Vol. 1 No. 14

02.12.14 - VOL. 1, NO. 14 - WACOWEEKLY.COM

contents

02.13-02.19 meet the team PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris Shepperd EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matt Shepperd EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sara Gilmore BUSINESS MANAGER Leisha Shepperd MANAGING EDITOR Chris Zebo CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bekah Skinner ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kaitlin Vickers WRITERS

Essentials: Listen Discover Taste Play Look

3 6 10 11 14

Feature:

Local artist, farm boy and distiller Ryan Pickop sat 6 down with Sara to talk music, whiskey, and his heroes.

Randle Browning Sara Gilmore Cheyenne Mueller Luke Murray Jenuine Poetess INTERNS Haley Clark Katy DeLuna April Elkins Alex Gieger Brittany Holm Megan Ingram Avery Moore Kelly Porter Heydy Sanches Kyla Spaugh Camille Youngblood

Waco Weekly is an independent, publication and is not affiliated with the city of Waco.

Taste 9 - Healthy starts in

Listen 4 - On his new album,

the kitchen. This week Eric Church plays with Randle gives us her fresh the country genre you spin on a classic. love in ways you’ll love even more.

Look 15 - Cheyenne gives a rundown of this week’s top 20 box office films.

Opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the editor, publisher or the newspaper staff. Waco Weekly is not liable for omissions, misprints or typographical errors. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher. © Copyright 2014 Campus Press LP

LISTEN

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Mark McKinney at Wild West Waco

Twitter @wacoweekly

By Kelly Porter

Check us out on Since Mark McKinney released his first solo album, Get It On, in 2006, he’s been on the road touring extensively. So far in his music career, he has co-written songs with some seriously talented folks, including John Mabe, James Slater, Kevin Fowler, Larry Joe Taylor, and Kyle Park. ESPN and NASCAR have licensed and used some of his songs, and he’s shared stages with Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Billy Currington, Eli Young Band, and many more.

Averaging 200 performances a year, McKinney was awarded the French Country Music Award for “Live Performance of the Year” for his concert at the Equiblues Festival in St. Agreve, France in 2008. So far, he’s produced 4 studio albums, a live album, and several hits that have been on the top of the Texas country music charts.

Instagram @wacoweekly #WacoWeeklyGram

McKinney is bringing his country-boy charm and world-renowned stage presence to Wild West on Friday, February 14. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are $6 (“plus applicable fees”) in advance, $8 on the day of the show for 21 and over, and $10 on the day of the show for ages 18-20. Tickets may be purchased online at wildwestwaco.com.

the scoop WHAT: MARK MCKINNEY WHERE: WILD WEST WACO WHEN: FEB. 14 wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • p 3

Reviewed by Haley Clark

ERIC CHURCH Album: The Outsiders

Release Date: February 11, 2014

Rating: Sounds Like: Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Dierks Bentley

Tracklist: The Outsiders A Man Who Was Gonna Die Cold One Roller Coaster Ride Talladega Broke Record Like a Wrecking Ball That’s Damn Rock & Roll Dark Side Devil, Devil Give Me Back My Hometown The Joint

The title track of the new record, “The Outsiders”, was the album’s first single, which provided a glimpse into what the new album will sound like.

The release is undoubtedly country through and through but also shines with rock elements, too. Church cowrote every track on the album and provides a blend of ballads, rocking songs, and good ole’ country tunes.

From “Give Me Back My Hometown” to the ballad “Talladega”, Church walks along the border of the country genre but never quite crosses it, offering a fresh and invigorating take on country music as we know it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

pg 4 • WACO WEEKLY • February 12, 2014 • wacoweekly.com

••••••

Eric Church dropped his fourth studio album, The Outsiders, following the success of his 2011 album Chief, which won Album of the Year at both the CMA and ACM ceremonies.

Dark Side Roller Coaster Ride The Outsiders

LISTEN

Recommended Tracks:

Toby Keith

“Double Shot”

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2014

Reviewed by Katy De Luna

Remember when everyone who had ever been to a house party that served alcohol would get together and sing an ode to the precious red solo cup. Usually, the song ended with your friends arm-in-arm holding up the cup and remembering (or at least trying to remember) the good times they had with it.

