URBAN FARMER - JUNE MINI HARVEST

Just a portion of what I harvested a few days ago.  Already eating potatoes, onions, garlic, spinach, chard, kale, strawberries, and rhubarb! 

Strawberry Mint Rhubarb Cobbler!

Peel 4 stocks o' rhubarb, chop, and add to stove pot with a sprig of mint leaves, and the juice of one lemon.  Cook at medium low heat until rhubarb is delicious mush (approx. 10 minutes or so).  Remove from stove, add 2 cups fresh strawberries, mix up!

Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 2/3 of a stick of butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup walnuts (optional), and 1 tbsp cinnamon.

Grease baking bread pan (approx 8 inch x 4 inch), pour fruity mush mixture into the bottom of the pan, add the flour, etc. to the top, spreading evenly, and pat down firmly.  Bake 45 minutes at 350, VOILA!  If you have rhubarb, mint, and June berries, this is a perfect treat from your garden!

BEER BLAST - LOMPOC NOTORIOUS IPA

 IPA alert, OMG!  Had a pint of Lompoc's Notorious IPA last night at the Horsebrass, and boy was it good.  Fruity, citrus, a little pine, and coming in at 7.3%, definitely an IPA to look out for in the sea of so many of these beers hailing from the Pacific Northwest, sometimes you have to search to find one that stands out above the rest.  Lompoc, thank you!

Here's what the Horsebrass say's about it:
"The huge juicy aroma appeals to both East Coast and West Coast beer lovers while the complex malt base complements the tropical fruit flavors and reminds you to spread love.  It's the Lompoc way."
http://www.newoldlompoc.com/lompoc_home.html

MICHAEL GIRA & THE JOURNEY TO SOUND

 Michael Gira is the man responsible for Swans, Angels of Light, & Young God Records; a musician, author, and artist that has masterful skill at creating amazing songs by merging textured noise, raw rhythm, beautiful melodies, and haunting lyrics. 

After his parents divorced, and living with his mother in Los Angeles didn't work out, Gira moved to Indiana with his father, and eventually they moved to Paris.  He ran away from home and hitchhiked across Europe.  He was arrested for selling drugs in Israel.  Even though a teenager at the time, he was throw into an adult prison for 4 1/2 months.  His father found him with the aid of Interpol and sent him back to the United States.

Back in Los Angeles he got into music, and dropped out of art school after becoming disillusioned by  the elitism and academia surrounding the art world.  In 1979 he moved to New York, and soon formed Swans.  I got into his music via Angels of Light.  Growing up in the 80s/90s, I remember one of my closest friends being into Swans, but my musically journey hadn't quite prepared me for Gira's art at that point.  It didn't catch.  Years later, while working at night club in PDX as a production manager, we hosted Gira playing as Angels of Light with the Akron Family as his back up band.  I was floored and blown away.  Most of the crowd was made up of old Swan fans; punks, goths, etc.  One ladies driver's license had expired and the bouncer wouldn't let her in.  She was in tears, and pleaded and begged for us to let her in.  She promised she wouldn't drink, and was obviously older than 21.  She needed to see Gira, to be close to him.  I let her in, and it was at that point that I realized how important an artist Gira was.  There I began exploring his work.   

 

ADRIANO CELENTANO - ITALIAN SUPERSTAR

Love this guy, Adriano Celentano is an Italian singer, songwriter, comedian, among other things.    Heavily influenced by Elvis and Jerry Lewis, check him out!

ARCHERS OF LOAF - ALL OF MY ANTHEMS

So excited to hear the news that Archer's of Loaf have been doing some reunion shows and are re-releasing Icky Mettle with a ton of bonus material (Vs. Greatest of All Time EP, and other singles).

