Thursday, May 1, 2008

JOE TACO (Advertorial)

Mexican restaurant provides fresh dining experience

By: Rachel Nelson

If you spend a lot of time in northwest Amarillo, you have probably noticed a new and unique Mexican restaurant that is exclusive to our city. The doors at Joe Taco opened on September 17, and co-owner Kyle Johnson said business has been booming ever since.

"The public's response has been overwhelmingly positive," Johnson said.

Upon entering Joe Taco, customers will first notice the aroma of real Mexican dishes filling their nostrils. After looking around, they will see an atmosphere filled with a classy, Mexican decor. The paint and decorations are bright and fresh, but not tacky or cluttered, Johnson said. According to Johnson, Joe Taco strives to be different from other "cookie cutter" Mexican restaurants.

"We are anti Tex-Mex," Johnson said. "We make everything from scratch. Everything's fresh."

The new dining sensation, Located at 7312 Wallace Blvd., provides Santa Fe dishes, steaks, seafood and other traditional Mexican food. Johnson said that even the traditional selections are different from other Mexican restaurants because the customer can mix things up by choosing from six different meats and sauces.

"So you can create whatever you want," Johnson said. "I just wanted to create a menu that was a little different."

Johnson recommends that guests try the chile relleno. Joe Taco makes them with a pablano pepper stuffed with asadero cheese and a choice of meat, covered with a light, crispy batter and choice of sauce. He also thinks the green chile chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken are worth tasting. They are covered with Hatch green chile sauce and asadero cheese, which is a melted smooth and creamy cheese with a medium bite to it, Johnson said.

Joe Taco also serves an assortment of fresh fruit margaritas. Choices include mango, peach, pomegranate, rasberry and strawberry. "We also make our own sangria," Johnson said.

Joe Taco is a great place to unwind after a long day's work with happy hour taking place from 4-7 p.m. every week day. Pints of draft beer are available for $1.50 during this time as well as cheladas and micheladas. Those specials are available all day Saturday and Sunday.

Summer is heating up, and Joe Taco's outdoor patio is a relaxing place to enjoy it. There is a refreshing fountain and a bar right on the patio. An enclosed patio can be enjoyed as well, if that is what the customer prefers. Expect live music on the outdoor patio Thursday through Saturday nights.

Johnson said the prices at Joe Taco are very affordable.

"We're probably the least expensive full service Mexican restaurant in town," he said. "The average ticket is usually $10 to $10.50, and that includes the drink."

Those looking for a great place to work are encouraged to go to Joe Taco and fill out an application.

"We are always accepting applications," Johnson said. "Business is growing so we always need good people."

Paul Huddleson has been working at Joe Taco since a couple of months after they opened.

"I love my job here," he said. "It's a fun and exciting atmosphere to work in and there are good people to work with including good management."

The mixture of fresh, delicious food and drinks accented with an exceptional dining atmosphere and an even tastier price are sure to make any dining experience one to remember and more than likely one that will keep you coming back for more.

Route 66 Roller Derby gets ready to rumble

First home game to take place May 4


Tickets to the first home Route 66 Roller Derby bout went on sale April 1. The event will be held on May 4 in the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum.

"It's about to blow up," said Heather "H-Bomb" Hoffsteader, vice president of the Route 66 Roller Derby."This is the fastest growing sport in the nation right now."

According to Hoffsteader, there are more than 10,000 names registered on the roller derby national registration site.

The Route 66 Roller Derby, originally named the Rotor City Rollers, was formed in 2006 and is comprised of two teams. When they spoke with The Scene last August, the girls were anxious to start bouting with other teams but were postponing the action because they were in search of a place to hold their events. Hoffsteader said Amarillo Mayor Debra McCartt helped to connect the girls with the Civic Center and make it their home venue.

"She was very excited to see a sport that is female driven and the girls are the stars. We don't see that very much," Hoffsteader said.

The league did not expect to see themselves in such a large arena, but they are optimistic about the potential the Civic Center could bring to the sport.

"The Civic Center is making all of this possible," Hoffsteader said. "It's a bit out of our comfort zone, but we're excited that our sport is going to be able to compete at this level. We can fit 3,000 people in that arena, and we want to pack it out every time."

Besides a local family and friends event, the derby held its first competitive bout this season against the West Texas Roller Dollz in Lubbock. Since each game has a theme, this event was named "The Rookie Rumble."

