Fort Worth Weekly // July 27 - August 2, 2022 by Fort Worth Weekly

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A top-notch burger, massive sandwiches, and tasty gourmet hot dogs make this TCU-area venue’s menu sing. B Y

CITY IN CRISIS The haves thrive, the have-nots suffer, and justice is far from blind — must be family court. BY S TAT I C

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METROPOLIS For West 7th to maintain its cultural power, some issues need to be resolved. BY EDWARD BROWN

B R O W N

BUCK U MUSIC The Froggies’ flamewar with After not playing for a decade, Tech is the treat we didn’t Spiral Sound’s mastermind know we needed. returns and with a new EP. BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

BY JESSICA WALLER

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STAFF

J u l y 27 - Augus t 2, 2022

Anthony Mariani, Editor

INSIDE

Lee Newquist, Publisher Bob Niehoff, General Manager Ryan Burger, Art Director Jim Erickson, Circulation Director Edward Brown, Staff Writer

Killing Time

Tweet This

By Votebeat and The Texas Tribune

Cour tesy Facebook

So West 7th-y

As the party rages on, new development is hinting at tapping the breaks.

By Edward Brown

Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director

A right-wing group recounting ballots in Tarrant County is just a precursor of what’s to come.

Fans (and lurkers) are loving this TCU/ Tech flamewar. By Buck D. Elliott

Emmy Smith, Proofreader

Cheeseburger in Paradise And more await at Lola’s Fort Worth. By Edward Brown

Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive Julie Strehl, Account Executive Tony Diaz, Account Executive Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

CONTRIBUTORS Megan Ables, Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Sue Chefington, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Bo

Jacksboro, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Vishal Malhotra, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Linda Blackwell Simmons,

4 6 8 10 12 14

Buck U Metro Metro 2 Metro 3 Night & Day Eats & Drinks

Madison Simmons, Teri

16 Eats & Drinks 2 19 Music

Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Cole Williams

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23 Classifieds

Backpage . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

EDITORIAL

BOARD

Anthony Mariani, Edward Brown, Emmy Smith

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Dust Storm TCU and Tech are riling up their fan bases by being Twitter twats — and this is not entirely a bad thing. E L L I O T T

Like a plant-based burger or ERCOT’s latest failure to manage our power grid, the truth can be hard to swallow. I’m generally a lie-to-me-if-you-love-me sort of guy, but this week’s Twitter war between TCU football brass and Texas Tech fans was a sobering reminder that both of these beloved Texas squads are nationally irrelevant. Until more evidence is gathered, this might be the most fun either fan base has this season. It began with the Frog athletic department rolling out their “Keep It Purple” ticket plan, a mini-season-ticket option at a promotional price. These packages are nothing exceptional and standard practice. However, it singled out the Lubbock dwellers as the only home game this season for which fans are excluded from buying a single-game ticket. So, if you want to witness TCU try and four-peat against the Red Raiders, you have to commit to two other home games to be able to attend. It’s worth noting that Tech is the only in-state squad — save for the Tarleton game — who’ll visit The Carter this season. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati defended the practice as trying to give his boys their best chance to have the home field advantage they should. Also, TCU needs to rake in ticket money. There’s some truth in Donati’s candor. The Frogs are 6-2 against Tech over the past eight seasons. Both losses came in Fort Worth. Premium games are always going to be sold as such, and without Texas and Baylor making their way to the Fort this season, Tech becomes the de facto rivalry game on campus. Conceal your hubris, Raiders. TCU is allowing single-game tickets against OU only because the Frogs are going to charge a lot more and be confident they’ll get it, not because Tech is the best team on the home docket.

C o u r t e s y Tw i t t e r

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You’re bound to see many more cactus emojis in Twitter posts, thanks to this week’s feud between anyone who claims any allegiance to Tech and TCU.

While I was tempted to engage in the endless comment chiding between the two fan bases trying to convince the other of the superiority of their degree or international business connections, or whatever, sadness brewed in my amygdala with the realization that both these teams could very well suck. Maybe this is 2020-Buck talking. When everything was a disaster. But both squads are going to be breaking in new head coaches. Joey McGuire is debuting his first season ever as a head college coach, and Sonny Dykes is taking the reins (no pun intended, but he just defected from the Mustangs, so we’ll go with it) at TCU. Both head men are leading programs with pedigrees in opposition to their specialties. McGuire, known for his defensive acumen, is leading the land where quarterbacks seem to grow in the sand. Dykes is likely bringing an air-raid offense to a school known for its tremendous defensive secondary for the last 20 years. Add to that, neither team has named their starting quarterback, a situation that should keep any first-year coach up at night. Things really reached fever Tweet when TCU recruiting coordinator Bryan Carrington scoffed at Tech’s $25K for every football player’s NIL deal, asserting that no one would be able to build their personal brand out in the desert. The Red Raiders’ proposed NIL deal — which is being funded by a group of graduates called The Matador Club — says they’re going to sign all 85 scholarship players and 15 walkons to one-year contracts for requisite charity work in Lubbock and surrounding areas. The proposal, if it holds, would be one of the largest team-wide deals in the country. The Texas Longhorns were offering $50K for offensive lineman recruits but nothing like the roster-wide scenario proposed in Lubbock. It would be perfectly natural for a recruiting coordinator to be threatened by such sweeping support and money thrown around while TCU hasn’t reported anything similar. Carrington’s comments drew plenty of reprisal from West Texas alums, including “flower deliveries” in the form of cacti to Frog coaching offices. Apparently, living in the Permian Basin develops a sense of humor.

C o u r t e s y Tw i t t e r

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C o u r t e s y Tw i t t e r

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As much as it might seem pertinent to look in the mirror and assess the shortcomings of our hometown institution, don’t. These events smack of two undeniable facts regarding Texas Tech football: Their fans are a treasure, and TCU is their most relevant football rival. Two rivalry trophies exist for Tech, one with TCU — the “West Texas Championship” Saddle — and the Chancellor’s Spurs, which go between Lubbock and Austin. But let’s be honest. Lubbock just sort of borrows them from time to time. The Red Raiders have played Baylor more times than any other school and are only trailing by one game in the all-time standings against the Bears, but there’s no traveling trophy and most Wac(k)os would probably list Texas and TCU as superior rivals controlling for hatred and prestige. Despite being middle-tier rivals with each other, TCU and Tech are in ostensibly similar situations, and the chippy banter is welcome ahead of a season where the conversation is probably going to center on lame-duck Big 12 members Texas and Oklahoma, along with Baylor, who is an early favorite to win the conference. This is a friendly reminder to embrace the friendly hatred of a fan base that we’re likely to be intertwined with come what may with conference realignment. The coaching staffers themselves are also incestually joined between the universities. McGuire began his coaching career in high school on Fort Worth’s southern border at Crowley. Dykes is Tech royalty — though he probably won’t be treated that way this season — growing up the son of former Raider head coach Spike Dykes and earning varsity baseball letters on the Red Raider diamonds. Anecdotal evidence — which is scientifically never wrong — has taught me that Tech alums are just a fun group to feud with. I can’t say the same about another TCU rival with whom they used to share a municipal border. Our conference future is completely unknown, but Texas Tech getting better at football than they’ve been in the last decade — possibly supplanting former rivals bound for other conferences — would be good for everyone. l

CLOSING JULY 31, 2022 Promotional support provided by

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The Kimbell Art Museum is supported in part by Arts Fort Worth, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

FINAL WEEKS

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This exhibition was organized by The Art Institute of Chicago.