  http://www.pitchfork.com/news/42711-archers-of-loaf-announce-reissue-campaign/

AOL (ha) were responsible for supplying me with many of my rock n roll anthems through high school and college.  I think the same goes for anyone who was into "indie" rock back in the 90s.  Superchunk, Sebadoh, Treepeople, Versus, and AOL.  Archers of Loaf were truly an amazing band to see, and they are playing PDX's MusicFest NW September 7th - 11th.  I remember in 1995 attending a show where they played with the Poster Children in Bozeman, MT. at the Filling Station.  They opened with Audio Whore, from the album Vs. The Greatest of All Time.  I came to the show from Missoula, MT. with a car load of friends.  I was 19 at the time, and back then many clubs in MT. allowed 18 and up to attend bar shows.  As AOL ripped across the stage, I remember fighting for my spot at the front, and the all too familiar circle mosh pit formed, I received many an elbow to the kidney that night, which resulted in a shoving match with the local Bozeman hicks.  "When they're here, they're ours!  Go back to Missoula you hippy!" A scraggle-bearded mouth breather slurred at me.  Well, I got news for you friendo, 16 years later, where ever they are, they will bring it and bring it to all who will rock.  If they hit your town, be sure you go see them, whether fist pumps of joy or elbows of angst, Archers of Loaf has returned!

THE JOURNEY OF SCOTT WALKER

Scott Walker's unique career has spanned at least 5 decades.  After playing in many bands, he formed the Walker Brothers.  They had a lush teen pop sound using Phil Spectre's wall of sound recording / mixing techniques. 

 In 1967 the Walker Brothers broke up, and he begin his solo career, which he is widely know for covering Jacques Brel songs.  Brel had a large effect on Walker's style, and his songs became more influenced by Brel as he explored European musical roots while expressing his own American experience.

In the late 60s, he planted himself at the Isle of Wight, as far SE as you can get in the UK, to study classical music and Gregorian chant.

Around this time he released 3 albums (1967-1969) that were received with great success in Britain.  His mental state did not bode well with the attention, and he became reclusive and became distanced from his audience. During this time he combined his teen style with a darker side, and released another album in 1969, Scott 4.  

At the peak of his success he was given a BBC TV series featuring solo Walker performances of ballads, big band standards and introductions of his own and Brel compositions. He continued to produce albums through the early 70s, and then reunited with the Walker Brothers in 1975 to release 3 more albums.  After that his releases were much more intermittent, with 3 release spanning almost 3 decades.  In 2006 he released The Drift.

There is a pretty amazing documentary about him, called Scott Walker: 30 Century Man.  Check it and check out the man!

NORTH AMERICAN ORGANIC BREWERS FESTIVAL - JUNE 24 - 26

If you are in PDX this weekend, you must attend this years North American Organic Brewers Festival!  June 24th - 26th, at Overlook Park, over 30 breweries will bring 50 organic beers for the tasting.  Always a blast at Overlook Park with music, good food, and other vendors, you do not want to miss out on this!  Some to look out for:

Beetje Brewery - Tonic 42 / Saison
Fort George Brewery - Spruce Budd Ale / Tree Beer
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales - Seizoen Bretta / Saison
Oakshire Brewery - Triple Bottle Line / Belgian Pale Ale
Upright Brewing Co. - Reggae Junkie Gruit / Farmhouse Style Gruit

For the full beer list, plus ticket info, directions, etc. check out NAOBF's website and cheers!!

http://www.naobf.org/index.html

THIN LIZZY - SONG OF THE DAY

THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST - BOWIE / BEEFHEART / PETTY / WAILERS / TALKING HEADS

The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers. According to presenter Bob Harris, the program derived its name from "... a 'tin pan alley' phrase from years ago. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys [doormen in grey suits]. The ones they could remember and could whistle having heard it just once or twice had passed the old grey whistle test"  Many amazing performances came out of this show, here are some of my favorites!

OMG - HAMMERHEAD PLAYS TOTALFEST

 So excited for Missoula's TotalFest!  August 18 - 20, bands from all over North America will come to Missoula, MT. to shake down the town, eat ice cream, party, BBQ, river float, and hike in the mountains and woods.  TF just announced HAMMERHEAD is playing.  For those of you that don't know Hammerhead, they were one of the great AMREP noise bands of the 90s, and rarely since has a band brought this level of volume and intensity of deranged music to the masses.  Check out the TotalFest blog for more on the band and festival.


http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/2011/06/hammerhead-vaz-bring-plains-thunder-to.html

NICK CAVE - FROM THE DARKNESS, OUT OF THE LIGHT.

NPR just did an interview with Nick Cave, check it out here:
http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/
Long time fan of Mr. Cave, and everything he touches.  I felt very honored when I saw him perform at the Crystal Ballroom a few years ago, here in PDX.  I've heard he doesn't like to play in the US that often.  And I'm pretty sure he hadn't toured the US since 1999 / 2000, at least not the West Coast.  Cave has the unique ability to take the listener to a dark place, bringing a light with him to guide the way, whether through redemption, reflection, or a final reconciliation, Cave's lyrics tell stories that are brutally honest carrying a depth of insight of both God's right hand and the Devil's advocate.  Here are some of my favorite tunes.

