Fort Worth Weekly // April 12-18, 2023

CAMERA EYE

Fort Worth’s fine art photographers are as active as ever, and it’s time we celebrate their work.

EDWARD BROWN

EATS & DRINKS

Contempo country and cocktails define TCU-area newcomer Rusty Nickel.

BY CODY NEATHERY

STUFF

The Cowboys are embarrassingly run, but with the end of this Mavs season, Mark Cuban says hold my beer.

BY PATRICK HIGGINS

SCREEN

Letting its iconic characters just be themselves makes the Super Mario Bros. Movie a brilliant treat.

BY COLE WILLIAMS

MUSIC

No need to go to Austin or L.A. Blackstone has all your fine recording needs here.

BY JUAN R. GOVEA

Life in 2D

By Edward Brown

Tanking

By Patrick Higgins

STAFF

Anthony Mariani, Editor

Lee Newquist, Publisher

Bob Niehoff, General Manager

Ryan Burger, Art Director

Jim Erickson, Circulation Director

Edward Brown, Staff Writer

Emmy Smith, Proofreader

Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director

Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director

Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive

Julie Strehl, Account Executive

Tony Diaz, Account Executive

Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator

Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

By Juan R. Govea

Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Vishal Malhotra, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Madison Simmons, Teri Webster, Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Cole Williams

EDITORIAL

Anthony Mariani, Edward Brown, Emmy Smith

By Cody Neathery

Cover image by Crystal Wise

Juan R. Govea

CAMERA EYE

Fort Worth boasts one of the largest repositories of fine art photographs in the United States and an equally noteworthy history of cultivating museum-worthy photographic artists. Within the vaults of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art are thousands of carefully stored black-and-white prints while an adjacent “cold room” houses thousands of negatives.

Arguably one of Fort Worth’s most prominent photographers is Byrd Williams III, himself a third-generation photographic artist who created an acclaimed series of portraits of women at work in the 1930s. His son, Byrd Williams IV, continues his family’s legacy while teaching the next generation of camera-wielding artists. Building on that tradition are emerging and established fine art artists whose photographs are featured in galleries and magazines here and abroad.

In a city where photography remains an underrepresented artform at area museums outside the Amon Carter and many galleries, we are highlighting these visual artists who use images to push beyond literal meanings to capture universal truths about life and our place in this world.

While certainly not comprehensive, our list that includes seven of the most active photogs in town honors the work of the broader community of fine art photographers.

Jesse Morgan Barnett is an artist, curator, and educator whose practice reassesses the ways images, objects, and events mark the wandering to and from anniversaries. For “Metro North,” the assistant curator of education at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and South Korea native referred to the Kansas City mall of his youth and his father’s death in a helicopter crash. “I’m used to arriving late. Those years and that family are so far away from me. I can’t earnestly distinguish what happened and what I imagined when I pass into it again. My

body traveled back to Metro North so that I could capture an artifact. It was nearly vacant and soon to be demolished, but other bodies moved slowly throughout the space with me. One of them opened their eye and even remembered that she knew my father, not for the pizzas and the cinema, as I did, but for his crash. It felt like these bodies have been confined there, aging and crawling slower until they inevitably became specters, too.” Visit @JesseMorganBarnett or JesseMorganBarnett.com.

Julio Cedillo built and maintains his expansive career as a professional actor from his homebase of Fort Worth. It was on the set of Problem Child in the early 1990s that Cedillo was told by a fellow cast member that he should photograph his career in cinema as a means of leaving a visual legacy for his kids and future generations. Decades later and with dozens of leading roles to his credit, Cedillo continues to sling his Fujifilm X-T1 while in between sets. It was while playing Guillermo Calderoni, a self-serving Mexican police commander, on Season 2 of Narcos Mexico that Cedillo happened across a sleeping elote vender. “Usually during my days off from filming, I always venture out for some street photography,” he said. “I took my brother around town, including the historic center of the city, and we eventually made it to Plaza Garibaldi, where all the mariachis and Norteño bands gather for hire. I spotted this woman in deep sleep. Countless people walked by, but no one dared to interrupt her from her sleep. I couldn’t pass up this moment, so I decided to take the shot. I titled the image ‘El Sueño Bien Merecido,’ The Well-Deserved Dream, to play on an idea. Is her reality the dream, or is the deep sleep the well-deserved dream? It’s obvious she represents so much as a working woman and maybe a single mother. It’s one of my favorite images to date.” The photo was recently displayed at Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery in Dallas for the group show Deep in the Art of Texas. Visit @JuliosFotos or JulioActor.com

Fort Worth’s fine art photographers are as active as ever, and it’s time we celebrate their work.

