Fort Worth Weekly // December 14-20, 2022

BIG TICKET

You still have time for holiday shopping, and we’re here to assist with some arts and music options.

BY JENNIFER BOVEE

CITY IN CRISIS

BY STATIC

The Music Issue

As we put 2022 behind us, there’s lots to look forward to — mainly big shows and even bigger local records.

BY FORT WORTH WEEKLY STAFF

STUFF

While it’s not as touching as its predecessor, God of War Ragnarok is just as epic.

BY COLE WILLIAMS

HEARSAY

Here are the winners of our 25th? Annual? Music Awards!

BY ANTHONY MARIANI

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

A Tisket, a Caskett

Fort Worth police are taking an inanimate object a lot more seriously than a Black woman’s death.

By Static

Mo’

Bettahs

By Laurie James

Upcoming Records and Shows

By Patrick Higgins, Steve Steward, and Juan R. Govea

By Anthony Mariani

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

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, Madison Simmons, Teri Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Cole Williams

fwweekly.com

METROPOLIS

White Privilege Wins Again

Instead of challenging the mayor to turn inward, the coffin on her lawn will likely result in the arrests of several justice activists enraged over Aaron Dean’s pro-police show trial.

BY STATIC

Supporters of police reform took their message to Mayor Mattie Parker on Saturday by placing a coffin on her front yard. The names of Black men and women killed by Fort Worth police over the past few years were inscribed on the casket along with red paint signifying blood.

Visible from the photo taken by the unnamed group is “Jefferson,” a reference to Atatiana Jefferson, the young Black woman fatally shot by former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean in 2019. The loving sister, aspiring medical doctor, and doting aunt was the sixth person killed by Fort Worth police that year.

Fort Worth police say they are now investigating the placement of the coffin as a terroristic threat. The quick jump to potential criminal charges against a social justice-minded group is a reminder that law enforcement singularly serves the interests of wealthy and well-connected folks like Parker. Fort Worth’s police union staunchly supported the mayor, who in turn continues to fight any effort to add civilian oversight to our police department. She recently was the deciding vote in the November city council decision to reject a proposed civilian advisory board for local police.

In many Black and brown communities, unnamed groups who place coffins on elected officials’ yards — a symbolic reference to those who died and not a veiled threat — are not seen as terrorists. Police are.

Ask the family members and neighbors of Jefferson if they feel terrorized that a white police officer could break protocol by walking onto someone’s private property and fatally shooting them. We can only imagine how terrorized Jefferson felt in her dying moments as she bled out from a massive chest wound as her uniformed killer walked into her home and offered no medical aid.

Read the comments on social media about the casket group, and it is clear that many in this community were elated that — finally — someone had the courage to criticize Fort Worth’s white elites for the over-policing and underfunding of predominantly Black areas like Como and Stop Six.

The poverty and suffering in communities like 76104, where Jefferson was killed, exist because of wealth inequality. It’s an intentional rigging of the system that dates back to our country’s first enslaved men, women, and children and persists through rebranding efforts like Jim Crow, Back the Blue, and, more recently, reactionary Critical Race Theory bullshit that aims to erase anything that upsets precious white snowflakes.

Last week’s anemic prosecution of Dean was yet another reminder that Tarrant County — and this country, if we are being honest — views Blacks as lesser than and Black women as the least worthy of justice. After more than three years of waiting, supporters of justice for Atatiana were crushed to see prosecutors fail to humanize her and fail to detail the repeated breaches of police procedure when Dean took it upon himself to kill an innocent civilian in response to a nonemergency call about an open door.

Concerns of biased policing and prosecution are well-founded. Why Dean has been free to live his life while awaiting trial as hundreds of nonviolent men and women, mostly Black and brown, languish in Tarrant County Jail is a question that public officials, who are mostly white and mostly wealthy, happily ignore.

Sharen Wilson’s alliance with racists is public record. The disgraced outgoing district attorney showed us some of her white hood and robe when she endorsed County Judge-elect Tim O’Hare, an imperial cyclops who has described Hispanics as “less desirable people” who do not value education or taking care of their yards and portrays Black

protestors as violent “antifa” mobs, when 93% of BLM protests two summers ago were peaceful, according to a report by the US Crisis Monitor. By endorsing him, DA Wilson aligned her office with a well-monied white supremacist movement that began in Southlake and has oozed into surrounding suburbs and now the county commissioners court.

Decent-minded folks here and across the world are watching the remainder of Dean’s trial and hoping that, somehow, this backward, illiterate, redneck county stumbles into the right outcome, a guilty verdict. There’s no way Parker will use the coffin incident to look inward and empathize with family members who have lost loved ones due to police violence and systemic racism. Instead, the mayor will likely parlay her well-monied connections with Fort Worth police into shamelessly playing the victim. l

This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly. com. He will gently edit it for concision and clarity.

The coffin inscribed with “Jefferson” and many other names posed no threat to the mayor, but Fort Worth police are already stumbling over themselves to arrest the justice activists who placed the symbol on her front yard.

Black-Robed Sorcerers

State laws forbidding double-dipping by public officials stand no chance against the dark and powerful magic wielded by judges like Sid Harle. The San Antonioian frequently holds two positions of profit, one as an administrative judge and the other as a visiting retired judge, but all it takes is a little wave of his wand, er, gavel to make everything on the up and up — alakazam!

While we muggles must notify our retirement providers when we return to work, visiting retired judges are not bound by such loser laws. Retired misdemeanor and district judges can pull in a cool $750 a day while double-dipping from taxpayer-funded retirement programs because magic, duh!

