Monday, December 30, 2013
The Steeldrivers, Station Inn, Nashville, TN - 05/10/2013
My wife and I took her parents to see the Steeldrivers and arrived at the Station Inn about 45 minutes before 9 PM. Already, we could scarcely find space, so those of us who could sit did while some of us stood up at the back. But they were great, and seeing shows at the Station Inn, while a bit of a pain in the neck in terms of needing to get there early, etc., is very special. They played a long, great set, and we stayed through the whole show. Worth checking out ...
The Men w/ Diarrhea Planet and Organs, The Stone Fox, Nashville, TN - 04/30/2013
My buddy and I headed over to the Stone Fox for this one (great venue) with high hopes. I really loved Open Your Heart and was excited to see the Men. Openers Diarrhea Planet were shockingly good and a lot of fun with a pretty full house for their set. The Men were very, um, intense, but it just wasn't a very "on" night. I also think that this is a show that I would have loved at a younger age but just wasn't up my alley. We left after about 6 songs, just not feeling it. And it was loud. Alas ...
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds w/ Sharon Van Etten, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN - 03/16/2013
Finally getting things updated before the end of the year. Ugh. So this was a winner, definitely top 2 or 3 shows that I saw this year. Sharon Van Etten was very stripped down, didn't do any older songs that I knew like "Peace Sign" or "A Crime," but sounded great.
But Nick Cave blew the doors off the place. No photos from this one. The Ryman was packed (this sold out in an hour or so), and people were losing their minds when he launched into "From Her to Eternity" and the other older stuff that came after. Certain songs were as good as you'd imagine ... "Red Right Hand," "The Mercy Seat," etc. Some of the new stuff really came off well, too. He's still got it ...
We No Who U R
Jubilee Street
Wide Lovely Eyes
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
Stranger Than Kindness
Jack the Ripper
Deanna
Your Funeral... My Trial
God Is in the House
The Weeping Song
The Mercy Seat
Stagger Lee
Encore:
Tupelo
Push the Sky Away
But Nick Cave blew the doors off the place. No photos from this one. The Ryman was packed (this sold out in an hour or so), and people were losing their minds when he launched into "From Her to Eternity" and the other older stuff that came after. Certain songs were as good as you'd imagine ... "Red Right Hand," "The Mercy Seat," etc. Some of the new stuff really came off well, too. He's still got it ...
We No Who U R
Jubilee Street
Wide Lovely Eyes
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
Stranger Than Kindness
Jack the Ripper
Deanna
Your Funeral... My Trial
God Is in the House
The Weeping Song
The Mercy Seat
Stagger Lee
Encore:
Tupelo
Push the Sky Away
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Trip to Germany, 03/2013
The wife and I spent two weeks traveling around Germany (Wuerzburg, Munich, Bamberg, Berlin and Frankfurt/Cologne) in the first half of March, 2013. It was pretty awesome. I'm going to try to put some pictures and random thoughts from that time up here rather than necessarily an exhaustive rundown of the trip, though it might turn into that if I'm not careful. Just getting the ball rolling here for now ...
Menomena, Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN - 02/23/2013
I had not seen Menomena since All Tomorrow's Parties a few years prior when they were still a three-piece. Some pals and I made a last minute decision of sorts to check this out. The expanded four-piece was a bit more rocking and certainly tighter. I really have not kept up with this band since their debut album, so I was really only familiar with "Muscle N' Flo" (which was pretty dang spot on) and "The Pelican" (which is great live). It was a fun time, and they sounded really great. Just not a band that I make a huge soul connection with.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Exit/In, Nashville, TN - 01/26/2013
Some friends, the wife and I went to check out the JSBX, choosing it over Yo La Tengo as it had a higher potential for being pretty rocking. And rocking it was ... a lot of big hits, including "Bellbottoms," "Two Kindsa Love," and "Flavor" (with Judah Bauer doing Beck's rap toward the end). I saw the JSBX on the Orange tour back in 1995 or so at Rockafella's in Columbia, SC. That show was legendary. They've certainly aged a bit, though they can really bring it/channel it pretty dang well. Not life-altering, but a fun way to spend a Saturday night.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Trip to Chicago, IL - 01/18-20/2013
This is a food-related post, so prepare thyself. The wife and I (but mainly me) decided to take a quick weekend jaunt to Chicago for some good food and time away together. I had been dying to eat at Alinea for a while now, especially after we had taken a trip to Napa during which I was sick for the vast majority of the time. We barely made our flight out of Nashville but make it we did and were in the Windy City by Friday evening.
