Month: May 2021

Shopping for wine can be a particularly daunting task when you’re young or a new drinker. Picking out a good, quality bottle to try for the first time can be an overwhelming experience — especially if you don’t quite understand grape varieties, wine regions, or nuanced-yet-vital aspects of production, like the difference between an unoaked wine and an oaked one.

Trust me when I say I totally get how unwelcoming it feels to venture into a wine shop lined with bottles displaying names you’ve never heard of and can barely pronounce. You feel like an outsider and it dampens the fun. But there is one place shoppers can always count on to purchase bottles without all the anxiety: the grocery store.

“The grocery store makes wine accessible,” says Wine & Spirit Education Trust-certified journalist Chasity Cooper. “I shopped at Giant, and they had the one aisle of wine with the beer. I remember automatically looking at the bottom shelves because I couldn’t afford $30 bottles of wine at first. The availability of reds and whites and some sparkling wines weren’t as expansive as a Total Wine or a local curated wine shop, but there were still great varieties — Malbec from Argentina, pinot grigio from Italy, shiraz from Australia.”

Nowadays Cooper, who has bylines in a number of esteemed wine and spirits publications, isn’t reaching for the Yellowtail, Barefoot, or Sutterhome as often. Her palate has advanced. But she still appreciates the quality and value of red wines that fill the middle shelves. It’s there, she says, where consumers will get the most bang for their buck.

“If you’re looking for something under $25 that’s of good quality that will also be delicious, keep your eye on the second and third shelves,” she says. “You do not have to break your back or your bank account to drink good wine.”

This week, I asked Cooper to share her favorite grocery store finds with me. I’ve listed her picks below and shared my tasting notes for each. Most of these wines are available at most major grocery stores across the country — Walmart, Kroger family grocery stores, even Target. But because we live in the modern technological age, I’ve included links (on the prices) in case you want to shop online.

Oh, and did I mention nothing listed costs more than $25? Get to reading! Then to sipping!

La Crema Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

Average Price: $25

The Wine:

I’ve waxed poetic about this Sonoma, California wine before, and it is just as complex of a pinot noir now as it was then — a total character. Unpredictable. Charismatic. It’s the Pinot you want to bring to the party. It’s the pinot you want to drink with the fabulous dinner you cooked at home.

Tasting Notes:

You can really smell the tobacco on this thing while scents of pomegranate play in the background. On the palate, it’s a berry splash full of red, black, and blueberries and juicy red plum. Notes of toasted oak provide the wine with some woodsy character while supple tannins — the naturally occurring polyphenol found in fruit skins, seeds, and leaves that influence wine’s astringency — clean everything up for a bright, slightly acidic finish.

Bottom Line:

It’s on the higher-priced side when it comes to value wines, but the unique character and vibrancy of this wine could go toe-to-toe with any fine pinot noir that’s retailing for double the price. Drink it when you’re feeling fancy and want to (reasonably) ball out on wine.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $45

Underwood Cellars Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%
Average Price: $14

The Wine:

This Oregon-made wine is one of many labels under Union Wine Company, a winery that prides itself on producing delectable wines on Oregon soil that are approachable and inexpensive. A true no-fuss pinot noir, it’s made with grapes that come from all across the state.

Tasting Notes:

Although this wine is rather light in body, it’s dynamic in taste. Smells of cherry cola come to life on the palate along with notes of black and red currants. Hints of dried leaves give the wine a slightly earthy edge in the finish, which wraps up pretty quickly.

Bottom Line:

This is an easy, everyday-drinking type of wine. P.S.: You can also buy it in a can!

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $16

H3 Merlot

ABV: 14.5%

Average Price: $13

The Wine:

Located in the Core Heaven Hills AVA in Eastern Washington, H3 is the little sister label to the grand dame Columbia Crest Winery, which produces top-notch wines within the Columbia Valley region of Washington state. This merlot-predominate deep red wine (it’s blended with about 9 percent syrah) is one that H3 has produced since the label was launched in 2008.

Tasting Notes:

This wine smells of baking spices and clove, but the palate is luscious with flavors of black and red cherries, blackberry and a twinge of cocoa. The finish is rich with velvety tannins that feel almost a little hairy on the tongue.

