Monthly Archives: April 2018

Facebook Friends Must Hears or: Dale Cole

19 Thursday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

So, I’m doing this new thing. Yes, I gave out on the lists that I was going to listen to and I am still going to do vinyl albums that I’m listening to but I’ve called on my Facebook friends to give me five or six of their “must hear” albums. I’ve gotten quite a few entries, too. I figure I’ll do them by whoever sent them to me. I’m only reviewing things that weren’t on the RS list when I went through that.

The first one to give me a list was my buddy, Dale. So, here ya go, Dale. My take on your list (these are in no particular order):

  • The Dirty Boogie by Brian Setzer Orchestra. I love Brian Setzer. I didn’t always. I
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    liked some Stray Cats stuff, definitely. It took me a while to get into his rockabilly stuff. But as I progressed I got more into the big band/swing music, not just him but the whole genre. I love, too that he can take the blues aspect of stuff that I generally don’t care for and hide it, seamlessly in the swing grooves. Yes, I understand that blues is the basis of a lot of the stuff that I listen to. I can recognize it and acknowledge it and even like it. I think Brian Setzer stands above his swing contemporaries, Squirrel Nut Zippers (I know that’s sacrilege around here) and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, even though I do enjoy them, too. My least favorite song on the album is still a song that I like. That would be “Jump Jive an’ Wail” originally done by the late, great Louis Prima. I really dig the duet with Gwen Stefani, “You’re the Boss.” And, I like the revamp of “Rock this Town” but I like the Stray Cats version better. Overall, I really liked hearing this album and would welcome more Setzer into my listening life.

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  • Force It by UFO. Eugene introduced me to some UFO during his “Eugeology” list. A 20-year old Michael Schenker on this, writing good rocking songs and wailing on the guitar. Eddie Trunk gets on my nerves a lot but I know why he slobbers all over Mr. Schenker. Is the best? Nah, but he rocks and at so young an age. The album cover from Hipgnosis would be enough for my younger self to do nothing but stare. There are great rocking tunes and ballads as well. “High Flyer” is a really great song as is the opening tune, “Let It Roll” and “Love Lost Love.” Nothing bad to say about this record at all. I love Phil Mogg’s voice, too. Pete Way is a great bass player and as I said in the review for Strangers in the Night, his runs have a presence and are tasteful. I liked it a lot and I think Eugene would be proud of me for saying so, eh, Eug?

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  • The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1 by Otis Redding. In the RS list, I left out the compilations. As long as they don’t get out of hand, I’ll allow them on this list. Otis has a great voice and there are some great songs on here. And, as I talked about in the RS list, a lot, song-length can be important. I don’t like a lot of long songs, especially those that are long for the sake of being long. I think that’s my biggest problem with some prog rock. But, these songs are mostly under three minutes long and they get their point across. Lots of soul and expression, here. And, another beautiful thing is that he wrote or co-wrote most of the tunes himself. Some of my faves are his version of “Satisfaction,” “Mr. Pitiful,” “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song).”
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    Good stuff, here.

  • Still Alive and Well by Johnny Winter. Yeah, right off the bat, I’m getting that bluesy thing that I really don’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s very good at what he’s doing, I just don’t care about it. There’s a couple of Stones songs on there but that doesn’t really help. Then again, I’m not much on the Stones anyway. Produced by Rick Derringer and does have Todd Rundgren on it, too. Plus, it has a tune written by Dan Hartman. I’m just not much on it. Sorry, Dale.
  • Rampant by Nazareth. I had to go looking for this one. None of my streaming services had it so I had to go to YouTube. The first two
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    songs are good, but I really, really like “Loved and Lost” and “Shanghai’d in Shanghai.” Dan McCafferty’s voice is awesome on the soulful “Loved and Lost” and the whole song has a bit of a mystique to it that whisps you away as you listen. And “Shanghai’d” has Sweet-like qualities in its harmonies. I dig it. “Jet Lag,” however, loses me. I hate that boogie blues stuff. The rest of the album is okay but it doesn’t really move me. But, those two songs were really good. Great work from the bass player, Pete Agnew, who is the only remaining founding member and is the father of the current drummer for the band. I’d go with “meh.”

