Monday, June 30, 2008

It's true: Everybody Likes Sandwiches

For a few weeks in May/June, I got sacks of deep-red cherries in my weekly CSA box. And given that I don't really like eating them "fresh" - sacrilege, I know - I had looked around for some recipes to bake them into something delicious.

While some cherries were used to, um, spice up pancakes (using my own recipe as the base), I put others to good use in a tasty little muffin recipe I found at the Everybody Likes Sandwiches blog. In fact, I made the latest batch (and last, perhaps, for the season) of "very cherry whole wheat muffins" last night**.

Let me first say that the use of pastry flour is key to a good texture (especially given that these treats are 100% whole wheat). And if you want to add more than the 1 cup of pitted and chopped cherries called for, I ain't gonna stop you.

Also in this latest batch, I did fool around with adding some chopped almonds (~1/3c) and the remains of a bag of dark chocolate chips (~1/4c) to the batter.. and, you know what?.. I didn't think they really contributed in a meaningful way to the original recipe (they didn't *take* anything away either - how you gonna argue with chocolate anything?). But, you see, these muffins are so delicately sweetened (that is to say: not much) and the consistency already slightly dense, that I don't think they can really handle the in-your-face-ness of the chocolate or the extra bulk of the almonds. But that was just my opinion; I fully advocate any-and-all experimentation in your own kitchen! (Let me know how it goes, s'il vous plait.)

In any case, it was really fortuitous to find this *particular* cherry recipe because it led me to look around Everybody Loves Sandwiches, a blog full of simple, great recipes.. from "chipotle shrimp" to "eggplant involtini" (and some sweets too!); check the archives. Just when I was wondering what to do with this week's batch of green beans from the CSA, I found a post for "green beans & tofu in a thai coconut sauce" (and the secret of great tofu). Pretty good timing, huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** If you're looking to sample the goods (a reasonable request in a normal kitchen.. where the cook isn't a voracious eater), I'm semi-ashamed to admit that I already ate 10 of the 12; and I wouldn't hold out hold that the last two pieces of cherry goodness will hold out after, say, 10am tomorrow morning! ;)

Get your Great American Beer (Fest)

Tickets for the 2008 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) go on sale to the general public tomorrow, July 1st; they be $50 each (and well worth it).

In case you're not in-the-know, the GABF is one of the largest (maybe *the* largest?) beer festivals in the United States; last year, 408 American brewers poured who-knows-how-much delicious beer for a welcoming crowd of almost 50,000 people. And it will sell out (again) this year..

The festival runs October 9th - 11th, and is housed at the Denver Convention Center. If you've gone to other beer festivals (in smaller settings), you might not know where to start when you walk into this HUGE convention hall filled with hundreds of tables of people pouring beer, and thousands of people walking around with, um, pretzel necklaces.. these salty accessories are more a disaster avoidance tactic than fashion. haha.

Ideally, you'll go with someone that knows a little bit about the wide variety of beer being made right now by American brewers (or be that expert yourself).. but, at the least, go with an open set of tastebuds, a camera (to capture the fun), and a small notepad (because, at best, you *might* remember the names of a handful of beers - good or bad - on your own). Know that you won't like every beer that crosses your lips, but you will find some ones that you do.. and some ones that will surprise you with grapefruit, scotch, watermelon, or tobacco flavors (within a framework of delicious malts and hops, of course).

Drink plenty of water!

I can see the vibe being a little "clinical" for folks that love more intimate venues (or outdoor ones, for that matter). Still, it's hard not to recommend the GABF simply for its size, and, well, it *is* one of the 1000 places to see in the US (and Canada) before you die. ;)

Even though my brother doesn't live in Denver anymore (I've only gone to the GABF with him), I still might make it out this year. So, if you're interested, let me know (especially if you want to combine it into a hiking/climbing AND beer drinking trip)!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Would you dance with me at 12:02?

While Discodust is still my main go-to music blog - for its consistency and conciseness - I've been checking out many other ones in my extended bookmark collection this past week. Among the many singular gems that I've found (maybe to-be-featured in an upcoming personal mix), there were a few full-on mixes that were pretty dope as well.

