everything you do is music: 03/01/2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Earl Scruggs, 1924-2012

Earl Scruggs, banjo pickin' pioneer who played with legendary bluegrass progenitor Bill Monore, and one half of Flatts and Scruggs as well as a principal member of The Foggy Mountain Boys, died this week.

I thought banjo always sounded as cool as this. It didn't until Earl Scruggs came along.

Thanks for the music Earl. Check out an article from the NY Times about his life here.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Music to My Beers

What came first beer or music? I know, it's a whole chicken and egg-type thing.

Not really, but on a serious note, beer does go nicely with music: an American light swill for the pre-show shotgun, a dark stout for a cold winter's night and some jazz on vinyl, a generously hopped full nose IPA for a bluegrass pick-a-thon, or a lemon infused summer wheat for flip-flops and Buffet (insert your favorite pairings here).

While a small handful of brewers have attempted to pair a band and a beer, see Lagunitas "Wilco Hotel Foxtrot" and the soon to be released MMMHop, by yes, you guessed it, no one has done as well representing music in the taste of yeast fermented grain better than Dogfish Head.

Bitches Brew, the first of three in their Music Seris so far, was created for the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis's seminal improvisational, electric jazz recording. The brew is "three threads of imperial stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root" coming in at 9.0% ABV and 38 IBU's. Dogfish founder Sam Calagione draws the comparison between the exploratory, genre crossing album and the Delaware brewers innovative spirit as "analog beer for the digital age".

Hellhound on My Ale was brewed specifically for last years 100th anniversary of blues legend Robert Johnson's birth, and is fittingly a Centennial dry-hopped ale at 10% ABV and 58 IBU's with some bold lemon notes that will make you feel like the devil socked you in the head and left you at the crossroads, but still totally worth the price of your soul (or your Sunday recovering from the hangover).

Faithfull Ale was brewed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of Ten, Pearl Jam's monster of a debut album and is a Belgian style golden ale brewed by adding black currants to the boil for a fruity deliciousness best enjoyed in flannel. Again from Calagione, "As an off-centered brewery, we believe in celebrating the breadth of our whole portfolio and we feel an affinity for Pearl Jam - a long-player band in a singles-obsessed world."

Please drink, and listen, responsibly.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Summer Fun: A Music Festival Guide

As winter wanes, and spring turns to summer, so to do thoughts turn to sunburns, hangovers and the stench of a thousand poorly maintained portable toilets. Yup, that means it's festival season again.

So get your coolers cleaned, your koozies zipped up and your over sized $5 sunglasses ready for long car rides, sleepless nights and silent discos all across this great nation, cause we've got every weekend of your summer planned out with our 2012 Music Festival Guide. Thank us in October when you rest up.....and shower.

Coachella Valley Musics and Arts Festival

April 13th - 15th (Weekend 1) / April 20th - 22nd (Weekend 2)

Empire Polo Grounds, Indio, CA

Headliners: The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop

Wanee Music Festival

April 19th - 22nd

Live Oak, FL

Headliners: The Allman Brothers Band, Furthur, Govt. Mule

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

April 27th - May 6

New Orleans, LA

Headliners: The Beach Boys, Tom Pettry and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Zac Brown Band, Eagles, Foo Fighters