Well, the man who soundtracked that moment is back. Toby Keith heralds the new year with a two-disc deluxe edition called Double Shot. Double Shot has both albums Bullets in the Gun and Clancy’s Tavern in one release. There are bonus songs on each of the albums, totaling an impressive 29 tracks. Clancy’s Tavern’s “Made in America” depicts the average middle class American that works hard to make it where they are and their love they have for the United States. “Red Solo Cup” is a fun song about a plastic cup pivotal to house party revelry.

Jeff Whitehead

“Bloodhound Heart”

Release Date: March 2014

Reviewed by Katy De Luna

The soundtrack to your next road trip should be Jeff Whitehead’s Bloodhound Heart. This new face in Americana/Texas music has written all his own songs, while longtime Hayes Carll guitarist, Scott Davis, produced the release. The Austin native who graduated at Texas A&M has been in the music business since 2008 and toured with and co-wrote songs for country music’s Jake Kellen.

Whitehead sings about love, passion for music, and even has a couple storytelling tracks to keep your mind entertained. “Never Going Back” has a more subtle rock sound to it with more aggressive lyrics and guitar, compared to the other songs that have softer lyrics supported by piano. Whitehead’s words are never overpowered by the music. In a way, his lyrics are the music before the instrumentation.

Broken Bells

“After the Disco”

Release Date: Feb. 4, 2014

Reviewed by Kelly Porter

What do you get when you put hip-hop artist Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and Shins’ singer-songwriter James Mercer together?

Answer: Broken Bells. Their debut album in 2010 produced the alternative-hit “The High Road”.

With the release of their latest album, After the Disco, Broken Bells further explores their love for a kind of new wave, futuristic sound, with rudiments of disco making appearances, as well.

When you push play, prepare to be hit by a sound that transcends genres and expectations.

wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • p 5

Sitting Down with Ryan Pickop

By Sara Gilmore

Local artist, farm boy, and distiller Ryan Pickop takes the stage at Common Grounds on Saturday night. Pickop, a folky Americana type who likes Balcones whiskey, hiking at Cameron Park, eating Thai food at Bangkok Royal. and picking a guitar on his front porch, writes music from a place we can all relate to — probably because he writes it right here where we all are.

WW: How did you end up here?

endurance I gained at the farm.

RP: I heard of this fantastic little farm in Waco called World Hunger Relief Inc. I moved down to live on the farm in January of 2009. It was just as great as I had been told. Working the land, moving dirt, pulling weeds-you know, learning how to sweat.

WW: So between living and working on a farm, falling in love, making school buses run on vegetable oil, and being a distiller, where does music fit into all this?

From the restless feeling of wanting to live larger than a small town, to the excitement of digging your heels in to pioneer something new, Pickop says it’s Waco and its people that keep him inspired to write the most. We spent some time talking with him this week about his music and how songwriting has gotten him through the best and worst of times.

WW: So what’s kept you here?

WW: Did you grow up here in Waco?

RP: I grew up in and around Ft. Worth, mainly. Stuck pretty close to home and attended UNT in Denton.

RP: In the two years I lived there, I met my lovely wife, sang old bluegrass tunes on the porch, and even converted an old school bus to run on vegetable oil.

At the end of my time at the farm, I moved into town and worked a few after school programs and other odd jobs. For the past three years, I’ve been a distiller at local Balcones Distilling. It has been a hard job with long hours of heavy lifting and stirring of hot liquids. I couldn’t have done it without the strength and physical

pg 6 • WACO WEEKLY • February 12, 2014 • wacoweekly.com

RP: Luckily, I’ve had a lot of great friends as co-workers.

Specifically, Jared Himstedt, my direct supervisor, is a main partner in music. He sings back-up with me on my material, and I play drums in his project Wild Okra.

Waco can be a tough town to play music in. Trying to book shows here in Waco and getting folks excited about live local music can be a challenge.

But there are a handful of artists around town that are consistently writing incredible material. When we come together and build shows around our local talent, Waco quickly becomes the thriving scene we all are striving for.

This is what has kept me in this town this long. I also understand as my career grows, I may likely need to move to another location, but I am and will be forever grateful for the love and support of this wonderful town.

WW: How would you charaterize your music?

RP: My music could be but not necessarily described as singer-songwriter folk with hints of country and indie slow rock.

WW: How did you get into writing and playing music?

the memory and try to navigate from start to finish using as few words as possible, distilling a particular life event into something pure and also applicable to the listener.

WW: People might argue that Waco isn’t the most “inspiring” place to live as an artist. How do you stay inspired to write?

