Halos+Horns

Take It to the Next Level

We've been grooving on the mojito this summer with plenty of fresh mint from the garden and a nice rum recommendation. The finest ingredients do make a difference. If you care to try a peach mojito check out these recipes at Hungry Mag.

The Kids Are Alright

From Think Progress

$10 million.
Donations raised for Katrina relief by U.S. school children — “more than [the amount] almost every major U.S. corporation gave.” (Only Wal-Mart, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Exxon, Freddie Mac, and BP Amoco gave more.)
___________________________

I love the first comment:

Will the schoolkids get to write their contributions off on their parent’s taxes?

I didn’t think so.

Comment by Barfly — August 24, 2006 @ 2:32 pm

Stay Out of Malibu

5th Annual Lebowski Fest
Louisville, KY
September 29th & 30th, 2006

At War with the Critics

Unfortunately someone in New York is writing things that might lead some longtime Lips fans to believe that one of their favorite bands is possibly washed up.

I suppose if I was at this show I might agree with a few of the authors points. But overall I tend to disregard what people from NYC have to say about music and entertainment. I think they live in a bubble. A big bubble that is inflated with conceit. There is no confetti in their bubble unfortunately. As far as the Colin Powell statement (about him not being in the cabinet anymore)...well he was in the f*****g cabinet in 2003 and he totally pussed out and gave a speech to the United Nations that was—by some accounts, according to Powell himself—full of s**t. So I guess that would make him a war pig in my book.

I haven’t heard the new record except for the ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Song', which I liked. I will come to my own conclusions about it after I have had a good listen. I can not consciously take music advice from someone named Kelefa.

When the Village Voice review pops up here I can guarantee it will be yellow or red.

UPDATE
I was right. Please, you guys are so predictable! What is really funny, however, is what I see in the left-hand column next to the article — "Hyde from 'That '70s Show' Spins at New Ben Sherman Store" — which turns out not to be a story about a DJ set, but actually a plug to go shop at the new Ben Sherman store. Gimme a break. Please.

Personally, I like Draplin's take on the release of the new album today. Really, how often do you get to say, "Today's the day…"?

50 Year Old Baby

Robert Pollard
Metro
Chicago
Friday 03.31.06

Lucky for me, I happened to have two of my best friends visiting Chicago this past weekend (one from Wisconsin and one from Michigan). Both Guided by Voices fans. We opted out on the opening act and found a good spot about midway between the front and back of the room right before Pollard’s set was to begin. The room was definitely abuzz as Bob hadn’t graced the stage of the Metro since the final GBV blowout on NYE ‘05. There was a bit of an anxious vibe as the crew got things ready. What was the new backing band like? Would they play any GBV favorites? Would Bob still be able to manage his patented high kick?

The crowd roared as Bob and band strolled out onto the stage, Bob with a Miller Lite and a tabloid sized set list in his grip.

“I quit smoking,” he moaned, ”when they told me I couldn’t smoke tonight.” (In reference to the new Clean Air ordinance the city of Chicago recently passed which applied to the Metro).
“Now Chicago joins all the other bullshit cities that won’t let you smoke anywhere.”

In a matter of seconds people began to toss cigarettes up onto the stage. A Bic sparked up from the front row and Bob leaned over to light the first of what would be many smokes for the evening. People in the crowd followed suit only to be interrupted by Metro staff informing them that they could not in fact smoke because it really was not allowed.

The band jumped into the new material from ‘From a Compound Eye’ immediately with plenty of vigor and tenacity. They obviously had a good grasp on the new material but the question remained as to if and when the classic songs came up in the setlist whether or not they would pull through. I felt that I got a definite answer to that about 30 minutes into the night when they pulled out a couple older numbers from Bob’s earlier solo releases. I have seen Guided by Voices about 20 times in all its different incarnations and I would have to say that this was one of the better bands to back Robert Pollard...ever.

The band was simply ‘on’ the whole night. They looked a little weary at night’s end but put on one hell of a performance overall. At times they even cut Pollard’s drunken ramblings short to dive into the next song. “Tommy’s (Keene) ready I guess...” and Jon Wurster (of Superchunk) would count off and away they would go with Bob managing one more swig of Miller before leaning into the mic for the first verse. At times I found myself watching the band more than Bob and it was then that I realized how different this was from a typical GBV show. It was still a party. And Bob is still writing “the hits” and the goofy prog-rock explorations. But what I think separates the new Robert Pollard from the old is that he’s writing more for a band now than he maybe ever was. Everything seems so much more “musical” in a way. Ironic to a degree I guess. Robert Pollard’s first solo record and tour after GBV is more about the band then the one-man show? At one point he even left the stage to let the band meander through a wicked instrumental extension on one of the new songs.