"Lubbock is a new team as well," Hoffsteader said. "We did not win, but it was a very close battle."

The derby will kick off its series of home games by having the two local teams, The Bonzai Brawlers and the Deadly Dames, compete in what will be called the "Derby Invasion."

"Although we're all on the same league, I don't think we're going to be holding anything back," said Amber "Fyrebones" Phillips, a skater for the Bonzai Brawlers.

Phillips said she is looking forward to the bout.

"Roller Derby is a challenge to rely not on my own energy, but on God's strength, and he always comes through," she said.

The rest of the games will be with teams from from New Mexico, Oklahoma and other parts of Texas, Hoffsteader said. The official schedule has not been released, but it will be available on the Panhandle Tickets Web site as well as the derby's MySpace page as soon as it is set in stone.

Originally, the Route 66 Roller Derby consisted of three teams, but they reorganized so that they would have a full roster on each team and be able to provide plenty of back up. When the roller girls start taking on teams from other areas, they will pull players from each of the two teams.

Since its formation nearly a year and a half ago, the local roller derby league has become actively involved in the community. This month they will participate in the MS walk on the 12th at John Stiff Park. They will also be set up at the car show on the 27th at Hillside and Bell providing concessions, face painting and information about the derby. That event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets to the game are available through Panhandle Tickets and will cost $10 if purchased in advance. Prices will rise to $15 at the door and cost $5 for children under the age of 10. Season passes can be obtained for $60. Floor seats, or "suicide seating," also is available for $20 per person. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by an adult to sit in this section.

"It's very possible that someone will land on you three rows back," Hoffsteader said. Everyone who purchases a ticket for suicide seating will be asked to sign a waiver before the game starts.

Partial proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit local charities.

"Nik Vicious," president of the derby, said she believes that the roller derby is going to be a great thing for Amarillo."It's wild," she said. "It's like sometimes I don't realize how big this has the potential of being, but we have been working so hard for the past year and a half and all of our hard work is finally about to pay off."


ROLLER DERBY: The Basics
** Roller blades are not allowed. All participants must wear quad skates.
** Two teams with 5 girls on each team skate in a formation around the track.
** One girl from each team called a "jammer" races around the track trying to make her way through the other team's girls.
** The girls use blocks, hits and pushes to stop the other team's jammer.

An 'unforgettable' night to take place at Nat Ballroom May 31

Performances by The Whiskey Makin' Mommas burlesque group and Pickled Punk Sideshow to accompany two live bands

By: Rachel Nelson
http://www.amarilloscene.com/

Burlesque performances are an American past time dating back to the mid-1800s. Although burlesque can be a number of different things depending on the artists who create it, it is far more than dress-up for grown-ups. Burlesque is commonly recognized as a style of live production that blends performance, satire and adult entertainment. This usually involves acts by under-dressed women.

The popularity of burlesque saw a decline in the early twentieth century, but according to Nancy Fields, founder of local burlesque group The Whiskey Makin' Mommas, a burlesque revival is taking place.

"It's something I've always been interested in. There's been a resurgence in burlesque, and I knew the only way I'd be able to participate in burlesque here is if I started it."

Fields believes there is a variety of expression that can be achieved through burlesque and sees it as a way for women to feel fun, edgy and sassy all at once. It also gives girls like Jamie Beckley an opportunity to come out of their shells.

"In my private life I'm very much reserved and conservative, and there's something about getting on stage that brings out the beast in me," Beckley said. "I can take off my clothes and feel okay and comfortable."

"It's a positive thing," Fields said. "You can make burlesque whatever you want. I think that's what I like about it... there's really no rules."

The Whiskey Makin' Mommas' next appearance will be May 31 at the Nat Ballroom. The show will be accented with a summer theme.

Along with the burlesque show will be performances by the Pickled Punk Sideshow, garage/punk band Mosquito Bandito and a Michigan rockabilly band.

Fields formed The Whiskey Makin' Mommas in August 2005 when Canadian band Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz was scheduled to play a gig in Fort Worth. The band intertwines burlesque with their musical performances, and they were looking for opening acts for their Texas show. Fields contacted the band via e-mail and told them about the not-yet-formed Whiskey Makin' Mommas. The group was scheduled for its first gig before it even existed.

