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| 2008-05-12 13:44 |
| Kettle Death Valley Chipotle |
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I snoozed and lost again this year. The Kettle Chips People's Choice competition has come and gone. The 2008 crop of finalists did battle in the Fire-and-Spice Competition. The winner, Death Valley Chipotle, beat out Jalapeno Salsa Fresca, Mango Chili, Wicked Hot Sauce and Orange Ginger Wasabi. Wish I could've tried the other four. Next year I have to remember to go to the Kettle site and order the sampler.
The only reason I know about this year's winner is a chance encounter at Whole Paycheck today. I saw the Death Valley chips and had to get them. After gorging on several handfuls, I'd say they're better than last year's winner, Island Jerk, and may be right up there with my favorite, Spicy Thai. These chips have chipotle, cayenne, habanero and jalapeno in them. The combination of these peppers makes for a spicy chip with a smoky edge to it. They're really good and that smoke flavor makes me think they might go well with one of those liquid bacon beers.
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| 2008-05-07 10:03 |
| Facing Reality |
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Almost seven months ago, we adopted Natty. She needed a home and we thought it would be cool for Lorcan to have a little buddy around. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out. The two of them just don't get along. He seems willing to accept her but she's not having it. She attacks him every chance she gets. We've tried every trick in the book and nothing has worked. On her own, Natty is a great cat. She's affectionate and very low maintenance. If she were the only cat in the house, she'd be almost ideal. So now we have to find her a new home. I know it'll be tough getting someone to take in an 8 year old cat when everyone wants kittens. And I'm probably going to be picky since I've become really attached to the little shit. I'm willing to do whatever it takes because taking her to a shelter is an absolute last resort.
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| 2008-03-27 10:10 |
| I Made You A Muxtape |
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Heard about this thing called Muxtape yesterday. You upload up to 12 songs, put them in the order you want and people can stream it on the site. I'm thinking there's gonna be some kind of copyright issues since Muxtape only offers the disclaimer that "users may not upload multiple songs from the same album or artist, or songs they do not have permission to let Muxtape use." Basically, it's on the user to obtain permission for the songs they use and I doubt many people are doing that. True, you can't download songs from the site, but I bet some kind of controversy will come out of this.
Anyway, please listen to my muxtape. I came up with 12 songs I've been listening to lately. It's kind of a snapshot of what I've been into this week. I'll try and come up with a new one every week while it lasts. Some notes on the songs I chose:
Dirtbombs - "Fire in the Western World" (from We Have You Surrounded): The new Dirtbombs record is good. I'm not listening to it nonstop, but it's good. Funny that two of the best songs are covers. One is "Sherlock Holmes" by Sparks and the other is this one by Dead Moon. The Dirtbombs cover some interesting shit and they do it well and put their own spin on the songs.
No Hope For the Kids - "Secret Police" (b-side of the Das Reich 7"): Great contemporary Danish punk band who love the old school stuff. Should've been on the soundtrack to The Lives of Others. Okay, maybe not.
The Kinks - "Brainwashed" (from Arthur): I got this from the library yesterday. I'd never heard the record in its entirety and this was the first time I'd heard this song. Everyone always says you're either a Beatles guy or a Stones guy. Fuck that, I'll take the Kinks.
The Kent 3 - "Bellingham High" (from Spells): Thanks to Jay from Detailed Twang for bringing this band to my attention. Turns out my friend Martin was in a band with some of these guys pre-Kent 3. Don't know what they sounded like, but the Kent 3 is good stuff. Too bad they're no longer a band.
Torche - "In Return" (from In Return): Heavy music and almost melodic vocals that don't necessarily fit, but it works. Stuff like this is in some kind of musical sweet spot for me. Can't say why, but it really appeals to me.
J Church - "I Reach For Her Hand" (from One Mississippi): Lance Hahn was taken from us too soon at age 40. You may not like the way the guy sings, but he wrote a lot of good songs.