But what about the good ol’ days? Well, diehard GBV fans were not disappointed. Bob and company decided on an all-Guided by Voices encore which included several favorites both new(er) and old. Tommy Keene, Dave Phillips, Jason Narducy, Jon Wurster and Pollard churned out several “hits” for a delighted, and by now, boisterous crowd. In the last moments of the evenings final song “Don’t Stop Now”, one knucklehead from the front row was approached by the largest member of the Metro security staff. His cigarette was thrown to the floor and as a large hand grabbed the front of his shirt and the smuggled flask of whiskey bobbled from his hands, you could see that his party was over. But for the rest of us that looked on as the show ended, we could see that this was a new era in Pollard’s life and work; a brand new party that’s just beginning. One that all Guided by Voices fans should plan on attending.

Miracle on Ice Revisited.

I guess I forgot to mention that there is a new photo album up in the left-hand column. It contains pictures from my visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. I highly recommend it. It would make for a nice family outing and would likely be a mind-blowing experience for die-hard hockey fans. I really enjoyed the section that focused on the 1980 USA Olympic Team, which was probably my first exposure to the game.

We had a great time in San Francisco; it was the first trip for both of us to this area. The event that brought us out was the wedding of Chaney, an old friend of Natalie's from the Columbia College film school days. A lot transpired in the time that we were there, so I'll just recap the trip in a top ten.

1. Late night view of the city from Twin Peaks. It was a clear night and we could see for miles. A good way to get acquainted with a new place.

2. The requisite visit to Chinatown. I found some rad hand-cut paper designs and Natalie scored some dynamite jeweled hairpins. Beautiful and engaging neighborhood. Very kinetic with lots of super steep hills. Cable car is the way to get here.

3. Sidewalk lunch at Zuni Café. Because we are often fortunate enough to have a place to stay and not have to deal with expensive hotel accomodations, a significant amount of our travel budget goes toward dining out…which rocks. This is how you do a caesar salad. Other restaurants should take note. Other highlights: the Meyer Lemon Drop (Natalie had two), great burger, and the bergamot tea granita (perfect spring dessert.)

4. If you're in the shopping mood I guess Haight-Ashbury is worth a stroll. Lots of unique shops and bookstores and the mammoth Amoeba Music, the largest record store I will probably ever see. Continue west on Haight and you'll wind up walking right into Golden Gate Park.

5. Golden Gate Park. It's huge. And diverse. So many things to see here. We caught only a glimpse so it is on our list of places to revisit on our next trip. We saw a good portion of the eastern third of the park and really enjoyed Michael and Chaney's wedding in the Shakespeare Garden. Beautiful.

6. The Muir Woods hike. It seems just moments away after you cross the great Golden Gate Bridge and find yourself in some seriously rugged and awesome terrain. One of the best hikes of my life. We also stopped at Muir Beach where my feet made their first plunge into the cold Pacific. We also made another journey further north to the Point Reyes Station National Seashore. If you've got the stomach, the nerves and the driving skills then Highway 1 is the ride for you. It's one hell of a road with one unbelievable view after another. Neither words nor pictures can really describe this area. Amazing.

7. Dinner at  Coté in Oakland. Definitely worth the trip across the Bay, this was my favorite meal of the whole trip and possibly in my top ten dinners of all time. Tapas style plates. Highlights: Mussels in Pernod, quail with mushroom stuffing and morels, perfectly cooked salmon, and asparagus risotto. So good.

8. If you're a foody (like us) then a trip to the Ferry Building is in order. The Slanted Door is here serving upscale Vietnamese food in a great contemporary space. Stroll through the shops and you'll find all the greats: Acme Bakery, Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, and an abundance of organic California produce. Also great views of the Bay Bridge on the dock side and fun street car/people watching on the other side.