  • Making Movies by Dire Straits. I have gotten to where I can just sit and listen to Dire Straits, no matter the album. I love the “Rollergirl” story. I hear there’s a video but I think it was before my MTV days. I’ll go back and watch the video on YouTube or something. Usually, when I say that an album became background noise I mean
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    it in a bad way. But, for this album and really any Dire Straits album, it’s actually what I’d look for to play in the background for stuff that I’m doing otherwise. There’s enough story to really bring you in when you pay attention but the music is ethereal and genuine enough to be a soundtrack for a good writing session or meditation. This is a really good collection from Mark Knopfler. “Expresso Love” is pretty righteous, too. The keyboard/piano work of Roy Bittan is sprinkled all over this album. He’s really great with tasteful ivory work. He’s really good. The whole thing is solid and I hate that it took me so long to really, really get into Dire Straits. I really dug this.

  • Dale also included Kick Out the Jams by MC5, but I had already listened to that on the RS List. If you’d like to revisit what I wrote you can do that HERE.

So, now, a month or three since I asked for suggestions, I finally got through one. I started right away, but it’s just taken a while with my vinyl listening, podcasting, personal appearances, and cooking. None of which I’d trade, but I am glad to finally get one of these out.

And, I want to thank Dale for the list. I’m proud of myself in the fact that I gave it all a true shot and that I actually found some stuff that I liked and reaffirmed some stuff that I thought I would. Overall, a good list Dale. All this from my very warped sense of “good…” but I digress! Thanks again.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Well, this cat’s on a hot tin roof. Drinkin’ that whiskey, 96 proof. Don’t need no doctor, don’t feel no pain. My legs are just two steps ahead of my brain.” – “This Cat’s on a Hot Tin Roof” (Setzer)

A Unique Piggyback or: Sixth Second On

18 Wednesday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

Note: I liked what I wrote about this day last year so I just copied it and reposted. It’s hard to write this story without repeating myself so, why fight it? I want to bring attention to the fact that I’m still here to annoy you, Dear Reader. I am happy to be able to say that (that I’m still here).

It was five six years ago today that I received my “zipper.” Being at the hospital before the sun came up, getting shaved from neck to (literally) toe, seeing my family, having my (then) fiance – The BCPF – standing holding my hand and trying to keep a happy face, having my parents pray over me as I get wheeled through some ominous doors, being moved onto a mostly comfortable operating table and telling stupid jokes to the operating staff before I just blacked out counting back from 100. That’s how I remember it.

I groggily stirred with a breathing tube snaked through my gullet whilst hearing a nurse, whose name I believe was Sandy, talk to me and me nodding that I understood whatever it was she was saying to me. The BCPF came in to see me, touching me, stroking my hair (I still had a little bit). I’m not sure of the timeline, I was still very doped up on morphine at the time. Maybe some time passed, maybe it didn’t, but Ma Mère came into the recovery room and in a moment we will all talk about until we’re no longer here, she patted me on the left shoulder and said, “see, you really do have a heart.” At this point I pointed to “Sandy” and made a motion to bring me a writing utensil and something to write upon. In my continued, and glorious haze, I scribbled to my mother the following:

Leave the comedy to me!

I remember everyone laughing. My job was done, I went through another phase of “blacked out.” They had collapsed my lungs in order to get to my arteries and heart and whatever else they were doing with me and, as a lifelong asthmatic, my lungs and me have a long history of arguing. They weren’t wanting to cooperate and inflate so I could breathe on my own. So, recovery took a little longer than it should have. Then they wheeled me up to my own private room. I had to get up and sit in a chair. I asked for my phone and that’s when this selfie was taken:

Tim After Surgery

My son came in to see me, as did my family. I had put them all through a lot. They were tired, nervous, but happy that I was sitting there making stupid faces at them, I was alive. I had survived. Hand me my heart-shaped pillow and let me cough. There was no laying down for a while, that’s for sure. When I sat back, I could feel my chest shifting. After all, they did saw me in half. I didn’t lay down for about four weeks, actually. But, over time my strength came back and I was able to maneuver around like a real person.

On the way to that, though, I had people watching over me like a hawk. The BCPF made sure that someone was “on duty” with me the whole time, from my sister to my mother, her to her mother. Someone was always here. It got to where I had to fake needing to go to the bathroom just to go sit on the toilet lid and be by myself for a few minutes. I had some great friends bring me and my chaperones food. I can’t tell Chris and Ashley, Doug and Molly and Jerry and Jennifer how much I appreciate them doing that.