Steel Pole Bath Tub - "Myrna Loy" (from Tulip): I love this band and this record, but this isn't even one of the real songs on it. But it has Myrna Loy talking and it seemed like a good palate cleanser in the middle of the meal.
Fleshtones - "Shadow-Line" (from Roman Gods): A band I've heard of forever, but never really heard. From their first record, which is pretty good. They're still putting out stuff almost 30 years later.
Carbonas - "Phone Booth" (from Carbonas): Not a hell of a lot to say about this. They're from Atlanta and it's a simple, catchy punk song.
Love - "The Daily Planet" (from Forever Changes): Another library find and one that I went after because I heard the song "Seven & Seven Is" on the Nuggets box set and had to hear more. Nothing as high energy as "Seven" on this record and some of it is soft hippie/psychedelic stuff, but I keep going back to it. There's something about this song musically that reminds me of early Who stuff. Like it could've been on Sell Out.
The Mexican Blackbirds - "Did It Anyway" (from Just To Spite You): The singer of this Tacoma garage punk band, Chris "Trashcan" Miller, has been reading my beer blog and he's invited me down to Tacoma to his place, The Red Hot. Can't wait to get down there, have a few beers and meet the man. Corresponding with Chris made me bust this record out and remember how good it was.
Skeletonwitch - "Vengeance Will Be Mine" (from Beyond The Permafrost): Had to end it with some metal. This Ohio band mixes old school thrash with newer black and death metal sounds. Unlike a lot of metal bands, they keep their songs short (nothing over the 3-4 minute mark) and it works in their favor.
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| 2008-03-13 11:59 |
| Song of the Day: Love - "Seven and Seven Is" |
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I'm finding that YouTube is useful for posting songs on your blog without putting up an mp3 and dealing with copyright issues or whatever. A lot of people post songs on there with shitty blurred images in the background or just a picture of the album cover. Anyway, here's a great song from a band called Love from 1967 that I've listened to about 5 times in a row today. The album it comes from, Da Capo, is an odd listen. You've got this song and one other high energy one ("Stephanie Knows Who") then a handful of good, but odd slow psychedelic type songs and then a ridiculous 19 minute song.
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| 2008-03-12 10:57 |
| Revisiting Van Halen |
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Not really a big hard rock dude these days, but I used to be into all that when I was around 12-14 years old. Van Halen, AC/DC, Kiss, etc. While you still can't go wrong with AC/DC, there's a lot of music from that era of my youth that I can't get behind. I haven't really tested the staying power of Van Halen, though. Then, in the course of two days, I see Diver Down on the shelf at the library and find out that someone's written a book about the band. Coincidence? I think not. I think I'm supposed to read the book and listen to the band's back catalog. Not the Van Hagar shit or the third incarnation, but all the Roth stuff I can find (the library has Van Halen, Van Halen II, Diver Down and 1984).
From what I've read about Everybody Wants Some, it's not as lurid as the Motley Crue book. It's a completely unauthorized bio, so the author didn't have access to the band members to get the juiciest of details. It may not be a real page-turner, but that doesn't mean it won't be worth reading.
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| 2008-03-10 22:32 |
| Future of the Left - "Manchasm" |
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Remember Mclusky? It was a sad day when they called it quits. But 2/3rds of the band (Andy Falkous & Jack Egglestone) have been reborn as Future of the Left. And guess what? They're even better than Mclusky. Their debut record, Curses is stacked from top to bottom with great songs. They're the kind of songs where, each day, a line from a song gets stuck in your head and you find yourself walking around saying/singing shit like "violence she solves everything," "why put the body where the body don't wanna go" or "grow into your body happily."
The video above lets you pick your lyrical poison. Will you be singing "all he ever wanted was a detonator" or "Colin is a pussy, a very pretty pussy?"
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| 2008-02-28 13:09 |
| Blogging is Stupid and Pointless |
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Came across this interesting rant about blogging. My knee-jerk reaction was "fuck this, I'm not blogging anymore." I don't want to be the guy crying out for self-validation, the guy who wants people to respect and/or admire him because he sees a a lot of movies, drinks a shit-ton of beer and knows a few obscure metal bands. Fuck, I really don't want to be that guy! And fuck, I am that guy! And...well...fuck that guy!