RP: Waco. Waco is the kind of place that is always inspiring to me. The people here tend to live in places of longing or stagnation and sometimes even depression.

That is what I write about. The times of drought or when

“The times of drought or when we just don’t know what to do or where to go. This is what drives me to write.”

- RYAN PICKOP RP: I started playing music when I was very young. I played drums with church bands and learned covers on the guitar of old folks songs. I started writing my own songs as soon as I found out the helpfulness of writing them. It was all about what I was dealing with at the time, like struggling with my parents divorce or feeling directionless in my education. Writing songs became a kind of therapy. I really feel like songwriting saved me from myself.

WW: What does the songwriting process look like for you?

RP: I find that my songwriting process has been a lot of things over the years. There have been a number of events in my life and the lives of close friends around me that have affected me in very real ways. I like to put myself directly in those memories and pull some of the rawest emotions I can from those memories. Penning them as lyrics tends to be mostly luck. I start out with

we just don’t know what to do or where to go. This is what drives me to write.

WW: Who are some of your singer/songwriter heroes?

RP: It’s the other folks in Waco writing tunes about where they’re at and what they’re going through that I find to be some of my truest heroes. My songwriting is a very communal thing, and I love sharing it with other songwriters. Late night campfires with whiskey and just passing the guitar around.--that’s where the truest art I know can be found.

WW: Will you have a band backing you at Common Grounds on the 15th, or is it an acoustic show?

RP: Yeah, I’ve put together a group of guys that have agreed to learn a few of my tunes and back me up for this show. I’ve never done this before, and let me tell you, it is a blast. These guys are so talented. They

have the ability to confidently play their respective instruments with the tenderness to support some of my more intimate songs and also to make the big ones just sound awesome! These guys are also just real goodhearted guys.

Jared Himstedt, who I mentioned before, is one of my best friends and knows my music almost as well as I do, and he will be singing backup and playing electric guitar. Tim Jenkins, recording engineer at SilverShoes Studio, will be playing lap steel. Harrison Connally, the woodworker behind Goodhand Works, is playing bass.

And Britt Duke, also a woodworker at Harp Design Co., is holding the beat down on the drums. Even more than their extreme craftiness, I love these guys.

WW: Songwriters are storytellers. That said, what’s your favorite story you tell in a song?

RP: All this talk of Waco and its ups and downs reminds me of a song I wrote called “Where Will We Go?” My wife and I had been dreaming about moving somewhere with mountains (not that Cameron Park doesn’t have its fair share of beautiful hiking!).

I found this huge oil canvas painting in an old storage container of a wooded scenery with a nice river weaving through. We hung it up in the one-bedroom we were living in at the time and would pretend it was our window into North Carolina. Ironically, two months later we bought a house here in Waco and never did move.

The song is sort of a stream of consciousness story recalling moments in Waco, like kids digging their little toes in mud. I think one of the most important lines is, “I couldn’t trade my yellow rose for what I’ve named a better life.” It really is a theme that I write about a good deal. At the core of this song is something I deal with a lot; learning how to be still when my natural inclination is to stay in perpetual motion. I think this is something a lot of folks feel.

wacoweekly.com • January 29, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 7

Muddle Brings New Energy to Austin Ave.

By Sara Gilmore

DISCOVER

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Perhaps you’ve noticed crowds of people and music pouring out into the streets at 727 Austin Ave. on recent weekends. The buzz is coming from new cocktail bar Muddle, and the place is off to a lively beginning.

Opened by contractor Jerry Dyer and attorney Seth Sutton, the two old friends & coowners have been dreaming about the place for quite a while. After attending a craft cocktail conference together in New Orleans last year (of which Dyer jokingly interjected, “It was really hard work being there.”), they decided that was the direction they wanted to take their new place in Downtown Waco.

“Originally we thought we’d just open a whiskey bar,” said Sutton. “But we learned a lot about craft cocktails there and thought it’d be really cool to bring that scene to Waco.”

Often the craft cocktail scene comes with a heavy side of pretension, which is an aspect of the game Sutton and Dyer wanted to be sure to avoid. So they began a mission to create a great space that inhabited an even greater atmosphere, for the people of Waco to come enjoy high quality drinks in a laid back, friendly environment.