As well as this musical career, Cave's has written a few novels, screenplay's, and scores for films.  For the film The Proposition, he wrote the script and did the score with fellow Bad Seed and Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis.

He has written two novels, And the Ass Saw the Angel in 1989, The Death of Bunny Munro in 2009.  Both are worth reading, and encompass the same themes that run through his music. 

 During the early part of his musical career, The Birthday Party were notorious for their in-your-face stage shows which featured Cave shrieking into the mic, throwing himself about the stage, backed up by harsh pounding rock music laced with guitar feedback.  To me, The Birthday Party was an infamous band, long disbanded before I'd heard of them, yet I can say they have heavily influenced my musical tastes, as well as the genre of music that came after them with bands like the Jesus Lizard, God Bullies, and any of the 90s bands that played loud rock n' roll with a singer staggering around the stage.  His work in Grinderman provides Cave with an outlet for his guitar playing.  How does he find time to do it all?  One of the greatest artists to come out of this modern world; prolific, prophetic, Cave holds the torch to guide us through the darkness.

PAPI FIMBRES - PAPER / UPPER / CUTS

Check out this interview with my friend & bandmate Papi Fimbres.  These clips speak for themselves!

http://endhits.portlandmercury.com/endhits/archives/2011/06/16/end-hits-interviews-papi-fimbres

UMM KULTHUM - PLANET OF THE EAST

Umm Kulthum  (December 31, 1898–February 3, 1975) was an Egyptian singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Tamay ez-Zahayra village that belongs to El Senbellawein, she is known as the Planet of the East (kawkab el-sharq). More than three decades after her death, she is widely regarded as the greatest female singer in Arab music history.

SONGS FOR A GRAY DAY - JACQUES BREL / DAVID BOWIE / NINA SIMONE

Jacques Romain Georges Brel; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer-songwriter. Brel composed and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French, although he recorded a number of songs in Dutch.  Brel was born in Schaarbeek, Belgium, a district of Brussels, but lived half of his life in Paris. He died in Bobigny in the suburbs of Paris, of lung cancer, and is buried in the Marquesas Islands.  Although his family did speak French, they were of Flemish descent, with some of the family originating from Zandvoorde, near Ieper. Brel came to consider himself a francophone Fleming.  Brel's father was co-owner of a cardboard factory and Brel started his working life there, apparently destined to follow his father's footsteps. However, he had no interest in it and showed an interest in culture instead, joining the Catholic-humanist youth organisation Franche Cordée, where he sang and acted. At Franche Cordée he met Thérèse Michielsen ('Miche'). They married in 1950.
In the early 1950s Brel achieved minor success in Belgium singing his own songs. From 1954 Brel pursued an international singing career. He quit his job and moved to Paris.  Songs for drinking, songs for strolling through the night, songs to laugh with and cry with.  Here are some of my favorite tunes by Monsieur Brel and some covers of the songs by other folks.

ONEIDA - IF YOU LIVE IN NY AND LOVE TO ROCK - ONEIDA

My contact over at Brah records, Kid Millions, has announced the release of ONEIDA'S much anticipated ABSOLUTE II, the 3rd and final installment of THANK YOUR PARENTS! series.  Hailing from the streets of Brooklyn, Oneida has been at it for over 10 years bringing that psychedelic / prog / rock n' roll; blasting drums, catchy riffs, and thumping bass lines.  Every time I see them, I am overwhelmed with a frenzied joy.   They literally (say with British accent) blew the roof off of the Badlander at last year's Totalfest in Missoula, MT., and have at many many other gigs throughout this planet. 

Two things you need to do.  Numero uno, buy this record here: http://www.jagjaguwar.com/onesheet.php?cat=JAG190, or elsewhere, but BUY IT NOW!