Shapeshifter Jim Hogan, a visiting retired judge from Wichita County, can transform into three avatars: senior judge, associate judge, and retired judge. His witchcraft comes from David Evans. The administrative judge for North Texas is well-steeped in the eldritch art of handing out false judicial titles, but his abilities are nothing compared to the most mystical sorcerer in the state.

The latest spell from Texas’ Chief Wizard Nathan Hecht allows misdemeanor judges to take the bench with absolutely no authority. While literally every other type of judge (county, district, appellate, justice of the peace) has to be appointed by a government official with appointing powers or elected, retired misdemeanor judges, accustomed to DUIs and domestic abuse allegations, are allowed to preside over felony cases like murder and aggravated assault without being appointed or elected due to the ancient magic in Chapters 74 and 75 of the Texas Government Code (formerly known as Vernon’s Civil Statutes).

The original civil statutes clearly state that all retired judges must notify the Chief Wizard if they wish to continue service.

“No person who has heretofore retired … shall be considered to have been a judicial officer of this state after such retirement unless such person has accepted an assignment by the chief justice to sit in a court of this state,” the original statute reads.

Chief Wizard Hecht now maintains that district judges and appellate judges, not misdemeanor judges, need to just say they wish to continue serving as a visiting retired judge, meaning an entire class of judges — retired misdemeanor judges — derive their judicial authority solely based on sorcery, a.k.a. absolute bullshit

For the thousands of defendants assigned retired misdemeanor judges every

year in Texas, those qualifications matter because judges not constitutionally or statutorily qualified to preside over cases can and have had their rulings overturned on appeal.

It was only through the wizardry of greedy judges over the past four decades that the original intent of the statutes slowly metamorphosed to suit the needs of ghoulish judges who circumvent problems by conjuring totems that make pesky constitutional requirements (like taking the Oath of Office) vanish — abracadabra!

This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for concision and clarity.

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.

Chief Wizard Nathan Hecht conjures up corruption.

Courtesy Supreme Court of Texas

Ice and Lightning

BY COLE WILLIAMS

God of War (2018) stood as maybe the highest peak in the mountain range of Best Games of the Eighth Console Generation. With intricate, brutal combat and a memorable, emotional story, it managed to elevate the series as it transplanted Greek god of war and deity-slaughterer Kratos to Norse mythology. Now, we’re in the ninth generation, and Kratos has to contend with not just dragons and draugrs but fierce competition such as Elden Ring while also measuring up to higher graphical standards and four years of expectations. Thankfully, God of War Ragnarok is ready to surpass those expectations and slay its competition.

Picking up a few years after the last game, Kratos (Christopher Judge in a Game Awards-winning performance) and son Atreus (Sunny Suljic) begin Ragnarok on the run from vengeful gods and trying to survive Fimbulwinter, the years-long cold that predates Ragnarok, when all Nine Realms of Norse mythology are said to be destroyed. No pressure for a god like Kratos, who saw to the end of his own mythos. Except his son wants to face those prophecies head on, drawing the ire of Odin (Richard Schiff), who has a keen interest in preserving his realm of Asgard and isn’t taking too kindly to interlopers. One battle with Thor (Ryan Hurst) later, and Kratos and Atreus are on the run, looking for the presumed-dead

Norse god of war Tyr and seeking a way to stop Odin’s plans.

“Be better” was a running theme of the last game, and it continues here, expanding both story and gameplay. Play-wise, things remain much the same, divided between exploration, a little light puzzle solving, and killing everything that gets in your way. Exploration now has Kratos boating and sledding across various wider though not quite open-world areas, with even more sidequests to complete, optional bosses to battle, and collectibles to, well, collect than in the last game. This also means lots of conversations between the characters as they traverse, from the telling of deeply hidden secrets to fun little moments. (Atreus: “Dad, do you ever think I’ll grow a beard like yours?” Kratos: “No.”) Puzzles also make better use of all of Kratos’ arsenal, and a few can be real mind benders.

But let’s talk about the series’ main draw: combat. The camera remains fixed behind Kratos as the Leviathan Ax and the Blades of Chaos, along with Atreus as support, are used to slash, smash, decapitate, and disembowel everything that sees your 6-foot-4-inches of muscular godly rage and

thinks, “Yeah, I’m the one that’s gonna beat him!” Like in too many series (looking at you, Metroid), you start without a lot of the things you earned in the last adventure, so some skills have to be relearned. However, combat is even more involved, with more weapon skills, armor choices, shields, and skill trees that allow players to customize Kratos to whatever playstyle they see fit. Still, it all comes down to skill-based combat over making a strong character build, so those who like min-maxing are only going to get so far.

Graphically, the game hasn’t undergone any major upgrades, which is to say, it’s still stunningly beautiful and full of some of the most impressive vistas and creatures ever seen in a video game. And running on the PS5 at 60 frames per second makes everything that much smoother. There were a few bugs but only some rare object pop-in and awkward character animations, nothing game breaking.

Story-wise may be the only way the game isn’t better. Not that it’s bad at all. It’s longer, adds tons of new and interesting characters, takes more than a few turns leading up to an epic climax, and tugs on a

few heartstrings, but it doesn’t quite reach the emotional highs the previous game did. Ragnarok also still has some of what I call “video game bullshit,” such as when a god like Kratos needs to solve a puzzle to get around a 5-foot-high fence. Combined with more usage of his arsenal for platforming and the bigger areas, and the game feels like it’s butting against its design limitations. I’m not saying a hundred hours-long openworld revolution is necessary, but this series can definitely expand even further.