After getting squared away at the hotel and having a cocktail at Sable, we took the L up to Alinea, walking through a nondescript but modern exterior into a crazy anteroom with weird jungle sounds and pine trees with heavy pine fragrance. We found our way into the lobby, had our coats taken and were given the first course (hot chocolate) on the menu seen below:
Keep in mind, we were not given a menu until after the meal was over, so everything was a surprise, though I knew a few things that were certain to be coming out. The hot chocolate was kind of amazing, for what it's worth.
We were seated on the first floor near a front window which was fairly soundproofed and opted to go with the wine pairings (which are also listed on the menu). The next things that came out were large (bigger than a softball) ice chunks with a column cut down the center into which a reduction of spices were sitting. A clear straw with squash and other flavorings were then added, and one sucked the whole thing up in one big sip:
We were loving this by now and starting to go with the flow. We followed the "butternut" with the three seafood items (oyster leaf, sea urchin, lobster) served on a huge piece of actual driftwood - bonkers, but delicious:
I know I may end up missing a course or two, as it was kind of overwhelming at times, plus I didn't want to just be snapping photos nonstop during such an experience. The "otoro" was also very memorable, served in a fishbowl with a zesty lime-based addition:
A refreshing bite of halibut was brought out while rocks were flaming on the table for an as yet unknown reason:
The "maitake" was an amazing broth poured over hot rocks. I think I was pretty close to licking the bowl ... tough to explain or photograph, but exquisite to taste:
I did not get an actual photo of the "hot potato" dish, but it is an Alinea signature that has been photographed many times. It tastes more beautiful than it looks, if that's possible (photo from www.seductionmeals.com - yes, that's really the website's name):
The lamb dish (fish for the wife) was described by the waiter as a "choose your own adventure" course, and 84 different flavor combinations were placed in the middle of the table for mixing and matching with the meat/fish:
A pork dish (not sure what the wife's was ... maybe fish again?) was next and seemed almost superfluous after the adventure that had preceded it:
A palette cleansing ginger selection came next, which was fun and airy:
The desserts were amazing, possibly surpassing some of the magic that we had just enjoyed. First was the "carrot" dish, which was a combination of ice cream and honey with a warm tea in an inset fishbowl at the bottom of the serving platter:
Next was "balloon," a green apple, fruit roll-up type of thing filled with helium. It was kind of incredible and completely, including the string, edible:
Lastly was another Alinea signature, the "dark chocolate." They bring out a covering mat for the table:
Then they spoon out different toppings all over the mat and follow this with a coconut-sized ball of chocolate with all kinds of crazy fillings inside, which they mallet open on the table:
You eat it right off the table. It was the coolest. It was after midnight when we had finished our meal. We received our menus in a black envelope at the conclusion of the meal. They seemed pretty shocked that we declined a cab and took the L, but that's how we roll.
We started the next day with some very good food and excellent beers at Revolution Brewing, which I highly recommend for eating and drinking. Dinner was at the Publican, a Belgian-style beer and seafood mecca that was outstanding. I was able to try Three Floyds' Zombie Dust for the first time (nice!) and had an excellent seafood stew as well as a ham sampler that was outstanding:
We also saw them bringing out a seafood tower (though we certainly did not order quite this much goodness):
We capped Saturday night off with a performance of The Book of Mormon, which was hilarious and quite ribald.
Sunday included minimal running around, as we had to catch our flight home midday, but lo and behold, we got on the L (red line at Grant/State) and ran into the two leads from the night before, Nic Rouleau and Ben Platt. They were very gracious and let us grab a photo:
A trip (and a meal) worth documenting ...
After getting squared away at the hotel and having a cocktail at Sable, we took the L up to Alinea, walking through a nondescript but modern exterior into a crazy anteroom with weird jungle sounds and pine trees with heavy pine fragrance. We found our way into the lobby, had our coats taken and were given the first course (hot chocolate) on the menu seen below:
Keep in mind, we were not given a menu until after the meal was over, so everything was a surprise, though I knew a few things that were certain to be coming out. The hot chocolate was kind of amazing, for what it's worth.