Let’s be honest, when a contractor and an attorney set out to accomplish building something, there isn’t much chance for anyone to stand in their way. When you walk

pg 8 • WACO WEEKLY • February 12, 2014 • wacoweekly.com

in the doors of Muddle, the fancy cocktail, fun atmosphere vibe is more than evident.

The space has a very industrial, exposed brick, steel-and-dark-stained-wood feel to it. There are custom aspects that brand it unique and original, such as the steel bar-height table shaped in their “M” logo. A matching “M” light fixture hangs over the pool table in the back as well.

The front half of the building has a lounge sort of feel to it, with couches and coffee tables lining the left side of the space. As you walk back, the bar stretches across about half the length of the space to the right, lined with stools that are actually quite comfortable. The middle of the room is where the signature “M” table sits, as well as a section of bistro tables and stools.

The back section of the room is where the party really starts — filled with a pool table, arcade games and darts for the competitive spirited, and a VIP lounge where bottle service is offered to the most serious of muddlers.

The fun doesn’t end there, though. Walk out the back door and you’ll be standing in what the owners hope to turn into a beer garden/cigar bar. There’s a knocked out brick wall that splits the open-air room in half, where Sutton said a vault used to be, when the building was a jewelry store at some point in time.

My personal favorite thus far is called Strawberry Fields Forever. If you’re into going for a strawberry limeade at Sonic happy hour, skip that one and go get one of these at Muddle happy hour on a weekday soon. It’s Jim Beam Ghost White whiskey with fresh muddled strawberries and lime.

I’m not typically a huge whiskey fan, but the white whiskey might be my new favorite.

I was told by a bar tender while sitting there that the white whiskey movement was started to get more women drinking whiskey. Mission accomplished, Jim Beam.

The fun at Muddle doesn’t end at the aesthetically pleasing space, the taco truck or even the great drinks, though. There’s live entertainment almost every night there. From DJs on Tuesdays, to various bands Wednesday to Friday, to piano bar Saturdays, there is likely a night for every kind of music lover.

Sutton, an ex-musician and entertainer himself, has spent time living in both New York and Las Vegas, and has made it his mission to make sure the entertainment is as quality as the drinks.

“A lot of people get the quality of drinks right, but they skimp on the entertainment and the atmosphere,” Sutton said. “Other people get it the other way around, focused on great entertainment but not making quality drinks. We want to do both well.”

This week’s schedule includes a Wednesday night show, Americana duo The Union Revival, at 7 p.m., and a special Valentine’s Day event on Friday night with 80s cover band The Space Rockers.

“It’s sort of an anti-Valentine’s Day party,” Sutton said. “We’re inviting people to come let us be their Valentine. There will be some special Valentine’s (or anti-Valentine’s, rather) drinks, and the band will start at 9.”

Whether it’s for a happy hour cocktail, a folky Americana concert on Wednesday, or a Valentine’s Day bash, we encourage you to go check out Muddle this week for a new Downtown Waco experience.

DISCOVER

Speaking of the drinks luring you in, I haven’t tried them all, but the two I’ve had were fantastic. The Muddle Pucker, a house favorite, is a vodka drink with all sorts of fresh muddled fruit.

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Just past the beer garden, cigar-bar-to-be, the back yard is fenced in and is home to the Santa Fe Taqueria taco truck, which stays all night every night, so customers can walk in the back for a late night snack instead of having to leave the bar earlier to eat something. I can attest to their deliciousness from experience — if the drinks inside weren’t enough to lure you in, the taco truck will certainly keep you coming back.

By Haley Clark

THE SUN AND OTHER STARS by brigid pasulka Brigid Pasulka won a PEN/Hemingway award for her debut novel and is returning with her second novel, The Sun and Other Stars.

The Sun and Other Stars is set on the Italian Riviera in the city of San Benedetto. The novel revolves around 22-year-old Etto, who has lost his twin brother and mother and has since grown apart from his father.

While his father spends most of his time doing what most Italian men do (obsess over soccer), Etto retreats to the hills out of town.

But when Yuri Fil, a Ukrainian soccer star, and his sister, Zhuki, come to San Benedetto, they take Etto under their wing and introduce him to their world of soccer, glamour, friendship, and loyalty. Because of the bond with his new friends, Etto begins to mend his relationship with his father, pick himself up from his slump, and start to show himself to the world again.

Soccer impacts Etto’s life more than he would have ever imagined, and his new friends and restored relationship with his father gives Etto a new life.