METROPOLIS

What’s fueling unprecedented levels of anger with Tarrant County family courts?

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S T A T I C

No area of our local government draws as much ire and mistrust as family courts. Seemingly countless blogs, YouTube channels, and Facebook groups are dedicated to scrutinizing the decisions of Tarrant County family court judges (elected every four years) and their personally appointed associate judges. Critics of Texas’ child support program point to federal incentives that ensure people pay their child support. For every dollar Texas spends on monitoring and enforcing child support, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contributes 66 cents to the state. Nationally, the federal government disburses around $6 billion to states as part of the initiative. Numerous parents see the federal involvement as floating a system that is possibly dated because women are making almost as much as men in the workplace — when measuring similar jobs — and because increasing numbers of fathers are taking on 50/50 custody agreements. These men still have a long way to go. Nationally, 80% of parents awarded primary custody are women, based on U.S. Census Bureau data. To dig into the accusations against family court judges who have the unenviable job of determining which parent receives primary custody and whether parental rights are reduced or terminated, we spoke with one Colleyville father whose son recently died of cancer. Rulings by two family court judges in Tarrant County played a role in his son’s death, the father alleges. A longtime family court attorney explains the unfair advantages wealthy parents wield in court while history buff Larry O’Neal summarizes feedback he’s fielding from angry parents who allege they were undeservedly targeted or abused by Tarrant County judges.

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C o u r t e s y o f Yo u Tu b e

Breaking Point

Larry O’Neal (left) recently hosted grieving parent David Henderson as part of a livestream discussion to raise awareness of parental rights and potential judicial misconduct.

Remembering Corbin Henderson David Henderson frequently relives memories of his son. The boy was a younger version of his father, the dad told me. The 14-year-old saw the similarities, too. “If we were the same age,” Corbin Henderson once told his dad, “we’d be best friends.” Through podcasts and livestream videos, David’s story has drawn condemnation from parents across North Texas at the rulings of Tarrant County’s 332nd District Court. Presiding judges James Munford and associate Jeffrey Kaitcer worked in concert, David alleges, to allow Corbin’s mother allegedly to remove their ill son from effective treatment at Cook Children’s Health Care System three years ago and place him in an experimental treatment trial in New York City. More recently, the judges denied David and his family access to Corbin while the boy was in hospice care at his mother’s home throughout June. “I think that [Munford and Kaitcer] are largely responsible for his death,” Henderson alleges. “I also believe that [Munford and Kaitcer] imprisoned him in a house that he didn’t want to be imprisoned in and kept me out as if myself or my dying son had done something wrong.” Corbin died on July 2. David, who maintained near 50-50 custody, said he lost substantial access to his terminally ill son throughout the last two years of treatment as his ex-wife allegedly sched-

uled hospital visits during times David normally had access to Corbin. The father said he didn’t learn about the boy’s placement in hospice care from an attorney or his ex-wife but rather from a mutual friend. Corbin’s health allegedly declined during a two-week period of possession — effectively a summer vacation — that the judges gave his mother, whose name we are concealing to protect her privacy. The unfavorable timing left David with no court-ordered access to his ailing son. Kaitcer initially restricted communication between the father and son, who was on a steady stream of morphine, to two 15-minute FaceTime sessions, arguing that the courts didn’t want to interfere with the boy’s vacation. “Nobody is going on vacation,” David recalled at the time. “I was angered that anyone would rule that I have two 15-minute sessions of FaceTime with my dying son. To use the excuse that it was vacation time was incomprehensible. [Kaitcer] all but told me to sit down and shut up.” Through subsequent hearings, David was able to visit Corbin three times a day for onehour visits. Kaitcer expanded the duration to two two-hour visits during the day with no access every fifth day. David appealed the last decision to Judge Munford, but the court date ended up falling after Corbin’s death. “They all ran the clock out on purpose,” David alleges. No court should ever restrict a parent’s access to their dying child, David said, adding that Corbin’s paternal grandparents were allowed to see their grandchild for only 90 minutes on Father’s Day.

“Every time I visit court, I spend 10 to 15 grand,” David said. “I’ve spent over $200,000 in court. You always have the right to appeal because the associate judge is not elected. Someone will always be unsatisfied with the outcome. This means you will try the same case twice and spend twice the money. That’s the whole game.” David said Texas’ family courts will always favor certain parties as long as there are financial incentives for parents, lawyers, and judges to litigate endlessly in court. David said there is still an unfair presumption that the father is somehow less deserving of primary custody than the mother. “The entire system needs to be completely changed,” he said, “but that’s never going to happen because there is way too much money being made.”

Larry, the Wi-Fi Guy With a Facebook reach of more than 169,000 followers, history buff Larry O’Neal is the go-to source for locals who want to hear candid conversations with politicians and political candidates. Three months ago, O’Neal began fielding horror stories about the local family court system. “There is no possible way this happens,” O’Neal recalled thinking at the time. “I understand that in family court, there are winners and losers. These allegations, [these distraught parents] are either all reading the same playbook, or these stories are really true. It’s something that needs to be looked into.” O’Neal said he has spoken with more than 200 parents over the past three months. The stories share common themes of arrogant judges, burdensome litigation costs, and unwarranted child separations. One mother told O’Neal that her Tarrant County family judge allows excessive litigation that has cost her $200,000 in attorney fees. Another mother said she was sent to Tarrant County Jail for several days because a local judge couldn’t coerce her to lie in court. Critics of Tarrant County’s family courts tell O’Neal that donations to judges from major law firms may allow vexatious litigation to flourish. O’Neal said he visited the downtown family courts building and was told to “sit down and shut up” by one family court judge soon after stepping into her room. O’Neal doesn’t recall the continued on page 7

Buying Power Justin Sisemore said emotions are at an all-time high in Tarrant County’s family courts. The owner of The Sisemore Law Firm, who has represented thousands of clients since 2007, believes stresses from COVID and the general combative state of the country have spilled into family law litigation in recent years. “I regularly gauge the temperature of new clients,” he said. “If they say they want ‘the bulldog,’ I explain that we are focused on being pragmatic with our approach.” Sometimes, he continued, public anger over the family court system is misplaced by court watchers who are well-intentioned but may not know the complexities of individual cases. “I’m not against groups that expose the judicial system,” he said. “If you do that, have a solution. Don’t just go and say this judge is the worst in the world. People have bad experiences in family law. If you get a bad ruling, you’re going to point to the judge or attorney.” That’s not to say that there aren’t systemic issues in Texas’ family courts. Sisemore is a