We were seated on the first floor near a front window which was fairly soundproofed and opted to go with the wine pairings (which are also listed on the menu). The next things that came out were large (bigger than a softball) ice chunks with a column cut down the center into which a reduction of spices were sitting. A clear straw with squash and other flavorings were then added, and one sucked the whole thing up in one big sip:
We were loving this by now and starting to go with the flow. We followed the "butternut" with the three seafood items (oyster leaf, sea urchin, lobster) served on a huge piece of actual driftwood - bonkers, but delicious:
I know I may end up missing a course or two, as it was kind of overwhelming at times, plus I didn't want to just be snapping photos nonstop during such an experience. The "otoro" was also very memorable, served in a fishbowl with a zesty lime-based addition:
A refreshing bite of halibut was brought out while rocks were flaming on the table for an as yet unknown reason:
The "maitake" was an amazing broth poured over hot rocks. I think I was pretty close to licking the bowl ... tough to explain or photograph, but exquisite to taste:
I did not get an actual photo of the "hot potato" dish, but it is an Alinea signature that has been photographed many times. It tastes more beautiful than it looks, if that's possible (photo from www.seductionmeals.com - yes, that's really the website's name):
The lamb dish (fish for the wife) was described by the waiter as a "choose your own adventure" course, and 84 different flavor combinations were placed in the middle of the table for mixing and matching with the meat/fish:
A pork dish (not sure what the wife's was ... maybe fish again?) was next and seemed almost superfluous after the adventure that had preceded it:
A palette cleansing ginger selection came next, which was fun and airy:
The desserts were amazing, possibly surpassing some of the magic that we had just enjoyed. First was the "carrot" dish, which was a combination of ice cream and honey with a warm tea in an inset fishbowl at the bottom of the serving platter:
Next was "balloon," a green apple, fruit roll-up type of thing filled with helium. It was kind of incredible and completely, including the string, edible:
Lastly was another Alinea signature, the "dark chocolate." They bring out a covering mat for the table:
Then they spoon out different toppings all over the mat and follow this with a coconut-sized ball of chocolate with all kinds of crazy fillings inside, which they mallet open on the table:
You eat it right off the table. It was the coolest. It was after midnight when we had finished our meal. We received our menus in a black envelope at the conclusion of the meal. They seemed pretty shocked that we declined a cab and took the L, but that's how we roll.
We started the next day with some very good food and excellent beers at Revolution Brewing, which I highly recommend for eating and drinking. Dinner was at the Publican, a Belgian-style beer and seafood mecca that was outstanding. I was able to try Three Floyds' Zombie Dust for the first time (nice!) and had an excellent seafood stew as well as a ham sampler that was outstanding:
We also saw them bringing out a seafood tower (though we certainly did not order quite this much goodness):
We capped Saturday night off with a performance of The Book of Mormon, which was hilarious and quite ribald.
Sunday included minimal running around, as we had to catch our flight home midday, but lo and behold, we got on the L (red line at Grant/State) and ran into the two leads from the night before, Nic Rouleau and Ben Platt. They were very gracious and let us grab a photo:
A trip (and a meal) worth documenting ...
The Del McCoury Band w/ Keller Williams, Marathon Music Works, Nashville, TN - 12/31/2012
I don't have a ton to say about this one but am including it for the sake of completeness. The wife and I decided to do something different for New Year's and had been wanting to see Del McCoury for some time. We arrived fairly early and quickly noticed the strange generational split between older, long time fans, most of whom were in the seated section of the club on the left, and the younger, hippy-vibe fans who were standing on the right. Not totally what I expected.
Keller Williams came out and did his thing, opening with a song of his that I actually know ("Breathe") and doing some cool Dead covers including "Cumberland Blues" and "Bird Song." The latent Deadhead in me loved it.
Then the full Del McCoury Band came out and just tore it up. It was pretty non-stop but, being as it was a long set, kind of loose by bluegrass standards with a lot of request taking and things of that nature. The sound wasn't that great, which can be such a killer at a bluegrass show. We were probably there for almost 3 hours and then decided to head home before the show was over, mainly because we are old and can't hang anymore. Fun time ...
Keller Williams came out and did his thing, opening with a song of his that I actually know ("Breathe") and doing some cool Dead covers including "Cumberland Blues" and "Bird Song." The latent Deadhead in me loved it.
Then the full Del McCoury Band came out and just tore it up. It was pretty non-stop but, being as it was a long set, kind of loose by bluegrass standards with a lot of request taking and things of that nature. The sound wasn't that great, which can be such a killer at a bluegrass show. We were probably there for almost 3 hours and then decided to head home before the show was over, mainly because we are old and can't hang anymore. Fun time ...
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