The Village Herbalist Herb Shop & Holistic Health Center Bulk Herbs, Holistic Massage, Tea Bar, All Things Herbal www.wacoherbalist.com wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 9

TASTE

•••••• As Valentine’s Day rolls around this year, I hear more and more people talking about self-love and self-care. I’m not talking about accepting your faults and all that--I mean making time for yourself or treating yourself, whether that means waking up at 5:00 am to write or going out for a pedicure or beer after work.

Homemade Chicken Soup (Serves 4)

When it comes to eating, though, the idea of self-care can take a negative turn towards self-indulgence. It’s a twisted duck, duck, goose of dieting. They only eat salads for days, and then, BAM -- they find themselves elbow-deep in a whole sheet of brownies.

We fall into an endless cycle of shame, which is odd if you think about it. What is eating besides nourishing yourself, cultivating your body? Why should it be a source of guilt, when your body needs food to survive?

Probably, for many of us, the most healing recipe is homemade chicken noodle soup. I made this for my husband when he was out sick, and I like to think it helped get him up and at work again the next day. I changed up the classic by swapping celery for lima beans (a personal favorite), and I added some iron with leafy Swiss chard. Using leeks in place of onion adds sweetness and depth, and serving each bowl with a final squeeze of lemon soothes sore throats. I omitted the noodles, but you could always add in cooked egg noodles for a more traditional chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 cup leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned and chopped in half-moons 2 garlic cloves, peeled, whole 2 Tablespoons dry white wine 1 cup carrot, diced ½ cup frozen lima beans, thawed 1 bay leaf 4 sprigs parsley 1 sprig thyme 8 cups chicken broth (homemade or store-bought) 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded 4 cups Swiss chard, chopped, tough pink stalks removed 1 ½ cups cooked egg noodles (optional) Salt & fresh-cracked black pepper 4 Lemon slices, for serving (optional) Strong olive oil, for serving (optional)

Modern convenience means that you can make this soup as “homemade” as you have time or energy for -- buying a rotisserie chicken or roasting your own, simmering homemade chicken broth or pouring it from a carton. The soup is also forgiving in that you can alter the recipe to fit your tastes -- no carrots? No problem. Want to go vegetarian? Substitute to your heart’s desire.

Directions: 1. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add leeks and a pinch of salt and sweat for 2-3 minutes, until leeks begin to soften, but not brown. Add

I think it might have to do with the way eating has become so regulated.

The fear that our food might be hurting us -- vegetables are laced with chemicals, sugar is destroying our hearts, bacon is clogging our arteries, wheat is killing our brain cells. Maybe that’s why people take their food with a side of guilt -- there seems to be no “right” way to eat anymore.

Lately, I’ve been trying to return to the idea that eating well is a form of self-care. And I don’t mean dieting when I say that. I mean eating till I’m full, eating what I’m craving, and reimagining food as something that makes me better instead of something that makes me sick or hurts me.

Contact Us At 254.716.0973 or Info@deuxtone.com pg 10 • WACO WEEKLY • February 12, 2014 • wacoweekly.com

whole garlic cloves, stirring leeks. Turn heat down to low and cook 5 more minutes, until leeks are soft and translucent. Do not brown.

2. Raise heat to medium. Add carrots and lima beans and sauté for 3 minutes, until vegetables are just beginning to soften. Turn heat up to mediumhigh and deglaze pan with dry white wine.

3. When wine is fully evaporated, add bay leaf, parsley, and thyme, and pour in the chicken broth.

Bring to a simmer and cook until carrots and lima beans are cooked, but still a bit firm, 5-10 minutes (check frequently). Stir in chicken (and noodles, if using) and return to simmer to heat chicken through.

4. Remove garlic clove, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme with tongs or a slotted spoon. Add Swiss chard and stir into soup. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

5. Serve immediately, while chard is still springy.

Drizzle each bowl with 1 Tablespoon of strong olive oil, and serve each bowl with a slice of lemon.