EDWARD BROWN

Jesse Morgan Barnett

Julio Cedillo

Jessica Fuentes leads a varied career as the news editor of Glasstire (the country’s oldest online arts magazine), executive director of Kinfolk House (a collaborative arts space on the East Side), and artist. Fuentes digitally combined the black-and-white film photographs taken from two different cameras for her submission, “Cacti and Children by the Sea.” Fuentes took the photos of the ocean using her Minolta X-370 while documenting her travels in Nice, France. The re -

cent trip was “significant, as it was my first long trip away from my children” in many years, she said. “The additional layered image of the two people walking is a photograph of my children taken in 2021 while we were still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Fuentes took the photo with a Holga, a plastic camera that offers only “little control” of shutter speed, aperture, and focus, and used Washi F100, a medical fluorographic X-ray film known for its graininess. “As

someone with aphantasia, the inability to visualize or recall visual memories, I find that taking photographs helps me cement memories of places and people, but my artistic process doesn’t stop with the capturing of a moment. Often, I then digitize my images and combine moments from across time and distance to capture the haziness, fallibility, and disarray of memory.” Visit @JessicaFuentes83 or JessicaFuentes.com.

Jessica Fuentes

Jill Johnson’s childhood memories from West Texas inform her recurring themes of increasingly vanishing small towns. Johnson, who is represented by Artspace 111, had her Hasselblad 501CM on hand when she snagged this photo while driving north from Muleshoe, Texas, where she spent her early childhood. “I spotted this simple billboard exclaiming, ‘Beef Is Nutritious!’ ” she recalled. “There was no company or brand they were advertising, just this simple fact for all to remember as they drive by. I love that about this part of West Texas, which is defined by the cattle industry. It is quirky, playful, funny, and, most importantly, authentic to the land and the people. Shooting on my Hasselblad really forces me to think about my composition. Since the image is square, I am more decisive and thoughtful about framing each exposure.” Visit @IWantaPony or JillJohnsonPhoto.com. continued on page 7

*Annual income of $60,000 or less

Jill Johnson

continued from page 6

Born in France and raised in Tel Aviv, Loli Kantor spent much of 2004 to 2012 in Ukraine and Poland. Her aim was to document the presence and absence of Jewish life in that region of Eastern Europe. “I wanted to show that there was a reemergence of Jewish culture in East-central Europe despite the known harsh past of [World War II], the aftermath of the Holocaust, and later Soviet rule. Now with the current war, many [native Jews] moved to Western Europe and to Israel.” The photographer said “Bolechow, Ukraine, 2007” is very symbolic of her work there. She captured the black-and-white photo on film and printed it on selenium-toned Gelatin silver print. “The picture was taken at the synagogue in Bolechow, Ukraine,” Kantor recalled. “The Rabbi of Yvano Frankivsk, Rabbi Moshe Kolesnik, showed me around and explained the history of the place to me. The synagogue was used as a nightclub during the Soviet regime and has been empty and deserted since and after the fall of the Soviet Union. I asked Rabbi Kolesnik to please turn around and stand still. I then took the photo with my Mamiya 23 using a monopod to stabilize the camera.” Visit @LoliKantor or LoliKantor.com.

continued on page 9

TIMELESS MELODIES TRINITY METRO

Want to make Friday on the Green even more fun? Ride instead of drive! Take a Trinity Metro bus straight to Magnolia Green, or transfer from TEXRail or TRE at Fort Worth T&P Station to ZIPZONE – type “Friday on the Green” as your destination in the app for easy trips straight to the event! Find routes, rates and more at .

Loli Kantor

BASS PERFORMANCE HALL

25 Years Celebrating of

CONNECT WITH ART THROUGH COCKTAILS, CONVERSATIONS, AND CREATIVITY.

Each month you’ll find something different—from performances, artist talks, and unique tours to art making, music, and films.

Fort Worth, the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall is a Texas icon and nationally distinguished performing arts venue. Celebrating 25 years of operation, Bass Performance Hall is the permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Cliburn.

Performing Arts Fort Worth, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates Bass Hall, also presents touring productions, including the Broadway at the Bass Series presented by PNC Bank and the BNSF Popular Entertainment Series.

For the last 25 years, Bass Hall has enhanced the range, quality and accessibility of cultural fare available to the public; promulgated arts education; and contributed to the cultural life of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and North Texas.

Join us in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 8th as we celebrate 25 years with a free community event: a Resident Company Showcase featuring the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Cliburn.

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET TODAY!

Resident Company Showcase

Saturday, April 8 at 6:30 PM

www.basshall.com/25

APRIL 13, 2023 | FREE

Inspiration & Insight

Discover how contemporary artists find inspiration in Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation including a performance by Brandi Waller-Pace, founder and organizer of the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival.

Second Thursdays at the Carter is generously supported by the Louella Martin Foundation.

