Ten reasons to go to Wilco's Solid Sound Festival

Why should you go to the Solid Sound Festival curated by Wilco?

I think that the question should be, why SHOULDN'T you ???

Here are 10 good reasons to go 

1) You will see and hear lots of Wilco,, what is not to love about that ?

Wilco during the all request show

2) it is at Mass MoCA.  Charming and curious museum, lots of interconnected old factory buildings and little courtyards. Cool.

The river running though Mass MoCA

Phoenix by Xu Bing

3) You will see and hear many bands that you may not be familiar with, you will always find someone who sparks your interest.

Foxygen from NYC

4) Comedy and special exhibits.  Everything from ornithology to axe sharpening is represented.

John Hodgman

5) Food and drink. Lots of local vendors and some special ones from Chicago.

Samosas !

Chicken tiki masala

6) Joe's hose. You can refill your water bottle for free.  What festival does THAT ?

7) Free wifi. I know, we don't belong on our phones, but how else can we post all those cool photos to Instagram ?

cool reflective tanks

8) Kid friendly.  I don't have young children any more, but this is very kid friendly, makes it much easier for parents to go  have some fun too.

Hey, I let a little toddler next to me take his first photo with an iPhone.  He was thrilled and his mom was happy, that's the Wilco spirit.

9)  It is very well organized. Parking and shuttle busses, wrist band so you can come and go as you please.

10 ) you just might get to see Jeff Tweedy up close

Just Another Meatless Monday Oh-Oh-Oh

I enjoy a good meatless Monday,  I often have meatless days during the week; when food is well prepared it doesn't really matter what it is, it will be satisfying,

Hearing that my favorite restaurant New World Home Cooking was having three course pri fixe meatless specials on Mondays, I knew I had to check this out.

After a typically brutal Monday at work, I was ready for some really good food.

I couldn't rally the family to come along, so off I went on my own. Dining alone is awkward but do-able, made much easier when accompanied by the trusty smart phone.

I was truly not alone, as two other women were also "lone" diners already seated when I came in.

This was duly noted by Chef Ric Orlando.

 "Hey, you should be together! "  he exclaimed as he walked by.

I decided to have a glass of wine while perusing the menu, so I ordered a cabernet sauvignon, my go-to drink.  

I decided on  crispy brussels sprouts chips with cheese, so good,  I haven't met a roasted vegetable that I haven't liked, so this was a natural.

Petals of brussels sprouts nicely roasted with lots of good cheese, such a great way to start a meal !

Next up was the entree, yellow curry tofu with noodles in coconut broth, so tasty.  I dove in with my chopsticks, still drinking the red wine….

Then Chef Ric walks by. He pauses, looks at me and says "Let me bring you a present."

Well, okay I think.  This is cool, the chef is bringing me a gift.

A few minutes later he returns with a glass of white wine.

"Do some fast testing " he advises.

"Red wine and curry is like nails on a chalkboard."

OMG, I have unwittingly committed a sin against curry.  My love of red wine has led me astray once again !

So now armed with not one but two glasses of wine, I decide to to go with the white,  It is lovely, a very good compliment 

to the curry.  I think I like this experimenting thing, especially when it come to wines…

So I save the cabernet to linger over in anticipation of  my vegan chocolate cupcake for dessert,  I  unabashedly love red wine with

chocolate, I just do,

This cupcake is fabulous, dark and moist with a lovely sprinkle of coconut on top.

I leave very satisfied, and happy that friends don't let friends drink the wrong wine,,,,

Cupcakes EVERYWHERE ! - Gardiner Cupcake Festival

Okay, so I love cupcakes.  They are already portioned for you and you don't need a plate or fork to eat them.

When I found out that there was going to be a Cupcake Festival in nearby Gardiner  New York, I knew that I had to be there !

It was a beautiful Saturday in May,  blue skies and temperatures in the 80's  so I was up for the 40 minute ride.  It was smooth sailing until I got close to Wright's Farm where the event was held. Traffic stopped and I managed to snap a few photos of the mountains through my car window while waiting.

Finally, I could see the sign for the Festival  and I knew I was there.  I parked my car and trucked up the hill to the farm, not really sure what to expect.