“The statute on child support caps earning stands at $9,300 a month,” meaning any income above that threshold is not subject to 20% child support deductions, Sisemore said. The attorney gave the example of two men, one who makes $120,000 a year and another who makes $38 million annually. In Texas, he said, both men would pay the same amount — roughly $2,000 per month — in child support. “In an ideal world, our country’s legislators would create a national system that is consistent from state to state,” he said. “The State of Texas needs to update its antiquated child support formula and ensure non-monied parents receive equal access to the same level of legal representation as their affluent opponents. I don’t think the vehicle for legislative change is ever easy. If we are going to fight about something, let’s fight about the best quality of life for the child. Other states are ahead in delivering fair child support and visitation schedules.” This story is part of City in Crisis, an ongoing series of reports on unethical behavior and worse by local public leaders, featuring original reporting. The next one, on Tarrant County juvenile courts, will appear in the Aug. 3 issue. Up next in our series will be Tarrant County’s juvenile courts, followed by the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) and the district attorney’s office. l

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judge’s name, but her behavior shocked him. Even with the systemic problems O’Neal hears on a daily basis, he sees several paths forward that may one day fix the county family court system. By looking into certain allegations and questioning elected officials on his Facebook Live interviews, O’Neal has brought a heated topic to the public’s attention in a way Tarrant County has never seen before. “Any government or big business greases the wheel that squeaks,” he said. “At some point, somebody is going to have to say, ‘Hey, family courts, there is a big problem.’ ” O’Neal said he has asked several family court judges to come on his show, but they have all declined. “I don’t think the judges will sit down with anybody,” he said. “They seem pretty close-knit.” By making family courts a recurring theme of his interviews and posts, O’Neal said he has attracted 16 whistleblowers so far. He has openly requested whistleblowers from the court and attorney systems contact him to provide confidential information. While that effort has just started, O’Neal said the insiders are already providing tantalizing details about high-power family law attorneys and judges. Once he verifies the leads, he plans to

vocal critic of the advantages affluent parents wield before judges. He offered several examples. “One party that has the resources can keep taking the other party back to court,” he said. “It becomes very unequal.” Tarrant County and the state, he said, offer no remedy for balancing family court litigation costs between the haves and the have-nots. “Texas does not require a monied individual with the available resources to pay the legal fees of the other party,” Sisemore continued. “In divorce cases, a lot of people may have substantial resources that are tied up in assets and resources. If one party is planning to divorce, they utilize their resources for one attorney. The other is left wondering what they are supposed to do. If you are the first to file, it can hit the other party financially.” In civil cases, attorneys can wait to be paid until after a settlement, but family law forbids those types of agreements, Sisemore said. Appealing a decision by an associate judge to an elected district judge allows one party to financially bleed the other. Since associate family judges are not staffed with a court reporter, the appeal effectively means starting over. Sisemore said he’d like to see a system where associate rulings were more binding. Texas’ child support laws are frequently overly punitive to the non-rich, Sisemore said, while wealthy individuals enjoy caps on their child support.

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share them with the public and media. Vetting down-ballot family court judges often isn’t a top priority for voters, especially if they are no longer raising children, O’Neal said. “That needs to change,” he said.

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Metro

METRO

As the popular corridor prepares for megadevelopments, our reporters will unpack competing interests. B Y

E D W A R D

B R O W N

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Four of the Top 10 bars that sell the most alcohol per month in Fort Worth sit within a few blocks of one another in the tightly packed West 7th corridor. Often lost in heated discussions about parking woes, latenight noise, and sporadic crime is the fact that the area is an economic powerhouse that drives city and county revenues while

Cour tesy Facebook

West 7th Crossroads

On weekends and holidays, 10,000 revelers or more pack the West 7th corridor.

sending bartenders home with hundreds of dollars each on weekends. From dusty, industrial-zoned fields and run-down buildings, Phase 1 of Crockett Row — the central but by no means only develop-

ment in the corridor — was completed just 13 years ago. Since then, the mixed-use project has seen significant business turnover and an undaunted willingness by new owners to try their luck in the area that spans only five city blocks.

There’s nothing quite like it. The district generally outlined by University Drive and West 7th is sluggish during the week yet hopping on weekends and holidays with continued on page 9

Metro

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more than 10,000 late-night revelers. The corridor’s businesses have adapted to the extremes, and many have thrived. But change is on the way. A new $250 million development under construction just northwest of the West 7th corridor in the Cultural District will offer mixed-use businesses, a boutique hotel, restaurants, and luxury apartments by the end of 2023. Local developer John Goff is funding the project that aims to bring hundreds of new residents and potentially thousands of daily visitors to the tightly packed area. And there’s more. In January, Goldenrod Companies announced a new mixed-use commercial and residential project. The $80 million Van Zandt (2816 W. 7th St.) will add space for offices, apartments, retail, and dining to the northwest corner of Foch and West 7th streets. City officials have a keen interest in development and public safety in the corridor. A June 13 meeting of city officials, police, and West 7th business owners may have been called by well-monied developers and city officials to try to temper the rowdy bars along Foch that some see as a liability for future investment. Entertainment districts like Dallas’ Deep Ellum and Austin’s 6th Street are similarly balancing business interests with public safety, and business owners in Deep Ellum and 6th Street may offer insight into what crime-related measures do and don’t work. In private conversations, West 7th bar owners tell us that local police presence is critically important but dwindling. Filling that vacuum is an environment that invites lewd behavior and outright violence. The June rape of a woman near Texas Republic is part of a stream of stories of assault, gunplay, and drugs coming from the corridor, but those headlines, numerous bar owners tell us, often drown out progress and the extra effort by bar owners and staffers to protect customers from predators. Another topic we’ll explore is the use of off-duty police in the area. Based on the Fort Worth police’s general orders, hired off-theclock officers are required to wear their uniform. The off-duty cops, who earn around $75 an hour running security for West 7th bars, are also required by police rules to provide services as they would on “their normal tour of duty.” Bar owners tell us that many off-duty officers, while working in uniform, appear reluctant to address scofflaws in plain sight but outside the bars where the officers have been hired. For the indefinite future, our magazine will take a deep dive into one of the most consequential communities in Fort Worth. As part of our Inside West 7th series, you’ll see bylines from many of our regular writers. Public safety, traffic and parking, the ongoing battle about noise, and the steps West 7th business owners and city officials are taking to address concerns will be central themes of our reporting as we analyze the past, present, and future of the West 7th corridor. Have news tips or ideas for us? Email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. l

