section at Town Talk. Little Caesars has a delicious version as well called Crazy Puffs, which are only $3.99 for a four-piece order. Get in my mouth!
from page 15
Green’s is now stocking eggs from Happy Chick Farms.
MUSIC
In Memoriam
BY JENNIFER BOVEE
During our annual Music Awards ceremony honoring new crops of winners, we always take a few moments to honor those we’ve lost since we last gathered together. For our 2025 event at Tulips FTW last Sunday, we paid tribute to all of the artists pictured here along with our lone Hall of Famer. Royal Sons’ Blake Parish remembered his dear friend Tone Sommer with the words here.
Tone Sommer was a kind, warm, and welcoming man who left a significant impact on our music community. Tone was a bluesman. He was an incredible guitar player, joining the legendary Fort Worth bluesman Robert Ealey and the Robert Ealey Band in the ’80s and ’90s. They toured across the country, performing in iconic venues like the House of Blues in Chicago and New Orleans and at major festivals such as the Chicago Blues Festival. During that time, Tone and Robert gained fame nationwide and throughout Europe.
Tone also helped Robert Ealey open his blues bar, which has changed names several times over the years. Many of you have known it as 6th Street Live, Lola’s Saloon, or the new home of The Post. Tone was there when the bandmembers signed their names in the concrete on the front steps — a detail many of you have likely noticed over the years. As far as I know, B.B. King wasn’t actually there, but the rest of the signatures are real.
Tone first met his best friend, Danny Ross, while playing together with Robert Ealey. Later, they played at the Keys Lounge and co-founded Playtown, which served for many years as the house and backing band for countless local and touring artists.
He was close with guitarist Tommy Katona, and they shared their sobriety journey, navigating many of the same struggles together.
Tone shared the stage with so many over the years, including James Hinkle, Buddy Whittington, Brandin Lea, Matt Mabe, Josh Weathers, Matt Tedder, Big Mike Richardson, Joe Savage, the Fender Benders, and The Stratoblasters — the list goes on and on.
Tone was known for having a peculiar guitar setup. I’ve heard Big Mike describe it as “nearly unplayable” for anyone else, yet Tone could pick it up and make it wail — like he alone knew the combo to a lock or how to start an old car only he could figure out.
He was also known for his sharp look: a fitted blazer, pointy boots, and cheap sunglasses — the darker, the better.
I had the great pleasure of joining him onstage many times, though not as often as I would have liked. I miss him every time I join the Playtown guys.
Most importantly, he was a good friend, and he is sorely missed. He was always smiling and friendly, always excited about playing music. I know some younger musicians here may not realize who he played with or what an important role he played in Fort Worth’s music history. Honestly, even at 39, it’s somewhat lost on me. But what I do know is you can’t measure the joy he brought to people through his music. We should all be so lucky to be remembered this way for our contributions to this little corner of the world.
We lost Tone to issues with alcohol and mental health — something that should not go unnoticed in the music world. These struggles claim far too many talented people, and this year, they claimed yet another. He left behind a young daughter and a family who loved him dearly, including his stepbrother Brooks [Sommer], who is here tonight to accept this honor on his behalf.
I want to close with a lesson I’ve unfortunately learned too late in Tone’s case: Check in on those you love. Stay connected. Talk to your buddy who might be going a little too hard. You never know when it might be the last time you speak to them. Sometimes, the people who seem the happiest and most outgoing are the ones trying the hardest to conceal a darker truth inside themselves. You might be the one to save them from something you’ll never fully know or understand.
As these special nights onstage blur together, try to hold onto them and the people with whom you share this gift, this passion, this life. Love one another and go forward spreading the music.
Thank you.
Chris Maxwell, bassist (Holland)
Jack Watkins, drummer John Freeman (Dooms UK)
Shaun Martin, keyboardist (Snarky Puppy)
Nick Munghia, drummer Matt Stacks, artist/owner (The Grackle)
Mark Menikos, fiddle player (the Selkie Girls)
Hal “Bass Man” Harris, bassist
Rudy Puente Jr., educator and saxophonist
Ron McKeown, BUDDY Magazine publisher
David Pence, drummer Enchanting, rapper (Gucci Maine’s 1017 Records)
Leo de la Vega, guitarist (The Silvertones)
Tommy Alverson, country singer-songwriter Fort Worth Hall of Fame Class of 2017
Daron Beck, keyboardist/ vocalist (Pinkish Black)
Tone Sommer, guitarist Fort Worth Hall of Fame Class of 2024
MUSIC
And the Winners Are …
That’s a wrap on our 2024-25 Fort Worth
Weekly Music Awards.