But minor graphical hiccups and complaints about the story not being as good as the one before say more about how excellent the previous game was — just, like, a halfpoint higher on the ol’ superfluous numerical scoring system. This game is an enriching experience, one that made me feel like my life was better for having played it, and that kind of experience doesn’t get much better than here. l

It’s the end of the Nine Realms as we know it, and it plays great.

Though only a half-point behind its predecessor, God of War Ragnarok is just as life-affirming and the combat just as killer.

Cole Williams

God of War Ragnarok

Starring Christopher Judge, Sunny Suljic, Alastair Duncan, and Danielle Bisutti. Directed by Eric Williams. Written by Cory Barlog. For Playstation 4 and 5. Rated M for Mature.

Enjoy an evening of holiday music at Christmas with Nat and Natalie at the newly renovated Reid Cabaret Theatre at Casa Manana (3101 W Lancaster Av, 817332-2272). Separately, father-and-daughter singers Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole recorded more than 100 songs, including quite a few chart-toppers. Curtis Wiley will play the role of Nat, and Jenny Mollet will be Natalie. Hear them crooning classics like “The Christmas Song,” “Mona Lisa,” “Unforgettable,” and “When I Fall in Love” at 7:30pm today, 9:30pm Fri, or 8pm Sun. Tickets start at $65 at CasaManana.org.

Today thru Sun, then ThuSat, Dec 21-23, and FriSat, Dec 30-31, experience Mesmerica in the Noble Planetarium at the Fort Worth Museum of

Science & History (1600 Gendy St, 817255-9300). This show promises a visual journey that “brings the mesmerizing music of Grammy-nominated composer/percussionist James Hood together with 3D-animated art curated from artists around the world.” Immersive experiences are on trend now, and we finally have one in Fort Worth. Tickets start at $12 and include general admission to all the museum’s permanent exhibits. To see the time slots available and for more information, visit Tickets.Mesmerica.com/FortWorth.

Christian Country Group of the Year for four years running, MARK209 is in town to perform hits like “My Kinda People” and a host of Country Christmas tunes at 7pm at Arlington Music Hall (224 N Center St, Arlington, 817-226-4400). The group’s name comes from mile marker

209 on I-40 in Tennessee, the crossroad for the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium, Music Row, and much more, which is why they have named this production Christmas from the Heart of Nashville. Tickets start at $10 on Eventbrite.com.

Those who celebrate the yule season and pagan traditions might enjoy the Dark Moon Nacht & Yule Party at Higher Purpose Emporium (505 W Northside Dr, ShopHPE.com) from 8pm to 11pm. Enjoy storytelling, an ancestral altar (bring a photo or item to honor their memory), toasts (nonalcoholic drinks available), and a white elephant gift exchange (bring a wrapped gift valued at $20 maximum). After yule wishes are made for the coming year, Lady Ivy will do open channeling. This event is free to attend. No one under 13, please.

Daily thru Wed, Dec 21, from 5:45pm to 9pm, enjoy Lightscape at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, 817-463-4160). Taking place in the 120-acre park and set along a “beautifully illuminated” walking trail custom-designed for Fort Worth, Lightscape will “feature spectacular artistic installations that come to life after dark with color, imagination, and sound.” Tickets are $28 for adults and $18 for kids and include toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate along with the singing trees and artistic installation you’ll experience. Entry times are available every 15 minutes. The

average tour time from start to finish is 1.5 hours, although there is no time limit. For tickets or more info, visit FWBG.org.

At 4pm, it’s time to munch on that mushroom at the Holiday Gift Wrapping Party & Ugly Sweater Contest at The Rabbit Hole Pub (3237 White Settlement Rd, 817-744-7160). Contest prizes will be awarded at 9pm. The pub provides all the supplies you’ll need to wrap your presents. This event is also your last chance to donate to the Rabbit Hole toy drive, so bring an unwrapped toy for that. The Crown Apple and Shiner street teams will be giving out swag, and Chef Tacos will be available for purchase. Since it’s a Tuesday, there will also be $4 Texas beers and liquor. “Come wrap with us!” On it.

Unbeknownst to me, there is an Italian-American holiday tradition called the Feast of the Seven Fishes which features various types of seafood and baked goods. Clay Pigeon Food & Drink (2731 White Settlement Rd, 817-882-8065) celebrates its inaugural seven-fishes feast at 5pm. Dinner is $130 per person, with an optional Italian wine pairing for an additional $50. From seafood canapes at the beginning to orange and pistachio semifreddo at the end, it all sounds delicious. For a complete description of the courses and info on how to book a table, see the event page at Facebook.com/ClayPigeonFD.

By Jennifer Bovee

December 16–18

Friday, 10 am–8 pm Saturday and Sunday, 10 am–5 pm

Tadao Ando’s “arbor for art” has become a beloved destination for Fort Worthians and people around the world since opening on December 14, 2002. Celebrate with us by walking through our galleries and grounds— experiencing the tranquil, light-filled spaces and restful pond that reflect Ando’s genius.

Documentary Screening, Making the Modern Saturday, noon and 2 pm Architecture Tour Saturday and Sunday, 11 am

Give

the

Gift of Local Gold albums,

gold/“gold”

jewelry, spacemen, and skateboards are just a short drive (or surf) away for the giving season.