After this, though, The BCPF and I decided that we’re going to live. LIVE! And, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve been to Europe twice, the second a wedding/honeymoon expedition. We accompanied friends to Costa Rica. We went to Walt Disney World with my family. We have time with each other. We enjoy just about everything we do. We collect records, we eat really delicious food, we hang out with really terrific friends, we just love our lives.

I have to really thank The BCPF for everything, because if it
weren’t for her, making sure I take my meds regularly, eating right, doing what little exercise I’ll do, going to my doc appts, and just living the heck out of IMAG0150me, I wouldn’t be here today to write this. She didn’t sleep much that first week. When she did it was in my hospital bed. My boy is also a huge part of my life. He’s almost 15 16 so he’s testing my ticker a good bit, but I love that boy to no end. They together are truly my everything. To my family, thank you all for your support and being here for me. To my friends, you’re all my bedrocks. You’re the foundation that I build on. To The Beer Dads, Jon and Paul, thank you guys for traversing this weird ride with The BCPF and me in our quest for World Domination. To everyone. I love you. Just… I love you. To Dr. Bret Borchelt. Thank you for “fixing” me.

I was 41 when this happened. I’m 46 47 now. I have to at least make it to 82 for me to be satisfied with it. I have to say, in all sincerity, I would never want to go through this again. However, in the grand scheme of things, it was all worth it and really, for me, wasn’t all that terrible. I think my family and friends had it worse than I in this ordeal. I got taken care of, waited on and yes had to endure some pain, but it wasn’t too awful. I’m just glad we have hit the “magic number” (no not three in this case) of five six. That’s when the docs stop looking so closely at the procedure. I’m still here and other than being ridiculously fat, I feel great. So, all is well on this side of the world. I hope all of you have as wonderful a time as I do. Happy fifth sixth second birthday to me.

I talked to The BCPF this morning (2018) and inquired about her writing a post one year to recount the experience from her perspective. She said that would take time and she doesn’t have time right now, but one day. I may get her to do it and save it for when I need it. You can hear me talk more about it on The Less Desirables tonight.

Until tomorrow, still kickin’…
Scorp out!

—
“Open-heart surgery is now part of a typical life experience for many people. Folks talk casually about ‘having a stent put in,’ as if they had their tires rotated.” – Roger Ebert

Noodlin’ the Piggyback or: Shokunin Yo

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Food, Podcasting

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Salutations™!!

Today on The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast, Kelly and I talked with Josh Trusler from Shokunin Ramen that is coming to downtown WSNC later this year (hopefully). Hard to put a date on it because it is much later in the year and as we all know, in the restaurant biz, target dates are only that. But, we talked about the name, the food, the location and a lot of the local farms and farmers from which he’ll be getting stuff and we tried a little katsuobushi (traditionally, dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna, but these were some experiments from Josh). A cool thing all around. I know that ramen has been one of the biggest requests for restaurants downtown, or anywhere, really. Here it comes Winston, are you ready?

You can listen to this episode HERE.

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Homemade katsuobushi from Shokunin Ramen (we tried a couple of these)

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“At Shokunin, we not only wish to fill bellies with delicious food, but we also hope to help our service industry workers a go-to pre/post shift place for food and caffeine.” – Shokunin Ramen

Way Too Fast or: a Close Shave

16 Monday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

So, today was another milestone in the life of being the paternal unit of 3B. Next month is the biggest he’s done yet but right now we’ll talk about the first time he shaved. Yeah, I know it’s a little thing but to me, it’s a big deal.20180416_215626

He’s had to deal with spotty growth which is normal for a young man, but we’re going to get those splotchy spots filled in. Whilst at the store yesterday, we purchased him a Gillette razor and shaving gel. He was ready last night but I talked him into waiting until after his shower this morning.

The important part, I told him, was that you don’t move the razor sideways. Always with the grain and with the direction the blades face. He did okay. He was a little timid with the razor but he’ll get it. He wanted to leave a little on his chin and he wanted to keep his mustache, which is still a little thin, but it’s a start. I gave him some cooling gel to use afterward. He said it felt funny, tingly, but it looked good. There were a couple of spots he missed but, as I said, he’ll get it.