Photographer, educator, and publisher Raul Rodriguez focuses on identity, resilience, collective narrative, and cultural themes as they relate to the Latino community. Rodriguez, who is currently pursuing his MFA at TCU, took this photograph (“Sam Houston”) while driving through Huntsville on his way to Fort Worth. “I photographed the statue from behind and obscured its visibility with the use of foreground trees and branches,” he said. “The mysterious scenario questions the statue’s presence and its relationship to historic events. Who do we monumentalize and why? Is the history we are told true, or has something been forgotten? Obscuring our constructed past can sometimes reveal an entirely different truth.”

Visit @WitoFrito or DeepRedPress.com.

Crystal Wise, who holds a degree in photojournalism, is known for her portraits and editorials that frequently feature Western flair. The director of photography for Fort Worth Magazine spotlighted a local team of eight female horseback riders in traditional Mexican dresses for the magazine’s January 2023 issue, and she submitted “¡Fuerza!” from that collection for our photo essay. The attire and sidesaddle seating of the horseriders evoked the “escaramuza charra” period in the Mexican Revolution when women would use their equestrian skills to distract enemy armies or to ferry children from base camps when needed. “It was a perfect fit for our January 2023 issue with the Stock Show in town. I had the idea of photographing individual riders under the same storm symbolizing a team prepping to take charge of competing at the Stock Show. The rider in the photo is Ana Gomez, nicknamed Barbie. She was wearing these incredible, handmade, gold, scorpion earrings. During our shoot, Ana had to ride a horse that wasn’t hers, which came with many challenges. About 30 minutes into our session, she was thrown from the horse. Everyone ran to her side, and she looked at them like they were overreacting. She dusted her petticoat off and jumped right back on. The photo is a composite and one of three images [a tryptic] that line up under the same storm and is inspired by the works of French-American painter Mark Maggiori and photographer Steve Wrubel.” Visit @ CrystalClearPhotographyTX or CrystalClearPhotography.com. l

Raul Rodriguez

Crystal Wise

STUFF

Most Dysfunctional Franchise in Town?

The team aspects responsible for last year’s success — chemistry and defensive dedication — seemed to evaporate the moment games began in the fall. The team hovered around .500 for most of the year purely on the back of a criminally overworked Dončić. Luka’s frustration with the wheel spinning was echoed among the fanbase and the media until Cuban and GM Nico Harrison felt they had no choice but to do something to get Luka some help. A clever Nets organization saw an opportunity to unload a headache, and with desperation as the motive, a trade was made to bring All-NBA talent (and alleged antisemite) Kyrie Irving to Dallas. I suppose some credit should be given to the front office for making some effort to push the team over the top, but it takes little scrutiny to see just how incongruent the addition was to the team from the start.

BY PATRICK HIGGINS

There’s no question that, for decades in local sports, the clown prince of poor organizational management has been Cowboys owner Jerral Wayne Jones. North Texas’ closest living embodiment of The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns has been a point of fan frustration essentially since he took over the franchise and ousted the infallible Tom Landry in 1989. Jones, a caricature of wealth-bought hubris if ever there was one, has become a stand-in punchline of self-importance — a hollow gourd of a man vacant of aptitude wrapped in a glimmering veneer of imagined exceptionalism. He was Elon Musk before the beloved hero of 4-Chan bros everywhere had inherited his first emerald. Setting aside our hometown NFL team’s frustratingly middling performance during his tenure — and trust me, it has been — it’s

the Cowboys as an organization with Jurrah at the helm that has earned them the mantle of local sports’ proverbial immolated refuse receptacle. Year after year, Jones, along with his merry band of rednecks-with-money Arkansan kin, has had to battle seemingly endless controversy. From the legendary cocaine and stripper parties of the ’90s to the embarrassing bathroom selfies with women a third his age; the signings of the occasional gun-hoarding domestic abuser, the murder scene flee-er, and the teammate-killing drunk driver; and the sudden appearances of previously unidentified offspring, team PR director Rich Dalrymple had his hands full in the company spin machine trying to tamp down the fallout for years — until he was relieved of his duties for his own horrendous locker room peeping scandal last year.

By any measure, as an institution, the Dallas Cowboys are a flagrant insult to professionalism, to say nothing of the front office’s subpar roster building or the team’s consistent underachievement on the field. I argue, however, there is another team that seems to be gunning for the Cowboys’ crown as the most dysfunctional in town. Enter: Mark Cuban’s Mavs.

Just five years removed from one of the most explosive sexual harassment and work-

place toxicity scandals in sports history, the Mavericks now find themselves again the target of an investigation. This time, admittedly, for far less incendiary accusations. The NBA is now looking into allegations of intentional “tanking” as the Mavs limped into the final two games of the season, “resting” starters in favor of bottom-of-the-roster players, resulting in losses that cemented the team’s exclusion from the playoffs and, more importantly, a potentially protected Top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. This, just the latest black eye capping an otherwise catastrophic season.