BY JENNIFER BOVEE

With this being our year-end Music Issue — and the issue after our post-pandemic Music Awards comeback event — I feel inspired to feature some arts and music gift ideas from local creatives and arts organizations here.

Deck the Walls with Local Art

The art on this week’s cover, which I’ve christened “Welcoming Home the Music Awards,” is by local artist JJ Jonesy. When I saw this piece on Facebook, I knew we had to have it. You see, ever since our aviationmeets-girl-power-themed cover for Best Of

While he is mostly doing commissions these days, JJ Jonesy does have finished pieces for sale.

2022 featuring seven kick-ass local ladies, including Flickerstick’s Fatima Thomas, I’ve had a weird fascination with astronaut art and that classic Flickerstick album cover for Welcoming Home the Astronauts. I had to fangirl a little when Brandin Lea and Fatima did a surprise set at our Music Awards Ceremony this past Sunday. I’m sure she wasn’t weirded out. At all.

As I soon learned, JJ had long painted over the piece I saw online. He recreated it for us and even customized it with a MAF patch on the astronaut’s arm. That’s the beauty of working with a local artist. If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, commission the piece you seek. While he is mostly doing commissions these days, he does have finished pieces for sale. For inquiries and to see more of his work, visit @ JJJ_Jonesy on IG.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.738.9215 www.themodern.org

Meet artist/musician JJ Jonesy. Courtesy Facebook

We’ve written a little about Jonesy before. He was once commissioned to paint a controversial mural in River Oaks by the owner of Maven’s Moon Apothecary. Read more about it at FWWeekly.com. Search for “Howling at the Moon.”

For some last-minute artsy shopping, you can also head to the Rock ’n’ Roll Rummage Holiday Extravaganza. From noon to 5pm Sun, Lola’s Fort Worth (2000 W Berry St, LolasFW.com) will be chock full of artists and vintage collectors slinging fun stuff

Big Ticket

for your delectation. Typically, the jewelry

mage sale is also a donation site for the Fort Worth HOPE Center (3625 E Loop 820S, 817-451-6288). A food distribution center, HOPE aims to “fight hunger and feed HOPE among low-income families by dis -

Spin City

While national shows sometimes still have a physical ticket option, local gigs mostly don’t. If your mom saw Led Zeppelin at the convention center downtown back in the day but lost her ticket stub, or if someone you love wants to memorialize the moment they discovered Celestial L’Amour at a local music showcase, a commemorative ticket from StubForge.com might be the perfect thing.

My favorite MAF moment was in 2018 when we inducted my friends in Warbeast

ing shows, most of your favorite local bands have merchandise available for sale and could really use your support. Hit them up this week while there’s still time to meet you in a dark parking lot where such dealings reportedly go down.

One merch item on my list for Santa is the Royal Sons’ Praise & Warships, winner for best album of 2022 in our Music Awards, on gold vinyl for $20 at RoyalSonsTX.com. Another is a $25 T-shirt from folk nominee Jacob Furr that proudly touts a recent bad review. For the record, while “I kept hoping

Relive a favorite concert memory or create a physical commemorative ticket for an upcoming gig at StubForge.com.

Courtesy StubForge.com If

hunt

funky finds, including jewelry, Rock ’n’ Roll Rummage Sale is the

Courtesy Instagram

Big Ticket

dise is at Morgan Mercantile (121 S Main St, Ste 1, 817-720-6160). Along with being the purveyors of cool in the Fort, they carry band merch for the Texas Gentlemen, including some snazzy socks, and the Thieving Birds.

brush in Austin at the inaugural Transdenominational Holiday Spectacular with sets by BRUCE (Carrie Fussell), Croy and the Boys, and some other special guests. There will also be limited-edition tattoos available by Mystery Matter. Show tickets and socks are available at MorganMercantile.com. Guess which costs more?

continued from page 9 continued on page 12

If you feel like a road trip, you can catch the Texas Gentlemen on Friday at the Sage -

Promotional support provided by

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Two Women at a Window, c. 1655–60, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection, 1942.9.46

This exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum.

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. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Someone in your life deserves the Royal treatment this Christmas. (Me. I’m someone.)

Courtesy Royal Sons

Jacob Furr knows how to take things in stride.

Courtesy Facebook

Big Ticket

continued from page 10

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Like most locations centered on amusement and education, local nature centers and zoological destinations have gift shops. While you can certainly get lost in souvenirs for tourists, there are some gems to consider as well.

Along with pre-purchasing admission tickets or adopting (i.e., “sponsoring”) animals via FortWorthZoo.org, the gift shops at 1989 Colonial Pkwy (817-759-7300) have a lot to offer. Located in the Savanna area of the zoo, Safari Traders offers decorative animal masks and hand-beaded jewelry made from recycled zoo paper. Zoo resident Rasha the elephant likes to paint with her trunk, so sometimes her art is available for purchase there, too.

The curated items at museum stores — many sourced from local artisans and small businesses — make for thoughtful, philanthropic gifts. Amon Carter Museum of American Art (3501 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-989-5007), the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gendy St, 817255-9343), the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-288-3248), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817- 840-2136), the National Cowgirl Museum (1720 Gendy St, 817-509-8980), and the Fort Worth Aviation Museum (3300 Ross Av, 855-733-8627) all participated in Museum Shop Sunday over Thanksgiving weekend and have some great gift choices to consider.