Bottom Line:

This is the juice to wash down those lighter grilled meats like salmon or chicken. Making something with red sauce or balsamic vinaigrette? H3 Merlot will highlight the acidic qualities of that too.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $20

Murphy Goode Red Wine Blend

ABV: 13.5%

Average Price: $13

The Wine:

Aged in French and American oak, this wine may seem big because of its robust blend of zinfandel, merlot, petite syrah, petite verdot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon grapes — all of which are grown across California wine country. It is definitely a complex and layered beverage, but the sip surprisingly softer than a cloud.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, this garnet red wine opens up with aromas of licorice, vanilla and blueberries. The sip is rich and sweet with jammy notes of Bing cherries and red fruit upfront while a subtle note of spice kicks around on the backend. The finish is long, lush, and soft, and it’s there where you’ll notice the hints of aged oak that seem to mellow everything out.

Bottom Line:

Pick up some ground beef or turkey from the grocery store and make a banging home-made burger to crush with this wine.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $18

Cline Cellars Cashmere Red Blend

ABV: 14.5%
Average Price: $13

The Wine:

Most of the grapes in this blend of grenache, mourvèdre and syrah come from vineyards across Contra Costa County in California. Dry-farmed sandy soils, thinned grape clusters and moderate Sonoma temperatures help winemakers produce a ruby red wine that is concentrated with syrupy red fruit flavors, a little spice, and the body to stand up to any big meal.

Tasting Notes:

Don’t be put off by the aromas of spicy cured meat on this wine — there’s no soppressata or salami involved, even though it smells like it. On the palate, the wine is a bath of cherries and blueberries, which get an interesting boost from a hint of chocolate and black pepper in the end. The finish is medium length and silky, expressing good acidity and nice, firm tannins.

Bottom Line:

Take your time with this wine. Serve it at a dinner party and let it breathe a bit while you converse with your guests. You’ll notice how it starts to evolve in the glass and display those fruity, spicy notes more vibrantly throughout the night.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $25

Joel Gott Zinfandel

ABV: 14.4%
Average Price: $15

The Wine:

Although some of the grapes used for this wine are soured from California regions like Sonoma, Amador, and Borden Ranch, the bulk of them comes from Lodi — the area where the zinfandel grape is the real supreme. This wine gets fermented in new American oak and two-year-old French oak to achieve an elegant and balanced taste.

Tasting Notes:

This wine smells like a pool of blackberries, and it tastes like one too. It’s not the jammy zins of yore, though. This is a full-body-leaning wine that gets a character lift from a hint of vanilla and crushed-suede tannins mid-palate. It all comes together with a dousing of white pepper, which gives the elongated finish a pleasantly spicy boost.

Bottom Line:

Yet another delectable dinner wine that will work just as well with your hearty winter roasts and duck confit as it will with summer ribs slathered in barbecue sauce.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $30

Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 13.9%
Average Price: $16

The Wine:

Everyone loves Josh Cellars’ wines. They’re as approachable as they are accessible, and it’s been that way ever since Joseph Carr launched the wine label in 2002 with his very first premium cabernet sauvignon.

Tasting Notes:

Ripe and fresh, this wine smells like blackberries and black cherries nestled under a hot and flaky pie crust. You’ll get a mouthful of those berry notes on the palate, along with a splashing of black plum, black currant and spices like cinnamon and hazelnut. Overall a dry wine, there are some flavors of vanilla in the end that intertwine with big, velvety tannins for a grande finale of a finish.

Bottom Line:

This is your go-to, reliable, can always depend on cabernet sauvignon. It’s going to be worth every penny every time, and you’ll always be shocked at how little you paid for it.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $30

Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14.8%

Average Price: $20

The Wine:

This wine is made completely with cabernet sauvignon grapes, however, the fruit is sourced from vineyards across California’s San Antonio Valley, Paso Robles, Hames Valley, Arroyo Seco and San Benito County. That results in one hell of an expressive cab sauv that showcases some of the best of what California has to offer.

Tasting Notes:

Now, this is a big, big wine. It’s full of body and character that you’ll sense as soon as you pop the cork and smell aromas of blackberry, charred oak, tobacco leaves, and toffee. The palate is dense with juicy flavors of blue, black, and boysenberries, black currant, and elderberry. But all that fruit simmers down from notes of mocha and baking spice. The finish is lush and hella long.