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
Tulips FTW was packed to capacity Sunday night for our 2024-25 Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards because, yes, local music is still a thing and, yes, people still read newspapers. We handed out Panthys while also showcasing performances by several nominees. Our awards these days, due to the pandemic, are a condensed version of what we used to do. In years past, we would book 50-ish local bands (all nominees), and they would play in select venues across the Near Southside (previously in West 7th, previously downtown). All for free. Then, a few weeks after this festival, we would hold a ceremony to hand out the Pan-
2024 Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards (winners in bold)
Album
Better Than a Dream (Theo Carracino)
The Edge of April (Rachel Gollay)
Face to Face (Toxic Madness)
Moral Law (LABELS)
Unraveled (Cut Throat Finches)
Song
“Calling Me Out” (Cut Throat Finches)
“Chubby Thighs” (Darstar)
“Kites” (Hannah Owens)
“Trainwreck” (Broke String Burnett)
“Wrong Direction” (Vintage Yell)
Open-Mic Night
Gustos Burger Bar + More (Denver Williams)
Kung Fu Saloon (Honkey Tonk Traditions)
Magnolia Motor Lounge (Songwriter Nights)
McFly’s Pub (Tommy Luke)
Pouring Glory (Fort Worth Roots)
Place to Hear Live Music
Billy Bob’s Texas
The Cicada
Haltom Theater
Ridglea Theater
Tulips FTW
Americana Band
Broke String Burnett
Cut Throat Finches
Denver Williams & The Gas
Money
thys, induct our Hall of Famers, and remember those we’d lost that year. Now, it’s all just one event, and thanks to Regional Director Michael Newquist and Marketing Director Jennifer Bovee, this year’s went off splendidly.
Firstly, I had forgotten how cool and transportive Tulips FTW is. It’s like a slice of late’90s Brooklyn in our Little Brooklyn, the Near Southside. Please support this South Main-adjacent spot as much as possible. It’s warm and welcoming and buzzy regardless of who’s playing. The sound and lights are killer, a fact I really felt during the first two sets of the night.
After J/O/E’s didn’t-know-you-neededit celebratory rap, LABELS blasted out loud but melodic hardcore punk with metal elements. That first song with the bouncy “Rusty Cage”-esque riff was some of the best hard rock I’d experienced in this city since dearly departed Sonic Buffalo circa 2013. Or maybe I need to get out more.
I’ve been out of the scene for 10-plus years. Once I became editor in 2015, I had to stop writing about music and the arts every day/week — which I had been doing every day/week for the previous decade — and focus on news, investigative work, and op-eds. It’s been great (I got my start in news), but I still love local music, and this ceremony not only turned me onto LABELS but also an outfit whose tunes were spinning through the house speakers while Newquist was setting up before the doors opened. Two Guys Walk Into a Bar do that kind of sunset-hued, ’70s-SoCal “country” that should make you want to slap Jason Aldean. I’m not a huge fan of this subgenre or the genre in general. Some of it is OK. But when you can channel Jackson Browne and The Eagles as wonderfully as Two Guys can, you’ll have my ears perked. I was pleasantly surprised when these guys won best country
act. I was also unwittingly delighted by Cory Cross. This former rocker does dancehall country that essentially forces your body to move, and his set had boots scootin’.
As part of our awards every year, we induct certain musos into our Hall of Fame, and this year, we celebrated Tone Sommer, a fantastic lifelong bluesman who died too young (see: pg. 17). We also gave Sally Herring Birthisel a lifetime achievement award for her devotion to local music as a booking agent, promoter, and all-around fan. Congrats, Sally. Well-deserved.
Our In Memoriam section featured an instrumental ballad by Tiny Giants guitarist Max Kusin, who joined his bandmates at the end of the ceremony for a blistering set of … can I call it “emocore”? Or is it more “metalcore”? I dunno. As I said, I’ve been out of the scene for a while now, apparently too long. Thank you, Tiny Giants, and thanks to all the performers, the nominees, MC Ian Mac (great job!), our sponsors, Tulips, and — most importantly — you, our readers.