For example, the guys at the Missingtoof blog posted this kickass "12:02 Mix" from LA-based DJs, After Midnight:


1. True Pseudo - Freakin’ Me Out
2. New Young Pony Club - The Bomb (Villains Xplosive Mix)
3. Death From Above 1979 - Sexy Results (MSTRKRFT Edition)
4. Cryptonites - I Can’t Give You Up (Kill The Noise Remix)
5. Villains - Rock It
6. Chromeo - Needy Girl (Vandalism Mix)
7. Atlantic Connection - Rocksteady (LA Riots Shake it All Night Remix)
8. Surkin - White Knight Two
9. Marlena Shaw - California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix)
10. LA Riots - If I Could (feat. Jadis)
11. Apollo 440 - Dude Descending a Staircase (feat. The Beatnuts)
12. The Black Ghosts - Any Way (Fake Blood Mix)
13. The Frail - Addiction (After Midnight Remix)
14. Codebreaker - Exiled (Miami Horror Remix)
15. Michael Jackson - Thriller (Laidback Luke Remix)
16. Basement Jaxx - Where’s Your Head At? (2008 Robbie Riviera Mix)
17. The Count & Sinden - Beeper (feat. Kid Sister) (A-Trak Remix)
18. Kaysh - Drug Induced Sex (Kid Dub Loves Kinky Sex Mix)
19. After Midnight vs. True Pseudo - Roshambo (Original Mix)
20. Klaas - The Way (Klaas Hype Mix)
21. Edison Gem - Things Change (Villains Remix)
22. Orbital - Halcyon & On & On (Original Mix)


Goddamn.. it just starts off so awesome; I need to look up these True Pseudo guys! And then they throw down tracks from all the of-the-moment remixers like Vandalism and LA Riots.. real party selections. Basically, the first 25 minutes are incredible.

Hmm.. although the mix does lose me a little bit at track 11; it definitely changes vibe, which is totally cool.. it's just not totally up my alley. Yeah, it gets a little Miami-y or something; does that make sense? haha. From that point onwards, the only track that stands out for me is the Klaas Hype Mix of "The Way", which kicks in (way-late) for one last bit of rockin' before an 8 minute Ibiza-style cool-down (like, huh?).

Overall, this mix will bring you through quite a range of music/vibes.. like I said, the first 25 minutes will get you going on the dancefloor; and if you're already there, the rest of the mix will keep you there (although maybe not bring you out there on its own). This first introduction to After Midnight was, like I said, a highlight of the past month of mixes. Yeah, so if they ever come up to San Francisco, I'll definitely be checking them out! Read more (and download the mix in its 320kbps glory) straight-up at the source, Missingtoof.

On a related note, the guys at Missingtoof are San Francisco-area DJs/promoters (with some ties to LA) that put on a bunch of well-known parties here (and there); check their blog for all the info.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Drive this dino-beat just a little bit harder

I've got some long-overdue posts in the works.. but in the meantime, let me expose you to some prehistoric-electro silliness (via Manalogue); straight BC stuff. Really! Check this video from the maybe-faux (but definitely dinosaur-obsessed) band Triceratron:

Iguanodon Automaton (video)

Even though some of the lyrics are a stretch rhymewise (not that that ever stopped ODB or Kool Keith from doing' their thang), I can totally hear the chorus goin' out straight-party-style on a we-up-fo'-anything-style dancefloor:

It's time to get down like a Cro-magnon,
screwin' up your dome like a mobile phone.
It's time to get down like a Cro-magnon,
a steel-plated cranium will protect the radiation.

hahaha.. you just gotta watch the video.

I seriously would love to hear one of the pros give this song a good scrubbing, fill it out will a little dub here and there, drive its beat just a little bit harder.. oh man, it'd be awesome to hear a remix of this 16-bit thumper in a mixtape sometime.

Yeah, so while I admit it *is* definitely more-than-novelty on it's own, with some tweaking it could be a full-on banger-in-the-works. Maybe. hahaha.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps. Manalogue is an awesome! music blog, based out of Toronto.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Alan Braxe gets a little more Lifelike

The last concert that I hit up this year - Cut Copy and Simian Mobile Disco @ Mezzanine - was awesome on so many levels.. there was, of course, the music: both of those groups put out some of my favorite albums in recent memory. But the show really stands out in my mind because it was the first concert that I've gone to in a while where the people that I went with were waaay into the band (i.e. not just me).. bubbling with enthusiasm pre-show (having a drink or two - or, um, four or more, at my place), and ready to rock out - let's also say, ready to "get dancey" - from the start.