Bottom Line:

If you support diversity and inclusion in the wine industry then you’ll really love this wine. It’s produced by a woman winemaker, and she makes a pretty kickass Proprietary Red Blend too. You can read more about that HERE.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $45

Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 13.9%

Average Price: $20

The Wine:

You know that phrase, “Smoother than a baby’s bottom?” That’s the feeling you’ll get after a sip or seven of this incredibly lush cabernet sauvignon. Yes, it has that bold body and structure that cabernets tend to have, but with small amounts of merlot, zinfandel, petite sirah, syrah, and petit verdot, this wine is ultimately plusshhhh AF.

Tasting Notes:

This wine is perfumed with fragrances of the standard berry trio: Blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry. All that fruit is noticeable in the sip, but it all mingles with layers of dark chocolate, spice, and a sprinkle of spearmint that gives the wine an elegant freshness. Heavy tannins round out the wine for a long and completely smooth finish.

Bottom Line:

Show up to the party with a bottle of this, and watch the way everyone marvels over your excellent choice. Then smile to yourself because nobody knows you scooped it up at the grocery store just minutes before you arrived.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $50

DAOU Vineyards Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14.5%

Average Price: $25

The Wine:

For sure this is a full-bodied wine as expected from most Californian cab sauvs. But this a pretty youthful wine. Grapes used for this are only aged 11 months, which allows the wine to exude a fresh, ripe mouthfeel that makes it a good bottle for those who are new to wines as sophisticated and complex as cab sauv.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, this nearly purple red wine features aromas of black cherry, freshly chopped wood, and crushed rocks. Woodsy vibes are prevalent on the palate too, but more noticeable are the notes of blueberry, cherry, black plum, and fig. As the sip evolves, notes of fresh leather, baking spice, and firm tannins come into play before the wine evolves into its sweet cherry silky finish, which is incredibly long and memorable.

Bottom Line:

This is the wine to drink when you’re developing your palate and looking to venture into bigger, bolder wines.

How Much I’d Pay For This Bottle: $40

Thanks to her catchy and vulnerable songwriting on her debut LP If I Could Make It Go Quiet, Girl In Red has begun to dominate the lo-fi pop conversation. The album details her mental health struggles and identity with refreshing candor and has become somewhat of a guiding light for other young queer people on TikTok. Now on the heels of the album release, Girl In Red brings the fan-favorite tune “Serotonin” to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Girl In Red shared a lively rendition of the track from a dark industrial park, contrasting the buoyant beat with the gritty backdrop. She moves through the grimy, floodlight-lit area before she comes across her full band inside one of the buildings. “I’m running low on serotonin / Chemical imbalance got me twisting things / Stabilize with medicine / But there’s no depth to these feelings,” she sings with a sense of urgency.

Ahead of the performance, Girl In Red sat down with Uproxx to discuss her album’s release. Speaking about the inspiration behind “Serotonin,” Girl In Red said:

“For that song particularly, I wrote it and I was like, ‘Wow, I had a lot of stuff I had to get out…’ So many people have their own perception of what it’s like dealing with different things. I’ve definitely had the thought of people not validating my experiences, or people not seeing this experience as something that’s song-worthy or whatever. I’ve definitely had those doubts, especially for [‘Serotonin’]. I’ve never actually felt that way before that song, but you know, most comments have been great. Obviously there are people who are going to be like, ‘yo…this is too straightforward.’ But, I had so many therapists and people who work with OCD patients reach out. It is a very misunderstood disorder, and I’ve had people reach out to me and be like, ‘This is so important that you’re making this.’ I’m really proud, I just pulled through and did it.”

Watch Girl In Red perform “Serotonin” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon above.

If I Could Make It Go Quiet is out now via World In Red/AWAL. Get it here.

Last month, Kevin Morby’s 2016 album Singing Saw celebrated its fifth anniversary. In honor of that, Morby has given fans a treat in the form of a previously unreleased song recorded during that album’s sessions, “Dumcane,” a slow and acoustic-driven tune.