For those not glued to the daytime soap opera of the ’22-’23 Mavs, allow me a brief recap. The missteps of the organization arguably began in the offseason, when the front office willfully let fan favorite and superstar Luka Dončić BFF Jalen Brunson walk in free agency. I was not among those bemoaning the loss of the former Villanova standout, but an argument could be made that his departure was the first of many events over the course of the season that has seen the basketball team fall from a Western Conference Finals appearance a year ago to out of even the playin game. The NBA has 30 teams, and 20 of them, or 67%, make the playoffs in some form. Dallas was not among that two-thirds.

How a defensively challenged yet supremely talented scorer playing alongside another was supposed to be the solution for a wholly defensively challenged and rebound-deficient team is anyone’s guess. Not to mention, you receive Irving with all his off-court controversy in exchange for two of the team’s best leaders and character guys. It was a bad move that instead of putting the Mavs over the top ended up throwing dirt over the top of their playoff chances. You ignored the needs in the offseason when constructing the team only to cave to public pressure — too late, mind you — and make an impulsive decision that hurt your team infinitely more than it ever could have helped. Cuban’s absurd protest of the Warriors’ two-point victory over the Mavs a few weeks ago was unnecessary league-fighting, vintage man-child Cuban and icing on the cringe-inducing Maverick cake.

Now, Irving is sure to walk in the offseason, and the sacrifice of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, like it was for Brunson, will have been for nothing. The naked tank job this past weekend is an embarrassment to the head coach and the players alike. Now reports of our beloved superstar potentially requesting a trade — the front office’s biggest fear and motivation for the desperation Kyrie trade — are already starting to surface.

I suppose this is what happens when an NBA owner takes no more care in running his franchise than he does in random impulsive acquisitions of bored housewives’ harebrained inventions on reality TV. If I were Luka, I’d want out, too. l

As a bizarre Mavs season ends in absolute disaster, it raises the question of whether they have supplanted the Cowboys.

Pulling a Jerruh? Is Mark Cuban now the most embarrassing franchise owner in town?

Courtesy YahooSports.com

Thank you to our sponsors:

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:

Texas Materials Group, Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for renewal of Air Quality Permit No. 9368, which would authorize continued operation of a Hot Mix Asphalt Plant located at 1901 Cold Springs Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76102. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.

SCREEN

Let’s A-Go!

Though light on story, The Super Mario Bros. Movie offers a colorful good time.

BY COLE WILLIAMS

When The Last of Us became a critical and commercial hit, it was easy to see why: The filmmakers adapted one of gaming’s most acclaimed entries. For The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination Studios also adapted another beloved gaming series, possibly the most beloved, but while The Last of Us had a deep story, complex characters, and thrilling gameplay, the Super Mario series has basic stories and simple though iconic characters used to set up great gameplay. Therein lies the issue: It was The Last of Us’ story, not gameplay, that was adapted. The question is, “How could something like Super Mario Bros. be adapted in a way that’s faithful to the source material while also transitioning from a gameplay-based medium to a narrative-based one?” The answer is to let the iconic characters be themselves and have a lightweight story to set up thrilling and colorful on-screen action with a little heart thrown in.

As in the 1980s cartoon show, Mario and Luigi (Chris Pratt and Charlie Day) are brothers and plumbers from Brooklyn who stumble upon a warp pipe and end up in the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom. Well, Mario does. Luigi finds himself getting kidnapped

by dinosaurian-turtle dictator Bowser (Jack Black), who has recently found a legendary object that will give him unprecedented power. To rescue his brother, Mario turns to the Mushroom Kingdom’s ruler, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who has a plan to unite the local fantasy kingdoms, including that of Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), to stop Bowser.

If that sounds pretty much like the standard Mario plot, it is, albeit with Luigi being the one in need of rescuing instead of the princess, but it’s also a good excuse to let the characters be their iconic selves. Mario is still Mario, good-hearted and ready to fight the good fight, and his relationship with Luigi is really the heart of the film. The characters aren’t getting a deeper reinvention here because they really don’t need it. There are attempts at a little more depth, such as Mario needing to prove himself to his family, but these scenes are generally surface-level thin and primarily serve to get the story moving.

But that’s not a bad thing. Again, the series is known more for excellent gameplay than story (entries like Super Mario Galaxy aside), so why should the movie be any different? It would have been nice if the attempts at depth were more successful, but does anybody expect, or really want, a Super Mario Bros. movie to handle deep, complex themes or be a dark and gritty reinvention of the story? Basically, you want a colorful,

fun time with these beloved characters, and the movie really delivers.