Numero dos, if you live in New York, go see them this weekend, performing all three albums from the series, one each day, along with other mega-psych-jamz that will most definitely ensue, plus good eats.  Here's what Kid Millions has to say about the event:

"Oneida will play for THREE days this weekend at Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn, NY. Three days of catered food, folks, jams in F (probably) and most importantly: family. Specifically, PARENTS: Oneida will perform each release of the Thank Your Parents triptych in their entirety over the course of the three days, beginning in the evening Friday June 17th, and culminating with a debut performance of Absolute II Sunday morning, June 19th. Additionally, Oneida will perform and improvise, with special guests, throughout the three day period beginning Friday evening and ending Sunday, in an immersive, interactive audio-visual environment to be installed in collaboration with Secret Project Robot. All events take place at: SECRET PROJECT ROBOT 210 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn, NY FRIDAY JUNE 17: *Oneida performs Preteen Weaponry and Rated O in their entirety! *Midnight munchies by Kyle Hepp & Krewe! 9pm / $10 SATURDAY JUNE 18 *BBQ by Kyle Hepp & Krewe (weather permitting) *Pot Luck! Bring home cookin' and eat for free! *Oneida presents the OCROPOLIS: ~10 hours of improvising against SPR Visuals in O-Surround, with special guests peppering that double throughout the day! *Oneida & Friends DJ Set -- a dance party follows into the wee hours... 2pm / $10 / $food tbd SUNDAY JUNE 19 *Oneida performs ABSOLUTE II at dawn! *Pancake breakfast to follow, FOR THE HEADS! ~4:45am / FREE Bring the kids! Thanks from Brah Records"

Interview with Oneida about this trilogy of albums!

"ANOTHER YEAR" FILM REVIEW

Ok, so the other night I watched Mike Leigh's new film Another Year.  Leigh is known for starting without a script, but with a premise that is flushed out and comes to live through improvisation.  His movies Naked and Secret & Lies show how when working with the right combination of story and talent, the outcome can be a very real, honest, and at times disturbing film.  Another Year centers around a families journey through the seasons in a year.  Their careers, friends, and daily existence all play roles within this film.  At the center is this family, or more accurately, the mother, played by Ruth Sheen, who was also in Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake.  Leigh likes to work with the same actors on his projects.  Sheen plays Gerri, a councilor, who on a lucky day, spends her spare time with her geologist husband Tom, played by Jim Broadbent, digging in their impressive garden.  Their son makes a number of appearances, as an open minded and caring son, and it is this family unit that serves as an anchor for those around them.  As Gerri's friend Mary, played by Lesley Manville, spirals deeper and deeper into her anxieties and depression, she goes to Gerri's house for solace.  She drinks their wine, hits on their son, and uses her friendship with Gerri as therapy.  As Mary's life and mental health spiral out of control; sadness, desperation, loneliness, and isolation over take her.  When Gerri's son Joe brings home his girlfriend for a visit, Mary makes it very well known the girlfriend isn't welcome.  When Tom's friend, Ken, comes for a visit, the same sort of relationship dynamics occur, his depression and loneliness are feed with food and alcohol, and he too, though not as purposeful, uses his friendship with Tom and Gerri to work through his demons.  Unsuccessfully all the same, because what Mary and Ken both need is companionship.  Ken wants Mary, Mary is disgusted by him, although she is worse off than he.  Overweight, alcoholic, and lonely, Ken is still friendly and aware of those around him.  Mary's bipolar tendencies keep her from seeing any other perspective than her own.  In the end, the family remains a beacon for those around them, shining a light through the shroud of loneliness that clings to the other characters.  If you like Mike Leigh's other films, you'll like this one too, and if you in are sick of the non-reality of Hollywood, this is a refreshing film!

URBAN FARMER

It really is amazing being able to wake up to fresh eggs, and these ladies.  Meet the Hens!

Blanche. The Alarm Clock.

Spartacus.  Ass kicker.

Kali.  Hairy Feet.

I've had to build a fence to keep them out of our garden, oh how they love kale, chard, and pretty much any plant with greenery!

YUM!  Just chop spinach, chard, kale, basil or some sort of similar combination.  Saute with a tiny bit of olive oil, a dash of salt.  Add feta.  Crack the eggs over the top of the veggies, working the egg whites away from the yoke, the trick is getting the yokes to stay whole so that when they do break, their contents stay moist over the scrambled goodness!  Thank you Hens and thank you garden!

SONG OF THE DAY!

Roxy Music - Virginia Plain!

Day 2: First Annual Portland Fruit Beer Festival!!