I was his age when I started shaving, using an electric razor. That never got me where I wanted and you can see where my beard is today and I couldn’t do that with an electric razor. Those are for when you are shaving everything, at least in my experience. I was in college before I used a real razor for the first time. I just wanted to get him started.

We’ll see when he does it again. I figure a few weeks or maybe even a month would be a good routine until the hair starts coming in thicker and more often. I have to shave every other day, he’s got a way to go for that. But, he’s shaving now…

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Every time I go and shave, I assume there’s someone else on the planet shaving. So I say, ‘I’m gonna go shave, too.'” – Mitch Hedberg

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 4/14/18

15 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by in Records, Silent Sunday

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Salutations™!!

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©Reprise

 

Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was warm but not hot, the humidity was quite low, the windows on “Annabelle” were all open, including the moonroof. The BCPF and I walked around Old Salem and visited with friends at the Cobblestone Farmers Market, at breakfast at Mary’s Gourmet Diner, visited Underdog Records, put together our new vinyl shelf, started the reorganization process (re-alphabetizing) of the “reset” which I’ll explain in a bit, early dinner at Willows Bistro and finished with a little get together with our very good friends. So, here’s the haul:

  • Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Life – This was still sealed from 1987. We listened to it but didn’t have time to post a Facebook or Instagram log about it. It was different but exactly the same. I would say a little less singer-songwriter and more just late 80s rock. NM.
  • Randy Newman – 12 Songs – #356 on the RS list. I found that I really dig some Randy Newman whilst listening to that song. He actually wrote a lot of stuff that other folk recorded; like “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” made more famous by Three Dog Night. VG++.
  • The Who – It’s Hard – Early 80s Who. The Who isn’t one of my favorite bands but I find myself wanting their stuff. It was a good price and it was available, so there you go. VG+.
  • Stan Getz – Another World – I have loved just about everything I have heard from Stan Getz, so here’s hoping that I like this 2xLP from the late 70s. VG+.
  • Bananarama – True Confessions – A mid-80s classic. This is the one with “Venus” on it. The BCPF made a comparison that Bananarama’s harmony style is a lot like the Spice Girls. I’d say that Bananarama was probably a direct influence. VG++.
  • Bananarama – Bananarama – This was their debut album featuring “Cruel Summer” and “Robert De Niro’s Waiting.” Haven’t listened to this one, yet. VG+.
  • Simon & Garfunkel – Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. – 1965 debut album of a little duo that is going to go places! One of my favorite S&G tunes is “Sound of Silence” and as The BCPF says, “Paul Simon is a genius.” Yeah, he is. VG.
  • Scorpions – Animal Magnetism – Wracking up on my Scorpions collection. The song “The Zoo” has always been a favorite of mine from this group. VG.
  • Stephen Stills – Stills – We can’t figure out whether Stephen Still is a huge football fan or if he just likes wearing the t-shirt “jerseys.” It seems like you see him in those a lot from the pics on albums and magazines and such from back in the 70s. $1 bin find in VG condition.
  • Humble Pie – Eat It – I have no Humble Pie albums and I’m not sure I’ve even ever heard a song by them. I am sure I have but I wouldn’t know what it was. This is a 2xLP that is part rock, part R&B covers, part acoustic, and live performances. So, I don’t know what to make of it. $1 bin find and in “good” condition.

Jonathan was gearing up for Record Store Day and he was a bit befuzzled but we made it a little better when we arrived at the shop with an iced coffee of some sort that Dana Moody of West End Coffeehouse sent for him. But, we are revving for Record Store Day, as well. We bought this brand new shelf and have started resorting our collection. We’re going to change our process, too.

We already do it alphabetically by artist/band first name because that’s the way Discogs does it and I want to be able to look in order to find them according to Discogs. We are taking the classical out and we’re going to separate that from the regular collection so they’re easier to find. We also keep the ones that we haven’t listened to separate but that part of the collection was becoming quite a stack. So, we decided that since there are two Record Store Days a year – a big one in April and a minor one in the fall (I think Black Friday) – those will be “reset” days. Anything that hadn’t been listened to gets inserted into “gen pop” of the collection. That gives us time to listen and if we haven’t then, oh well.

