Tag Archives: West End Coffeehouse

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/1/20

02 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by in Records, Spinning Sunday

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Salutations™!!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! The BCPF and I went to Penny Path yesterday to celebrate Imbolc (where pancakes are generally the tradition but we went with crêpes). Then we hit up our friend Carly’s shop, VibesUp Winston-Salem, then to Jim & Dana Moody’s West End Coffeehouse and grabbed some pies for today’s big game and we even saw Daniel Butner from Carrabba’s and Kandi and Lori from TBD/Pride WS. Then we headed to Underdog Records and grabbed just a few records. It was a full day of visiting. It was great and tiring all at once. Here’s the haul.

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©Warner Bros.

  • Depeche Mode – Exciter — I was excited to get this because, well, we love Depeche Mode in this house. But, really, while it was a good listen, it really didn’t thrill me. I didn’t hear anything that memorable. It is produced well, mixed well, written well. I just wasn’t moved by it. But, I’m glad I have it. New, remastered on 180g.
  • The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth — This album focuses on outcasts, recluses, the mentally ill, and others struggling in ordinary society. John Darnielle has a way with quirky, witty and funny lyrics (even if the subject matter isn’t always funny). It was a good listen. New.
  • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The Tourist — Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a musical project started by Alec Ounsworth. This album was independently released and is on a cool white vinyl. The songs were really well-written and the sonic quality was fantastic. It was a fun listen. EX/VG++.
  • Montrose  – Montrose — This was entry #11 from the Eugeneology/Hard Rock albums I did a few years back. You can read my review here. I’m interested in seeing if my views of it have changed because while I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t exactly like it. And, I said I probably wouldn’t listen again, but here we are. We’ll see. VG+.

It was a short-haul this week. That’s all we got. Underdog Records was jumping yesterday. The store was full and both The BCPF and I had to wait to get to the “Freshly Acquired” section of the used records. That rarely happens. Did you know that Underdog Records has two listening stations in the downstairs part of the store? You can sit on a comfy couch either in a darker, more intimate setting or sit by the window watching the creatures of Burke Street/West End shuffle through. You can do that and listen to just about any used record in the place. Also, you can grab a complimentary cup of coffee and have it whilst listening or if you ask nicely – and are over the age of 21 – you can get a complimentary brew of alcoholic nature. Yesterday I had a Natty Bo, a National Bohemian. Not my favorite beer at all but what the heck. It wasn’t anything that said “Bud” on it. Jonathan wants his store to be welcoming and comfortable to all and I believe he nails it. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear the TLD/UR special of the week. And, use Discogs to track your music collection, no matter the medium.

Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’ and GO CHIEFS!!…
Scorp out!

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“Do every stupid thing that makes you feel alive. Do every stupid thing to try to drive the dark away. Let people call you crazy for the choices that you make. Climb limits past the limits, jump in front of trains all day. And stay alive. Just stay alive.” – “Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1” (Darnielle)

Friend Friday or: Beers and Pies

20 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by in Friend Friday, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

Remember when you used to do the #FF on Twitter just a few years back? It stood forbulls-1 Follow Friday or Friend Friday (according to who you asked) and as far as I can tell, no one really does that any longer and whilst I’ll admit I was slack on that on Twitter, I will also say that Twitter isn’t my main social media platform and I just didn’t do it. But, I think it was a good idea and I’d like to pick that back up, except do it here on this blog.

I have a slew of friends that are interesting folks. They may have businesses, they may be musicians, they may just be eclectic as heck, whatever! I just think they need to be highlighted more because they bring awesomeness to the world and we’re lucky to have them here in WSNC.

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One of the best “waterin‘ holes” in WSNC is Bull’s Tavern. Danielle is a bad-arsed woman and she owns the only female-founded bar in downtown. Bull’s Tavern slings some fantastic bevies and have great drink specials and live music several times a week, usually Thursday through Saturday and the occasional Sunday.