Later on, I calmed down and realized the irony of this guy putting down blogging in a blog post. Funny shit. I also realized that there is a self-indulgent, respect-craving aspect to this, but I also think it's a good way to connect with like-minded people and to share information with these people and turn each other on to shit. I've found bands, beers and films that I might otherwise never have come across if it weren't for blogging.
Keeping all this in mind, stay tuned for the self-indulgent, attention-seeking group film microblogging phenomenon knows as Wadpaw.
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| 2008-02-07 14:40 |
| Weekly Film Theme: Val Lewton/Mark Robson |
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Theme for Week of 02/04/08: Films produced by Val Lewton and directed by Mark Robson.
Why: Because TCM showed a documentary on Lewton a few weeks ago. It was produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese and it was fascinating. Mostly, it made me want to rewatch Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie. But it also made me want to see the Lewton films I've never seen. After Jacques Tourneur directed three films for Lewton (the two I just mentioned plus The Leopard Man), RKO split them up and Lewton moved Mark Robson up to the director's chair. Robson cut his teeth as an assistant editor for Orson Welles and then became the primary editor on Lewton's first three. He directed four films for Lewton and later moved on to bigger projects like Peyton Place and Inn of the Sixth Happiness, both of which garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Director.
Which films: I've seen Ghost Ship, so I'll be watching the other three in the Lewton-Robson partnership. They are: The Seventh Victim, Isle of the Dead and Bedlam.
I should have a post (or posts) on the three films by week's end.
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| 2008-02-06 13:05 |
| Muriel Awards |
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I used to have a film blog called Film Lovers Are Sick People. I only updated it regularly during the three week period of the Seattle International Film Festival. I scrapped it a few months back. I always felt out of my depth writing about film even though it's one of my main interests. So many other people do it so much better. I figured I should leave it to them. After all, I've got beer writing to do.
Well...thanks to Paul Clark (proprietor of Silly Hats Only), I still get to throw in my cinematic two cents from time to time. He asked me to participate in the second annual Muriel Awards and, unlike last year, I managed to finish my ballot on time. Be sure to check out his blog starting February 13th for the unveiling of the winners in each category. You can also check out the 2006 winners to get an idea of what it's all about. I think there are some additional categories this year.
During January, I crammed for the Muriels by watching as many 2007 releases as I could handle. It was fun until the last couple days or so. Now I want to keep my film enthusiasm going by having themes for what I watch. So I'm going to pick an actor, a director, a particular genre, a particular year...something that ties films together. I'll watch at least 3 films with the common theme over the course of the week. I'll also try to post about them here. I honestly hope to follow through with this, but I'm notorious for flaking on things.
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| 2008-01-21 23:29 |
| Fuck it... |
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I'm hesitant to use this for a place to bitch and moan about shit, but fuck it. I'm an introvert with just a handful of close friends and a somewhat larger number of acquaintances that I keep at arm's length. I'm a cynical bastard who likes spending time alone yet occasionally craves the company of other people. This whole beer writing thing that I've been getting into has kind of forced me to be more social, to make contacts with people and put myself out there more than I usually do. For the most part, this has been a good thing. I've met some genuinely cool people through my beer enthusiasm. Some of them are people I hope I'll continue to get to know and maybe even become good friends with. And then there are nights like tonight where I have to deal with fucking douchebags that have a superior attitude and a dismissive way about them. It's been a long time since I've punched someone in the face, but I felt the urge tonight. I could even picture the satisfying aftermath of fucking clocking these two fuck-knobs. The feeling passed pretty quickly, but shit like this almost makes me want to say fuck it and just turn away from the whole idea of "beer journalism" or whatever. I realize part of it is that I kind of want people in this world I've gotten into to respect me. That's my first mistake. Bottom line is I guess there are douchebags in every walk of life and I just need to have a thicker skin. Fuck 'em...