An early, platforming game-like scene of the brothers racing across Brooklyn sets the stage for what’s to come, as it feels like the movie is playing a big-screen version of the game but in a good, entertaining way. It’s as beautifully animated as any Mario game, and the movie even includes things like power-ups and floating platforms, thankfully without the need to try to explain or rationalize them all beyond the fantasy world setting. There’s plenty of great set pieces, but the standout has to be the kart race on Rainbow Road, which is like a mix of your average chaotic match of Mario Kart with Mad Max: Fury Road. The star-studded cast really does shine in their performances. Pratt’s Mario is a nice mix of Charles Martinet’s classic higher pitch

from the video games and Lou Albano’s brusque Brooklyn accent from the cartoon series. Taylor-Joy’s Peach is regal yet kind, and Day’s Luigi is hilariously frightened by most of the monstrous weirdness of the lands. The best turn comes from Black as Bowser. He gives the Koopa king more than enough gruff menace and, when his full plans and goals are revealed, plenty of laughs. And, yes, he has a song, and it’s a doozy.

Aside from the basic story being on the simpler side, the only major complaint is that Bowser and Mario’s rivalry could have used more fleshing out, and people who are unfamiliar with the series are going to be left out on a lot of the references. Those in the know, of course, are going to have a very good time. Oh, and, yes, this is much, much better than, if not as fascinatingly strange as, the live action 1993 movie. l

he iconic characters have a swell time just being themselves in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Illumination and Universal studios

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, and Charlie Day. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Screenplay by Matthew Fogel. Rated PG.

NIGHT & DAY

believe that blossoming trees bring life and vibrancy back to historically underserved or underfunded areas.” Tickets start at $50 at TexasBlossoms.org.

Kind of a big deal himself, local muralist Juan Velazquez is teaching a Pop Portrait Master Painting Class at Artes de la Rosa (1440 N Main St, 817-624-8333), where you will paint legendary Tejano star Selena Quintanilla. Velazquez will guide you through the step-

While National Record Store Day isn’t until next Saturday (Apr 22), Metallica wants you to get a head start tonight. With their new album 72 Seasons hitting shelves soon, the band invites you to its Global Premiere Cinematic Listening Party on theater screens worldwide, including North Texas. At 7pm, head to the Movie Tavern (4920 S Hulen St, 817-546-7090) or several other theaters in Fort Worth, Arlington, Colleyville, or Grapevine. Tickets at Movie Tavern are $16.24, but that price could vary slightly per theater. Reserve tickets now at Metallica.film.

The first installment of day on the Green 2023 Magnolia Green Park (1201 Lipscomb St, 817-923-1649) with headliners

Pablo & The Hemphill 7 at 7pm. They will be preceded by Cameron Smith & The Slings at 8pm, Toff Faroe & Cavono at 7pm, Claire Hinkle at 6pm, and DJ Wood at 5pm. Wander ing Roots will man the Friday on the Green Market with 30-plus vendors, and food options abound. Read about them in ATE DAY8.

Join area community lead ers for an evening of hors d’oeuvres, beverages, guest speakers, raffles, and a wine pull at the annual In Bloom Gala 6pm-8pm at the Nick & Lou Martin University Center at Texas Wesleyan University (1201 Wes leyan St, 817-531-4444). This event bene fits Texas Blossoms, a nonprofit that helps beautify the state by planting and maintaining blossoming trees “lining roadways, in parks, and around schools and libraries. We

Monday

At 6:30pm, head to Soma Winery (201 S Main St, 682-703-1515) for Yoga Uncorked. For this beginner’s class, wear comfy clothes and bring a water bottle, yoga mat, and an open mind. Tickets are $35 on Eventbrite.com and include two glasses of wine. “ We absolutely cannot wait to flow and sip with you!”

Did you know that the City of Lewisville has a poet laureate? Neither did I. Yoonsoo Nam

more beautiful and meaningful. I am thankful to see my paintings become a part of people’s life and fill not only their rooms but also their hearts with beauty and peace from Him.” (As her works are focused on heaven, “Him” would be Jesus.) There is no cost to attend.

Happy 420 Eve to those who celebrate. Be sure to leave out a bag of chips and a day-old taco for Snoop Dogg. This time next week, you’ll be picking up our April 19 edition, which will be

Wednesday

Metallica is hosting a listening party Thursday.

Pablo & The Hemphill 7 bring their reggae and dub to Friday on the Green.

PISCO, CREME DE VIOLETTE, GIN, PASSION FRUIT, BUTTERFLY PEA TEA, LEMON AND ROSE WATER!

EATS & drinks

Flip Over Rusty Nickel

The TCU area welcomes Fort Worth’s newest rustic venue.

