Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Riff: Western Swing, yodeling and tail-twistin’ comedy If you’re in the mood to laugh, hear great swing music, yodeling and real cowboy riffs in a beautiful old theater with state-of-the-art sound, I’ve got the show for you. It’s called the Western Swing Jamboree and you can see it Saturday, July 27, at the Brauntex Theater in New Braunfels. Just a couple of blocks from the main plaza downtown, the Brauntex Theater is also two minutes from the landmark German restaurant, Krause’s Cafe. My plan is to go early, eat jagerschnitzel and make the Jamboree an occasion.
At 7:30 p.m. accordion player, yodeler, and Western Swing performer Lori Beth Brooke from Austin will take the stage, backed up by the Kan- sas City band, The Derrieres. Lori is known by Wurstfest crowds as the accordionist and vocalist for her hilariously named band, Yodel Blitz. She has won awards from the International Western Music Association for Female Yodeler of the Year and for her Cowboy Western Swing Album.
Brothers Roger and Leo Eilts are The Derrieres, a traditional Cowboy band which they strongly suggest you not confuse with the Country and Western genre. They are in high demand as harmony vocalists and instrumentalists and perform regularly with the widely acclaimed band, 3 Trails West. When they’re not performing in the U.S. and beyond, they produce a weekly program on internet radio called “The Americana Road Show.”
A Texas Cowboy Poet known for his quick wit and prowess in the storytelling department, Cameron Bradfute, joins the fun with his extensive knowledge of useless information, facts and sayings. Where does he get his material? First hand from the horse’s mouth, I suspect. The seventh- generation Texan sells crop insurance to New Braunfels area farmers and ranchers. Behind the comedy and high spirits, are firstrate musicians. Tickets are $35 to $55, at Brauntex.org.
Roam: Magnolia Pearl On my Peach Run to Stonewall, Texas last week, I stopped in to chat with the style mavens at Magnolia Pearl across the road from the Alstadt Brewery on 290 E near Fredericksburg. Call it shabby chic, Euro boho or the farmhouse look, the edgy fashion pioneered by Robin Brown and John Gray is a unique expression for the welldressed man or woman. Their fashion, “sewn from snippets of fairy tales overlaid with Huck Finn imagery,” upcycles old blue jeans and other garments with mythical images and rural elements patched together to create a romantic, free-spirited, avant-garde look. Each pair of jeans is unique, hand stitched to create wearable art. Johnny Depp, they tell me, is an enthusiastic customer.
Launched in 2002 in Round Top, Texas, the company recently opened its second major store in Malibu, California in April 2023 and boasts 300 wholesale boutiques all over the U.S. and a huge following in Australia.
Their flagship store outside Fredericksburg is a rural-inspired faded compound of repurposed buildings and old curiosities, like the rustic buggy-shaped chicken coop in their yard. The boutique, built in 2016 from three broken- down barns, is an arresting architectural statement. During my visit, I heard shoppers, several of them men, exclaim that the store was “fantastic,” “amazing,” and “exceptional.” Downstairs there’s a showroom with largescale, edgy décor and the upstairs level is packed with garments. Next to the staircase is an oversized hoist, much like something to lift hay in a barn, used to transport merchandise and film equipment for their many modeling shoots and video productions. Isabel May who plays the role of Elsa Dutton in the Paramount+ series, “1883,” which is the spinoff of the “Yellowstone” series, is one of their models.
New fashions are available to the public every two weeks for a few days before they are offered to wholesalers. Make a point to stop the next time you’re in the area to appreciate the unique vision of these two designers. Even if the fashion isn’t quite your thing, you’ll be bowled over by the scale and full expression of their aesthetic.
Learn more at Magnoliapearl. com.
Rave: Alstadt Brewery
Of the many merits of the Alstadt Brewery outside Fredericksburg, one of them is their Bavarian- inspired restaurant where they offer lunch, Sunday brunch, and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, dinner. Their menu of appetizers, sandwiches, entrées and sides will satisfy most everyone but take notice, prices are on the upscale side. You’ll enjoy the attentive service and appreciate the cleanliness of their kitchen, which I could see from my table.
If you and your friends want to sample the beer, start out with a Flagship Flight of their Lager, Kolsch, Hefeweizen and Amber brews and order the Smorgasbord. For three to four people, it comes with NY and ribeye steaks, German sausages, pork ribeye, mini pretzels, crab cakes and cheese dip served with three kinds of steak sauce, Dijon mustard, beer cheese and peach butter. The price tag for the smorgasbord is $135.
I stopped recently to sample their Peach Melba ice cream sundae. Like all Bavarian desserts, it was rich, delicious and gigantic. On my own, I could only make a dent in the superb concoction stacked with homemade vanilla bean ice cream from Texas dairy, raspberry sauce, vanilla chantilly cream and, of course, a local peach.
Next time visitors come to town, take them to the Alstadt. Take a tour of the impressive copper-plated Rolec brewery, imported from Germany. The digital brewing system, designed by German Brewmasters, features a mash kettle, Lauter Tun and Wort Kettle that people in the know will appreciate. After that, catch up with friends in the tap room or hunker down in the Rathskellar with its red leather chairs and watch the game. Listen to music and lift a mug in the Grand Hall or outdoor Biergarten. One way or the other, you’ll be transported. Happy hour, by the way, is from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