The first thing I saw was the Bouncy Tent for the children and the pony rides.  This was all very nice, but it was not cupcakes.  I walked past the Hair Braiding booth and the porto-potties, both necessities at any festival that I have been to.   Then I saw them.   Cupcakes, lots and lots of cupcakes.   It was kind of overwhelming, booth after booth of colorful,  beautiful cupcakes.  I figured I had better walk past it all and get some perspective on what I wanted to sample before I made any decisions.  This was important stuff, I couldn't try everything so I needed to see what I really wanted to eat.

The only cupcake vendor that I recognized was Deisings Bakery.  I love them, but since I have been eating there for years I wanted to try something new. Their cupcakes were extravagantly decorated though and I see how kids would love them!

My first cupcakes were from Moxie.  I had heard some buzz on the web about them, plus they offered small tasting packages, which was just what i was looking for.  I opted for a 4 oack of minis, a watermelon, a root beer, a margarita and a pure vanilla one.  The booth was busy, always a good sign.  I got my minis, found a nice spot on the grass to sit down and dug in.     They were good,  but not remarkable.  I liked the flavors, the watermelon one and the root beer one were different but subtle.  The margarita one had the bit of salt, a nice touch but I was not blown away.   I honestly think it has to do with the size,  Regular sized cupcakes bake the best and taste the best.  I would really have to taste a full size cupcake to base an accurate opinion on Moxie. 

I had also heard about Bettie's Pink cupcake bus,  so I knew I  had to try that one.  The bus was pretty cool, it was a double decker pink bus with "one sweet ride"  written on it.

You could go into the bus to order, or just order through one of the outside windows,  I really should have gone it, but it was hot and I opted to order from the outside window.   It was hard to make a choice, but i finally opted for the Samoa cupcake.  Chocolate cake with white frosting and toasted coconut and chocolate topping,  how could you lose ?

I found I spot in the shade and tasted it.   Now this was a great cupcake !  Moist chocolate cake, creamy frosting and the perfect combo of toasted coconut and chocolate on top. I relished every bite and I was sorry when it was gone.  

Stomach full, now I could do a little wine tasting, also offered here.   Since it was hot and I was basically a red wine drinker, I knew my sampling would be at a minimum.   I tried wines from both Warwick and Tousy  wineries.  These kind of quick tastings don't reaily benefit me, I get the tastes all muddled and I can't really make an educated decision,  For whatever reason, I bought a bottle of cabernet franc from Tousy winery, I guess the man's English accent  won me over,,,

For the record, this was a nice event for a family,  In addition to the cupcakes and hair braiding and temporary tattoos, you could also decorate your own cupcake or take a helicopter ride.  Some regular food and drinks were also available, and a small amount of arts and crafts were for sale.   There was some live music and a cupcake eating competition, which I did not have enough time to stay for.   There was also an amateur baking contest, but I missed any display there if they had one.

I had family obligations and could not stay all day, so now it was time to find some cupcakes to bring home and head out.  I had seen a booth for a Woodstock based cupcake bakery, so this seemed a good choice to bring home. 

Peace, Love and Cupcakes was the name, and the cupcakes were named for famous musicians, a really nice touch !  How could you resist a Jimi Hendrix or Dylan cupcake ?   The bakery featured 6 kinds so I opted for a six pack of one of each.  It is not every day that you get to bring home Dylan, Edgar Winter, Santana, Richie Havens, Woodstock Tie-Dye and Jimi Hendrix !

There were so many other cupcakes to try but my stomach and time did not allow it !

i would have loved to stay a bit longer but it was time to run to the car to get those cupcakes out of the heat and into the air conditioning for the ride home.

Oh yeah, and I did get the tee shirt !

Blood Sugar Sex Magik, in Newark !

I am a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers because of my 16 year old son.  Of course, I had heard some of their music on the radio and liked it, but for whatever reason I never became a true fan.

A few years ago, I kept hearing my son playing them while gaming on his XBOX, and I started to pay attention.  We talked about it once, and I found out that his favorite album was Blood,Sugar,Sex, Magick.

Sounds like everything a young male teen would be interested in !