Well, I'm a glutton for punishment, er I mean enjoyment, so I returned to PDX's Fruit Beer Festival for the last few hours of day two!  Most of the beers on tap were 2 tickets, and from the "rare rotating taplist", although there were quite a few California & international beers added to the roster that weren't on the list Saturday.  Here's the rundown:

7.  Eel River Acai Berry Wheat.  A light bodied wheat ale brewed with organic Brazilian Acai berries, plus a combo of 4 other berries. Pretty good fruity ale from Fortuna, CA.

6. Fruli. Strawberry beer from Beligium.  Heavy on the strawberries, maybe a little too fruity for my taste, but still a very tasty beer.  A little bitterness and citrus balance out the flavors nicely.

5. Bison Brewing Belgian Orange Marmalade.  Part of their beer of the month series, this Belgian Tripel was made with organic naval orange marmalade instead of Belgian candy sugar.  The marmalade came from an organic farm in Brentwood, CA.  Very tasting brew from this Berkeley, CA brewery.

4.  Burnside Brewing Co Sweet Heat.  A wheat ale brewed with apricot puree, and then dry hopped with scotch bonnets.  Fruity upfront, but definitely has a spicy habanero-like blast afterwards.  Still feeling that one today!  One of the most interesting beers I tasted at the festival, this one is a year round beer at Burnside Brewing Co.

3. Upright Brewing Gin Barrel-Aged Four with Strawberries.  Upright's #4 aged with Oregon strawberry puree in a Ransom Distillery Old Tom Gin barrel.  Very interesting, tasty brew, the fruit was there, but not overpowering and mellowed the flavors of the gin barrel.

2. Burnside Brewing Co. Marionberry barrel-aged Berliner-Weisse.  A slightly tart wheat beer with a mild fruitiness.  Fermented with a lactic bacteria in addition to the German ale yeast resulting in a slightly sour finish.  One French oak barrel of this was made, aged with the marionberries.  Yum, I had the gooseberry version of this Saturday, which I think I liked better, but this one was pretty damn good too.

1.  Block 15: 2010 La Ferme' de Demons (the Demon's Farm).  Black farmhouse ale aged for over 8 months in three barrel types; Pinot Noir, Oregon Oak, and Bourbon with Brettanomyces.  After barrel aging and blending, this dark ruby black ale is further matured with a touch of Oregon tart cherry.  In the words of Block 15, a demonic brew to quench only the most sinister thirst.  This beer was amazing, I definitely agree it is a demonic brew and my number 1 from Day 2!

I'll definitely be hitting the festival next year, my friend Lee and I were there to the end.  Afterward, we decided to grab a booth inside Burnside Brewing Co.'s pub for a bite to eat and some of their IPA and some more Sweet Heat.  Always nice to find a brewpub with good quality food.  Like I said, I'm a glutton....

Steak Frites with Truffle Aioli!

See you next year!

ESTATE SALES RULE

 Ok, this weekend, my wife and I decided to head out in search of gems via estate sales.  We found one that was a bizarre collection of porcelain dogs & cats, Christmas decorations, dolls, deer antlers, vintage picture frames, and tons and tons of women's vintage clothing.  Much of these items were over priced, but here are a few images from the sale.

After swimming through the sea of people with a pile of cloths, a couple of Peanuts pillow cases, a pair of sunglasses, a Dolly Parton 8-Track, and an 8-Track player to then wait in a line for 25 minutes, we realized we didn't bring any cash.  Many estate sales take credit cards, but apparently not this one.  Oh well, c'est la vie! It's going on today, and many items will probably be marked down significantly.  Check it out in PDX, near SE 52nd & Burnside! 

First Annual Portland Fruit Beer Festival!!

Yesterday I visited Burnside Brewing Co. for the first annual Portland Fruit Beer Festival!  15 different local & regional microbreweries participated with over 20 different beers.  Admission was free, and for $15, I got a commemorative pint glass, and 10 tickets.  Most 4 oz pours were 1 ticket, with the exception of the festival's "rare rotating taplist", those were 2 tickets. Here's what I had, I'm going to rank them in the order that I liked them, starting with my least favorite, but by no means does that mean it wasn't a good beer.  All the beers I tried were good, very good.

8. Laurel Mango Mint Pale Ale.  Very interesting, I didn't really taste the mint, and it wasn't heavy on the mango, but the combination of the two ingredients created a nice earthy balance between the two.