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METRO Big Lie Comes to Cowtown

A right-wing group is quietly conducting a review of 300,000 Tarrant County ballots from the 2020 primary likely as a warmup for endlessly disputed elections. B Y N A T A L I A C O N T R E R A S , V O T E B E A T A N D T H E T E X A S T R I B U N E

Around 40 volunteers with a conservative group questioning the integrity of Texas election results, as well as that of some election administrators, recently began a review of thousands of ballots from Tarrant County’s March 2020 GOP primary election. Volunteers with the group the Tarrant County Citizens for Election Integrity told Votebeat last week that their goal is to ensure the results of the election are accurate. Members are specifically counting votes in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, in which Sen. John Cornyn won with 73% of the vote in Tarrant County over his closest challenger, who earned 13% of the county’s votes. The group also alleges a range of fraudulent activities related to the 2020 November general elec-

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Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

John Singer Sargent, A Venetian Woman (detail), 1882, oil on canvas, Cincinnati Art Museum, The Edwin and Virginia Irwin Memorial, 1972.37

S h e l b y Ta u b e r

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Through September 1 1

tion in Tarrant and other counties across the state but has offered no evidence to support the allegations. “We’re not here as Republicans or Democrats,” said John Raymond, a volunteer with the group. “A lot of people don’t have faith in our elections, so we’re just here counting, making sure that what the secretary of state’s numbers say are right.” Tarrant County Election Administrator Heider Garcia does not see the benefit of the audit. “There’s nothing wrong with the election,” he said, “but the ballots are now public, and it’s their right [to inspect them], and we will do everything that we have to do to make sure they can exercise their right to inspect public records.” The group’s tallying of ballots — spurred by unsupported claims of voter fraud and of flawed election audits in Texas — began about two weeks ago. In contrast with high-profile reviews of ballots elsewhere in the country, such as the 2021 review ordered in Maricopa County by the Arizona State Senate, the Tarrant ballot inspection has until now attracted almost no notice. In fact, even the secretary of state’s office said it had previously been unaware of Citizens for Election Integrity’s ballot review, but it’s unlikely to be the last such effort. Volunteers have arrived daily at the Tarrant County election administration office’s ballot board room, which is where absentee ballots are typically counted. The group members inspecting ballots work in shifts — from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. — as they progress through more than 300 boxes collectively holding more than 300,000 ballots. Last Friday morning, about 15 volunteers sat in pairs at tables and flipped through all the ballots, one box at a time. Some volunteers compared the information on the ballots to data on their laptops. Some members of the group were also seen holding the ballots up against the light. It’s unclear what they were looking for. The tallying of the ballots will likely continue in this way for the next two weeks, Raymond said. Charles Wedemeyer, another volunteer for the group, said he believes there’s a lot of

Tarrant County Election Administrator Heider Garcia said his office has been cooperating with the citizen audit.

A version of this story originally appeared in the Texas Tribune.

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unnecessary secrecy in the county’s elections. “The act of voting is secret, but that’s it,” he said. “The rest of it is public. The citizens own this deal, but we had to wait 22 months to do this. It’s important for the records to be secure and protected, but it’s not secret. The ballots should be available within five days.” Last Friday, upon seeing a photographer beginning to take photos for this article, the volunteers stopped what they were doing and walked out of the room. Garcia, who’s led the office since 2018, said this is the first time he’s received a request of this scope: a large group of people seeking to physically review thousands of paper ballots. Making that happen, he added, required massive time and resources from his office, which must keep staff members in the room with the ballots at all times. “A lot of people in this office have had to learn to shuffle priorities,” Garcia said. The office’s elections staff includes the administrator, the assistant administrator, the voter registration manager, the elections manager, and the operations manager. “We’re monitoring this process,” Garcia said. “We’re helping them. We’re answering questions, calls, and everything they need, but our people are also trying to register voters, and we’re also trying to fulfill other information requests we have.” The group first asked to inspect the March 2020 primary ballots last fall, but the Texas Election Code requires voted ballots to be retained in their original ballot box for 60 days after Election Day. On the 61st day, the “election custodian” may transfer the voted ballots to another secure container, where they must be kept for a 22-month preservation period. Anyone who wants to inspect the voted ballots must wait until after the 22 months, when they become subject to public records requests. With the request pending and the clock ticking, the Tarrant County elections office had to set a plan, a policy, and procedures to have such a large group of people in the office for days on end while simultaneously ensuring the ballots’ security and continuing other work, Garcia said. He drafted a policy for inspecting sensitive documents in person earlier this month. It prohibits writing or marking instruments, and all interaction with the documents by non-elections personnel is subject to video and in-person monitoring. Electronic devices with ethernet ports are not allowed in the inspection area, and laptops, tablets, cellphones, and other electronic devices that do not have ethernet ports may be brought into the inspection area, among other guidelines. A Tarrant County elections administration worker must be present in the room with the group at all times to answer any questions and to monitor the review of the documents. Raymond said the group could next review ballots from elections in July 2020 and November 2020. Garcia said his office has already received requests to review the November 2020 election. Those ballots will become public record in September. “This is just to start,” said Raymond, who told Votebeat he is a retired military logistics

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officer. “It’s like a sample for us. We have to start somewhere, and, I’m guessing, these were also the ballots that were available first.” Sam Taylor, assistant secretary of state for communications, said election offices around the state are receiving large numbers of public information requests, and they are likely not going away any time soon. “I think for most counties, it’s in their interest to be as transparent as possible with their voters,” Taylor said. “Now closer to November, [county election administrators] are probably not going to be able to set aside entire rooms for this kind of stuff. It will take extra resources.” Not every state considers voted ballots to be public records. In an email to Votebeat, Saige Draeger, an elections and redistricting policy associate with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said some states distinguish between physical ballots and images of ballots, treating them differently under the law, and many states are silent on the question entirely. Other states that specify that physical ballots are public records include Colorado and Florida, provided that the ballots contain no information that could be used to identify voters, Draeger said. Voting rights advocates in Texas and elsewhere have sounded the alarm over the activities of conservative election integrity groups. “It’s really ominous for what we may see of this election and then in 2024,” said James Slattery, senior attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project’s voting rights program. “Our democracy really relies on people having faith that they are casting a ballot that counts and that our leaders are elected through an accurate count of those votes, so efforts like these, even when they can’t substantiate their allegations of fraud, contribute to a growing impression that elections are rigged somehow and that elected leaders are fraudulently in office, and, over the long term, that kind of undermining of faith in democracy will be fatal to our system.” Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a government watchdog group, said a ballot review such as the one in Tarrant County “elevates the narrative that election administrators are somehow not doing their jobs properly or, even worse, trying to sway elections. … It’s a really dangerous lie that is being sold to a lot of people, and, frankly, it’s putting election administrators in a lot of danger. It all stems from this lie of elections about our elections not being safe.” Mei Wang, a volunteer with the Tarrant County Citizens for Election Integrity, told Votebeat last Friday that the group isn’t trying to keep anyone away from the polls. “We want people to vote,” said Wang, who added that she has an accounting and auditing background. “We need people to come vote, and we can audit. We want audits to be done more regularly, quarterly, and we want to correct this problem.” In Texas, all counties are required to audit their results by doing a partial manual count for every election, in 1% of precincts or three precincts. Tarrant County did a manual count in 2020 as part of its audit for the Senate race the group is inspecting, Garcia said. l

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Metro

in a world where he keeps his mouth shut offstage and between songs — I’d love to see Sweaty Teddy live at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, 817-624-7117) tonight. If you don’t mind, or actually enjoy, his rightwing asshattery and prepper propaganda, Ted Nugent hits the stage at 10pm. Tickets start at $20 at BillyBobsTexas.com.