Design | Branding | Web

3 Apps You

••••••

Won’t Regret

PLAY

Downloading PAPER The creators of Facebook have launched an adaptation of the Facebook app called Paper. Paper is a version of Facebook made specifically for smartphones. It’s sleeker, cleaner, and more organized than the Facebook app because of its specialized design for small screens. Most of what is offered on the Facebook app is on Paper, with some new additions. A new feature on Paper will still include the Facebook News Feed but will also have sections that relate to some of your favorite stories. Various stories are broken up into sections, and you can add whatever topic, themes, or interests you want to these sections and read it like a magazine or newspaper. Also, news stories are easier to read because of full-screen display, and if you don’t have time to read it right away, you can save it for later. Another cool feature lets you view photos in high-resolution formats by a tilt of your screen. - FREE POPSUGAR This app is perfect for all you pop culture fanatics out there who constantly need to be caught up on all the latest news in Hollywood. With it being award season, POPSUGAR will keep you updated with what’s happening – on the red carpet and off. POPSUGAR Award Season gives you access to celeb selfies, unforgettable speeches, memorable fashion moments, photo galleries, red carpet interviews, news, and highlights. You’ll be able to fill out ballots and make predictions for who will win and vote in polls to give your opinion on all of the hottest looks. If you can’t be on the red carpet in person, you can at least stalk it on your cellphone.

FANDANGO “Have you seen that new movie?” “What time does it start?” “We’ll never make it on time to buy tickets--hit the gas pedal!” It’s time to calm down, world: Fandango is here to save everyone. Need to know what a movie is about, or want to see a movie’s trailer? Fandango can help you with that. The app allows you to easily look up and watch trailers for movies in theaters now or coming soon. Don’t know what time a movie starts? Fandango will look up the theaters near you and share movie times, and it can easily change the location you wish to see the latest blockbuster. Don’t feel like buying tickets at the ticket window? Some movie theaters have partnered up with Fandango and allow you to buy your tickets through the app and just swipe your card at the theater to get your tickets. You can put the app on your device and not even sign up for an account if you don’t want to. No more movie panic! --Free

wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 11

TEXAS BACK ROADS facebook.com/TexasBacxRoads

COCOAMODA: A Quick Trip to Calvert for the Chocolates You Deserve

By Jeremy Rinard of txbkrds.com Valentine’s Day is upon us again, and whether you celebrate the holiday solo or in tandem, there’s one thing sure to make the holiday better: chocolate.

Whether you’re picking up something for your sweetie or just getting a little something for your own sweet tooth, you don’t want just another box of generic chocolates off the shelves of that big box store. After all, you deserve the best, right?

So if you want the best, we suggest a little trip to the delightful Victorian town of Calvert, Texas. You may know Calvert as that small town where you got that speeding ticket that one time, or for having that one isolated traffic light on Highway 6 you have to stop for what feels like an hour every time. If you’ve never done more in Calvert than stop at that light, though, you’ve been missing out.

If you’ve always kept your attention forward and never looked right or left, you might have missed one of the best places to pick up chocolates in the Lone Star State, COCOAMODA. COCOAMODA is housed in a restored 1874 bank building and features a Parisian-style chocolate boutique inside. The charming British accent of proprietor Ken Wilkinson will invite you to his store as you pore over the display cases filled with ganaches, confections, and truffles. If you stay to have a cup of coffee (another specialty of Ken’s), you’ll soon realize the conversation is as rich as the chocolates.

With the craftsmanship of a true artisan, Ken concocts chocolates that have even been requested by the royal family. And while there are many articles and reviews that tout his world-renowned tutelage and decades of experience, why take their word? Ask the man himself and listen to entertaining stories of Michelin stars and his globetrotting exploits.

Whether you prefer to treat yourself with a potent bourbon truffle made with awardwinning Rumble liquor handcrafted by Texas’s own Balcones Distillery, or a Cassis truffle delicately topped with little bits of gold flake, there is no way to properly prepare your taste buds for the impending epicurean delight.

Insider Tip: Traditional five or seven course French dinners are served on Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm. These dinners fill up fast, so make sure to reserve your spot ahead of time.

COCOAMODA is located at 518 S. Main St. in Calvert and open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am-6pm, Fridays and Saturdays 10am-9pm, and Sundays 10am-6pm.

Reservations are required for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. If you have any questions, call 979.364.2190 or e-mail info@cocoamoda.com. For additional information, visit cocoamoda.com.

pg 12 • WACO WEEKLY • February 12, 2014 • wacoweekly.com

“All together now”

- be part of

the group

by Matt Jones Across 1 Ready to go 4 Running jokes 8 Hemmed in?