7. Widmer Brothers Brewing Himbeere Bose mit dem Eibisch.  Gose with raspberries and hibiscus.  The raspberries and hibiscus were heavy on this one, but not at all in a bad way, as the beer wasn't too sweet.  Raspberry red in color.

6. Lompoc Brewing Sour Willy.  A blend of 5 different beers.  Light, complex, sour ale, fruity, with a mellow cherry oak flavor.  Definitely a tasty summer beer.

5. Beetje Brewing Zure Krenten.  Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged farmhouse ale with champagne currants and dosed with a lambic blend.  Brewed with pilsner, 2-row, wheat, and crystal malts, and a light touch of noble hops. Very tasty complex beer.  Definitely want to try more beer from this brewery.
http://www.beetjebrewery.com/

4. Coalition Brewery Wheat from the Tree.  The was from the rare rotating tap list.  An American style wheat aged 2 months in a chardonnay barrel, light notes of bartlett pears and wine grape, with a sweet and tangy finish of mandarin and tangelo.  Delicious, and definitely my favorite beer so far from this Portland brewery.

3. Block 15 Brewing Psidium.  A rustic farmhouse ale matured with guava fruit and blended with a sour golden ale.  Brewed with Belgian Pilsner, French Pale & Wheat malts, saaz & citra hops, and French farmhouse yeast.  Awesome beer from a Corvalis Brewery, the guava aroma was heavy, but balanced nicely with the other ingredients.  Love the French farmhouse yeast, I use one for my Saison's.  Another brewery to look out for!
http://block15.com/

2. Upright Brewing Barrel-Aged Pure Wit with Orange.  A single cask version of their seasonal Belgian-style wit with a pound of dried sweet orange peel added to the barrel.  This tart and hazy wheat beer has a strong aroma, but is light and crisp on the palate.  I've blogged about Upright before, definitely one of my top 5 Pacific Northwest Breweries.
http://www.uprightbrewing.com/

1. Drum roll!  Host of the festival Burnside Brewing's Gooseberry Berliner-Weisse!  A slightly tart wheat beer with a mild fruitiness.  Lowly hopped, and fermented with a lactic bacteria in addition to the German ale yeast resulting in a slightly sour finish.  A percentage of this beer was aged in French oak barrels with 50 lbs of Washington Gooseberries.  Awesome!
http://burnsidebrewco.com/

The festival is going on for one more day, TODAY!, so if you're in Portland and want to try some of the areas most interesting beers, definitely hit this up!

SONGS OF THE DAY

Nina Simone!

Tilahun Gessese, Mahmoud Ahmed & Tamrat Molla! 

Don Covay with Ron Wood!

FOOD CART - BURRITO ATTACK

Portland has become a mecca of food carts, Cartopia some call it.  Every neighborhood now has at least one, once vacant lot, that has been transformed into a food court, some have many of these pods scattered on every available corner / parking lot.  There are the gems out there, the ones where culinary wizards have decided to open a cart and the ones where world food masterpieces are brought to life, but there are a plethora of carts that just don't hit the mark.  Some fail, solely because of the quality of food ingredients.  Let's talk Mexican food carts for a minute.  I love a giant burrito, give me grilled veggies, give me carnitas, give me cheese, and I am happy, but with so many of these it is hard to tell which ones to eat at.  I have walked away from many o' cart holding my stomach with a gurgle gurgle "why did I eat that" and "where did that meat come from".  Yesterday, while I was wandering the streets of Mississippi I had a hankering for a burrito.  Tempted by the always good Por Que No, but not quite willing to wait in the line that filtered out of the little taco shop onto the sidewalk, I glanced across the street a pod of carts, one of which was Moctezumas Taqueria.  My hunger and need for a log of goodness out-weighed any hesitation I was feeling about quality of food, etc., and I ordered a Chicken Mole Burrito, I'm a gambler, what can I say.  It took about 15 minutes, which was understandable since it was only one dude and it was the lunch hour.  Said dude called, "my friend, it's ready".  With great urgency I took the bag from him, and sat down to dig in.  Presentation was nice, the mole was not too sweet, but perfect, and the meat quality was definitely good.  So stoked I could enjoy this burrito, without wondering what I just bit into or where the meat came from.  I'll be back for more.

SEGIO MENDES - SONG OF THE DAY

My wife Heather found this one and shared it with me, now I'm sharing it with you.  CRANK IT UP AND SHAKE YOUR ASS!