NIGHT&DAY

Steel Magnolias plays at Casa Manana thru Sunday.

Since Steel Magnolias was initially written as a play, it’s no surprise that it transThursday lated so well into a screenplay for the 1989 film of the same name. Written by Robert Harling, based on his experience with his sister’s death, the play is a dramatic comedy about a small group of Southern women who bond in northwest

Louisiana. See Steel Magnolias in its original format at Casa Manana (3101 W Lancaster Av, 817-332-2272) at 7:30pm tonight, 8pm Fri-Sat, or 2pm Sun. Tickets start at $29 at CasaManana.org.

Friday

If it were 1990 and I could see him perform with Damn Yankees — or 2022

Cour tesy Facebook

For its final production of the Broadway season, Bass Performance Hall (525 Saturday Commerce St, 817-2124280) presents Mean Girls, a musical based on the film of the same name, with book by Tina Fey (30 Rock), music by Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde). Directed by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon), Mean Girls tells the story of the naive newbie Cady Heron, who falls victim to a trio of her new classmate “frenemies” led by the charming and ruthless Regina George. “When Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.” Show times are at 7:30pm TueFri, 1:30pm and 7:30pm Sat, or 1:30pm and 6:30pm Sun. Tickets start at $55 at BassHall.com/MeanGirls.

More than one group is protesting for women’s rights this weekend. Join Sunday them at the Tarrant County Courthouse (100 W Weatherford St) 6pm-8pm Sat-Sun. The Saturday march has been organized by Bans Off Our

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Bodies (FTWActivism.com/Bans-OffFTW), while Sunday is hosted by Women of Texas United: Restore Women’s Rights & Recall SB 8 (Facebook.com/ Groups/381164546936840). For more information on Bans Off Our Bodies and to hear local women’s stories, visit the Fort Worth Weekly channel on YouTube.com and view our Women on Roe series.

Today is the day. Voting for our annual Best Of Awards begins at Monday midnight. Do you have thoughts, feeling, hopes, dreams, or concerns about the categories on the ballot this year? If so, speak now or forever hold your peace. To see last year’s categories, visit FWWeekly.com and flip through last year’s Best Of edition in the Magazines drop-down. Submit your suggestions no later than 5pm Fri by emailing Marketing@FWWeekly.com.

Join Carolyn Marco of Kiki Knows Art (@ Kiki_ Knows_Art) at Lockwood Tuesday Distilling Co. (1411 Magnolia Av, 682-499-6270) for Upcycled Jewelry Workshop from 7pm to 9pm. You will create an original piece of jewelry using salvaged leather and repurposed metal tins. Tickets are $55 on EventBrite.com and include one craft cocktail and all the supplies and tools needed for the project.

Women Painting Women May 15–September 25

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Deborah Roberts Susan Rothenberg Jenny Saville Dana Schutz Joan Semmel Amy Sherald Lorna Simpson Arpita Singh Sylvia Sleigh Apolonia Sokol May Stevens Claire Tabouret Mickalene Thomas Nicola Tyson Lisa Yuskavage

MODERN AR T MUSEUM OF FOR T WOR TH 3200 Darnell Street • Fort Worth, Texas 76107 • www.themodern.org Amy Sherald, A Midsummer Afternoon Dream, 2020. Oil on canvas. 106 × 101 inches. Private Collection. © Amy Sherald, Courtesy the Artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde

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EATS & drinks

Take a Load Off

The hidden, Laundromatthemed Dirty Laundry suits West 7th well with clubby vibes and drinks that’ll have you spinning. Dirty Laundry, 1005 Foch St, FW. 817-420-6181. Noon-2am Sat-Sun, 4pm-2am Mon-Fri. S T O R Y A N D P H O T O S B Y C H R I S T I N A B E R G E R

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The moment my thirtysomething friend and I stepped out onto Foch Street in the West 7th corridor, we felt out of place. “There are children everywhere.” I nodded in agreement with her remark, eyeing with concern a young inebriated couple who nearly took a tumble as they crossed the busy intersection. If only a lounge like Dirty Laundry had existed in college when I rolled up on the local bar district! I would have soaked up all

the laundry puns, washed down every cocktail on the menu, and pressed all my friends to join me. Then I’d rinse and repeat every week. No “if ”s, “and”s, or “suds” about it. Before you pack up your overflowing hamper, you should know that Dirty Laundry isn’t a functioning Laundromat. Simply for looks, the storefront contains a single row of faux retro-looking front-loader washers and dryers, each featuring a digital display of clothes tumbling or sloshing against the glass. The attention to detail is noteworthy, like the soundtrack of typical washer/ dryer noises, rack of hanging clothes, and black-and-white tile floors. The only machine without a display touts an “Out of Order” sign and serves as the secret entrance to Dirty Laundry. There’s no keypad code like at Bodega West 7th, no literary-themed password to grant you access through the bookshelf to Thompson’s underground Rx. There wasn’t even a token to slip through the machine’s quarter slots. All it took was a tug of the handle to open the door. I couldn’t help but think that a little more presentation around gaining access would have gone a long way. What greets you within is a wall covered floor to ceiling with an absolute mess of garb. Around the corner, the dark interior of the bar accented with neon blue and pink lights exudes a clubby vibe. Various articles of clothing are strewn about, with everything from lingerie to towels and tube socks draped over light fixtures and wall art, as if someone had blindly tossed them in the general direction of a laundry basket. Joke’s on them, because the basket is suspended from the rafters. My guest and I settled into a small alcove with velvet bench seating. An electric violet hue washed over us as we people-watched and quaffed our first round. The crowd surprisingly skewed older, but, as midnight approached, the younger

The machine touting an “Out of Order” sign serves as the secret entrance to Dirty Laundry.

hordes converged with tits and cheeks on display. With temperatures reaching that of the devil’s backyard, I can’t blame them for showin’ some skin. To its credit, Dirty Laundry leans into the theme with its decor and “Laundry List” of punny mixers. The creation of my