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| 2008-01-16 08:36 |
| "Sheeeeit..." |
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Clay Davis (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) from The Wire.
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| 2008-01-08 22:06 |
| Minutemen - "This Ain't No Picnic" |
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I will start posting here again shortly. Got a lot of shit to talk about that's not beer-related. But hold up a minute. I can't believe I just saw this for the first time. Fucking classic. If you don't know why, you're either too young or you don't have the proper frame of reference.
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| 2007-12-03 09:56 |
| The Trials & Tribulations of Adding A New Cat to The House |
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Just about at my wit's end with the new cat situation. We took Natty in about six and a half weeks ago. We did all the textbook things when introducing a new cat to the house: keeping them segregated, swapping scents, switching rooms, slowly introducing them to each other, etc. It was rocky for the first month. Natty would always growl, spit and hiss when Lorcan was in sight. They'd never make actual contact with each other, but there were occasional confrontations that bordered on getting ugly. At that point, Natty seemed scared all the time and Lorcan seemed to be the one intimidating her and letting her know whose house it was. Then there were faint glimmers of progress. Natty growled a bit less and it seemed like they could almost tolerate each other. Maybe they weren't going to be buddies, but I was starting to believe peaceful coexistence was possible. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse over the last week. Natty started getting more assertive about moving around the apt. and Lorcan started getting more aggressive about chasing her around. Confrontations occurred more frequently and seemed more likely to escalate into something painful. Sure enough, they had a scrap yesterday and Lorcan emerged with cuts on his head and ear. It didn't seem to bother him much, but Natty's got an unfair advantage since her claws are like daggers and we haven't gotten around to cutting them since she doesn't take kindly to having her feet handled. We'll make a better effort to get those claws trimmed, but I'm starting to believe that we should give her up. Neither of them is going to be happy in this situation and we sure as hell aren't happy about it. I know these things can take time, but now that blood has been drawn I'm not so sure it's worth waiting to find out. Taking her to a shelter (and it would have to be a no-kill one) is a last resort, but it may come to that as finding a home for a 7 yr. old cat might be tough. Everyone wants kittens...
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| 2007-11-08 08:37 |
| The New York Times Loves Metal |
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Wow. I never thought I'd open the New York Times and see an article on a band like Enslaved. In the article, the writer mentions the band playing the "savage title track from Isa." The video for "Isa" is below and I'm not hearing savage. The chorus is almost pretty.
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| 2007-11-07 14:09 |
| Tony Rome & The Case of the Smiling Pussy |
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Always strange how you get from one place to another jacking around on the internet. I left my iPod at home this morning, so I've been stuck listening to streaming audio. One of the shows I listened to was Little Steven's Underground Garage. For those who don't know, Little Steven is Steven Van Zandt, who you might know from either Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band or The Sopranos. Steven's radio show is pretty cool. He champions both 60's and contemporary garage music and his taste isn't bad at all. Give the show a listen if you get a chance.
This week's show spotlights Frank Sinatra and his detective movie, Tony Rome. Film geek that I am, I was shocked that I'd never heard of it. Now I have to see it. Especially after watching scenes like the Smiling Pussy. "You got a pussy that smiles?" Classic...
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| 2007-10-31 13:11 |
| Baño Fest 2007 |
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For the record: having a stomach virus really fucking blows!
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| 2007-10-26 11:06 |
| J Church/Storm The Tower - Split LP |
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Before I say anything about the J Church songs on this album, there are other things to mention. The cover of this 2003 split LP with Storm The Tower looks pretty metal. But it's more than just some cool looking skulls. It's actually a drawing from 1878 by Thomas Nast. Nast, who's known as the father of the American political cartoon, did this piece (called Into The Jaws of Death) about the Russo-Turkish War. I only know this now because I finally took the time to read the liner notes. Also in these notes is an "abridged J Church reading list." It's something Lance sometimes included on their records and it's what you'd expect from him; a mix of fiction (Raymond Carver, Mary Gaitskill), radical politics (a book about the Spanish anarchist, Durruti) and film (the autobiography of Klaus Kinski).
