Thirty-five years ago I discovered ska music – in particular, Two-Tone ska music. The Selecter was one of those Two-Tone bands who were my first real introduction to ska music. As far as I know they never played Seattle – not since I’ve known of them. Really, they’ve barely set foot on US soil. Though …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~nasturtiums add color and a little taste of black pepper to your food. The leaves, flowers and seeds are edible. I have not eaten the seeds, but I have been told you can pickle them to substitute for capers. There is nothing tricky about eating nasturtiums you can eat them …
In July 2014, I had the privilege of visiting Charlottesville, VA to see Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the University of Virginia. I remember the visit fondly, but now my memory has to take into account the events of this past weekend. I attach these photos to remind myself that, in more peaceful times, it is …
Last Thursday evening, courtesy of a generous friend in the right place, I had the privilege of seeing the Oakland A’s three rows up from home plate. I’ve had some good seats in the past, but nothing nearly as up close and personal with major league ball players as this. The seats, in what is …
The sonic fireworks for this song start at 1:02. Be sure to stick with it at least that far. The Blow’s new album, Brand New Abyss, is a lightning rod. A wild assembly of frequencies produced out of a thrust of electroacoustic punk energy, the album is a search for a new sound of rebellion …
Last weekend my wife and I went to Northwestern University to attend the musical, Tommy, by The Who. Undergraduate students performed with a nine piece band, including a french horn. I retrieved my Tommy album upon return to the abode to check the liner notes. John Entwistle is credited with the horn playing. And then …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~ Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) are not a berry you pick and pop in your mouth. While birds can eat elderberry off the bush, it is best for us humans to remove the seed and heat it up a bit before eating them. I pick them when the cluster droops. Harvesting …
After spending the fifth and sixth of August watching the Blue Angels fly, I ended the weekend with yet another trip to El Corazon. This time it was to see a group called the Bombpops. This quartet from Ocean City, CA, has two very charming young women fronting the band. They shared lead vocals and …
On the night of August third I ventured out to one of my favorite haunts, El Corazon. This time it was a hard core punk show with He Is Legend headlining. He Is Legend is a five-piece from Wilmington, NC with lots of hair. They are fronted by the very energetic and dynamic Schuylar Croom. …
Great Politico podcast on the current catastrophe in Venezuela, which has flown under the radar a bit with all of the other international noise going on. You know things are bad when, as a journalist, you get picked up by the secret police and regard the situation with relief. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/07/democracy-die-venezuela-implosion-hannah-dreier-215467 – Chuck Strom
I am not going to lie to you. I have listened to ‘Peace Like A River’ seven times tonight. This song is so beautiful it’s cutting me. “You can beat us with wires, you can beat us with chains, you can run out your rules, but you know can’t outrun the history train” This song …
The Colin Kaepernick story is one of the most fascinating stories of our generation. Most people didn’t even realize he was part African American until the media promoted his heartwarming adoption story, which explained why his parents were not Sicilian or Latin. Once he switched out his dooshy baseball flat brimmed cap and grew his …
It was a warm Saturday night when I ventured out to a place I’d never been before called Pono Ranch. Nestled under the Ballard Bridge on the north side of Seattle’s Ship Canal (a canal that separates north and south Seattle). This time I was taking in some more ska/reggae put forth by Seattle’s Yogoman …
Robyn Hitchcock, Robyn Hitchcock (Yep Roc) Is it possible that, at the midpoint of his seventh decade, Robyn Hitchcock has delivered his finest album? Certainly, it is his strongest sounding work in decades. Taking nothing away from his excellent past collaborations with Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Peter Buck, and Scott McCaughey, much credit here must …
Eating from your yard tip~what to do with the glorious glut of tomatoes? Tomatoes are in most dishes we prepare, but after you have eaten your fill of fresh tomatoes on your BLTs, in bruschetta, sliced tomatoes served with basil and balsamic vinegar or put them in your egg casseroles, green and pasta salads etc …