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Fluff ’N Fold, an Old Fashioned with TX Whiskey and the added flair of maple cotton candy, was a spectacle in and of itself. The bartender placed a tuft of the carnival candy atop the ice cube in my tumbler and poured the liquid over the spun sugar, dissolving it continued on page 15

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Eats & Drinks

Dirty Laundry Pressed & Creased .................................... $13 Fluff ’N Fold ................................................ $16 Last Load .................................................... $13 Horned-Frog Wash ..................................... $14

the “highly edited photo on the website.” My heart sank a little. I’d been catfished by a tall glass “of water” online that didn’t match their picture. I wish the inquisitive barkeep had been wrong. In the neon glow, my Last Load appeared a bit like dirty washing machine water with a hint of a glint. The bar had also run out of maraschino liqueur, so I was play-

The author finished the night’s escapade with the Horned-Frog Wash, mostly because of the edible glitter.

advantage of a Laundromat and lounge. Getting my laundry done there might have made my bill feel a little more worth it. While the place wasn’t my scene, that shouldn’t “detergents” or ladies from taking a load off at Dirty Laundry after a draining day. After all, the cocktails were creative, the decor one-of-a-kind, and the atmosphere intriguing. Why not take it for a spin cycle and decide for yourself? l

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The creation of the Fluff ’N Fold, an Old Fashioned with TX Whiskey and the added flair of maple cotton candy, was a spectacle in and of itself.

ing with second-string liquor. Despite all that, the cocktail was strong, definitely floral, and fairly refreshing — not “just right” but close enough. I can’t say it surprised me when I discovered that Dirty Laundry and Bodega West 7th are partners. Both attempt to modernize the traditional speakeasy with “hidden bar” concepts that don’t exactly embody the spirit of a speakeasy. Maybe I’m too much of a purist, but to warrant the name, shouldn’t your front business be a fully operating one? The most shocking part of the whole experience was my tab. Prices weren’t posted anywhere, and, on top of that, I tipped over the built-in 20% gratuity I hadn’t noticed. All in all, I spent more than a hundo … on five drinks. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been hung out to dry. Overall, Dirty Laundry felt like a brilliant concept that hadn’t been completely ironed out. The interior design elements were on-brand, though strangely mixed with taxidermy and Western elements. Even the music didn’t seem to match the vibe. Classic rock songs straight from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack played on repeat when Top 40 or club music would have been more fitting. With so many institutions of, a’hem, “dryer” learning in Fort Worth, there must be plenty of college students who’d take

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into the concoction. After such a fun display, the drink itself was a little disappointing. The Pressed & Creased I ordered for my friend was made with Absolut, Sprite, and soda, and I added a watermelon flavor boost from the list of fruity options. That may have been what ruined the drink for her, because my compatriot found it overly sweet with a weird aftertaste. My next beverage didn’t improve much upon the first, but this time, it was my own damn fault. I chose the Mezcal-forward Last Load without making the connection to the play on a Last Word, a Prohibition cocktail with chartreuse, whose herbal, earthy essence hit me hard and didn’t initially seem to blend well with the smokiness of the Mezcal and the oddly sweet bite at the end. As I sipped, the discordant variety of flavors gradually grew on me. Like Goldilocks, I was determined to find the Dirty Laundry cocktail that was “just right.” Betraying my alma mater, I finished the night’s escapade with the HornedFrog Wash — mostly because the concoction contains edible glitter. The bartender asked me questions to glean whether I would like this washdown. Did I like gin? Had I ever had an Aviation? She warned me that “some people think it tastes like soap” because of the floralness of the gin and added lavender. None of that put me off, until she added that people usually request it solely because of

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EATS & drinks

Lola’s offers succulent sammies (including a top-notch burger), scrumptious apps, and inspired *gulp* wieners.

Retail Location OPENING SOON In River East!

Food at Lola’s, 2000 W Berry St, FW. Thu-Sun.

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B Y

E D W A R D

B R O W N

Shortly after Lola’s owner Brian Forella announced that his music venue was moving from near West 7th to the TCU area, readers kept asking the same question: What about Dayne’s Craft Barbecue? The food truck had become synonymous with Lola’s ever since owners Dayne and Ashley Weaver first parked at Lola’s a few years ago. In a Facebook post, Dayne said that the split with Lola’s was amicable and that another location, this one at 9840 Camp Bowie West, offered the award-win-

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Suckin’ on a Chili Dog

The Mellencamp, one of seven gourmet hot dogs, rocked.

ning ’cue purveyors the chance for a brickand-mortar location. Lola’s new location, on Berry Street, has housed numerous restaurants over the past several years, so Forella took advantage of the built-in kitchen to offer noshes to go along with the bar service and live music. A recent post on Lola’s Instagram page made the news official: Food at Lola’s would be open Thursdays through Sundays only, possibly a cautious move as the kitchen crew gauges demand. A bright green neon sign reading “FOOD” greets customers heading into the

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MON-FRI 8am-5:30pm

Customers order scrumptious food in a paradisical setting.

continued on page 17

Come Check Out Our New Look!

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612 University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76107

bustling bar. Just past the verdant glow is a bucolic room covered with artificial plants and purple walls. The medium-sized menu includes hot dogs, sandwiches, and a few appetizers, most everything rendered relatively inventively. Order near the kitchen, and you’ll be chowing down in well under 10 minutes. As an appetizer, Thundercat’s Picklez were piping hot and damn delicious. Every heavily breaded golden nugget was spicy and benefited from the side of cooling ranch, and they all retained a nice tangy bite. The only drawback was the small size: only about 12 pieces per order, and some of them were no bigger than a nickel. Hard to pronounce but easy to chomp on, the Z’Burger was a large but manageable bad boy that blended salty, sweet, and savory. The caramelized onion aioli was umami nirvana while the diced bacon was smoky without overwhelming the bunned delight. It could have used veggies other than just lettuce, but the overall experience was original and tasty. Food at Lola’s Beach Boy ................................................... $10 Mellencamp ............................................... $10 Z’Burger ...................................................... $12 Z’Philly Cheeze ........................................... $12 Thundercats Picklez .................................. $8

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continued from page 16

Z’Philly Cheeze was a straightforward take on the classic cheesesteak. Every bite of juicy sirloin, melted queso blanco, and grilled onion sent my taste buds into hyperdrive. Compared to the other items I tried, the gargantuan Z’Philly Cheeze wasn’t super-inventive, just delicious. One of seven Rock Dogz, or gourmet hot dogs, the Mellencamp was a tasty hot mess. Spilling over the long, thick wiener was a small pool of mild queso blanco and hearty chili mercifully sans beans. Like the heartland rock that inspired this sucker, the overall effect hurt so good. The Beach Boy is highly Instagrammable. Crisscrossing drizzles of mustard atop the jumbo wiener set the visual backdrop for small chunks of bright green avocado and colorful giardiniera. Every bite was a flavor explosion that alternated between tangy, fiery, and creamy. Rather than settle for expected pub grub, the folks behind Food at Lola’s have created a largely original menu in which the humble hot dog is elevated to scrumptious variations inspired by regional cuisine. And the burger is easily in the Top 10 of the city. Right now, knowing when the restaurant opens is a bit of a guessing game because the hours of operation are not listed in cyberspace or anywhere inside the restaurant. One staffer said Food at Lola’s is working on “floating hours” that change week to week. With new concepts, it can be hard to gauge customer demand, but regular posted hours would be nice at some point — that’s my only gripe and a small one at that. l

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Eats & Drinks

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The Beach Boy is highly Instagrammable and delicious.