From there, Fields scrambled to find girls that she thought would be interested in performing burlesque. She was successful, and they had one month to prepare for the show.

"We put together a nice, tight 30-minute set," Fields said. "It went really well. We practiced non-stop."

Since then, The Whiskey Makin' Mommas have performed several shows. Fields' favorite burlesque memory is the group's local performance at the August 2006 Femme art show.

"It was the first time a large Amarillo audience saw us, and the response was amazing," she said. "We got a lot of feedback, so that was really thrilling to me that Amarillo was interested in burlesque."

Leta Roberson has been involved with the Whiskey Makin' Mommas for more than a year.

"Honestly, it's just as entertaining for me as it is for everyone else," she said. Roberson said she performs with the group to kick up her femininity.

"When you're a single mom you don't really get time for yourself so it's something that I really do for myself."

The Whiskey Makin' Mommas strive to make each show fresh for the audience.

"Expect the unexpected because you never know what we're going to come up with," Roberson said. "We really try to keep it new. We don't like to do the same thing over and over, so every show is different."

Beckley said those who attend should come expecting to be entertained.

"They're going to be very pleased with what they see," she said.

Fields also is one half of the two-piece Pickled Punk Sideshow, which performs a variety of acts including lying on beds of nails, running on broken glass, setting off mouse traps on the human tongue, playing with fire, body puncturing and much more. This is the first time The Whiskey Makin' Mommas will do a conjoined event with the sideshow.

"It's an unforgettable night," Fields said. "It's going to be awesome."

The official time and cover charge of the event are to be announced. Keep checking http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm15c3BhY2UuY29tL3doaXNrZXltYWtpbm1vbW1hcw== to find out more.

FYI: In burlesque, performers, usually female, often create elaborate sets with lush, colorful costumes, mood-appropriate music, and dramatic lighting, and may even include novelty acts, such as fire-breathing or demonstrations of unusual flexibility, to enhance the impact of their performance.

Prepare to R.O.K. with Revolution of Knowledge at Summer Bash '08

photo courtesy of myspace.com/revolutionofknowledge

Fort Worth five piece Revoltion of Knowledge, or R.O.K., has gone through many phases since its formation in early 2006 when brothers Blake and Russell (drummer and lead guitarist), along with bassist Justin Smith, were in search of the missing pieces to their band.

Chad Paschal, now the group's lead singer, united with the band at a R.O.K. after party. From there the foursome immediately began writing, recording and hitting the stage wherever they could.

"When the guys got together the chemistry was so great it was like lighting a stick of dynamite," the group's Web site explains. Revolution of Knowledge independently released its debut album, "It Has Begun," in 2007. They added the fifth member, rhythm guitarist Chris Schmehr, late last year. Since then they have been playing gigs in the Dallas area and Oklahoma.

"We play a lot in Oklahoma... almost every month. We've got a big fan base there," said Schmehr, an Amarillo native.

Thanks to the transmission of music over the Internet, R.O.K.'s fan base also has exploded in Germany and many other parts of the United States and the world.

The band dishes out an energetic show while mixing heavy instrumentals with vocals that are rugged and melodic. Plans of releasing a second CD are underway for 2008, but first R.O.K. will visit the Panhandle May 31 to participate in Summer Bash '08 at Avenue 10, located at 1404 W. 10th Avenue. They expect to play an hour-long set. So far two local bands are on the line-up as well, but others will be added as the time approaches. The event is B.Y.O.B., and there will be a $10 cover charge.

Schmehr said he joined R.O.K. when he saw an ad that they were looking for a rhythm guitarist. He listened to their music on the group's MySpace page and already knew how to play one song by the time he got to his audition. "They felt like I was the missing piece of the puzzle that they've been needing for a while," he said.

Schmehr said Revolution of Knowledge has recently cut back on playing in venues to focus on their upcoming album, which will contain 10 songs. So far eight of those have been perfected, he said.

"The band has evolved so much," Schmehr said. "We're just focused on taking that next step and getting signed. We're thinking that this album is what's going to get us there."

After the release of the album, R.O.K. plans to do a tour around Texas hitting nine cities, including Amarillo. They also will perform in Oklahoma City, Lawton, OK, and Shrieveport, Louisiana.

To hear music from R.O.K., visit them on the Web at myspace.com/revolutionofknowledge. To keep up with the status of Summer Bash '08, visit myspace.com/summerbash08.