Visit the Record Store Day website and find out what is coming out next Saturday and go support your local record stores. These are exclusive to indie stores and these albums won’t be on Amazon or in the big box stores. You may find some stuff on eBay but it will most likely be marked up ridiculously. Jonathan has ordered a large sum of product for this event and he needs to unload it. That’s where you (and we) come in. Support local business and indie record store. Yeah, I know I said that already… it’s important.

And, I use Discogs to keep track of what I have, which that list has grown a lot. I have to look at it in the store to make sure I do or don’t have an album before I make duplicate purchases. It’s a fun resource. Try it! They do CDs, too.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls. And whispered in the sounds of silence.” – “The Sound of Silence” (Simon)

Sounds Like Saturday or: Leo Moracchioli

14 Saturday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

I usually don’t like that gutteral throat growl that metal uses but I didn’t mind it so much here (for the most part). The girl’s (Hannah Boultin) voice is nice. I love the original of this song and I have loved several covers of it. This is a pretty good rendition. So, enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“The wild dogs cry out in the night as they grow restless, longing for some solitary company. I know that I must do what’s right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti. I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become. It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do. I bless the rains down in Africa. Gonna take some time to do the things we never had.” – “Africa” (Porcaro/Paich/Wolf)

Retro Thinkin’ or: Wayback Machine Again

13 Friday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

Tonight, I used a reference to an advert from my teen years. The reason I used the reference is irrelevant but the reference was to Polaner’s All Fruit and it’s “please pass the jelly” ads.

So that got me to thinking of other ads from the 80s and 90s, heck even the 70s since I was watching a good bit of television at that point, too.

Of course, there were plenty of cereal commercials, toy commercials, and especially the Star Wars action figures and playsets. There were also commercials for Bubble Tape, beer (which I wasn’t necessarily old enough to imbibe with for most) like the “Less Filling/Tastes Great” and Bob Uecker Lite Beer from Miller commercials. Not Miller Lite which has pretty much taken over the beer but the original name of “Lite Beer from Miller.”

There were a lot of beer commercials, even before the wave of Spuds McKenzie, frogs,  and “The World’s Most Interesting Man” ads. I think the Clydesdales have been around in commercials for a while. Miller High Life has brought back their cool jingle: “If you’ve got the time we’ve got the beer, Miller beer.” But, let’s not forget, “Head for the mountains with Busch… beer.” Or, “Old Milwaukee tastes as good as its name.”

Ads were cooler back then. Not that I think badly of the adverts or marketing companies today, at least mostly, but that they’re lazy or just running out of ideas compared to the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s.

So, I ask you, Dear Reader, what are some of the best commercials, ads, jingles from your childhood or younger days (no need to go all the way back there). How about today? Are there ads these days that you’re particularly fond of?

I think my favorite advert currently is the “Ginger Man” character from Canada Dry Ginger Ale with Lemonade. It could help that I know the actor who plays him (or should I say that The BCPF is school chums with him) and he still comes and participates in their get-togethers. He’s a cool dude all around.

I look forward to your responses.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Are you ready to taste, Nirvana?” – Ginger Man

Extra Innings or: The Night With 3B

12 Thursday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

Okay, so, I’m admitting this is late because we had a long night. But, there’s nothing like going to a baseball game with your teenage son, just the two of you and it’s especially nice when the home team wins. It’s even nicer when it’s a memorable game.

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Scorp and 3B with a photobomber (I made sure she was in focus)

 

So, 3B and I cooked a little dinner and ran over to Underdog Records to try and catch Jonathan and go over to the game with him. We got there about 6:40p but I didn’t realize that he had closed early, around 5:15p and we went ahead and walked on to the BB&T Ballpark where the Winston-Salem Dash, a farm team for the Chicago White Sox, play their home games and this was their home opener.

That was only a few blocks but the trek was rough on this fat man. We got in the ballpark and made our way over to our seats but they were occupied. The folks in the seats looked kind of official so I had to ask an usher if I was reading the tix right or wrong. It turns out they were in our seats and moved down a bit.

The guy sitting next to me was the video analyst for the Carolina Mudcats (the team the Dash were playing tonight) and he logged every single pitch into his computer and had 8 video cameras total around the ballpark. It was interesting to watch him work. There were several guys in the area that were doing “scoring,” either on paper, on laptops or on tablets, and that too was cool to watch.

