Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Bring on the horror. It's Halloween!

For connoisseur's of the macabre, October is a month for celebrations.  Costume parties, scary stories, bonfires, haunted houses, haunted corn mazes, and horror movie marathons are always plentiful during the month leading to the festival of Samhein.  Here are my recommendations of scary stuff to do during this week, and my pics for movie rentals.  I'll update this next week with a new batch of fun things to scare yourself with.

Shaun Of the Dead
Academy Theater
9:40 PM, nightly
Haunted Corn Maze
Sauvies Island
-Awesome, scary corn maze!  Wanna get chased through a corn maze by zombies, you might find a shack to hide in, but watch out for the dude with the chainsaw hiding in there too!  Go at night, and get ready to scream!  7 PM - 10 PM, reservations are recommended!
http://www.portlandmaze.com/attractions.php?event_id=Haunted+MAiZE
 The Blob, 1988
Laurelhurst Theater
9:50 PM, nightly

DVD - Highly recommend Trick R' Treat (2007) for Halloween viewing.  It gives a satirical nod to horror movies and Halloween urban legends, yet remains scary, gory, and oh so ghoulish.  Done in a similar style as classic's Creepshow and the original Tales from the Crypt.  Check it:

Friday, October 14, 2011

SUMMER REPORT - GARDEN HARVEST!

This year's garden harvest was pretty amazing!

 
34 bulbs of garlic, 1 elephant weighing in at 13 oz
8 lbs Tomatillos
28 lbs Tomatoes (Black Prince, Sweet Olive, Sugar Lump, Yellow Pear, Brandywine, Anais Noire, Roma)
4 lbs Potatoes
1 lb 3 oz Carrots
3 lb Onion
6 oz Peas
10 lb 3 oz Cucumbers
17 lb 8 oz Zucchini
6 lb 3 oz Summer Squash
6 lb Butternut Squash
15 lb Asian Pears
2 lb Strawberries
5 lb Centennial Hops
Unlimited Rhubarb, Chard, Kale, Arugula, Radicchio, Basil,  & Rosemary.
Average egg production - 15 eggs per week.

So far lots of pickling, freezing of tomatoes, tomatillos, and hops.  I've made two batches of Fresh Hop Ale, one with 3 lbs of freshly picked Huckleberries from Mt. Saint Helens, also made Asian Pear wine, and we have feed ourselves through the summer and into the fall with limited reliance on having to purchase any produce from the MAN.  Invest in a garden, know your food suckas!


Monday, August 15, 2011

THE RAPTURE - URBAN FARMHOUSE ALE - COALATOR BREWS

This Tuesday, come drink The Rapture - Urban Farmhouse Ale with me!  A spicy, slightly hoppy Saison I brewed at Coalition Brewing Co. for part of their Coalator program.  A great way for a home brewer to see how things are done at one of PDX's best craft breweries and get their beer out to the public!  Awesome folks and awesome beers at Coalition.  Come by for a pint or two tomorrow anytime after 6 PM, there is only 10 gallons, so get it while you can!!!!!

If you interested in learning more about the Coalator program, check it here:!!
http://coalitionbrewing.com/coalator_program.php

PICKLE PARTY

Pickle party!  My wife and I made a plethora of sweet cucumber pickles, sweet & spicy pickled squash, garlic dill pickles and tomatoes, pickled rhubarb, and pickled zucchini!  All dill seed, dill, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, garlic, squash, cucumbers, zucchini, & rhubarb we grew in our garden.  11 jars of pickle varieties in all.  Grow your own food, do not support the processed food system, unless it's local!!!!! 

Friday, August 12, 2011

SAM HUMANS & THE LIGHT THIS SATURDAY


Hey there Portland, come see SAM HUMANS & THE LIGHT for some good timezzzz!  We're playing at the Woods this Saturday, August 13th along with PAPER / UPPER / CUTS, SILIAN RAIL, & SUMMER DARLING!  Good summer fun times at the Woods!!!!

http://samhumans.blogspot.com/
paper / upper / cuts: http://boomarmnation.com/2011/07/22/illa-killa-yellow-space/
http://www.silianrail.net/
http://summerdarlingband.blogspot.com/

Check it!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

EL CAMINO

I gotta gets me an El Camino!!!  Send pictures if you find any for sale, I'm debating whether to start a blog devoted to my search for the perfect ride!!!!!!

PAPER / UPPER / CUTS - FLUTE JAMZZZ

In the midst of 3 weeks of intense production work, I managed to get out for a night to rock to see my bro Papi in PAPER / UPPER / CUTS for his yellow colored vinyl release of ILLA KILLA YELLOW SPACE!  It rulez, and here is a picture of Papi jamming the flute at his show.  A true showman, Papi brought the house down that night!  Somehow he managed a one handed drum solo, completely in time, while blasting a tuba!!!  Check out a jam here:
http://wweek.com/portland/blog-27350-cut_of_the_day_paper.html


URBAN FARMER - HARVEST DAYS

I've been weighing out all of the produce I harvest from my garden o' plenty.  I'll have the final numbers as summer draws to a close in another month or so.  Feast on this!