OMAR SOULEYMAN at DANTE'S

WOOLY MAMMOTH COMES TO DINNER / OMAR SOULEYMAN

What an amazing night Portland had to offer last night!  First we hit up Holocene for an event curated by PDX performance art / dance troupe Wooly Mammoth Comes to Dinner.


http://woollymammothcomestodinner.com/

From what I understand, SMEG JUNG JUNE8 is a work in progress that we were shown a excerpt from.  Themes of identity, parental hierarchy, sexuality, the body as an object is what I was getting from the piece we saw.  Very weird, strange, and beautiful.  There was a merkin involved.  I'm very interested to see this piece in it's entirety.  Along with a slew of other great performers, we also saw ROB WALMART.  A psych / drone / booty shakin' party machine, usually they just park their converted delivery truck / mobile party machine outside of said venues and perform on the street, this time we had the rare treat of hearing them play within Holocene, the sound system alone brought their show to another realm, enveloping the audience within their inescapable party drone.  Truly amazing, featuring an all star cast of artists, musicians, and poets.  Last night included Adam Forkner of White Rainbow, and Curtis Knapp, owner of Marriage Records.  Check this shit!

And that was just part one of the evening!  My wife won tickets to see Omar Souleyman at Dante's.  Omar is a Syrian singer.  It was an amazing performance, we only got to see about 30 minutes of his set, but it was worth it.  We will definitely be coming back for more when he plays Portland on the 4th of July.  Here's what his label, Sublime Frequencies has to say about him, "Omar Souleyman is a Syrian musical legend. Since 1994, he and his musicians have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout Syria, but until now they have remained little known outside of the country. To date, they have issued more than five-hundred studio and live- recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city.

Born in rural Northeastern Syria, he began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today.

The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music. Here, classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization gives way to high-octane Syrian Dabke (the regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others. This amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria.

The music often has an overdriven sound consisting of phase-shifted Arabic keyboard solos and frantic rhythms. At breakneck speeds, these shrill Syrian electronics play out like forbidden morse-code, but the moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Oud, reeds, baglama saz, accompanying vocals and percussion fill out the sound from track to track. Mahmoud Harbi is a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman."

Check out Sublime Frequencies website for more on Omar:
http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp?Item_id=34

DAVIS HOOKER & THE GREAT HORNED OWLS

A few months ago, I performed with my old pal Davis Hooker.  Davis and I used to play in ...WORMS together, and occasionally he asks me to join him for gigs playing the bass and / or harmonium.  Davis plays folk / psych / rock, er...., that's the best description I can come up with, but he is great, an amazing song writer and critical thinker.  Here are some videos from our last performance at the Mudai Lounge in Portland, OR, as well as a video from Privacy, who also performed that night!  If you like Davis, check out his record via:

http://wil-ru.com/releases/releases/davis-hooker-davis-hooker-ii-lp/

http://www.marriagerecs.com/shop2/898/davis-hooker

Or come see us play in Centralia, WA on the 18th of June, or in Astoria, OR on the 19th of June!

FOOD STOP - GRAIN & GRISTLE

My wife and I hit a restaurant on Friday night we'd never been to.  The Grain & Gristle, the creation of three friends, one of which is the brewer of Upright Brewing, Alex Ganum.

http://grainandgristle.com/

http://www.uprightbrewing.com/

So you can guarantee G&G has some amazing beer.  They carry a few of Upright's beers, which if you haven't tried, you definitely should.  This is definitely one of my top five breweries in the Pacific Northwest.  They also have about 8 other beers on tap from some of this region's best breweries.  They sell 4 oz, 12 oz, and 16 oz for $2, $3, & $4, CHEAP!  My favorite from the night was Upright's Quatro Jaune, which translates to "Four Yellow" in French.  A sour variation of Upright's #4, aged in a gin barrel with chrysanthemums.  A limited run of 65 bottles & 5 gallons on tap were made by the brewery as part of their Sole Composition series.  So stoked I got to sample. The food was also really amazing.  Nothing on the menu was over $10, and although the menu wasn't huge, great thought went into pairing the menu with what's on tap.  We had deviled eggs, grilled romaine salad, salt cod fritters, and mussel frites Belgian Style.  All of it was delicious, oh and cheap!  

Everything about this place was great!  Good atmosphere, good food & drink, all for cheap!