The Modern, for example, sells art prints, home décor items, and artist-inspired delights like the Golden Dragon skateboard for $66 and Andy Warhol stickers for $24. You can even purchase “Aardvark,” a 1992 five-color lithograph by Fort Worth legend Vernon Fisher, for $3,000 if you feel so inclined. If you have that kind of money to “invest in the arts,” the Me-Thinks could use a touring van. Just sayin’.

For a ton of other gift ideas from small and large businesses, local and otherwise, check out our Holidays 2022 issue at FWWeekly.com. l

Along with an array of other local items, Morgan Mercantile handles band merch too.

Courtesy Shopify

More Is Better

Mo’ Bettahs introduces landlocked Texans to a different groove of Hawaiian cuisine.

Bettahs

Food, 3020 E Broad Dr, Ste 116, Mansfield. 682-477-3512. 10:30am10pm Mon-Sat.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY LAURIE JAMES

Hawaiian cuisine has made some inroads into the food scene in the 817 over the last couple of years. Arlington’s sublime Ahi Poke Bowl survived COVID and has been joined by Halo Hawaiian BBQ and several others. But these are restaurants specializing in the fresh, sushi-style poke, with mounds of delicate raw seafood augmented by soy, sesame, and some green onions.

If you’re expecting that kind of lunch, the new Mo’ Bettahs in Mansfield may dis-

appoint you. Here, you’ll find the islands’ working-class soul food courtesy of brothers Kimo and Kilani Mack from Oahu –– kalua pork, barbecued chicken, and teriyaki steak, accompanied by mounds of rice and macaroni salad. The plate lunch (like our Southern meat and two sides) is part of foodways as diverse as the people who settled the islands.

When my family and I visited the Big Island in 2020, we ate at Ken’s House of Pancakes on the recommendation of a local foodie. It’s the quintessential Hawaiian-local diner. Everything comes served with twice as much rice as a normal person could eat,

augmented mostly with beef, pork, or Spam. Eggs Benedict came on rice, not English muffins. Macaroni salad accompanied the rice because apparently you can never have too many carbs in Hawaii. The demand for rice came from the Chinese who arrived on the islands as the first guest workers. They wanted rice as the preferred carb over traditional poi. Mo’ Bettahs also offers brown rice, although I didn’t see anyone taking them up on that.

Kalua pork is a reference to how the meat is cooked (covered in damp palm fronds, slow-roasted in a pit, ideally, for

hours). The version at Mo’ Bettahs was excellent. The odds that there’s a pit with natural coals dug in the back of busy Broad Street in Mansfield are small, but the salty, smoky pulled pork tasted like it spent hours in a smoker.

For the second meat on the regular twomeat plate, the teriyaki beef wasn’t as stellar. A marinade heavy on the sweet (perhaps pineapple) and salty teriyaki made the meat taste terrific, but the texture was a little chewy.

The sides include white macaroni salad and white or brown rice. There was nothing continued on page 16

Mo’

Hawaiian Style

The pulau chicken was grilled to perfection at Mo’ Bettahs. These boards allegedly saw the ocean before becoming landlocked in good ol’ Mansfield.

wrong with the rice, but it wasn’t spectacular. Maybe more of that good teriyaki drizzle would have helped.

The main flavor of Hawaiian macaroni salad is mayo, with a little tang from some onion, and there were a few carrot shreds here. If you’re looking for chunks of peppers, celery, perhaps some Cajun spice, or anything that imparts more flavor to wellcooked elbow mac, you’ll have to look at another cuisine style. Still, Mo’ Bettahs’ mac salad was absolutely delicious. It was comforting and tasty and didn’t interfere with the flavor of the heavily smoked meats.

If you have a smaller appetite, the keiko

(kid’s) meal comes with one meat and side. The pulehu chicken (chicken thighs grilled with garlic, pepper, and salt) wasn’t as brackish as the other choices of meats, and the boneless cuts were a little unevenly sliced yet also delightfully savory.

The Hawaiian-style chili (available “for a short time,” according to the menu) is made with ground beef, sausage (a nod to the islands’ Portuguese immigrants), and a lot of spice. The version here was pleasantly spicy by Texas standards, with a ground beef and tomato gravy augmented by some larger, chunkier meat. Warning: The chili has red beans. This looks to be traditional in most of the recipes I glanced at — the warm spices and latent heat of the dish weren’t affected by the beans at all. In fact, some of the rice was appreciated to balance the fiery backlash.

Everything at Mo’ Bettahs comes packed to-go, even if you want to grab a seat in the brightly lit space. The food is served assembly-style, like Chipotle, and like that Southwest chain, much of the food is made in-house. You can augment your meal with a can of Hawaiian Sun fruit-flavored beverage — the stuff comes right from the islands and is the island equivalent of those Jarritos sodas.

If you have a chance to go to Ken’s in Hilo and eat like the locals, do it. Until then, this brightly neon-lit chain (weirdly, most of the locations are in the Midwest and Utah) will serve. The décor includes traditional canoe paddles and surfboards that, according to the website, are hand-made and were used on one of the Hawaiian islands before making their way to decorate a brightly lit restaurant on the mainland. l

MUSIC

New Ears Eve

As we flip the calendar on another banner year for local music, here’s what’s in store in 2023.