12 Sat for a portrait 14 Foot or furlong 15 Certain Fed 16 QUERY, PART 1 19 I-5 or I-95 20 Ginormous 21 Player who cannot be a DH 22 QUERY, PART 2 27 Swallowed hard 28 Make a selection 29 Graffiti ID 30 Hot tempers 31 Went after 33 Go back, like the tide 34 QUERY, PART 3 38 Au ___ (roast beef order) 41 Oscar winner Jeremy 42 Drunken utterances 46 Long ending?

47 Rabbit food?

48 Affectedly trendy 50 QUERY, PART 4 54 Gin mills 55 Just slightly 56 Casual dress day, for short 57 LAST PART OF QUERY 61 500 sheets of paper 62 Brickmaking need 63 Shopaholic’s binge 64 Franklin and Folds 65 ___ a one (zero) 66 Avg. Answers

Down 1 Stuff on a kitten’s underbelly (because awwwww....)

2 Getty of “The Golden Girls” 3 Typo often mocked online 4 Try to answer a riddle 5 Loos who wrote “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” 6 Soldiers, for short 7 Hold firm to a decision 8 Throat problem, in brief 9 Abu Dhabi or Dubai 10 Ball of cotton 11 180 degrees from SSW 12 It’s eaten in Eastern Europe 13 1990s R&B group Bell Biv ___ 17 See 32-Down 18 River that flows past Omaha 23 ___ facto 24 Childhood taboos 25 Metered vehicle 26 CIA Cold War counterpart 31 Perch for a chicken 32 With 17-Down, “Atlas Shrugged” author 35 Scheming operatic barber 36 “Breaking Bad” star Bryan 37 Prisoner’s knife 38 Prominent Jay Leno feature 39 “Eww, gross!”

40 Tofu base 43 Winter project in the Arctic, maybe 44 Mapped out 45 Gary of “Forrest Gump” and “CSI: NY” 48 Shabby ___ 49 More than dislikes 51 Settles down 52 Communion item 53 Piano key wood 57 Crystal ball, for example 58 Payment for services 59 Eggs, in the lab 60 Vinyl spinners 2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 13

By Cheyenne Mueller

That Awkward Moment COMEDY (R)

Upcoming: The Lego Movie Admit it. You want to see this movie. I know you do.

Be a douche. Sleep around. Apologize. Still get the girl.

There you have it: I’ve summed up That Awkward Moment for you. Really. That’s the plot.

The previews seemed interesting enough, and a comedy centered on what guys do after becoming single was appealing for straight females. (“Alas, now we know what goes through their heads!”) Well, we forget that trailers are cut to include the best parts of the film, and That Awkward Moment’s trailer made it appear much more like a comedy than the “drama” it was.

Director/writer Tom Gormican’s film focuses on three good ole 20-something friends from college (Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan) who let loose in New York City. Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) are lazy book cover illustrators who can BS their ways out of actually working. Mikey (Jordan) is the only married one in the trio, and he’s a doctor, which means he’s constantly busy and doesn’t show up in as many scenes as his friends.

Narrated by Efron, he addresses the confusing moment in every dating relationship when you have to decide, “So...where is this going?” It’s totally relatable. But Gormican wastes his opportunity (and potential) by taking that “so” moment into total debauchery.

Instead of allowing the male leads to experience some sort of character development despite their brutish behavior (a la Don Jon), the guys use the “so” moment to run away from responsibilities after encouraging relationships under false pretenses.

In the wake of Mikey’s soon-to-be divorce, the trio decides to establish rules in which they can sleep around, so they create a dating roster, essentially a list of girls to sleep with and then dump when the girls’ emotions start to get involved. But under the rules they assign, the most imperative is that they cannot fall for anyone. They make it a bet (because bets involving girls always work out. I’m looking at you, Freddy Prinze Jr.). Predictably, the guys don’t adhere to their own rules and they begin lying to each other and their girls.

Which brings me to the girls. Imogen Poots plays Jason’s love interest, Ellie. Ellie was great; she’s got a masters degree, she dreams, she can be one of the guys and still clean up well, and she lives a fulfilling life. She has a lot going for her and she’s funny, and she’s also beautiful in that Courtney Love kind of way. She is by no means a fool – a bit of a romantic, but definitely not a fool. Which is why when she ends up with Jason (not a spoiler alert – you knew that was coming), it made the girls in the audience groan. “C’mon girl! You can do better than that. He was sleeping with other girls while date-not-dating you!” Gormican actually wrote a great female character, then belittled her at the very end. He may have been well intentioned, but he ended up making Ellie look like an idiot.