  I gradually starting acquiring their music and I fell in love.  I loved the combination of funk/rap/rock that they were producing and I found Anthony's vocals very appealing, which sealed the deal.  You can make the best sounding music in the world, but if the vocalist doesn't appeal to my ear,  I won't become a fan.  if you follow my tastes at all, you know that I am not particularly attracted to "perfect" voices,  it is the feel and emotion that wins me over.  Mr. Kiedis 's  voice won me over...

So my son and I headed out to Newark to catch the second of a two night sold-out set of concerts by the Peppers.  We made an adventure of it, I booked us a hotel near Newark airport and we were off!

We checked in at the hotel and managed to get the the Prudential Center just as it was opening for the event.   The venue is lovely, new and spacious and the help were very friendly.  After spending a ridiculous $17 for  three pieces of cheese pizza,  we were ready.

The opening band was Sleigh Bells,  a pretty hard rocking group headed by a strong voiced female lead singer.  They were fine, but didn't really draw me in.  However, some bands need repeat listening to make their impression on you, so I am not making any judgements on them.

Finally, the Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage, opening with Monarchy of Roses off their latest album I'm With You.   I like this album, I don't feel it is their best work but I like quite a few of the songs and I appreciate that they are not embarrassed to embrace their age and  move in a different  direction.   Sure Josh Klinghoffer is not John Frusciante, but he brings his own vibe to the group.   It is better not to imitate someone else, I am  glad that he appears to be making his own path.

The crowd was on its feet and most people stayed there for the whole 2 hour show.  My son and I stood the whole time too, there is no way that you would want to sit down through this.  They played a fast paced varied set list that did not solely pull from the new album.  They did about four songs from the new album and four from BSSM  and filled the rest of the show from their other albums.  To my joy, the one cover song that the did was a Neil Young cover  Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. 

The crowd was singing along and  weed was in the air everywhere, puffs of smoke rising up into the laser-lit air.  They played many of my personal favorites,- Scar Tissue,  Give It Away, Under the Bridge, and Don't Stop.  No concert wound be complete without a rousing version of Suck My Kiss,  the fans  happily suppling the "suck my dick"  true chorus.  Now, that is an interesting moment for a mom to share with her son.

The  amount of hipsters in the crowd was surprising to both me and my son.  The crowd was primarily in their late twenties/ early thirties and one out of three people where wearing some form of Chili Peppers shirt.  Many bought the specific to Newark event shirt and put it right on, which I found interesting.  One guy a few rows ahead of us just went shirtless in the true Chili Peppers spirit.  Cheaper too, since the shirts were running about $35 ...

The band was full of energy, Anthony was running around the stage, Flea was walking on his  hands across the stage and Chad was hanging from the suspended light  fixture over his drum kit,  just a normal day in rock'n'roll.  There were laser lights and colorful themes, the backdrops behind the band constantly changing.   It was hard to believe that most of the band was closing in on 50, only Josh is the young blood here.  By the end of the show, Flea and Anthony were both shirtless, but the only socks that they wore were on their calves.  No  "socks on cocks"  tonight.

This one was of the most fun concerts that I have ever been at, the crowd was totally into the music, and the energy was up there like a Springsteen concert.  My son enjoyed it too, making it an extra special night for me !

The show's encore ended with a jam by Flea, Chad and Josh, no Anthony to be seen.  They said their thank yous  and good byes,  Chad handed out some sticks and they were gone into the night...

All Exits Look the Same - Avett Brothers in Albany NY

"All exits look the same,"  they sang.  

Fortunately for us, this must be a good thing if every exit gets the caliber of energy and devotion that the Avett Brothers presented last night at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY.

This was my first time hearing and seeing them play live, though I did watch the live webcast of their performance at Mountain Jam a few years ago and was mesmerized.  Okay, I am a sucker for a bit of good banjo and cello...

These guys put it all out there.   The singing is strong and vibrant, they play various instruments while jumping and foot stomping around the stage during the fast songs.

Yet they also can turn down the lights and give ballads the respect and pureness of tone that they deserve.  

  Sibling voices can often harmonize in a finely turned way, and the Avetts are a fine example of this.