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MUSIC Spiral Sound Again

Along with a new EP, the project of Christian James returns to the stage after a 10-year absence. B Y

J E S S I C A

W A L L E R

continued on page 20

James: “Giving myself over to the service of someone else changed my art.”

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Cour tesy Bandcamp

August 2 The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

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When Christian James’ mom died recently, he immersed himself into his music entirely to cope with the loss. “I knew I wouldn’t be OK without that outlet,” the Spiral Sound frontman said, “so I let it consume me, so her death wouldn’t.” After he sat with her through hospice care, watching COPD and the rest of her maladies draw the life from her over the last two years, James found a deeper layer in creation that wasn’t there before.

“Giving myself over to the service of someone else changed my art,” he said. “I felt her speaking through me on the songs I wrote this year. They began to feel like a lullaby to her.” Many of the songs James wrote have now been released as Sister, Perfect, a collection of several tracks available on most streaming platforms. James is also returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade. Music was always a calling for James, even when inspiration wasn’t as hard won. “Sports were fucking boring,” he said when asked what pulled him into music early on, “and I’m pretty sure it’s genetic. Also, I hate myself,” he laughed, “so in social situations, I’d always create these strange scenarios in my head. I think that’s something that leads people to be creative. They’re so used to involuntarily creating things in their mind, it eventually turns into art.” That’s partly how James created the New Wave garage-rock Spiral Sound circa 2002 with drummer Paul Goetz and bassist (and Weekly contributor) Patrick Higgins in a town, Fort Worth, where, speaking of genetics, James’ father, Richard Mauch, was already known throughout the ’70s and ’80s by way of Savvy. James mentions his father’s popular rock band with a hint of derision, also noting that his mom, Pauletta Yandon — a talented poet in her own right — worked a “soul-crushing job in bill collections” so Mauch could rock out with the

Cour tesy Bandcamp

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Music

endless comparisons: “I’m like, ‘Hey, we were doing this way before those guys!’ ” continued from page 19 The Spiral Sound broke up after nine years in 2012 when Higgins’ daughter was guys as a “leecher” most of his life. Mauch diagnosed with a terminal illness and he — understandably — had to quit. died a couple of years ago. “I am so grateful to those guys for the “He wasn’t a bad guy, though,” James said. “You guys [the Fort Worth Weekly] did years we had, though,” James said. “I always a really touching tribute to him as a sort of look back at all that as a really great experilocal rockstar when he passed away, and I re- ence. We just weren’t ready to go all the way, and I think I had to give it some time to really appreciated that.” James’ vocals are what make Spiral ally have something to say.” As the members drifted apart, James Sound stand out from most other dancey still kept the band name for garage-rock bands, with hooks any new music he recorded smoothly flowing into place The Spiral Sound 10:30pm Sat w/Austin over the years on his iPhone in contrast to choppy waves of Fischer at Downtown and released on Bandcamp, dissonance. The difference beCantina, 105 College Av, not knowing whether or not he tween ’90s grunge and garage Weatherford. No cover. 817-341-6819. would ever perform live again. rock from the aughts is that the Practicing and recording latter understands the almighty groove that bands like Nirvana worshipped, music as a solo artist for the last 10 years in pounding out “something that people can contrast to playing in a band, James found dance to and enjoy as well as an element that there is a certain level of machismo when working with guys which he has been liberatthat’s a bit dark and spacey,” James said. A throaty baritone that’s raspy at times ed from on his own. “Like, if you want to try something with that Southern alt-rock charm a la Vaden Todd Lewis and Kurt Vile, James’ voice is new, it better be good, or you’ll just feel rethat forearm on your shoulder pulling you in. ally embarrassed,” James said. “Drinking Julian Casablancas also comes to mind, helped with that, but when I started doing but don’t mention the reference to James’ face my own thing, I felt like I could be more exas it is so frequently made that his ire for this perimental and lyrically open, which helped statement birthed one of his most popular me a lot, especially after my mom passed.” James knew he had something new that singles, “Oh, Julian.” James wrote the song as a sort of conversation with The Strokes he felt compelled to share after the pain and frontman to check his resentment about the isolation of the last several years. l

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If you were a fan of Oil Boom, the popular Dallas/Fort Worth-based rock ’n’ roll band that existed between 2009 and 2018, you are probably aware of Yeah Huh, the follow-up project from Oil Boom frontman and principal songwriter Ryan Taylor. If not, let me explain. In the years following Oil Boom’s dissolution, Taylor, who probably has five or six albums’ worth of material floating around in the Cloud, began collaborating with his friend Kenny Wayne Hollingsworth (The Orbans, Leon Bridges), tracking songs file by file until they had a three-song EP ready to release. Initials debuted in 2020, right around the time venues started canceling shows due to the lockdown. Yeah Huh played a single show, and their debut release came and went. So did lockdowns, of course, and Yeah Huh have since performed a handful of times. They also wrote and recorded new material, and on Friday, they’ll be dropping a second three-song EP, Guilt Trip. To my ears, both EPs sound like the logical sonic trajectories Oil Boom might have explored on future recordings, based on the stylistic territories ventured into on Terribility, the final Oil Boom album, but that opinion is largely because I was in Oil Boom from 2011 until the last show, during which I often wondered if I would be able to keep up with Taylor’s ever-evolving songwriting. I was never sure if he did this by intention or accident, but every new song seemed to be about rock ’n’ roll, sometimes literally, but other times in the way his arrangements, lyrics, and riffs explored the possibilities of the format, in the way one might turn the format of “four-door car” into a Tahoe, or a Scion XB, or a Scion XB that had been on Pimp My Ride and still has an Xbox in it. Guilt Trip, in my opinion, is what happens when you shred at guitar and like Judas Priest and Blur almost as much as you like R.L. Burnside and J.J. Cale and then eventually transcend the velocity of a lifetime absorbing the Classic Rock Canon. I kind of think that process often occurs because songwriters listen to Kill ’Em All or Al Green Gets Next to You or whatever and step outside their wheelhouses for a side project, but Taylor and Hollingsworth’s new jams feel like an entirely organic progression. The lyrics are still recognizably Taylor’s in both their phrasing and tone. They are as wry as ever, dealing here with his own petty grievances (“Spun, Wrought, Cast”), historical insignificance (“RailSplitter”), and the story of

