Ryan Barbles, Casey Barbles, Kate McCarthy, Sasha Grumman (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Sponsors and cohosts included The Post Collection, which brought a two-toned orange and black Bentley to show off at valet as guests arrived, and Insólito Tequila, which provided spirits for the breezy summer evening’s featured Paloma cocktails. Château d'Esclans poured delicious rosés, including its Whispering Angel and The Beach.
Many in the bubbly crowd of about 200 were among the magazine’s “Cool 100” — the coolest people in Houston as arranged by the editors of CityBook in the publication’s late spring edition. Aspiring Olympic skateboard star Jordan Santana, ranked number one on the roster, was on hand, and presented Editor Jeff Gremillion an autographed skateboard.
“The ‘Cool 100’ issue was a lot of fun to make,” says Gremillion, who made brief remarks at the function. “Seeing the concept come to life at such a wonderfully sophisticated and sexy party was very rewarding. The team at the Four Seasons were extraordinary partners and made sure everything was perfect.”
DJ Kent Duplantis of LG Entertainment was a hit, spinning sexy laidback West Coast tunes as guests tippled and schmoozed and tasted beautiful bites from the hotel kitchen. The unique menu included toasted brioche bites with whipped mascarpone and caviar; tiny salads of watermelon, feta and mint; cucumber-gin slushies; chipotle hummus and quinoa shots with delicate baby heirloom carrots; and smoked salmon “pastrami” with avocado crema.
The ”Cool 100” is among CityBook’s most successful features ever, garnering vast interest in both its print and online iterations.
Gin Braverman, Chris Goins, Josh Pazda (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Liz Siah, Marxli Mettauer, Diane Caplan (photo by Henry Clark)
Harper Watters and Natalie Varnum (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Terrell Flanagan and Julie Friedman (photo by Henry Clark)
Carrie Brandsberg Dahl and Chef Tom Cunanan (photo by Henry Clark)
Adam Krueger and Amanda Krueger (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
DJ YANNA, Christopher Paul and Billion Tekleab
Cabe Nowlen & Gus Barbera (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Rama Walker (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Ceron, Tarek Bjeirmi, Tanner Doggett (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Christopher Paul (photo by Henry Clark)
Margue Ngyuen, Israel Rodriguez , Christina Truong (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Jose Ocque and Stewart Rosenberg (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Brian Hodge & Charlene Flash (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Eric Tretter & John Michael Race (photo by Henry Clark)
Tyler Treadwell & Elias Madrid (photo by Henry Clark)
Christopher Dodd, Nicholas Glenn, Kevin Ngyuen (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Erin Coqling, Brittany Meisner, Marianna Corcoran, Diane Kaplan (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Nick Sanford and Matthew Massey (photo by Henry Clark)
Jacob Yochim and Israel Cruz (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Kate McCarthy, Benchawan Jabthong, GrahamJabthong, Gin Braverman and Sasha Grumman (photo by Henry Clark)
Blanca Silva-Solis and Andrew Solis (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Jared VanderMeyden, Jason Clayden, Chad Scott, Josh Wright
Joseph Geiskopf, Mae Louise, Chris Doyle, Brennan Harmeier (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Israel Rodriguez with his painting of Jeremy Peña (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Demola and Bianca Buckram (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
John Kuykendall and Kathy Silkworth (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Jenna Maxim, Kimberlyn Clarkson, Andrea Dickerson (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Bobby Craine & Brandon McClendon (photo by Henry Clark)
Jason Mallard, Austin Abernathy and AJ Mistretta
Eboni Bell Darcy & Katie Maltias (photo by Henry Clark)
Bill Baldwin and Fady Armanious (photo by Henry Clark)
Holly Hall Deam, Jess Rogers, Kerry Dunham (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Leslie Malts & Jenifer Pinkerton (photo by Henry Clark)
Brad Packer & Grace Ryan (photo by Henry Clark)
Steven Matthews, Aaron Matthews, Jack Vielhauer (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Light bites from The Four Seasons
Jhane Hoang, Youth Soul Love and Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl
JP Gill & Tony McClelland (photo by Henry Clark)
Nicky Sohn and Julian Hernandez (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Michael Broderick, Carlo Flores, Shane Alderman and Todd Ramos (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Kim Padgett, Patti Murphy, Cheryl Byington (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Cucumber and gin shots from The Four Seasons
Tom Hanks and Maggie Magee
Jason Clayden and Diane Caplan
Erika Nino and Souk Dasgupta (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Giovanna Boyd & James Kessner (photo by Henry Clark)
Casey Ubarra, Bibianna Ramerez, Cynthia Lean (photo by Henry Clark)
A Bentley provided by Post Oak Motors
Isabel and Fhehzad Khan (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Katelyn De Leon, Jillian Grisko, Greta Connolly, Shelby Connolly (photo by Sarah De La Rosa)
Clare & Leigh Leppert (photo by Henry Clark)
De Brainsky’s music also speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. In December 2021, De Briansky, his wife, and their newborn son traveled from Ukraine to Texas for a road trip that included Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi — where blues music is played in a myriad of distinctly different styles. Debriansky’s wife had never been to the U.S., and he was happy to share the sights and sounds of his adopted country. Then, on Feb. 24, 2022, just two days before they were scheduled to fly back home, family and friends began sending panicked text messages as Russia had invaded Ukraine. Returning to their native land was impossible, and for the foreseeable future, Houston would be their home. “This is our new life,” says De Briansky, “and this is our new city.”
Born in 1972, De Briansky picked up the guitar at age seven, around the time his family relocated temporarily to Siberia and the tiny village of Ugolnoye, where speaking Ukrainian and lighting candles on Christmas was illegal. Also illegal was the blues-infused British and American rock music De Briansky and his older brother listened to on bootlegged cassette tapes. Along with Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Santana, De Briansky was enamored with classical music, especially Bach, and took it all in with open ears. “The word ‘blues’ didn’t exist for me,” says De Briansky, who at the time, was simply unaware of the roots of what he was hearing. “It was just music.”
Growing up in such an oppressive environment only strengthened De Briansky’s resolve to pursue a career in music. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” says De Briansky. “I liked to create sound, melodies, harmonies, rhythms — you name it. I wanted to do it for me, to make sure I was happy.” After Ukraine gained its independence in 1991, De Briansky would go on study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, secure a recording contract with Orpheus Music, and after the Ukraine ousted its pro-Russian government, open an American Music Academy as a Berklee College of Music ambassador in 2014. The school had locations in Kyiv and Lviv, with students from Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus as well as from the U.S. Sadly, the school was forced to close in February 2022 due to the Russian invasion.
As native Ukrainians, Houston temperatures in the summertime are a challenge for De Briansky and his wife. “We never experienced climate like this,” says De Brainsky, who has toured through South and Central America. The vast geography of the city is also new to them and can make simply meeting up with someone a challenge. “That influences our social life,” says De Briansky, whose wife gave birth to their second son last February. Still, the couple has made friends with some of Houston’s finest classical musicians, including Polish-born violinist Dominika Dancewicz (who has led several fundraising efforts to support Ukrainian refugees), as well as fellow Ukrainian immigrants. While he has no immediate plans to perform in Houston, De Briansky will hit the road in September, performing dates in Nashville, Arizona, Florida, and California. But he notes the growing diversity of Houston’s population bodes well for the kind of musical experimentation and unique collaborations he thrives on.
“If I do a show here in Houston,” says De Brainsky, “I’ll do something very unique.”
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