And the winners are …
Marfa Lights
Vintage Yell
Avant-Garde/Experimental Band
The Go-Go Rillas
The Liquid Sound Company
The Rage Out Arkestra
T.E.F. (Texas Expeditionary Force)
Total Sweetheart
Bassist
Marcus Gonzales (Royal Sons)
Cyrus Haskell (Stem Afternoon)
Kris Luther (Arenda Light)
Maxwell Smith (Quaker City
Night Hawks)
Joe Tacke (Mean Motor Scooter)
Blues Band
Arlington Jones
Blind Dog Cooley
Dirty Pool
The Fender Benders
Playtown
Country Artist
Cory Cross & The Burden
Ginny Mac
Squeezebox Bandits
Matt Tedder
Two Guys Walk Into a Bar
Drummer
Matt Mabe (Arenda Light)
Josh Pitts (Darstar)
Jordan Richardson (Quaker City
Night Hawks)
Draya Ruse (Cut Throat Finches)
Andy Weaver (Chasing Rent)
Folk Artist Jaybirds
Jacob Furr
Darrin Kobetich
Summer Lane
Late to the Station
Guitarist
Sam Anderson (Quaker City Night Hawks)
Chad Beck (Royal Sons)
Rowdy Carter (Arenda Light)
Braedon Ward (Jaybirds)
Cory Watson (Black Tie Dynasty)
Hip-Hop/R&B Artist 4 Ya Soul
DJ TeK
J/O/E
Legacy 4 Retrophonics
Keyboardist
John Davis (Poo Live Crew)
Steve Hammond (Matt Tedder Band)
Brian McCorquodale (Black Tie Dynasty)
Justin Pate (Pablo & The Hemphill 7, Battle of Evermore, Brad Thompson Band, Dirty Pool)
Katie Robertson
Latin Music Artist
Latin Express
Mariachi Espuelas de Plata (North Side High School)
QUIMIKOZ
Tejano Outlaw Band
Tejas Brothers
Metal Band
Iron Jaw
One-Eyed Monsters OZONE
Prophecy TX Rotting Corpse
Pop Artist
Big Heaven Darstar
Hayden Miller
Simone Nicole
Phantomelo
Producer
Clint Niosi (Orange Audio)
Rodney Parker
Mark Randall & Nick Tittle (Blackstone FW)
Jordan Richardson
Taylor Tatsch
Punk Band
A Dangerous Affair
Itchy Richie & The Burnin’ Sensations
LABELS
Mean Motor Scooter
Toxic Madness
Regional Act
Flickerstick
Grant Morrison
Carlos Ramos
Sunny Disposition
The Wee-Beasties
Rock Band
Black Tie Dynasty
The Me-Thinks
Quaker City Night Hawks
Royal Sons
Trauma Ray
Singer-Songwriter
Rachel Gollay
Keegan McInroe
Gabby Minton
Garrett Owen
Hannah Owens
Sound Engineer
Clay Anderson
Blake Barker
Brian Garcia
Mark Randall
Peter Weirenga
Tribute Band
Bikini Whales
Chasing Rent
The Dick Beldings
Guttersluts
Poo Live Crew
Video
“Let It Ride” (Denver Williams & The Gas Money)
“People Make a Place” (Henry the Archer)
“The Stupid Way You Breathe” (The Flying Beets)
“Trainwreck” (Broke String Burnett)
“Wrong Direction” (Vintage Yell)
Female Vocalist
Lisa Hardaway (Darstar)
Claire Hinkle (Tiny Giants)
Ginny Mac
Simone Nicole
Jenna Walsh (Jaybirds)
Male Vocalist
Sam Anderson (Quaker City
Night Hawks)
Blake Parish (Royal Sons)
Levi Ray
Sean Russell (Cut Throat
Finches)
Cory Watson (Black Tie Dynasty)
Best hip-hop artist J/O/E celebrated his big night with a slamming good performance.
WEEKLY LISTINGS
The List Top resources for everything. Okay, almost everything.