The game started and the first few innings were scoreless. The Dash struck first, though scoring one run before closing out the side. The Mudcats came back a few innings later and scored two runs. In the eighth, the Dash pulled off another run and it was tied. They had an opportunity to win in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded but a ground ball to short stopped that run.

In extra innings, there is a new rule in minor league baseball where they place a “pinch runner” on second base to increase the chances of there being a score. This is to try and keep the extra-inning games manageable and they seem to think this is how to help. I have mixed feelings about it, but I totally understand. I thought I had lost track of minutes off my life until the analytics guy explained to me what had happened. That’s only in the minors.

Later in the top of the 10th inning, a guy went to first on a count of 2-1. I thought he had been hit by a pitch but analytics guy told me about the new rule in MLB and the minors where if someone is going to intentionally walk the batter, they can just award him the base, he doesn’t have to take four pitches. I’m actually okay with that. It always bored me to tears when they would do the pitchouts.

In the bottom of the 11th, the Mudcats tried some trickery and had the ball in the second baseman’s glove and tagged the Dash’s pinch runner. But, because the ball wasn’t live they didn’t count that. The Dash had runners on at least third base and first but it may have been a “bases-loaded” situation. Anywhat, the pinch runner actually stole home and was safe. Bottom of the 11th, game over. Dash wins! The modest crowd came alive for that.

It was a great and exciting game. The first time I’ve ever seen a home steal in real life and really I don’t remember seeing it on a game I watched on TV, either. Not highlights but watching in real time. That was awesome. And, again, I got to share that with The Boy. We had fun. I saw several folks that I knew and had a warm beer whilst 3B had a cherry lemonade. I can’t wait to go back because I need a few ballpark dogs. We had already eaten so I didn’t have any this time. I will, though.

Yeah, being able to do that with my son is amazing. The dinner wasn’t too bad either. He is doing really good with that. We walked back to Underdog with Jonathan and used his restroom. We hung out for a little bit and then we had to come home and clean up the kitchen since we had to run out so quickly. So, that threw me back writing this. Again, sorry about that.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Joel Booker stole home to give Winston-Salem a 3-2, walk-off win over the Carolina Mudcats on Thursday night.” – Winston-Salem Dash website

Hulihe’e or: The Less Desirables Beer of the Week

11 Wednesday Apr 2018

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Salutations™!!

Bull’s Tavern, the Official Beer Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents Hulihe’e Rye IPA from Fonta Flora Brewery, The Less Desirables Beer of the Week.1beer

This is the beginning of a trend, I think. Danielle brought us some fantastic beer that you can’t get from anywhere else in Downtown WSNC. Bull’s Tavern, through a partnership with Gate City Growlers, gets access to a lot of brews that other places may not get to. That’s a bonus to having Danielle on the show.

Fonta Flora is in Morganton, NC (that’s in the mountains). They make great beers and this is one of them. We know that I’m not a big fan of IPAs but this is a rye IPA and it was different. I got some citrus notes (Citra Hops are prevalent), loved the cloudy golden color, loved the texture and body, and really the flavor was smooth, but bitter, but had a nice finish. The brew sits at 6.1% ABV.

BeerAdvocate has it at 4.24/5 (Exceptional) while Untappd has it at 4.11 caps out of 5. That’s really high for both of those.  Have you had it? What did you think? If you’ve not had it or just have a hankering for more, you need to head to Bull’s Tavern and grab your pint. Tune into this evening episode to hear what Danielle, Bethany, Shonna and I thought of the beer (I rated it 4.5, I think). You can listen right HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“That is a fine beverage.” – Matt H.

Cobblestone Piggyback or: Fair Market

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Food, Podcasting

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Salutations™!!

This week on The Man Who Ate the Town, Kelly and I talk about the Burke Street Food Truck Festival, the Cobblestone Farmers’ Market is back at Old Salem, Brookstown Business Center, and more!

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Cobblestone Farmers’ Market (©US News and World Report)

 

The Farmers’ Market is a big deal. It’s open during the winter months but not outside and this thing tends to just be a better experience when you can be outside. As I said in the podcast, don’t be afraid of ugly food. Ugly food is still delicious food. Heirloom tomatoes aren’t winning beauty contests but they taste so good!

You can listen to the podcast HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Absolutely love this Farmer’s Market, the location, the produce, the vendors and the people. So glad we went today, even with the rainy day we truly enjoyed it.” – Claire Whittum