BY JUAN R. GOVEA AND PATRICK HIGGINS

This past year has been a great one for local music. From indie troubadour Cameron Smith’s beautiful album Shine to veteran psych-rockers The Cush’s Riders in the Stardust Gold, their first album for Ben Harper’s Mad Bunny Records, and hip-hop guru Sagemode Wrex’s X-Men-inspired Professor Wrex and the debut of country crooner Cory Cross, tons of great homegrown tuneage of all genres gently (or roughly) rattled our ears in 2022. As the first rays of 2023 are starting to peek over the horizon, let’s take a look at just a bit of what’s in store for the coming year in local releases.

One of Fort Worth’s most beloved live acts, garage-punks Mean Motor Scooter have a new full-length called Day Dreamer in the works. Singer/guitarist Sammy Kidd has mastered bratty infectious tunes about

boredom, disaffection, and alien abduction, and the new LP promises to deliver plenty of all of that. Around the same time, circa September, indie poppers Phantomelo are set to drop their own slate of new material, including an album.

Over the last two years, hardcore punks the Phorids have channeled their Rollins-era Black Flag-ian rage into a pair of wig-flipping short players. Their first full-length is expected sometime late in the winter, and their blitzkrieg riffage will no doubt help melt any potential winter weather.

Nü metal revivalists Killhouse are in the preproduction process of the final installment of their proposed trilogy of music videos. The last, “Nihilist,” will cap “Hide the Knives” and “Raised by Screams” and will likely continue the teeth-rattling riffs, guttural screams, and Rob Zombian aesthetic of the previous installments.

Dream poppers Big Heaven, seen here exuding the same happy vibes that their music evokes, have a reworking of an old track in store for the New Year.

Courtesy Facebook

Recent Panthy-winning hard rockers Royal Sons have a new full-length of their signature sexy ’70s throwback anthems in the works.

Recent Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards winners Royal Sons will hit the studio in February to begin work on the long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Praise & Warships

Fellow Weekly Awards nominees Jaybirds plan the release of their first single, “Sparks,” just around the time the sash-donning Baby New Year crawls over our calendars. A full-length album is set to follow later in the year.

The latest iteration of dream-pop outfit Big Heaven is orchestrating a remix of the song “Creature,” a track written by founding drummer Jesse Gage (War Party, Robot Therapy) and originally released five years ago. It’s easy to see the original, with its ’90s Northwestern pop-punk vibe, reimagined into a lush, danceable track. Look for it on Feb 24.

Singer-songwriter Eric Osbourne’s melancholy acoustic musings have been the perfect winter soundtrack for years. This past summer, he went into Niles City Sound studio (Leon Bridges, Quaker City Night Hawks, Vincent Neil Emerson) to cut some new tracks to keep you warm during these cold/“cold” months. For these sessions, Osbourne employed a full band to fill out his typically sparse arrangements, and with top area players like violinist Tamara Cauble Brown, drummer Eddie Dunlap, and fellow singer-songwriter Cameron Smith lending their talents to the sessions, the upcoming singles, due out in February, promise to put a new polish on Osbourne’s heart-tugging songcraft. (Full disclosure: Higgins plays in Osbourne’s band.)

The Southern-rock stylings of Stephen “Doc Roc” Troum and his band, the aptly named Troumatics (he is a real doctor, b-t-dubs), will cap 2022 with a new single. “Cross that Line” teases an upcoming LP due out in the spring. You can catch a peek of the new song at the Troumatics’ show with the aforementioned Jaybirds at the newly outfitted Magnolia Motor Lounge on Jan 7.

The swampy Spaghetti Western vibes of Broke String Burnett (got-damn, that’s such a cool name) hit the interwebs a few weeks ago with the single “Got It Bad.” If the haunting, Hank-ian ballad is any indication of the proposed full-length that the cowboy singer-songwriter has in store for February, it will be in regular rotation on road trips on lonely Texas roads all summer.

For more acoustic-centric music, albeit with a wholly different vibe, the Eastern-modal stylings of Daniel Katsük will see a second installment of his signature nag champa-scented folk for his discography project Commissions and Recommissions Darrin Kobetich will also put out another solo album as well as the debut record from the jammy trio The Yucca Men that Kobetich helped form last year. Both artists offer music that is just as centering and meditative as a lotus position and all without the exasperating mosquito-in-the-ear irritant of a yoga instructor. l

MUSIC

’23 Skiddo

ing down into next year either. Though our wallets are destined to be considerably lighter due to the endless torrent of service fee-fattened ticket prices, the experience of tinnitus-inducing guitars reverberating off cavernous venue ceilings promises to continue to be worth every penny.

Below are some upcoming shows — local and national — that we’re avoiding $5 lattes and our daily dose of avocado toast to be able to afford to attend.

New Year’s Eve and January

The New Year will kick off with a bang as recently reformed synth-rock favorites Black Tie Dynasty headline the ball drop with a heavily anticipated New Year’s Eve show (Sat, Dec 31) at Tulips FW. The bill is absolutely stacked as danceable indie rockers FIT, power poppers Phantomelo, and Denton’s prog-flavored Dome Dwellers will share the stage. Happy New Year, indeed!

The recently relocated Magnolia Motor Lounge will host some top-shelf homegrown Americana with the Jaybirds as they top a bill with the Taylor Young Band, Good Latimer, and the Troumatics on Sat, Jan 7.

BY PATRICK HIGGINS AND STEVE STEWARD

After bands finally felt comfortable enough to start tiptoeing out of their practice spaces to once again take up arms on stages all across town after the vaccine rollout peaked during the back end of 2021, this past year has seen live music come roaring back with the force of a ski resort-leveling avalanche.