BY CODY NEATHERY

“On the other side of the tracks” typically means a nondescript place in not the most desirable part of town, a spot of destitution populated by riffraff, which describes most of my favorite bars, where I occasionally trade cash for cheap, heavy-handed wells. The TCU area is now home to a revamped retreat that, dependent upon one’s approach, is found on the other side of the tracks. While Rusty Nickel hasn’t earned the dive-bar badge, it has a familiar, lived-in feel as a classic outdoor Texas beer joint.

In the property formerly occupied by Smokestack 1948, near where West Berry continued on page 19

The cocktail lounge on the property is for fine libations in a classy rustic setting.

Eats & Drinks

continued from page 17

Street and 8th Avenue collide, Rusty Nickel will celebrate its grand opening Saturday — $3 mimosas, $4 Bloody Marys, and $5 frozen concoctions will be available from 11 a.m. ’til 3 p.m., when J&J Crawfish will fire up a crawfish boil, and Rusty Nickel will host crawfish boils every weekend until the season ends around June. For Saturday, there will also be chances to win tickets to Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival outside Stephenville from 95.9-FM The Ranch.

Smokestack derailed at the end of December 2022 amid controversy involving

partnership disputes and a bar staff mutiny, and a group of West 7th veterans — Tino DeFranco, Dalton Dear, Chas Taiple, and Drew Boatman — jumped in.

The fabricated metal exterior walls that gave Smokestack a junkyard feel have come down, revealing the bar to street traffic, which is common-sense business — crowds go where crowds are. The TVs throughout have increased in size and multiplied, and on the patio, the owners have replaced the picnic tables with pool tables and rounded out the area with several fire pits. There’s also now more seating between the interior and the newly constructed outdoor stage for mostly regional and local talent, either full bands or solo singer-songwriters. The owners have installed an elevated booth for VIPs that offers an unobstructed view of the stage.

Live music will be a dedicated focus

here. Why? Because the draw of sound can take over the steering wheel of a bar and drive it.

In an adjoining room, the owners added a secondary bar to serve guests lounging on the finely manicured Astroturf primed for kids to run amuck and bags of beans to soar during games of cornhole.

If Rusty Nickel is a party in the front, it’s classy business in a brick building on a corner of the property. This rustic lounge of mixed furniture is Side Door Cocktails and Coffee, and it’s where veteran mixologist Velton Hayworth (Malone’s Pub) serves up classics like Old-Fashioneds and spicy watermelon margaritas plus caffeinated delights from 817 Coffee Roasters, either boozy or non-. When the weather’s nice, Side Door’s garage door can be raised, offering a sideview of the stage. l

BEST RAMEN WINNER

- Fort Worth Weekly Best Of 2021

There’s plenty of room for billiards on the patio.

Rusty Nickel’s outdoor stage works for big bands and solo acts alike.

LIVING LOCAL

Fort Worth Welcomes United Way to the Panther City District

Promotional Feature

United Way of Tarrant County recently held a ribbon cutting and open house in celebration of its new offices in the Panther City District, just minutes away from the heart of Fort Worth at 201 Rupert St, Ste 107. This grand opening comes at a significant time for United Way of Tarrant County as it is celebrating its 100th birthday and a century of serving the Tarrant County region.

During the event, community members learned about United Way’s programs and initiatives and heard from Tarrant

County area civic leaders. Team members showed attendees around the new space and talked about all the great work being done for the people of Tarrant County.

United Way of Tarrant County has proudly been serving citizens across all 64 zip codes in Tarrant County for the past 100 years. In 2022, the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary and is ready to serve Tarrant County for years to come. As the organization focuses on the next 100 years of service, the people of Fort Worth are asked to Get United for healthier, safer,

more equitable communities and a more prosperous Tarrant County for all.

During their centennial celebration, United Way has launched the Get United Campaign, a $100 million fundraising campaign that aims to engage the public, businesses, and philanthropists in achieving healthier, safer, more equitable communities and a more prosperous Tarrant County for all.

United Way of Tarrant County brings people together to build strong communities where everyone thrives. As nonprofit

leaders, this organization helps communities tackle tough challenges and works with private, public, and nonprofit partners to boost education, financial stability, and health resources. In the past two years, they have doubled the impact, helping more than 550,000 people through its resources.

For more information, visit UnitedWayTarrant.org.

MUSIC

Luxe Records

The new, well-appointed Blackstone recording studio hopes to keep local musos from leaving town to lay down tracks.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY JUAN R. GOVEA

They had been talking about opening a recording studio since before the lockdown, but now two local artists have finally done it.

Located on the East Side, Blackstone is the brainchild of Arenda Light frontman Nick Tittle and Mark Randall, who ran sound at the recently shuttered MASS. Since opening in January, they’ve been booked solid.

“It feels incredible,” Tittle said. “It’s been my biggest dream for the better half of my life to do a studio full time, and it’s finally happening. It’s an extraordinary blessing.”

