Pete Wann loves Fort Worth, and he loves the clubs and restaurants here. He’s always talking up both to friends and neighbors, which is why he started a podcast, www.fw.mycityscene.com, a 23-minute audio blog about Cowtown clubbing and dining.
“I like Fort Worth – I wanna tell people about it” was how he opened his inaugural show, last week. The second installment of his yet-unnamed weekly program will go online some time tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 2). Every episode will be archived and available for downloading.
Earlier this month, Wann started a blog about food, drink, and Fort Worth life. He got into podcasting because, he said, he’s a radio nerd and enjoys the option to spin music that podcasting offers.
The married 30-year-old relocated to the Metroplex from his native Ohio about five years ago to work for a software company in Plano. Though now unemployed and living in Fort Worth, he gets by with help from the G.I. bill (he is currently enrolled at UTA) and his wife’s income.
Wann got turned onto podcasting earlier this year through The New Dave and Jason Show, a podcast about homes and gardens. The DJ’s asked him to contribute a section on “beer education.” Wann said he’s developed his passion for and knowledge of Fort Worth’s club and restaurant scene through his years here as a customer. The Sunday specials at downtown’s Flying Saucer Draught Emporium are his personal favorite.
Only 17 people so far have tuned in to Wann’s initial podcast. He attributes the small number to his inability to promote the show. “I’m basically [counting on] word of mouth, but I will start going to clubs to hand out cards to bands and put up banners.”
Wann is no radio pro, but he does have a smooth voice and is clearly passionate about his work. Among other things, his first show included a review of the seafood at Southside’s LaPlaya Maya, his personal experience touring Rahr Brewery (tours there are free), and a preview of the forthcoming Ginger Man pub, on Camp Bowie Boulevard near the Cultural District. Though Dallas has a bunch of audio blogs devoted to its dining/clubbing scene, Cowtown doesn’t appear to have any.
Wann is already making big plans for the future. “If someone in another city likes what I’m doing, we can set up another subdivided space through my web hosting company,” he said. “I don’t have any sponsorships or endorsements yet, but eventually I’d like to.”
O’Boy!
Martin O’ Flynn has added some life to Fort Worth’s way-West Side, with his new, tucked-away gem, Flynn’s Irish Pub.
The middle-aged native Briton took over the hole-in-the-wall space formerly known as The Irish Pub several months ago. Remodeling is what delayed the club’s grand opening to last weekend.
When I was there, from about 7 to 10 p.m., the crowd never dipped below about 30, diverse folks: hippies, punks, indie kids, goths, you name it. With low ceilings, cushy living room-type furniture, and a warm, friendly vibe, Flynn’s offers what most other way-Westside bars can’t, hipster cachet.
As for the name, Flynn told me he dropped the “O” in his surname to make the place sound “more Irish.” Whatever. Your man knows how to launch a bar.
Contact Last Call at lastcall@fwweekly.com.
Flynn’s Irish Pub
3601 Williams Rd, FW.
817-560-8403.
Pete Wann’s podcast
www.fw.mycityscene.com