From DIY house shows to brand-spanking-new-arena-christening national touring acts, musicians made up for lost time in force. We likely attended more shows this past year than in the last several combined. The momentum does not appear to be slow-

If something heavier is your preferred flavor, Tulips will feature Element + Eighty on the same night. If that name sounds semi-familiar, it’s because Element 80 was at or near the top of bands from 20 years ago that we associate with the Ridglea Theater’s nü-metal heyday. Do they have new material? New members? New 7-string guitars? We have no idea, but as the word of this gig gets out into the world, expect the show to be packed.

While we’re on the topic of metal, can we just throw out a local bill we’d kill to witness and see if we can’t simply will it into ex-

This past year has been among the most prolific for quality live music in our own backyard, and the New Year is shaping up to be even bigger.

istence? Death-metal purveyors Frozen Soul have been riding a rocket trajectory over the last couple of years and are garnering tons of love from the national metal press. Imagine them coming back home and hosting a show with fellow thrashers Creeping Death plus Urn, Ozone, and, hell, throw in hard-gazers Trauma Ray just for S&Gs. Book it for a Saturday in late spring at Tulips. Talk about bang for your buck. That bill would be bigger than Stonehenge! (The real one, not the tiny mockup from Spinal Tap.)

February

Going the opposite sonic direction again, Tulips will also host the heart-tugging indie arrangements of singer-songwriter Andy Shauf in February. His whispery vocals and lush piano with string accompaniment will be a nice salve after such proposed metal ferocity.

Spring

You’ll want to keep the eyeliner you definitely overapplied for that Black Tie NYE gig close at hand ’cause you’re going to need it in March when anthemic indie rockers Muse take over Dickies Arena. They’re even bringing every dark-hearted 2000s-era teen’s favorite band, Evanescence, as support.

Also, on Sat, Mar 18, we highly recommend grabbing tickets to the Dumbo Gets Mad show at Lola’s Fort Worth. The Italian psych-pop duo last came to the United States in 2020, and their 2023 U.S. run re -

sumes where that tour left off — it was cut short due to quarantine. They are a pretty big band, the kind that probably finds its way onto your Spotify playlists if you listen to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard or Frankie and the Witch Fingers often, so don’t sleep on this show until the day of, as it will probably sell out.

Speaking of sellouts, if you haven’t already scrambled to score tickets to one or both of the Metallica shows next August at AT&T Stadium, we wish you luck in the secondary market, because Metallica is one of — if not the — legacy arena act that seems to only get better the longer they hang around. By the time those shows come up, the Bay Area thrash pioneers-turned-biggest-rock-band-in-the-world will have been at it for 41 years, and seeing Metallica in a post-2020 world is, speaking from experience and with all sincerity, a life-affirming experience. It’s like one of those memes that profoundly wonders at the simple fact that “you were born into the world during the same time Metallica played.” The band has a new album out in April, and if first single “Lux Aeterna” is any indication, their new material sounds like it will hark back to the hungry, ferocious, riffage-forward work from their 1983 debut, Kill ’Em All. Maybe the first Metallica we’ve looked forward to since Justice.

The Rest of 2023

Looking a little further into the future, the Arctic Monkeys make their way from across the pond to Dickies in September. The tix are also likely to be costly, but whatever the price, it would be cool to see singer/guitarist Alex Turner’s retro greaser aesthetic in person as he plays that one song that was in all those commercials 10 years ago. l

Music

Dumbo Gets Mad’s Luca Bergomi brings the duo’s psych-pop sound to an anticipated show at Lola’s in March.

HearSay

Music Awards Winners

The good news: I didn’t puke. The bad: I spent about a million dollars at the bar.

And that’s a million dollars that I, the editor of a small newspaper in Smalltown, U.S.A., do not have, but who gives af. It was local music Christmas, and if I was going to carpet-bomb the shit out of my checking account, I might as well have done it to the mellifluous tuneage and among the sparkling company of people I like who live in the same unremarkable, flat town as I do. I went big, then I promptly went home. After the dancey after-party at Lola’s. Where several ill-advised dad-bod moves were conducted. To a soundtrack of “Shake Your Booty” and “Love Train.” #someshameinmygame

On Sunday at the wonderful, nostalgia-inducing Ridglea Theater where my checking account underwent a public Blood Eagle, we announced the winners of our 23rd? 24th? 25th? Music Awards and new Hall of Famers, and it was the perfect time for anyone but especially a married 51-yearold dad with married 51-year-old dad problems to be livin’ la vida local. Winners won, great bands performed, thanks were given, tacos were nommed, pictures were taken, Lola’s owner Brian Forella said the F-word a fuck-ton onstage, and, apparently, many drinks were drunk. And many of them by me. Why I was tipping $10 on $7 Ultras and Lone Stars, I have no idea. It was as if the ghost of Jay Gatsby had entered me. Wait, that didn’t come out right …

There are lots of people deserving props for making this Music Awards Ceremony happen, starting with the good folks at the Weekly who did all the dirty work in not only bringing back the awards after a pandemic-related hiatus but bringing them back seamlessly. Except for the occasional facemask and the overall smaller crowd, it was like 2017-ish all over again. All my pre-party concerns were rendered meaningless by our crack crew. Was there going to be food for the VIPs (read: me) beforehand? There was, “sent with love from Angel” at Guapo Taco (301 S Sylvania Av, 682-966-9645). Did we have awards presenters? We did. Did we have friends or family to accept awards for winners who couldn’t make it and the posthumous Hall of Famers? Yes. Did we have all the slides for the big screen? You bet your sweet cheeks we did. All that, plus all-important drink tickets. *angelic choir sings* Thanks for kicking so much ass, Michael Newquist and Jennifer Bovee, and “grazie” also to manager Bob Niehoff, account executives Julie Strehl and Tony Diaz, centerfielder Wyatt Newquist, and owner Lee Newquist, all of whom performed acts of physical labor before the doors opened

