ok ok ok, the masses have spoken ...

well like 3 people have asked me (one of them being my aunt sammie) why i have let the blog die, and i wanted to address that issue with all 14 of you who have ever opened this page; that includes you the creepy guy in japan!

i havent let this blog die at all, ive just been doing a really good job at neglecting it. its kind of like that house plant my mom got for me at the beginning of my senior year at college. that thing was a beast. it would grow and provide oxygen for us at rapid rates, then id go on a bender/vacation/work week/glass blowing tirade that would inevitably leave that plant seriously neglected. it would sit parched in its arid soil and naked showing only its trunk (ehh more like stalk) eeking out yelps for attention.

eventually i would snap out of whatever i was doing that was way more important and make it my job for the next month to nurse that baby back to health. I never threw it away/let it die off completely ... oh wait until i moved from college ...

maybe that wasnt the best metaphor.

eff it i want write more, so if youre looking to kill time in a cubical, checking on a friend from australia, searching for music, want interesting links, have ever wondered what its like to sell desserts for a living, pictures of food from around town then id invite you to come on back folks!

cheers,
hey steve

eating season is upon us ...

you have been under a rock for the past couple of weeks if you havent stumbled across one the 2010 eating guides/readers polls/best restaurant lists that have come out recently. this means only 1 thing. its time to get to the gym, eat small lunches, and pig out for dinner bc we have a lot of places to check out.

here is a short list of places where i can be found in the upcoming weeks (ill write about the worthy ones). if you want to join in discovering any of these places then just let me know.

'b', 'mary louise bistro', 'rosas grill', 'the dogwood', 'bluehill tavern', 'henningers', 'peters inn', and 'sams kid'


1st up is peters inn tonight!

2010 the musical juggernaut ... highlights so far

cycles are curious things. round and round. changes occur, we are denied things we like for times, and then as the cycle continues we are given an abundance of what we enjoy. think of the seasons. winter has come and smacked us around with hellish weather, but the sunshine of the 1st of march reminds us of what is to come.

the same can be said about the musical cycles. i dont want to totally discount 2k9 musically, but the glimpses of the early 2k10 musical sunshine is just too much for me to handle, and i am totally pumped for what else is to come.

very quickly here are groups/albums/videos of what you need to check out (no particular order):

yeasayer's album 'odd blood' is off to an early lead to make yearly top 10 lists. here is the official video for their single 'ambling alp'


continuing to embrace your inner weird, or rather your inner tech nerd dance pop enthusiast you need to check out the latest from the UK wonders, hot chip and their 2010 release 'one life stand'. here are links to 'hand me down your love' and a bbc recording of the title track, 'one life stand'.

staying digital, but moving from the dance floors to the clouds of esoteric brings us to german producer/dj pantha du prince. here is a cut off of his album 'black noise'. this has quickly become a very influential album in my musical evolution. its brought me to a new level of appreciation for composition, and had an instant effect on me similar to the 1st time i heard 'takk' by sigur ros.

going very indie and very local (baltimore) i have to say that this album is awesome! its the one i have listened to the most so far, and i think it is a very pretty (the kind of pretty that doesnt need make up) and very warm album. so please do yourself a favor and go grab 'teen dream' by http://www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic. im sure you have heard 'norway' at some point, but the album needs to be taken in as a whole. it can be perfect for a heartfelt moment, a cerebral break, a hung over saturday, or a long road trip with 3 friends.
here is the 1st track 'zebra':


other bands that have new albums that have helped make this an amazing 60 days of music include broken bells (not offically released until march 9, 2010), gorillaz (not released until March 8), memory tapes, and spoon to name a small handful.

i threw together a quick mix cd of the musical bouquet that has blossomed in 2k10. if you want a link to download the sampler let me know via facebook, email, or comment on here.

the big thaw ...

now that the sun is out, the bars are empty, and the roads are cleared our winter wonderland of make believe has given way to an icy and wet reality of a return back to normal trudger-ie.

hopefully this will be short lived since there just happens to be a MOBRODER show tonight at sonar. $10 to take in the sweaty, bass nasty, beat happy throw down of mc spank rock and dj hoff. if you like fun you need to be there. if you dont like fun please stay at home.

here is a little taste of what a spank rock side project can come up with ...

its been a while...

between work (trying to get folks to eat sweets after the holiday is difficult), having to purchase a new computer, and moving to my new location in the city i have been doing zippy blogging. i apologize.

so a quick note that i will be more active now and thats my february resolution. now that i have a computer i can talk to you about new music like broken bells, beach house, and yeasayer.

now that i live in the city i can talk to you about the local bar specials that exist, but very few folks know about like wednesday night half priced bottled german and belgium beers (hello delirium!) at the hudson street stackhouse, as well as the much heralded 12 buck rack of ribs at the gin mill on wednesdays. also i cant wait to talk about the out of the way places like piedegrotta and dipasquales while using the blog as an excuse for why i eat at these places all the time.

in other words keep checking back from time to time to see what i have been looking at, thinking about, listening to, and consuming ...

i need to see this ...

living in baltimore has its perks like natty bohs, cheap rent, the ottobar, and a new mayor in the beginning of february. but living in charm city has its draw backs for sure, and in terms of draw backs right behind our astronomical murder rate comes the fact that we are a secondary market for movie releases.

this means that when you read reviews online or in papers like the times or the post you get excited for a movie that you inevitably have to wait months to see. i am currently in this purgatory like situation with the new film, 'crazy heart'. i mean this movie looks like it has it all. the washed out boozed soaked troubadour who has seen it all, the dust covered southwest usa where tough life exists and soft stories permeate, robert fucking duval, and a soundtrack that has a new ryan bingham track! it seems like the pairing of bingham and bridges in this film is like a nice braised short rib and a smooth barolo.

i want to see this right now but i have to wait. and it kills me, but i think i can hold out for a little bit knowing that this oscar studded film will live up to its musical and theatrical hype ...

here is the trailer




and here is a taste of bingham ... 'tell my mother i miss her so' off of ryan bingham & the dead horses 'roadhouse sun'. also check out 'mescalito' one hell of an album

happy new year ... take 7:49 out of your day for this one

stumbled upon this the other day ... enjoy.