HOP FINGAZZ


My Centennial hops are blowing up!  Can't wait to start brewing with these in a month or so!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

THEE INDUCTOR - HANDMADE SYNTH!

My good friend and bandmate Sam Schauer makes various syth / light theremin / tone noise making devices out of old record players and transistor radios.  Check out THE INDUCTOR!

"Thee Inductor is a one of a kind hand made fully polyphonic analog synthesizer. Each of it's six keys actuates a sawtooth waveform whose tuning is set by the player. It also features 2 full range squarewave oscillators, 2 LFOs with rate/depth/shape controls, and 2 resonant filters. There is a tuner/aux out so it can be precisely tuned in silence. There is also an attenuated aux return. In practice, this means that the player can mix outboard effects (delay, phaser, etc) into the signal chain. Significantly, this signal returns before the filters, meaning that the aux input could also be used as a simple filter input for other instruments like drum machines or other keyboards."

WOW, sounds awesome, right?  Yes it does, and it does SOUND awesome!  Check out Sam's blog for more on Thee Inductor and pricing for having one of Sam's creations made for YOU!


http://theehumansound.wordpress.com/

HEY I'M BACK!

Hey there, I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but now I am back to my regular postings.  I had a blast of film work overcome me, but I have climbed out from the rubble juggernaut of film production.  So much has happened; PAPER / UPPER / CUTS release show, Bill Callahan & Black Mountain at Pickathon, my hopz & garden are blowing up, Totalfest is coming, and my Saison brewed at Coalition will be on tap soon!   More on this and everything else to come....

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

THE ORIGINAL SAPS - THE WEDDING PRESENT

Formed in Leeds, England, The Wedding Present has been bringing their sappy jangle jangle to us since 1985.  WP heavily influenced the forefathers of what has become indie rock.  Even with a hiatus from 97 through the early 2000s, they have managed to release over 30 studio albums, live albums, EPs, and compilation albums.  If you haven't heard them, check them out, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today!  Here are some of my favs...
 

Sunday, July 24, 2011

URBAN FARMER - GARLIC BLAST

URBAN FARMER - MY HOPZ

Third year growth on my Centennial Hops!  Looking forward to making many o' batch of TOTALLY IPA with fresh hops in a month or two!
 Anyone wanna make some beer?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

2 DAYS TO GO - PDX PUCKERFEST 2011 - BELMONT STATION


Stopped by Belmont Station last night to try a few of the Puckerfest beers!  Definitely some interesting brews!

Walking Man Foot Funk!  An unblended lambic style beer.  Tart, funky, and fruity, with a little foot funk in there.  5.1% ABV

Cascade Sang Rouge 2009!  Oak-aged lactic Northwest Sour Ale.  Dark, a hint of chocolate, oaky, very tasty!  6% ABV

Gulpener Mestreechs Aajt (Netherlands)!  I tried to pronounce this one, but the bartender just laughed.  A Flemish Red Ale blend partially oak-aged with wild yeast.  Sweet, dark fruit flavors.  4% AVC.  This one was the highlight for me, but all where unique and tasty beers. 

Love me some Belmont Station!  Two days left of Puckerfest, get there if you can.  Grab a seat in the sun, and drink up!

I GOT ROCKED - FEDERATION X

I made it to FEDERATION X, but only got to see them.   That was enough, they definitely rocked me, Pink Mountaintops next time!  FX played some of my old favorites (The Hatchetman), and some new songs, said to have been recorded during this trip to PDX.  Looking forward to that!

Friday, July 22, 2011

PINK MOUNTAINTOPS VS. FEDERATION X - TO ROCK OR GET ROCKED

Toss up for tonight with so much going on this evening.  Hoping the sun with stay for the day, shining brightly for the onslaught of rockin' roll that will take over Portland this evening.  Torn between these two events:
ROCK! Canadia's Stephen McBean of Black Mountain gets together with friends and members of BM, to bring you his brand of psychedelic folk rock ala sex love!  Pink Mountaintops play Bunk Bar this evening!
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/pink-mountaintops-and-1776/Event?oid=4027395

OR GET ROCKED!  FEDERATION X plays Rotture tonight along with Danava & Leaders.  This is definitely a rock show not to miss.  FX originally hails from the northern territories of Bellingham, WA., not sure if they are still calling that home, but pride of Washington they are. 
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/federation-x-danava-leaders-and-gaytheist/Event?oid=4163565

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

PDX PUCKERFEST 2011 - BELMONT STATION

Hey y'all sour beer lovers, I implore you to check out Belmont Station's annual Sour Beer Festival.
http://www.puckerfest.com/
Love me some sour ales!  I stopped in the other night for glass of Upright's addition to the festival, the Belmont Station 14th Anniversary Ale, a special blend of four Upright beers; including three aged in Ransom Old Tom Gin barrels, two with brett and lacto and one with apricot puree! Holy cow, this one is a must!  The festival runs through the 24th, so there is still a few days to try some really unique sour beers!