9. If you've got the dollars, visit Chez Panisse in Berkeley. We did lunch. Yeah, still expensive but hey, you only live once and this was recently rated as one of the top fifteen restaurants in the world. Daniel, our server, took really good care of us and answered a wealth of questions, chatted with us about the area, food, other good places to eat, etc. Highlights: halibut in a fig leaf, pasta with peas, mushrooms and grass-fed beef, wildflower honey and nougat ice cream with pistachios, Bhari dates, the rhubarb tart and the tisane (tee-sahn) which is a fresh herb infusion. Basically they pulled a bunch of lemon verbena, washed it and plunged it into hot water in a clear glass pot. Perfect digestif.

10. Ten is easy. One of the best parts of our trip was the people. We had the best hosts: Chaney, Deanna, Michael, Mike and James. They showed us so much and made great suggestions as to where to go. And to all the other people we encountered along the way, thanks. Waitstaff, cable car driver, rental car guy, store clerks, chefs, etc. We had a great time in your city and will be back to visit you again very soon.

Photos are up in the sidebar.

The Keys: Day Five

What can I say, this was a travel day. Stan and Susan saw us off and we had a really nice relaxing drive back through the Keys to Ft. Lauderdale. We stopped at the Marlin in Key Largo for some more Cuban inspired food and then continued on. The rest of the day wasn't so hot; the airport at Ft. Lauderdale seems bassackwards somehow, our flight was delayed (of course) due to bad weather in Chicago (of course) and when we did finally touch down back home, my beaten and broken self picked up my completely destroyed bag that I had checked. Somehow it had been "dragged" along the cold, wet, muddy cement out on the runway area somewhere. The buckle that held the strap that secures the front flapped was almost completely disintegrated. I don't even know how this happened or how it survived or how it even made it back to the baggage carousel. So I'll have to follow up on that and hopefully get a new travel bag that I'll definitely be carrying on next time and tossing up in the overhead.

But all in all it was a good trip. Beautiful weather. Great food. New sites. Visiting family. Good times. Here's a fun recap:

Keys Visited:
Key West, Sugarloaf Key, Cudjoe Key, Summerland Key, Big Pine Key, Knights Key, Pigeon Key, Grassy Key, Key Largo, and Marathon.

Seafood Consumed:
Conch chili, conch fritters, grilled lobster, the BLT, grilled grouper, grilled dolphin (the fish, not the mammal), beer-steamed shrimp, grilled shrimp, coconut-fried shrimp, nica shrimp, and stone crab.

Critters Encountered:
Dolphin (the mammal, not the fish), key deer, gators, turtles, an eel, pin fish, needle fish, pelicans, osprey, ibis, white heron, vultures, lizard in the taillight, and only a couple of mosquitos.

The Keys: Day Four

We had a light morning snack on this day to prep ourselves for another trip to Fishcutters. This would be our lunch stop on the way to the Dolphin Research Center at Grassy Key. On this visit Natalie and I both decided to take the plunge and order the BLT. Bacon. Lobster. Tomato. A winning combination for sure. We agreed that it was likely the best sandwich ever. Grilled garlic toast with lettuce, a little tartar, pepperoncini, tomato, a couple slices of bacon and loads of lightly breaded and fried lobster. Unbelievable. When we arrived at the DRC we weren't too sure what to expect. Most of the highly interactive (and somewhat expensive) activities were already booked for the day. But it was still a blast. The DRC is a not-for-profit organization that is home to several dolphin and a couple of sea lions not to mention a few funny birds including a pair of peacocks. The DRC holds several different informative and entertaining sessions every day that touch on different aspects of dolphin behavior, health, communication, etc. After watching a couple of these and reading several of the info kiosks, I strolled over to visit with Natalie who had independently made a few new friends, one of which had become quite attached to her. At first he was just swimming by and peeking up over the surface but soon he was teasing and flirting a bit, doing some little tricks and drawing closer and closer each time around. Soon he was right up to the edge of the water nodding his head and eventually blurting out some sort of greeting in dolphin tongue (by the way, all those different noises come from their blowhole; their mouth moving while the sounds are emitted is just them imitating us humans). It was hard to pull Natalie away from her newfound friend but we had to be on our way. Later that evening we stopped in at Coco's Cantina which serves Cuban style cuisine and also does Thai dishes on certain nights of the week. Everything was excellent. That night at home we watched a little Westminster on the tube and then hit the sack to prepare for our departure.