Morby shared a statement about the track, explaining that the song, which was recently rediscovered on an old tape, just wasn’t a fit for Singing Saw:

“In honor of Singing Saw having just turned five years old I am releasing a lost and recently unearthed song, Dumcane. I had initially taken Dumcane to the Singing Saw sessions I did with Sam Cohen for what would become the album but our arrangement wasn’t feeling quite right sitting next to the other songs so I took it to my good friend and neighbor Kyle Thomas and we cut a stripped down version the same day that we cut my Townes Van Zandt – No place To Fall cover for the Beautiful Strangers 7″. For reasons beyond me this version of Dumcane sat inside Kyles tape machine lost and forgotten the last five years until Kyle stumbled upon it a few weeks ago while going through old tapes only days before Singing Saws fifth birthday. It felt like a sign from the universe that the the song could finally take flight. I am so happy to share this document of Kyle and I making music in his Pine Room on some sunny afternoon in what seems like a lifetime ago. Hope you all enjoy this pic of baby Morbs taken the same day we shot the cover of Singing Saw and you can go listen to the song on all streaming platforms xo”

Listen to “Dumcane” above.

Will Smith enjoyed a spot of viral fame on Monday after the Fresh Prince star shared an unedited photo on Instagram with the caption, “I’m gonna be real wit yall – I’m in the worst shape of my life.” The candid pic garnered Smith praise for sharing the backyard photo of his body not being in perfect movie star shape while some, like director Ava DuVernay, filled the comments with remarks like “I see no ‘worst’ here” and “Daddy AF.”

However, it appears there may have been an ulterior motive for Smith sharing his dad bod on Instagram. On Tuesday, his production company Westbrook Media announced a collaboration with YouTube Originals for a six-episode unscripted series that will follow Smith as he gets back in shape. Via Billboard:

The press release describes the series, tentatively titled Best Shape of My Life, as “the fun, funny, inspirational, wildly adventurous, and deeply entertaining story of Smith challenging himself to improve every aspect of his fitness, from agility to power to recovery and more.” Helping the star on his fitness journey will be pro athletes, scientists, experts and YouTube creators.

After this announcement, it’s kind of hard not to view Smith’s Instagram photo as a little bit of shameless self-promotion. But that’s a skill that’s going to come in handy if the actor follows through on his recent claim that he sees himself becoming a politician “at some point down the line.” However, he’s not in a hurry after four years of Donald Trump. “I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit,” Smith joked to the Pod Save America crew.

(Via Billboard)

Stories of women giving birth when they didn’t even know they were pregnant are always a bit mind-boggling. Some people say they don’t believe it’s possible, but bodies are strange and some pregnancies really do fly under the radar.

Such was the case with Lavinia “Lavi” Mounga, who boarded a flight from Salt Lake City to Hawaii on April 28 with no inkling that she was carrying a baby, nor that he would make his grand entrance 35,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant and this guy just came out of nowhere,” Mounga said in a video from Hawaii Pacific Health, where she and her newborn son, Raymond Mounga, were taken to after the plane landed. “It has been very overwhelming, and I’m just so lucky that there were three NICU nurses and a doctor on the plane to help me, and help stabilize him and make sure he was OK for the duration of the flight.”

The doctor on board, Dr. Dale Glenn, is a family physician who practices in Honolulu. He told ABC 7 that an unusual emergency call came from the crew halfway through the flight.

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“We’ve had calls like this before,” he said. “Usually, they’re pretty clear, you know, ‘Is there a doctor on board?’ This call was not like this. This call was, ‘Medical! Um, help!'”

Glenn and three NICU nurses from Kansas City—Lani Bamfield, Amanda Beeding and Mimi Ho—responded to the call to help Mounga deliver and care for the baby. The nurses’ expertise was particularly fortuitous since Mounga was only 29 weeks along and Raymond was tiny. Since both baby and mom needed to be cared for, having a whole medical team there was a gift.

“Basically, you need somebody to watch the mom, too, because we have two patients, not just one,” Glenn told TODAY Parents. “So someone’s got to help cut the cord, someone’s got to help deliver the placenta, we’ve got to check vital signs on mom. Meanwhile we’re trying to resuscitate baby, make sure baby’s breathing, get baby warmed up. That’s a lot of work to do, and we’re all trying to work in a very small, confined space in an airplane, which is pretty challenging. But the teamwork was great.”

That teamwork included using a shoelace to tie the umbilical cord, warming up bottles to use as baby warmers, and using an Apple watch to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. Glenn

“The idea that this baby had a doctor and three NICU nurses is nothing short of miraculous,” Glenn added. “It blows me away as a doctor. I don’t think people realize how rare this is; there have only been about sixty babies born on airplanes in history. This is literally one in a billion chance kind of thing.”