The vocals are not fancy or refined, they are simple and the sincerity of feeling will take you away.  They merge country and folk and rock and make this fine Americana sound that you can't quite define yet you know it's good !

There was no opening act, they took the stage a little after 8:00 PM and played until 10:20PM.  The show never stopped moving, whether one or two or three or all five band members 

were performing.  Their energy definitely radiated out into the crowd, people were singing and dancing and shouting, the Albany crowd was with them all the way !

They are charming, telling stories of playing at the Lark ten years ago and being happy to be back.  Seth Avett spoke about reading William Kennedy's  Albany centered book  “Billy Phelan’s Greatest Game" each night after the shows and now being happy to actually be in Albany.  Several times they thanked the crowd for being there, saying it was an honor to perform.  You don't hear that from many performers these days...

I am a fairly new fan to them so I was not familiar with all their  songs, but it didn't matter.  Even if you have never heard their music they draw you right in with their sincerity and energized delivery.

Highlights for me would have to be "I and Love and You", "January Wedding", "Paranoia in Bb Major" and "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise."  Playing a 28 song set list, I now have a lot of new music to explore. Gladly.

Sometimes, the music finds YOU !

You can find great music in a lot of ways.  You can hear it on the radio, but that is not so easy now-a-days.  You can hear about it from a friend, or read about it in a publication.

Sometimes, the music just finds YOU.

That is how I found Professor Louie and the Cromatix.

I worked at a local bank and one of our customers was a friendly and kind guy named Gary Burke.  He would often be at our drive up with his lovable and massive St Bernard named Sadie, if I remember correctly.

One day while reading our local paper The Daily Freeman, I recognized Gary's name in a music article written by David Malachowski about a new album by local hero Artie Traum,  "Thief of Time."   Gary did the drumming on this album.       .

The next day I  saw him and mentioned that I saw his name in the paper. 

 "Police beat ?" he wondered.

  He promised to bring me a CD, which he did.  

That one act of kindness and savvy marketing made all the difference...

I discovered that Gary played locally with Professor Louie.  I went to see the band  and loved them.

These are talented musicians,  "Google" them and you will know !

 They play a blend of blues and Americana and rock-n-roll.  The Cromatix are "Professor Louie" Aaron Hurwitz, Miss Marie Spinoza, Gary Burke, Frank Campbell and Josh Colow.
 Put them together and you get an unstoppable force of roots music.  You hear blues guitar,and accordion, snappy drumming, and distinctive piano style.  Combine this with soulful singing and honest lyrics and you can't go wrong.

Plus, their concerts are fun.  These are typically small venues, where people feel comfortable and get up and dance as the spirit moves them.  There is no pretentiousness here, the band hangs around during breaks

and after the show.  You feel more like you are at a family party than a formal show.

This is music at its best., real people sharing real emotions, with honesty and talent.

Thank you for that CD, Gary. It has made all the difference.

"I would pay cash money for these" Apple Pancakes

I love apples, and I love pancakes.  I have a good basic buttermilk pancake recipe that I have been using for years and I wanted to create a really good apple pancake. A real apple pancake with apples inside, not just a glumpy mass of apples dumped on top.  I played around with it a bit and this is what I came up with.  I don't make many dishes that I can say "I would pay for this at a restaurant"  but this is one of them.  Enjoy !

Ingredients

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1/2 cup white wheat flour ( I always use King Arthur Flour)

3/4 cup regular flour    

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 heaping tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil  

1 egg

2 tbsp apple butter (I use low sugar from Adam's, a local market)

1 apple, peeled and diced finely ( I do this right before I use it)

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Mix the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

In a small bowl or a 2 cup measure, mix the rest of the ingredients except for the apple.

Now peel and dice your apple, then mix it in with the dry ingredients in the large bowl, getting all the apples coated.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mix it until no sign of dry flour, a little lumpy is cool, you don't want to mix this to death !

Let the batter sit for a least 5 minutes to let the soda and buttermilk play, then make your pancakes in your normal fashion .

You might need to cook them just a bit longer than plain ones, as they are a little thick and you want to make sure that the 

apple is soft and cooked through.

<------  Simple, rustic looking and good !