Now on to the music. According to the J Church website, the split is the band's first official release as a 4-piece, a development which took place after Lance's relocation to Austin, Texas in 2000. One of those 4 members is Chris, who's also in Storm The Tower. Perhaps Chris's presence did have an effect on some of the band's music here, because "Terror Or Love" starts out sounding like raging hardcore before settling into one of those melodic choruses that Lance favored. "Ghostwriter" has good lyrics about a female screenwriter struggling against male-dominated Hollywood, but is pretty standard issue musically. "Wonderful" is almost a ballad, slow and pretty but sort of melancholy with an entirely instrumental closing 2:30 which showcases that, in case you didn't know it, Lance can play some guitar. "Mature Shower Curtains" is six minutes of back and forth between more melodic parts and sludgy noise-rock.
I like how each song on this release has a different feel to it. No two songs sound similar. Each has something to recommend it, but for me, the standout is "The Satanists Convene." It's one of Lance's San Francisco songs, which means I'm going to like it way more than people that don't share the love/hate feelings that come from living there for years. I remember reading that Lance was bummed about what had happened to the city toward the end of the 90's and those feelings are summed up pretty well by this song.
Download or Listen To: "The Satanists Convene"
Order the LP/CD from Midheaven
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| 2007-10-25 06:55 |
| J Church - Analysis, Yes Very Nice EP |
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Analysis, Yes Very Nice is a CD EP that came out on Allied Recordings in 1995. According to the J Church website, it was the last thing the band put out on Allied, and what Lance called a "going away present." Not sure if the band was unhappy with Allied or were just moving on to another label for no particular reason. I wouldn't imagine they had a problem with Allied and they did put out records on so many labels over the years.
Analysis is a solid EP and one in which Lance touches on a few themes he returned to again and again. There's the plight of the working class portrayed by "in The Cannery," a disdain for the banality of pop culture shown in "Radical Chic" and an interesting take on psychoanalysis in the title track. I wouldn't say this is the band's strongest material, but I wouldn't call these throw-away tracks either.
The CD tracklist shows six songs, but there are actually seven. The song Zero=Zero is listed as track 4, but actually shares track 5 with the Circle Jerks cover, "Beverly Hills." Track 4 is a song called "You Fucking Trick," a sludgy, almost metal song with Lance screaming "you fucking trick, you worthless shit."
The one song that's always stood out for me is "Kill Your Boss." It's your basic anti-work murder fantasy tune. By no means one of their best songs, but, for me, one of the most memorable from this EP.
Download or Listen To: "Kill Your Boss"
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| 2007-10-24 22:01 |
| J Church Tribute Starts Here |
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Been listening to a lot of J Church since Lance Hahn's passing. I have a respectable collection of the band's 7"s, LPs and CDs, but what I own doesn't scratch the surface of their recorded output. Lance was an incredibly prolific songwriter. We're talking 30+ singles, 20+ split singles, 7 proper albums, various singles collections and several albums containing a mix of new songs with re-recorded material. Oh yeah, there's also the ridiculous number of compilations on which they appeared. There's a lot of stuff out there. Hundreds and hundreds of songs and a good percentage of them are worth hearing.
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gordonzola wrote up an excellent remembrance of Lance that described, among other things, the appeal of his songwriting. He brought up something I'd never taken into account—the impact of Hawaiian music and culture on his songwriting. As Gordon mentioned, Lance's personality really came out in his songs. A lot of the songs touched a chord with me when I first heard them in the early-to-mid-90s. I was ripe for it at the time, reading about radical politics and nursing a romantic ideal of SF being the place to be. I kind of lost touch with the band's music in recent years when my interest in pop/punk waned, but I never sold any of their stuff. Listening to it all now, I'm reminded of how important some of these songs were to me and still are. I'm glad I kept everything because much of it still holds up all these years later.
For the next several posts, I'm going to throw out a few thoughts about each individual recording I have and offer up a song from each. If you don't own any J Church records, I hope it'll make you seek one out...
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