The passengers and crew aboard the flight did their part too. Glenn said people offered diapers, moved seats, and did everything they could to make the new mom and babe comfortable and safe during the three remaining hours of the flight.

At one point, Glenn left Mounga to take his sweater back to his seat and was greeted with a sea of concerned faces.

“I had to kind of stop and say something to them,” he told TODAY Parents. “‘Everything is alright, we’re going to make it’ and I could see the weight drop off people’s shoulders. They wanted to know but were afraid to ask. The support we got from every person on that plane…there was so much aloha.”

Aloha is the universal Hawaiian greeting, but it means more than simply “hello” and “goodbye.” It’s also an expression of love, compassion, sympathy, and kindness—a connected, harmonious way of life that was exemplified in people’s reactions to the surprise birth.

Mounga and her son were visited by the nurses and doctor who helped them over the weekend, and it was a joyful reunion all around.

“We all just teared up,” nurse Mimi Ho said, according to the AP. “She called us family and said we’re all his aunties, and it was so great to see them.”

“The experience here has been so good,” Mounga added. “Everybody’s so nice and the aloha spirit you feel here is very different from the mainland. It just feels comforting and everyone’s willing to help and always checking in on us.”

Congratulations to Lavi and Raymond, and thanks to everyone on that unforgettable flight for giving us all a boost of faith in humanity.

Jake Tapper has officially reached the “Why-Should-I-Even-Listen-To-This-Nonsense” phase of his coverage of a handful of Republican lawmakers.

The CNN anchor paid a visit to the network’s morning program, and talk quickly turned to the GOP’s disinformation tactics. In case you missed it, key members of the Republican party, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have been disparaging House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney after she refused to back down from comments criticizing former President Donald Trump and his campaign to sow doubt in the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. Tapper took issue with McCarthy and other members of the party wanting to oust their most senior female member in leadership for, as he put it, reminding voters of basic facts.

“Her continued presence is a reminder of the fact that he [McCarthy] is exemplifying cowardice and lies,” Tapper said. The anchor went on to call out Minority Whip Steve Scalise and others who helped promote the “Big Lie” that the election was ultimately stolen from Trump, a falsehood that led to the Jan. 6th insurrection on Capitol Hill.

When it comes to lies like this, they’re like Doritos,” Tapper said (via Mediaite). “You can’t just do one. You keep lying, and lying, and lying. We saw last week, McCarthy spreading the lie about Joe Biden wanting to steal your hamburgers for climate change. We’ve seen the appeasement of lies when it comes to Covid and the fact that about half of Republican voters say that they’re not willing to get vaccinated because of all the lies and fear that has been injected into the Republican bloodstream about health issues. We see the appeasement of the conspiracy theorists that support the deranged theory of QAnon — that there are satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles who run Hollywood and the Democratic party. It just keeps going. That’s the point.”

Which, fair point. The Republican party has sacrificed so much integrity to back Trump that it’s almost impossible to discern who even has the ability to tell the truth anymore. Like a snowball that keeps rolling down a hill, the lies keep growing — from QAnon to stolen elections to climate change deniers, etc. That’s the thought process that led Tapper to his next on-air rant, one in which he questioned if giving any of these Trump lackeys is really worth it anymore?

“I happen to believe that this country needs a strong, thriving, healthy, fact-based Republican party,” Tapper said. “We need those debates happening. But we can’t have those debates if one side of the argument is not willing to stick to standards and facts. How am I supposed to believe anything they say? If they’re willing to lie about Joe Biden wanting to steal your hamburgers, and QAnon and the Big Lie about the election, what are they not willing to lie about? Why should I put any of them on TV?”

We’ll just leave with this: anyone who’s willing to cut down on Ted Cruz’s airtime is doing the public a favor.

(Via Mediaite)

So, how about that Marvel Cinematic Universe trailer that dropped yesterday? If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably watched it three times by now, and have soaked up every moment of Stan Lee’s touching monologue as well as the accompanying footage showing how far the MCU has come.

However, the new trailer is not just a celebration of remembrance — there’s a lot of new information tucked into those three minutes, and we’re here to help lay it all out for you with a list of phase four’s upcoming movies.