BREWING AT COALITION BREWING - COALATOR SAISON!

The other day I brewed a Saison at Coalition Brewing.  Their Coalator Program is great; they invite home brewers to come in and brew on their 10 gallon system, and then they serve the beer in their pub.  It's a great opportunity to learn from more experienced brewers, brew on a larger system, and get your beer out to the public!
Thanks Lee, Elan, and Bruce for the great brew day!  Can't wait for my Saison to be ready, it's another variation of the Rapture Saison I brewed a few months ago.  I'll update on this throughout the process, and once the beer is ready to be served! 

After we finished up my batch, I stayed for a bit and helped Lee and Elan load up a keg of Hibiscus IPA that Lee and LOLA (Ladies of Lagers & Ales) brewed up for Saraveza's LOLA night celebrating women in beer!

The event is this Saturday, check in out here:
http://www.saraveza.com/site/events/

Cheers folks!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

TOM BLOOD - a june afternoon and the raccoon

Check out Tom Blood.  Winner of the 2007 Oregon Book Award for his book The Sky Position.  His new book The Raccoon has been published by Marriage Publishing House (MPH), a literary offshoot of the music label responsible for  releases by YACHT, Lucky Dragons, White Rainbow, Adrian Orange, Panther, ...WORMS, among many other notable acts.  To purchase this book, as well as his others, go here:
http://www.marriagerecs.com/shop2/394/tom-blood

To hear Blood read/purchase a june afternoon accompanied by the musical talents of Jordan Dykstra, go here:
http://tomblood.bandcamp.com/

YUCK - THE QUINTESSENTIAL 90s BAND IN 2011!

Anyone remember Versus, Superchunk, 18th Dye, the Wedding Present, Sonic Youth?  Here they are in one beautiful band.  I mean this in a good way!  YUCK, love me some YUCK!

SAM HUMANS & THE LIGHT - Saturday July 16th - Pix Patisserie Bastille Day 2011

This Saturday come for fancy treats, great music, and fun for all!  Pix Patisserie hosts their annual Bastille Day celebration at their NE Portland location.  Sam Human's & the Light (I shred bass) opens up the show at 3 PM, so come early, bring the kids or the kid in you, and prepare for a day of fun!
For more info on the event and to see the full line up, check out what the Mercury has to say about the event...
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/06/13/pix-patisserie-bastille-day-2012

SAM HUMANS & THE LIGHT - WHISPERING HOPE & YOU CAN'T STOP THE SUN

Thursday, July 7, 2011

HEY PORTLAND! SUMMER IS HERE!


Portland's food & drink magazine, MIX, has published it's top 50 Summer Drinks for Portland!

http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/people-events-stuff/portlands-50-best-summer-drinks.html

The article covers coffee, smoothies, shakes, floats, sodas, beer, cocktails, and more!  So it's good for all ages!  I'm going to recommend 3 of the beers they cover that I've tried or am feeling a strong desire to.  I implore you to try these, or at least read up on PDX's MIX drink offerings to find your fix!

Wheat the People from Coalition Brewing: Feeling parched? Head to Coalition Brewing for a pint of Wheat the People, a classic golden pale ale with a touch of haze that drinks like a thirst-quencher, but with the depth and graininess of a beer that can be contemplated as easily as glugged. Low alcohol (4.4 percent ABV) and minimal hops complete the picture; this beer won't destroy any afternoons. Available at the brewery's small, neighborhood pub, across the street from its brewing facilities. coalitionbrewing.com
-- Lucy Burningham


Slora Rustica at Upright Brewing: Alex Ganum goes old school with the release of Slora Rustica, his summer seasonal beer. Brewed in a historic saison style, it's very light and dry with an appropriate amount of bitterness for a farmhouse beer. Made with yarrow flowers and calendula flowers that dominate the nose, its deep gold color gives it a romantic glow. Best of all? It's available in bottles at many bottle shops, making it a perfect choice for summer picnics and outdoor gatherings.
uprightbrewing.com
-- Kathleen Baue
r

Nightfall from Cascade Brewing: Banish the idea of stripped-down seasonal beers before sipping Cascade Brewing's Nightfall, a soured blond wheat beer that's aged solo in barrels before organic blackberries join for some hang time. The result? A complex, tart beer that's puckery and dry, with just enough essence-of-berry to make you feel like you're celebrating the season's bounty. cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com
-- Lucy Burningham

THE DEAD C - INTO THE NO WHERE

Formed in 1986, The Dead C, are true purveyors of the sonic abyss.  From Dunedin, New Zealand The Dead C are champions of free rock and experimental noise.  Creating psychedelic landscapes droned out no where music.  Their songs take you to a limbo floating no where into nothingness.  Bruce Russell, Michael Morley and Robbie Yeats make up the trio with over 30 releases to date.  Philadelphia label Siltbreeze is responsible for a large number of these, along with Flying Nun among others.  A good starting point would The White House, Repent, Tusk and Harsh 70s Reality, for those whose curiosity is piqued.