All in all, the film had potential, but there should be a limit on poop jokes in an R-rated movie. And if we’re being honest here, That Awkward Moment is the post-college sequel to Zac Efron’s High School Musical days as Troy Bolton - the millennial generation’s heartthrob – sans Gabriella. But c’mon--this isn’t high school anymore.

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Its cast is composed of notable actors, the lead being Chris Pratt (Parks and Rec, Zero Dark Thirty), Will Arnett (Arrested Development, 30 Rock), Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect), and Morgan Freeman, who portrays a God-character… again. Growing up, Legos were the bane of our childhood existence; and while stepping on them in the dark excused everyone for saying a curse word, The Lego Movie doesn’t look painful at all. On the contrary, it actually looks humorous.

The Lego Movie follows average, Joe-Schmo Lego Emmett (Pratt), who is mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder. He’s recruited to join a quest to stop an evil Lego tyrant from gluing the universe together. I know what you’re thinking: “Who comes up with this stuff?”

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, that’s who.

They’re a screenwriting duo who know how to make something potentially awful into a pretty successful movie (they directed the 2012 remake of 21st Jump Street and co-wrote/co-directed both of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films).

The movie leaves no historical figure (real or fictional) untouched. Abraham Lincoln, Han Solo, Gandalf, Green Lantern, C-3PO, Wonder Woman, Superman, and even Shakespeare make an appearance in the film. The trailer suggests a highly witty, fun-for-all-ages film with appropriate humor for its PG rating.

1. Ride Along

Fast-talking security guard Ben joins his cop brother-in-law James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James’ sister.

PG-13 (100 min)

2. Frozen

In a kingdom cursed to endure permanent winter, a young girl voiced by Kristen Bell teams up with a mountain man to rescue her sister and stop the curse in the latest Disney animated adventure. PG (102 min)

3. That Awkward Moment

Surly, a curmudgeon, independent squirrel is banished from his park and forced to survive in the city. Lucky for him, he stumbles on the one thing that may be able to save his life and the rest of park community as they gear up for winter. PG (86 min)

4. The Nut Job

Surly, a curmudgeon, independent squirrel is banished from his park and forced to survive in the city. Lucky for him, he stumbles on the one thing that may be able to save his life and the rest of park community as they gear up for winter. PG (86 min)

5. Lone Survivor

Based on the failed 2005 mission “Operation Red Wings”, four members of SEAL Team 10 were tasked with a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shahd. R (121 min)

6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. PG-13 (105 min)

7. Labor Day

Adele, a depressed single mother, and her son, Henry, offer a wounded escaped convict a ride from the supermarket. As police search the town for the convict,

mother and son gradually learn his true story and their options for escape become increasingly limited. PG-13 (111 min)

Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. R (134 min)

8. American Hustle

15. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the mafia. R (138 min)

9. The Wolf of Wall Street Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall from gold-plated grace, this Scorsese film is like The Godfather for investment bankers. R (180 min)

10. I, Frakenstein

Frankenstein’s creature finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries-old war between two immortal clans. PG-13 (93 min)

11. August: Osage County A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. R (121 min)

12. Gravity

A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.PG13 (91 min)

13. Dallas Buyer’s Club

In 1985 Dallas, electrician/hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he himself is diagnosed with the disease.

14. 12 Years a Slave

In the antebellum United States, Solomon

The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring. PG-13 (161 min)

16. Her

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system, one that’s designed to meet his every need. R (126 min)

17. Nebraska

An aging, booze-addled father makes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a milliondollar sweepstakes prize. R (115 min)

18. Saving Mr. Banks

Author P.L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins. PG-13 (125 min)

19. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Katniss and Peeta are thrown into an all-star season of the hunger games, but something’s different this time around.

Revolution is in the air. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Plummer join the cast. PG-13 (146 min)

20. Devil’s Due

After a mysterious, lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple finds themselves dealing with an earlier-thanplanned pregnancy. While recording everything for posterity, the husband begins to notice odd behavior in his wife that they initially write off as nerves. But, as the months pass, it becomes evident that the dark changes to her body and mind have a much more sinister origin. R (89 min)

wacoweekly.com • February 12, 2014 • WACO WEEKLY • pg 15