1. Black Widow (July 9 2021)

Despite being one of the earliest superheroes in the Marvel Universe, it’s taken quite some time for Black Widow to get her own movie — and unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic didn’t help. However, she’s here, and she’s not only kicking a whole lot of ass but is kicking off the fourth phase of the MCU.

2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Sept. 3, 2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been a long time coming. Like. A long time coming. After years in and out of development, fans finally get to see the character who’s been teased since Iron Man later this summer and it’s a pretty big deal. Shang-Chi is the first new addition to the Marvel family since the events of the last two Avengers films, and is also the first Asian hero to join the foray.

3. Eternals (Nov. 5, 2021)

Compared to many of these movies on this list, there isn’t a ton known about Eternals, however, what we do know is impressive. Eternals features an ensemble of A-list stars bringing brand new heroes and villains to life and a script written by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao. Oh, and secret aliens.

4.Spider-Man: No Way Home (Dec. 17, 2021)

No Way Home is Tom Holland’s third entry in the Spider-Man series and might be one more for both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, if the rumors are true. Following the events of Endgame — and based on what we know so far about Marvel’s upcoming films — it seems the universe is going to start leaning heavily into the idea of well, universes, which would allow for both these characters to return.

5. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)

The new Doctor Strange film picks up where WandaVision left off and, much like Spider-Man, seemingly promises to explore all the messiness of the Marvel multiverse. Multiverse of Madness might also be the MCU’s first steps into horror, with Sam Rami directing.

Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen (2019) dramatized the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 on HBO, and a new documentary will further uncover the truth on PBS. The film (literally) digs deep on a local level and will arrive on May 31, which will mark the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific instances of racially-motivated violence in U.S. history. It’s well worth putting on your calendar, especially since the deadly mass-killing didn’t emerge often in history books, and many people didn’t even know what transpired until watching the recontextualized Watchmen. Lindelof became aware of the massacre after reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Case for Reparations” 2014 article in The Atlantic, and the rest, as they say, is unearthed history, albeit still in process.

As seen in the trailer above, Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten (directed by Jonathan Silvers) will dive into how hundreds of Greenwood-district, Black-owned businesses and neighborhoods full of homes burned to the ground after a false accusation of violence against a Black man. All told, the massacre killed up to 300 Black Tulsa residents and left thousands without homes, and The Washington Post‘s DeNeen L. Brown speaks within the film and lays down the project’s tone in a press release:

“Stories have power and if they’re told, they can change the future and they can provide some healing. So my goal here would be to finally find answers for some of the descendants of the victims, and if they do find bodies, put those souls to rest. This spring, the City of Tulsa plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the massacre, as descendants of survivors demand reparations for what was lost and protest against current oppression and racism.”

The film will also chart the resilience and revival of the Greenwood district and the reexamination of the massacre as well as efforts that have been made to atone for and reconcile the past for Black Tulsa residents. The project features interviews from several local leaders (including Mayor G.T. Bynum, who officially opened the search for mass graves) and civil rights activists (including Greg Robinson II, Kristi Williams, Regina Goodwin, Rev. Robert Turner, and more). As Mayor Bynum notes in the film, “It is terrifying because you realize that it could happen today… I hope that people see that it’s never too late to try and do the right thing.”

Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten will air on May 31 on PBS.

Back in 2018, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker were in the midst of enjoying their time together as Boygenius, a supergroup that has so far released a self-titled EP in 2018 and a demos collection that was only available on Bandcamp for one day in July 2020. While on the promotional circuit, the group performed a cover of a classic from The Chicks (who were known as the Dixie Chicks at the time of the song’s release): “Cowboy Take Me Away,” from their 1999 album Fly. The performance was filmed for KEXP at Seattle’s Avast! Recording Co. on November 24, 2018, and KEXP later shared the video on YouTube on March 5, 2019.

It’s been nearly three years since that performance, and now, The Chicks have finally stumbled upon it and given the cover their blessing.

The Chicks took to social media today to share a clip of the performance. They wrote on Twitter, “Love this Cowboy Take Me Away cover by boygenius’ [Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus]!” That prompted responses from all three Boygenius members. Dacus shared the tweet and added, “hello chicks we love you [teary-eyed emoji].” Bridgers also shared the post on Twitter and Instagram, while Baker re-posted on her Instagram story and added, “thank you [teary-eyed emoji] [heart emoji].”

Watch Boygenius cover The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” below.