For nearly thirty years, husband-and-wife duo Gerardo “Jerry” Diaz and Staci Diaz have traveled the country showcasing their skill on horseback. Through their touring performances and tightly-choreographed Mexican Rodeo Extravaganzas, they bring audiences a blend of the two different cultures of riding they were raised in. A skilled trick rider, Staci grew up around her […]
Author Archives: Cat Cardenas
Cat Cardenas is a writer-at-large for The Barbed Wire based in Austin, covering entertainment, politics, and Latinx culture. Her work has appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone and Dazed, as well as in Vogue, W Magazine, Variety, GQ, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and others.
Posted inMusic
Meet the Firefighter & ‘Texas Girl’ Who Presented Beyoncé with Album of the Year at the Grammys
Over the course of her 35-year-career, Beyoncé has continually raised the bar. She’s changed the way artists release their music, revolutionized the album format, and defied the confines of genres to produce work that has received a whopping 99 Grammy nominations — the most of any artist in Grammy history. In the industry, she is […]
Posted inNews
‘It’s Going to Be a Rude Awakening’: How Immigrant Aid Groups Are Preparing for Trump’s Crackdown
Well, that didn’t take long. After running another campaign fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric and racist fear-mongering, Donald Trump began his second term as president last week and promptly made good on his threats of an immigration crackdown. Just moments after being sworn in, the CBP One app went dark, leaving migrants along the border without […]
Posted inCulture
How to Find the Perfect Pair of Cowboy Boots
Whether you were born and raised here or you just touched down yesterday, it’s a fact that every Texan should have a good pair of cowboy boots. Finding the right ones, though, can be a bit of a challenge. The sheer number of customizations can be overwhelming, and every factor, from the leather to the […]
Posted inCulture
How Austin City Limits Changed Music History — And Helped Launch Willie Nelson’s Career
In the fall of 1974, something was brewing in Austin. Willie Nelson wasn’t yet a country legend. At 41 years old, he was still a year away from his first number one hit as a singer (“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”), considered something of a commercial failure as a solo artist, and burned out […]
Posted inOutdoors
The Best Gifts for Texans Who Love the Outdoors
For 18 years, the closest I ever came to camping was pitching my pop-up Barbie tent in the living room. Since then, I’m proud to say that I’ve (kind of) learned the ropes. I’ve camped under the stars; hiked the Lost Mine Trail at Big Bend National Park; survived a torrential downpour out at Caddo […]
Posted inCulture
‘Armadillo Forever’ Brings Austin’s Revolutionary Music Venue into a New Era
For a decade, a concert hall housed inside an old National Guard Armory ruled the city of Austin. Located on South First Street, the Armadillo World Headquarters welcomed hippies and cowboys alike, all of whom came for the Lone Star beer and the legendary shows. Inside, you could catch emerging stars and major acts like […]
Posted inPolitics
Why Were Democrats So Wrong About Latino Voters?
It’s 2016, and I’m listening as pundits, analysts, and armchair experts make assumptions about the “Latino vote.” It’s 2020, and I’m listening as pundits, analysts, and armchair experts make assumptions about the “Latino vote.” It’s 2024, and I’m — you get the point. With every passing election, the “Latino vote” has become an almost mythical […]
Posted inCulture
Locals Say SpaceX Is Polluting Sacred Land. This Project Aims to Preserve It.
Among the Carrizo Comecrudo people of Texas, it is said that the state’s rivers are like ancestors. As they flow toward the sea, they bring their abundance, their beauty, and their knowledge with them. In South Texas, the place where these rivers meet and empty into the Gulf of Mexico is a sacred life source […]
Posted inUncategorized
Look at These F*ckin’ Texas Houses (Celebrity Edition)
In 2020, Joe Rogan’s arrival in Austin made a splash when his purchase of a $14.4 million lakefront mansion became one of the most expensive homes sold in the area. He wasn’t the first famous Californian to relocate to the Lone Star State, but it feels right to blame him for what followed: an epidemic […]