RIDGLEA THEATER

FRI 4/14

CARVIN JONES LIVE

SAT 4/29 SOUTHERN SOUL UNPLUGGED WITH WILSON MEADOWS, J’CENAE & MORE!

FRI 5/5 THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TERROR, FROZEN SOUL & MORE!

RIDGLEA ROOM

THUR 4/13 SMILE ON THE SINNER AND MORE

FRI 4/14 LOTTOBLE$$ AND GUESTS

SAT 4/15 EMELODI, TENOR & CANDI BLEU HONORING 3 ICONS IN R&B AND SOUL MUSIC HOSTED BY DJ JUDY B

FRI 4/21 SPRING KICK-OFF WITH NU 2 U NORTHLAKE, PHANIE BETH AND MORE!

SAT 4/22 IT’S ALL ABOUT LAUGHS THE ULTIMATE COMEDY SHOWCASE

RIDGLEA LOUNGE

SAT 4/15 KENZO KEEN YAEKO MARI, XERRERA

FRI 4/21 SAVING VICE MIRRORLAKE, LANTICBLUE & MORE!

A lot of the equipment comes from two recently shuttered local studios.

continued on page 25

continued from page 23

Sitting on an acre, the studio occupies 2,000 square feet with a 1,000-square-foot sound room. Walking into the home-like building, you’re greeted by Swedish wood lining the walls with studio lighting, vocal booths, and lots of other luxury accommodations. There is a 1960s Hammond organ, a baby grand, and a “period-correct” Ringo Starr house drumkit. Blackstone offers analog recording in addition to digital. Some of the equipment came from the recently shuttered local studios Eagle Audio and Cloudland.

The building formerly housed a restaurant, and Blackstone’s owners spent nearly a year remodeling it with Randall’s father, Chris Randall, and Dallas contractor Pedro Segura Construction. Some of the artists who have recorded at Blackstone include Cotinga, Jakob Robertson, the Trash Puppies, and the Cut Throat Finches’ Sean Russell with The Nancys.

Randall said artists do not necessarily need to bring a whole bunch of gear to record.

“We have options for that,” he said. “We are trying to build a Blackstone brand with me as the engineer and Tittle as the general producer and studio musician. We aren’t necessarily wanting to open a commercial studio. It’s our own baby.”

Security is solid. The building is gated. Randall said Blackstone is not a tourist attraction.

The two owners say they’re giving local musicians a reason to stay in Fort Worth to record rather than traveling to Dallas or even Austin or Los Angeles.

“To be able to achieve that,” Randall said, “and having a facility to help Fort Worth and the music scene and having a place that we have now, is exciting.”

Contact BlackstoneFW@gmail.com or visit BlackstoneFW.com. l

Blackstone offers analog and digital recording.

Texas Commission on environmenTal QualiTy

NOTICE OF RECEIPT OF APPLICATION AND INTENT TO OBTAIN AIR PERMIT (NORI) RENEWAL PERMIT NUMBER 9368

APPLICATION. Texas Materials Group, Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for renewal of Air Quality Permit Number 9368, which would authorize continued operation of a Hot Mix Asphalt Plant located at 1901 Cold Springs Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76102.

AVISO DE IDIOMA ALTERNATIVO. El aviso de idioma alternativo en espanol está disponible en https://www.tceq.texas.gov/ permitting/air/newsourcereview/airpermits-pendingpermit-apps. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility's general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/hb610/index.html?lat=32.775266&lng=-97.3273&zoom=13&type=r. The existing facility is authorized to emit the following air contaminants: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less and sulfur dioxide.

This application was submitted to the TCEQ on March 3, 2023. The application will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and the Riverside Library, 2913 Yucca Avenue, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review in the Dallas/Fort Worth regional office of the TCEQ.

The executive director has determined the application is administratively complete and will conduct a technical review of the application. Information in the application indicates that this permit renewal would not result in an increase in allowable emissions and would not result in the emission of an air contaminant not previously emitted. The TCEQ may act on this application without seeking further public comment or providing an opportunity for a contested case hearing if certain criteria are met.

PUBLIC COMMENT. You may submit public comments to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. The TCEQ will consider all public comments in developing a final decision on the application and the executive director will prepare a response those comments. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the TCEQ’s jurisdiction to address in the permit process.

OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONTESTED CASE HEARING. You may request a contested case hearing if you are a person who may be affected by emissions of air contaminants from the facility. If requesting a contested case hearing, you must submit the following: (1) your name (or for a group or association, an official representative), mailing address, daytime phone number; (2) applicant’s name and permit number; (3) the statement “[I/we] request a contested case hearing;” (4) a specific description of how you would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; (5) the location and distance of your property relative to the facility; (6) a description of how you use the property which may be impacted by the facility; and (7) a list of all disputed issues of fact that you submit during the comment period. If the request is made by a group or association, one or more members who have standing to request a hearing must be identified by name and physical address. The interests the group or association seeks to protect must also be identified. You may also submit your proposed adjustments to the application/permit which would satisfy your concerns.