I would have but *stretches* had to keep my hammys fresh for the disco party later. Art director Ryan Burger also earns kudos for his killer Panthy artwork and writers Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, and Steve Steward for their tireless local music

coverage in these pages. I wrote about local music for the FWWeek every week for over 20 G.D. years — right-wing assholes and our fucked-up body politic require my services now. Lots of Hotels, John Price, Flick, Goodwin, Black Tie, Collin Herring, Meach Pango, TTXQ, and BULLS on my iTunes, though.

I’d also like to thank our MCs, Greg Spicoli from KNON’s Reckless Rock Radio and the Weekly’s Diaz. Greg, we love you, and you did great, but when you announced best keyboardist nominee Justin Pate as “Justin Pâté” … dude, I almost spit my $7 beer out. Thank you for that.

Big props also to our sponsors: Silver Star Spirits, KNON, and Printed Threads. You greased the wheel nicely, like Jay Gatsby’s ghost about to enter someone unwittingly, and we appreciate ya.

We’d also like to tip the ol’ dandruff-spackled fedora to the bunch of nominees and their plus-ones who generated a massive case of kibble for Don’t Forget to Feed Me, our nonprofit sponsor that helps four-legged good boys and good girls all over town avoid hunger.

Perhaps most of all, let us now praise our splendid performers and the Ridglea’s soundfolk. From Flickerstick’s Brandin Lea and Fatima Thomas, who opened the show, to headliners Sam Anderson & The FW All-Stars, with several acts in between, the showmanship was on point and the sound amazing. While I deeply appreciated mind-tingling rapper 88 Killa, spunk-rockers Cool Jacket, and rootsy singer-songwriter Joe Savage, who performed a haunting ballad for our memoriam to all those we lost this year in the local scene, I was blown away by the Jesse Jennings Band because A.) I hate bro-country music and B.) I never go to see bro-country music and will make a U-turn if I walk into a place and hear that shit. But what a super-tight band with good, catchy melodies and dynamic instrumentation and song structures. V impressive, Jesse. Respect.

This year’s awards were much different from previous years, when we compiled the ballot from experts’ write-ins. For 2022, we let the readers decide — the nominees

and the winners. Other than seeing a lot of the same names on the ballot, the process seems to have worked out just fine. And, like, do we really need an excuse to get together and run up my tab?

Below are the Hall of Famers and winners of our something-something-year annual Music Awards. Thank you all for voting. Support local music wherever you are and whenever you can. Barring civil war or another COVID catastrophe, I tentatively say, “Until next year …”

Hall of Fame

Sumter Bruton, inducted by Jim Milan Jr.

Jerry Hudson and Jeff Ward (Eagle Audio Recording), inducted by singer-songwriter Taylor Craig Mills and Mark Randall (engineer at Eagle Audio, MASS, and now Lola’s)

Humanitarian Award

Rachel Gollay, inducted by Edward Brown, for her dedication to helping artists survive the pandemic

Rock Artist Novakain Country Artist Jesse Jennings

Rap/R&B Artist Lou Charle$

Album Praise & Warships, Royal Sons

Song “Honey Bee,” Jaybirds Blues/Soul Artist Michael Lee

DJ DJ Databass

Folk Artist Cameron Smith

Tribute Artist Poo Live Crew

Vocalist Blake Parish, Royal Sons

Guitarist Sammy Kid, Uncle Toasty

Drummer Matt Mabe, Arenda Light

Bassist Panda Cuenca, Phantomelo

Keyboardist Eric Webb, Cut Throat Finches

Open-Mic Night McFly’s Pub

Venue Lola’s Fort Worth

Contact HearSay at Anthony@FWWeekly.com.

ADVERTISE HERE!

If you need to hire staff or promote your business, let us help you online and/or in print. For more info, call 817987-7689 or email stacey@fwweekly.com today.

EMPLOYMENT

Now Hiring CDL Drivers with Tanker & Hazmat preferred. Health Insurance and other benefits. Per Diem Paid. 1-830-833-4547 EOE

FOR SALE

SILVER DOLLARS

Over 100 Years Old $36 or Best Offer Call or Text 573-840-6362

COWTOWN ROVER for YOUR RIDE!

Inspection Almost Due? Are You Road-Trip Ready? With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. Get ready for the holidays. Call today! 3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223 | CowtownRover.com

The Gas Pipe, The GAS PIPE, THE GAS PIPE, your Peace Love & Smoke Headquarters since 4/20/1970! SCORE a FREE GIFT on YOUR Birthday, FREE Scale Tuning and Lighter Refills on GAS PIPE goods, FREE Layaway, and all the safe, helpful service you expect from a 51 Years Young Joint. Plus, SCORE A FREE CBD HOLIDAZE GIFT With-A-Buy thru 12/31! Be Safe, Party Clean, Keep On Truckin’. More at thegaspipe.net

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

Hannah in Hurst, LMT

Serving the Mid-Cities for over 25 years. Massage for Better Sleep, Pain Relief, and Deep Relaxation. MasseuseToTheStars.com (MT#4797) Call 817.590.2257