Cour tesy Bandcamp

RIDGLE A THE ATER

Yeah Huh Takes Off

thrill-seeking millionaire con artist T.R. Wright (“Flight Risk”). But where Oil Boom songs tended to give a riff at least as much consideration as a rhyme, Yeah Huh’s six-string pyrotechnics are often more subtle and nuanced, like the difference between rum served neat and rum served in a tí punch. On Guilt Trips, sparse words limn the songs like heavy ink. “Flight Risk” sketches the essence of the pilot in its first line: “Add a third to your name / Burned out the Cessna / Switch to helicopters / Never enough.” And that hook spreads across a cloud of hazy, nostalgic reverb like a shadow, highlighted periodically with bursts of distortion and static. The track is short, and the verses are spare, but the hook floats around your head like a half-remembered dream, in a way that listening to Kurt Vile or The War on Drugs for a couple hours makes you lose your sense of time. The War on Drugs might be the nearest comparison to these songs — “Spun, Wrought, Cast” has that mellow, wistful, I’ve-been-40-really-since-I-turned-35 guitar-rock vibe that makes TWOD nice to listen to on rainy drives to work. “RailSplitter,” the EP’s middle track, powers lines like “who put the ‘his’ in the ‘hiss’ of ‘history’?” with the herky-jerky bounce of a Gerald Casale-ish guitar figure, but the song is fogged in gauzy vocal effects and snaky, psychedelic solos — think: Devo for people too stoned at the moment to dig Devo — making it more singular than any relevant reference points. All told, Yeah Huh’s new EP is a fun listen even if you know Oil Boom only as an economic phenomenon. And if you’re a fan of Ryan Taylor’s songs, Guilt Trips will take you on another fascinating leg in a talented songwriter’s journey. — Steve Steward Contact HearSay at Anthony@FWWeekly.com.

J&J Oyster Bar Work where you are appreciated. 612 University FWTX. Call today! 817-367-9791 EMPLOYMENT NOTICES Companies Offering Travel Accommodations: 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. Additionally, NowThis has listed the following companies also offering the same assistance to employees: Amazon, Apple, BuzzFeed, Citigroup, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lyft, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Paramount, Sony, Tesla, Walt Disney Co, Vox Media, and Zillow. (JMB, FWW) HEALTH & WELLNESS Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke These are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Association. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special Offer: 5 Screenings for $149! Call today! 1-833-636-1757 DENTAL INSURANCE 1-888-361-7095 Physicians Mutual Insurance Company covers 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! Call or visit Dental50plus.com/fortworth (#6258). Planned Parenthood Of Greater Texas We’re not going anywhere. We know you may be feeling a lot of things right now, but we are here with you and we will not stop fighting for YOU. See 6 ways you can join the #BansOffOurBodies fight on FB @ PPGreaterTX. For more info, go to: PPGreaterTX.org

OREGON From Mt Hood to the Oregon Coast, Explore Oregon with the official tourism at: TravelOregon.com

Hannah in Hurst 817.590.2257 Massage Therapy for pain relief, deep relaxation, and better sleep. Professional office in Mid-Cities for over 25 years. “I am accepting new clients now and happy to return your call.” -Hannah, MT#4797. MasseuseToTheStars.com

MARYLAND If you thought Maryland was just battlefields and Old Bay, think again! VisitMaryland.org

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!

MINNESOTA MN is the place for extraordinary, eye-opening adventures likr camping under the stars in a Dark Sky Sanctuary. More at: ExploreMinnesota.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 TOURISM CALIFORNIA From its celebrated coastline to its broad heartland and granite Sierra peaks, CA offers a lifetime of vacations in one Golden State. CaliforniaTouristGuide.com CONNECTICUT Great shopping, dining, casinos, Mystic maritime fun in CT, the southernmost New England state. More at: VisitConnecticut.com DELAWARE Explore the Great Outdoors with DE’s Scenic Drives, State Parks and More. Find Trip Ideas at: VisitDelaware.com ILLINOIS Places to go, things to do, the best places to eat and drink, must-see Chicago, trip ideas and inspiration for your travels at: EnjoyIllinois.com

MAINE Take the Guesswork Out of Planning Your Getaway at: VisitMaine.com

MASSACHUSETTS Find countless fun things to do from Boston to The Berkshires at: VisitMA.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE NH is the perfect outdoor playground. Roll the windows down and explore scenic routes, walk around vibrant small towns and make unforgettable memories. VisitNH.gov NEW JERSEY NJ wows with 130 miles of shorelines and cities that pulse with exciting entertainment and culinary pleasures. Discover the Garden State. VisitNJ.org NEW MEXICO Visit New Mexico for a unique family vacation filled with exciting activities like skiing, hiking, shopping and sight seeing. NewMexico.org NEW YORK Explore all the state of New York has to offer including fun things to do, year-round events, festivals, and more. ILoveNY.com NEVADA Outdoor recreation, exciting events, and stories for days. Plan your next trip to Nevada. TravelNevada.com RHODE ISLAND RI is 400 miles of New England coastline, with beaches and freshfrom-the-ocean seafood. It’s also public art, charming villages, and more. VisitRhodeIsland.com VERMONT Our cities and towns welcome visitors with their rich history, eclectic shops, farm-to-table dining establishments, and recreation areas. VermontVacation.com WASHINGTON Emerge yourself with things to do in Washington from fishing, tours, volcanoes and more. StateOfWATourism.com

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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 SunThu 11am-10pm and Fri-Sat 10:30am-11pm.) HysensNizzaPizza.com

MIND / BODY / SPIRIT 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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BEST OF 2022

Voting for Best Of is all write-in and the ballot will be live from August 1st to September 11th. However, July is when we decide on the categories. To see last year’s categories, go to FWWeekly.com and look for Best Of Edition in the Magazines drop-down. Have a suggestion about a category? Want to tell us about something unique that needs our attention? Email Marketing@ FWWeekly.com by July 31st.

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COWTOWN ROVER Inspection Almost Due? Are You Road-Trip Ready?

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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

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Lone Star Towing (VSF0647382) at 1100 Elaine Pl, Fort Worth TX, 76196, 817-334-0606: Chevrolet Nova, 1974, 1X6908W221818, $1128.77.

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Elevate Credit Service, LLC seeks Principal Architect – Applications in Fort Worth, TX to lead the technical vision for Elastic, a key product for the Elevate brand. Telecommuting is permitted. Apply at https://www. jobpostingtoday.com/ Ref #89945.

817-881-2408 Adrian

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