The deadline to submit a request for a contested case hearing is 15 days after newspaper notice is published. If a request is timely filed, the deadline for requesting a contested case hearing will be extended to 30 days after mailing of the response to comments.

If any requests for a contested case hearing are timely filed, the Executive Director will forward the application and any requests for a contested case hearing to the Commissioners for their consideration at a scheduled Commission meeting. Unless the application is directly referred to a contested case hearing, the executive director will mail the response to comments along with notification of Commission meeting to everyone who submitted comments or is on the mailing list for this application. The Commission may only grant a request for a contested case hearing on issues the requestor submitted in their timely comments that were not subsequently withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the subject of a hearing will be limited to disputed issues of fact or mixed questions of fact and law relating to relevant and material air quality concerns submitted during the comment period. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction to address in this proceeding.

MAILING LIST. In addition to submitting public comments, you may ask to be placed on a mailing list for this application by sending a request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. Those on the mailing list will receive copies of future public notices (if any) mailed by the Office of the Chief Clerk for this application.

AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.

Further information may also be obtained from Texas Materials Group, Inc., 420 Decker Drive, Suite 200, Irving, Texas 75062-3988 or by calling Mr. Josh Butler, Principal Consultant, Elm Creek Environmental, LLC, at (469) 946-8195.

Notice Issuance Date: March 29, 2023

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

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EMPLOYMENT

Hysen’s Nizza Pizza is Now Hiring!

Nizza is seeking a counter person, delivery drivers, and wait staff. Apply in person at 401 University Drive, FWTX, 817-877-3900. (Open Sun-Thu 11am-10pm and Fri-Sat 10:30am-11pm.)

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EMPLOYMENT NOTICES

Companies Offering

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According to the New York Times, the following companies have said they would cover travel expenses for employees who need abortions: Airbnb, DoorDash, JP Morgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Co, Netflix, Patagonia, Reddit, Starbucks, Tesla, and Yelp.

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Gateway Church Church time is the BEST time! Join us for online church each weekend. Online services start at 4 pm on Saturdays and are available to watch any time after at https://gway.ch/GatewayPeople.

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MUSIC XCHANGE

Music Junkie Studios

1617 Park Place #106, FWTX www.MusicJunkieStudios.com

We offer lessons on voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, viola, drums, recording, and music for littles!

EMP STUDIOS

Musician-owned rehearsal and recording studios in Arlington and Fort Worth. Onsite screenprinting, merchandising services, recording, mixing, and mastering. For more info, visit: EMPStudiosTX.com

PET ADOPTIONS

PUPPIES!

A Rottie Rescue has puppies available for adoption! Thor, Odin and Loki are 8 week old males, 16 lbs each. Adopters outside of Texas must arrange and pay for transport costs. For questions or an adoption application, please email: Info@ARottieRescue.com

PUBLIC NOTICES

TDLR Complaints

Any Texans who may be concerned that an unlicensed massage business may be in operation near them, or believe nail salon employees may be human trafficking victims, may now report those concerns directly to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by emailing ReportHT@TDLR.Texas.gov.

SUBMISSIONS

We’d Like To Hear From You!

Do you have thoughts and feelings, or questions, comments or concerns about something you read in the Weekly? Please email Question@fwweekly.com. Do you have an upcoming event? For potential coverage in Night & Day, Big Ticket, Ate Day8 A Week, or CrosstownSounds, email the details to Marketing@fwweekly.com

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HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER

THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-877-0206 (VSF0000964):

Olympic, 20TFB-2, 1999, 1Z9TF2525XT09105, $1,926.02; EXA Industrial Pneumatic Bulk Trailer, 2019, 3E9J142H5KT034050, $1,926.02; Hydro Vac, Trailer, 1979, 90000452, $1,141.54; Sure-Trac, 16 FT Trailer, 2014, 5JW1U1620E3081573, $1,141.54; Big Tex, 18 FT Trailer, 2011, 16VCX182XB2376172, $1,141.54; Wabash, 53’ Trailer, 2003, 1JJV532W43L820196, $1,926.02; HomeSteader, 816PT, 2014, 5HABE1629FN036844, $1,141.54; Wabash, 53’ Trailer, 1999, 1JJV532W3XL549685, $1,926.02; Wabash, Trailer, 2007, 1JJV482W67L082195, $1,926.02; Whiley, Trailer, 2017, 5VUTW1320EP000107, $1,141.54.

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