By Fort Worth Weekly
Below are some resources for your consideration, including astrology, faith-based listings, mind-body-spirit and health-wellness practitioners, home services, and more. Welcome to Fort Worth Weekly Classifieds.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19)
Author Anais Nin wrote, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
You Aries folks now have a mandate to expand your life through courageous acts, thoughts, and feelings. Make the Arctic fox your power symbol. This intrepid creature undertakes epic migrations, journeying over 2,000 miles across sea ice, using starlight and magnetic fields to navigate. Likewise, you are equipped with an inner guidance system that gives you a keen intuitive sense of how to maneuver in unfamiliar territory. PS: Anais Nin has another tip: “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20)
Keep pushing to fulfill your own dreams. Renew your faith. Boost your devotion. Remember why you feel so strongly.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20)
You now have a robust potential to see things that have always been invisible, secret, or off-limits to you. Some of these wonders could motivate you to reinterpret your life story and reshape your future plans.
CANCERIAN (Jun 21-Jul 22)
Snakes have been symbols of fertility and healing in many cultures. Because they periodically shed their skin, they also represent regeneration and rebirth. Hoperully, you don’t harbor an instinctual aversion to snakes, Cancerian. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to call on and benefit from their iconic powers.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22)
In the coming months, be extra creative as you enhance your network of connections and support. Encourage your allies to provide you with tips about opportunities and possibilities that you would not otherwise know about. Ask them to serve as links to novel resources that will nurture your longterm dreams.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22)
Take a vigorous inventory of the effects that your work and play have on the world. Are they aligned with your intentions? Are your ambitions moored in impeccable integrity?
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22)
Now is an excellent time to think and feel deeply about what is truly beautiful to you—and take steps to bring more of it into your life. For you Libras, beauty is an essential ingredient in your life’s purpose.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21)
The way that ancient Romans made concrete was more ingenious than modern methods. Their manufacturing materials included “lime clasts,” which gave the concrete self-healing qualities. When cracks arose, they fixed themselves. That’s why Roman aqueducts built 2,000 years ago can still convey water today. Metaphorically speaking, work on building similar structures in the coming weeks. It’s time to create strong foundations that will last for a very long time.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21)
Do you harbor a yearning to learn a new language, new skill, or new trick? The coming weeks will be a favorable phase to get serious about doing it. Have you fantasized about embarking on an adventure that would expand your understanding of how the world works? The time is right.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19)
Bristlecone pine trees grow very slowly, but they are hardy and long-lived. Their wood is so dense and strong that it’s virtually immune to disease, insects, and erosion. They grow in places that are inhospitable for many other trees, and apparent obstacles stimulate their resilience. Be like them in the coming weeks.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20- Feb 18)
What taboos do you observe? Now is a good time to re-evaluate and consider changing your relationship with them.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20)
As winter progresses, each day is longer and each night shorter. Most humans feel an undercurrent of joy that the amount of light in the world is growing. But don’t forget to honor the beauty and powers of darkness in the coming weeks.
EXPANDED HOROSCOPES
For unabridged versions of the horoscopes above by Rob Brezsny, go to FreeWillAstrology.com.
Aries, Geminis, and Virgos can all learn from the adaptability and cleverness of the Arctic fox.
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All your favorite vendors will be there. Billy, Robert, the Back 40, Joe and Mo will be there. Welcome Fat Stock Show fans!!!
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EMPLOYMENT
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HEATER HELP
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MAKE A POWER MOVE
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More books than, WOW!
The Published Page Bookstop (10 E Chambers St, Cleburne, 817-349-6366) is open 10am-6pm Wed-Sat and 1pm-6pm Sun. An authentic “Old School” bookstore on the courthouse square of Historic Downtown Cleburne, TX, just 20 minutes south of FW, it’s a true Texas treasure. For more info, visit PublishedPage.com or find us on Facebook (@BiblioTreasures).
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REX’S BAR & GRILL
Come check out our express lunch menu, happy hour specials, and late-night dining! Visit Chef Brian Olenjack’s new home kitchen. We are open from 11am to midnight, 7 days a week. 1501 S University Dr FWTX 817-207-4741 // RexsFTW.com
YOUR OLD CAR CAN HELP THE BLIND
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WE WANT TO READ YOUR BOOK!
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WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
We work with guest contributors to publish SEO articles and press releases. Email today! Marketing@fwweekly.com
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