The atmosphere in Bull’s Tavern is welcoming and comfortable. You get over 20 taps for brews and many of them are local- or NC-based. Mondays are half-price whiskey with Court, Tuesdays are half-off Tequila and Wednesdays are karaoke and $5 Titos. This weekend’s entertainment features a Very Hairy Christmas with Fruit Smoothie Trio tonight, Brothers Pearl tomorrow and Sunday is a very special Service Industry Christmas with ThreeFour Mountain. It’s all going to be fun and your drinks are guaranteed to be delicious. They’re located at 408 W Fourth Street and you should get on down there.

Full disclosure, Bull’s Tavern is the “Official Beer Sponsor” of The Less Desirables so I may get compensation from them, however, this is an honest and heartfelt (and was not asked to make it) recommendation.

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Dana Moody of West End Coffeehouse with one of her pies! (©W-SJournal)

My “Unsolicited Recommendation” is West End Coffeehouse, which is owned by my friends, Jim and Dana (pronounced Dan-ah) Moody. They started by buying out Cafe Prada and they took over the coffee shop and gelato operation and contrary to the stories of the previous owners, Jim and Dana made the shop a place people wanted to be.

Now, they still do gelato, espresso and coffee, but the (somewhat) new thing for Dana – and she kicks butt at it – is making pies. She calls herself the Feisty Pie Lady! She bakes a lot of pie goodness and the flavors aren’t ordinary. And, it’s not all big, full-sized pies. They have mini pies, they have muffins, they have brownies. They have delicious treats, to eat in or take home!

Unfortunately, I didn’t write this in time for you to get a Christmas pie order, but New Year’s coming and people like sweets for those parties, right? Right. No reason not to go to West End Coffeehouse. They’re located at 390 N Broad St (which is right up the street from Bull’s Tavern).

I hope you’ll visit my friends soon, not just Fridays, and help local businesses and local business owners and hey, you can get good beverages and delicious pies! Thanks for reading about my friends.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“West End Coffeehouse offers a relaxed, cozy environment with a little something for everyone!” – West End Coffeehouse

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!

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“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)

Documenting the Awesome or: Mike’s Week Revisited

09 Monday May 2016

Posted by in Food, Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

As you may know, because I talked about it on The Man Who Ate the Town food blog, the amazing restaurateurs and lovers of everything downtown WSNC came together the week of April 23-30 to support Mike Rothman, the owner of Skippy’s Hot Dogs in Winston-Salem, who is battling brain cancer. They sold 13,009 hot dogs (17 of which were consumed by me… yeah, I know, I know). They raised around $111,000. That’s an amazing feat.skippys

Yes, I know this is a food issue and I usually do those things first on TMWATT but this isn’t about the food so much, today. I was asked by Dana Moody, of West End Coffeehouse, to document the whole thing and prepare something to give to Mike as a commemoration of the week’s events. So, I went twice a day every day (except Thursday, I only went once) to film all the hard work each shift was doing, their volunteers, and the hungry and charitable folks that ate and donated to the cause.

I took an hour or so of footage and and then visited several of the restaurateurs to get private messages from them, directly to Mike. I was able to whittle that down to a video that was just over 23 minutes long. That’s a huge file. In order to get it to Mike, I decided to upload the video to YouTube as an unlisted video. You can only see it if you have the URL. My plan is to let Mike see it and if he deems it so, I’ll post it for the public’s eye. This is, first and foremost, Mike’s video and if he thinks it’s not something he wants put out there, then it won’t be made public.

I’m proud to have been part of the process and the event itself. I’m proud of my community. Thank you so much to those that participated, no matter your role.  Stay tuned and if Mike gives the go ahead, I’ll post the video. If not, I’ll just say, I was proud of it.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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““Restaurant people in this town are very supportive of each other. People don’t realize how special that is.” – Claire Calvin (in an interview with Winston-Salem Journal)