You see, I like to see a lot of live music and, therefore, I'm usually, *ahem*, dragging a friend to some random event featuring Frenchhouse-this or indierockfeedback-that, dj's and/or bands that they've never heard of.. so they need to get over the hump of discovery (no matter how much they may trust my judgment) before they get to the hands-in-the-airing (or, depending on the scene, the involuntary-air-guitar) part of the night.

Don't get me wrong: that sort of thing is totally cool with me; I love introducing people to new music - in general, via conversation or CD or whatever.. but especially when it's live. And, so, I'm *still* going to be calling up my friends periodically to try to entice them with tickets to some hipster shizz..

But all that said.. when everyone is into the music and excited for the aural/experiential possibilities from the get-go, it can make for a pretty fun night. In fact, this Friday - THIS FRIDAY - I'm gearing up for another night of rocking out at Mezzanine.

Did you hear?

Producer/remixer extraordinaire, Alan Braxe, is dj'ing at Mezzanine! Yes, Monsieur Braxe is a giant of French house and currently an "in-demand remixer"; but you may know him via the 1998 release, "Music Sounds Better With You" (video), which he and Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk fame) put out under the name "Stardust". And blog-badasses, Lifelike open! (Those Lifelike guys - I just became familiar with them myself - are some of the best new remixers out there right now, and have an aesthetic similar to some of Braxe's work; it'll be a perfect match.)

SO cool.
SO cool!

Even cooler that I'm again going with some friends that know-what-they're-in-for: the freshest in dancey music, mind-altering lights, and, um, gettin' sweaty in a packed house. What can I say?; it's my cup-of-tea. Note that doors open at 10pm, so you're guaranteed a late night.

If you're interested in such things, tickets are still available; this flier tells you how; and at $10+fees, they be cheap. Use the money you've saved to buy me a lovely gin cocktail at the show. ;) See you then!

Monday, June 9, 2008

You never knew me to be a runner

These days, I dedicate a lot of time to climbing and cycling (when I'm not doing some silly hike in the desert).. but if you knew me back in the day, you'd know that I used to be 110%-and-then-some about running (even doing the mile and steeplechase in college - poorly, I might add; haha).

But injuries, on-and-off since those college days, have kept me from doing any significant mileage/training in years; I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I need to keep it low-key if I want to maintain injury-free(-ish) legs, and, ultimately, maintain some sanity through (other) sport/activity. ;) That said, I do get out for a run every once in a while..

In fact, while visiting my brother this past weekend, I taped up my slightly sore right foot (the usual; it's an area that has given me trouble in the past) and ran my first race in a looong time - the Wissahickon 10k Trail Classic - in a great park just north of Philadelphia. It was some good bonding time, I think. ;)

Oh man, but even as I was treating the endeavor as a running "event" in my head (vs. a "race"), it was more physically demanding that you might think - with 90+ degree weather, and tons of offroad hills, it was a HOT and HUMID event to say the least; it was a buttkicker. On a side note.. for non-runners, you might think my mental designation of this being an "event" versus a "race" is just a matter of semantics, but, well, I'll just say that it's *not* and that, admittedly, it's an ego-thing that signals a difference in both intention-of-effort and expectation-for-outcome (i.e. it lowers them).

In any case, I think the wicked conditions helped me in the overall placing (34th out of 400-some) insofar that I'm not in particularly good running shape and therefore couldn't blaze a fast 10k on the roads, but the madhills and heat took their effect on everyone.. but I think they affected me less so. Physically, the hills gave a chance for some of my, um, beefy biking muscles to help out; and, mentally, my lack of specific goals let me just run and not worry about how the heat was lowering my time.. as it might with others worried about maintaining their usual pace.

Yeah, it was a good time overall (even if my thighs are still madsore today). And if you had any doubt to the quality of the event, let me say that one of the post-race foods was boxes and boxes of local pizza (in addition to the more-typical bananas and oranges and stuff). I'm glad I was in a place - mentally and physically - to enjoy 'dem slices!