My niece and I recently attended the double header soccer game of the national women’s teams, Japan vs Brazil then US vs Australia. It was interesting to watch the game between Avani, my nine-year-old niece who, like many in the stadium, is a big Alex Morgan fan, and a pair of serious women soccer fans, …
This interview speaks for itself, other than to confirm that, yes, this is Donald Trump’s communications director. http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon – Vino Knight-Trane
Just listened to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends. So many things anachronistic about the activity — 1967 album, listening to a whole album, actually was an LP I digitized. And I’m not the first to observe the weirdness of Paul Simon, who sings “how terribly strange to be 70” being over 70 now. I think Simon …
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which depicts the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in May 1940 from France, is a visual and auditory masterpiece, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Starting from the opening moments, with only the barest of credits to initiate the proceedings, the audience endures just under two hours of virtually …
Each year we host Garlic Nosh to celebrate the glorious garlic harvest! The reigning champion is Sharon T. Ohmberger’s gluten free chocolate chip cookies! On the same sweet note Jenny Carver created some fabulous garlic ice cream. Slacker Dave dipped garlic cloves in chocolate and I think it was Judy Easley Shutts who took it …
Behold the latest from Simon Chong. He describes this fanciful romp thusly: “Bob’s Burgers has crossed over to Archer, but I wondered what’d happen if Archer were to take a trip to Bob’s Burgers. 7 months of animating, illustrating and plucking dialogue from both shows later, here’s the result.”
The year 1967 saw some amazing creativity. The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, and the greatest 45 RPM record of all time, “Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane.” The Moody Blues fused rock and classical music in their influential Days of Future Passed. Jimi Hendrix burst onto the scene with his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival and release …
President Trump unveiled his budget in May. As a candidate, Mr. Trump promised to protect entitlement programs, claiming he has a “big heart.” Guess what? Trump’s budget is irresponsible and unethical by putting the most vulnerable at risk of significant health and financial problems for the benefit of putting more money into the pockets of …
Just talking to a friend about seeing “Dunkirk” tomorrow night. “Reserved seats,” he says. Maybe $18, he says. Is there going to be a merch table, I wonder, where I can purchase a tour t-shirt, maybe a sticker. Take solace in this fact, my friends: Life will never be better than it is right now. …
GTO Orion Anderson – Guitar | Cale Wilcox – Bass | Timmy Conroy – Keys/Vocals | Harald Bell – Drums | Sean Jensen – Saxophone | Colin Pulkrabek – Trombone MONKEY CURTIS “Curtron” MEACHAM – Guitar/Vox MICAH “MC Brown Crown” TURNEY – Drums AADITH “Fishbone Army” SRINIVASAN – Bass DUSTIN “El Duece” JAMES – T-bone/keys …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~In 2012 rose was the herb of the year. So our local herb society had a speaker come in from the rose society to talk about roses. It quickly became apparent that while rose society people strive to grow the perfect rose, herb society people were more interested in how …
Long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans were finally granted a reprieve in 2016. The Cubs’ World Series victory — considered by many baseball watchers as one of the greatest World Series ever played — was the sweetest gift that the beautiful but troubled City of Big Shoulders could have received last year. As a life-long Cubs fan, …
Eating from your yard tip ~ Lemon balm aka Melissa crushed in your hand and left in a pitcher of water overnight in the refrigerator makes a lovely mother’s little helper tea to calm and brighten the mood of both mother and child. Chop up fresh lemon balm to add to your green or fruit …
I don’t know how it took me so long to find this, but now that it’s here I’ve been repeating it ad infinitum. It’s fantastic. Beirut-born Maysa Karaa has got to be one of the greatest Arabic language singers of all time, at least among American classic rock fans. Karaa has created an exquisite, exotic …
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~Purslane has more omega 3 than any other leafy green. Look no further than the crack in your sidewalk to find purslane thriving. While many Americans view purslane as a lowly weed, purslane is eaten all over the world. It is baked in bread, pickled and added to soups, stews …