Deer Tick. Seriously Having Fun.

I knew we were in for an unusual show at Waterloo when a member of the band strolled in wearing a long red shirt (up close it looked like a modified bed sheet) with a giant yellow "A" on the front. Yes, Alvin, of Alvin and the Chipmunks was the look he was going for.

He played much of the show on his own, bringing up his band-mates to harmonize for a song or two at a time. When it was time for another guy to play guitar, Alvin just gave him his guitar. Aside from the one guitar, the only other instrument used was Alvin's harmonica. Somehow, this totally worked.

As they played, I was thinking their major influences were Springsteen and Steve Earle. Covers by the Boss, (Nebraska) and John Mellencamp (Authority Song, to close the set) somewhat supported this notion. The lead singer may have been drunk, or he may have just been in character(Drunken Chipmunk, I guess), but if he was, his performance did not suffer from it. He was funny, technically sound, and decent on vocals. He called his friends up to the stage with the lure of beer. As he put it, "Nothing tastes better right after you've brushed your teeth, than a cold beer." Their semi-gruff harmonies rounded off the edge of the songs they shared.

I ended up buying a CD, which is pretty good. Deer Tick, from Rhode Island, is traveling around in an old, short school bus with an atlas on the front dashboard, and some funny bumper stickers on the back. My favorite was their spin on a patriotic theme.

I did walk over to Amy's for a dark chocolate cup of ice cream with fresh strawberries mushed in. Yummmm. After beer and ice cream, it was time for dinner.

I went to Shoal Creek Saloon for a big bowl of Cajun gumbo. Duck, sausage and more in a dark roux. It was just cool enough to sit out back on their patio by the creek. Another good day in the Summer of Jay.

I think the strawberries in my ice cream may have been my only fruit or vegetable of the day. Oops. I'll have to try to do better today.

Peace,

JS4

What I Will, and Won't Do

The weather is taking it's toll. The other day we had a relatively cool, high temperature of 97. It was a welcome respite from 105 days that we have had otherwise. The "average" for these days is @ 94, so 97 was still up there.
There are things I will do, and things I won't do when it gets like this:

I will pay $7.00 to park downtown, right next to Manuel's, when we go there for happy hour appetizers and frozen margaritas.
I will not walk four blocks to get there, even if the parking is free.

I will get up as early as 6:00 to go run before it gets too hot. Mind you, it is already too hot at 6:00, but it's all we've got.
I will not run on a treadmill at the gym, because treadmills are horribly boring, like all stationary exercises.
I may have to amend this one once school starts, because at that point, it will still be hot, and 6:00 does not allow for enough time to get ready for work after a run.

I will return to the Daily Juice Cafe for "raw food" enchiladas, because good, cold food is a good idea on days like this.
I will not go to some restaurants without taking a long-sleeved shirt. I love air-conditioning almost as much as anybody, but in some places, the contrast between outdoor temps and indoor temps is just too much.

I will turn off the air-conditioning in the house first thing in the morning, and see how long we can go without turning it on in the afternoon. Right now, at 1:24, it is a pleasant 81 degrees under the ceiling fan, but it is warming fast.
I will not do this to the point of being uncomfortably hot. We have air-conditioning for a reason.

I will do outdoor chores, walk the dog, clean out the storage closet, etc.
I will not do any of these things after 10:30 A.M.

I will sadly miss out on some great live music.
I will not see Marcia Ball playing Blues on the Green for free. I'll miss any number of Unplugged at the Grove shows, and stuff at Republic Park. None will hurt like missing Marcia Ball bang out the blues on her piano, legs crossed and kicking to the rhythm.

I will not use the heat as an excuse for not going to Waterloo Records, for as much free music as I can get, and a Shiner or two to help cool down.
I will go there today, in fact, to see a band frighteningly, and unfortunately, named Deer Tick. I think they are going to be really good. Bloody good, if you will.

I may, or may not go to Amy's Ice Cream after the Deer Tick show, for a big frozen treat.
But I probably will.

Peace,

JS4

Undeniable Talent

Large crowds are seldom quiet for in-store performances, but it is not typical for a musician to go solo for a record release, as Sarah Jarosz did yesterday. The crowd was not just being polite, they wanted to hear every note that she played and sang. There has been plenty of local buzz about this 18-year-old from Wimberley, who has already played the Old Settlers Music Festival, and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Without a full band, there were only hints of Bluegrass, as she played four different instruments, including the banjo, and a big 8-string mandolin, that she referred to as an "octo-mando." Self-possessed and confident, she made it look easy, as though writing, recording, and performing all this music was as natural as breathing.

The Statesman called her perhaps the next Alison Krauss, but she reminded me more of Gillian Welch, without the overdone "Appalachian Orphan Girl" sound of Welch's early material. Per a request from Waterloo's owner, she closed with a cover of Gnarles Barkley's, "Crazy," which she nailed on the mandolin, and sang with the gusto of a recent high school graduate. Already talented beyond her years, the unlimited potential rolled off the stage with each note. She may never be a huge star, but she can always pursue the safe backup plan of a career as great musician.

Peace,

JS4

Birdies

I did some tree trimming a few weeks back, which revealed, but did not disturb, a birds nest. We had seen two broken, empty white egg shells shortly before that, but had seen no signs of the babies. From the couch, where I now blog, I have an unobstructed view of the nest out my front door. Last week, I noticed two tiny bird heads poking up, and I have been watching them as they have grown very quickly. I've taken a bunch of pictures of this little dove family, but most of the images were poor. At least in the shot below, you can see the mom and the head of one of the babies. By now, they are so big that their heads are almost as big as the mom's. They are not flying yet, but it has been fun to watch so far. I think Sydney has been watching them too, from the front window, a perfect viewing spot for an indoor cat.

Peace,

Jay

Waterloo

I know just enough about the band, The Cure, to know that I don't like their music. And if a band reminds me of what I think The Cure sounds like, I'm not inclined to think highly of them, either. New Roman Times is such a band. A four-piece, local group, they sang with floaty, fake British accents, to songs that all sounded the same to me. It may have also been the loudest in-store I have ever attended. There was not much of a crowd, so the noise, er, music took over the whole store. At least the bass player had interesting hair and a nice smile, and the beer line was short.
Some of the parents who brought their kids knew what to expect, volume-wise. Many of the youngsters were wearing head phones to shield them from the din. To be fair, some in the small crowd seemed to really like the band, especially the 3-5 year-olds. I like to see kids at live shows, as they enjoy the music in such an uninhibited way, and I applaud their parents for giving them a taste beyond traditional children's music.

Peace,

JS4

Burger Wars and Raw Food

I am a fan of Hillbert's burgers. Their no-frills, Burger-Chef-conveyor-belt-grilled burgers really hit the spot. The fries and a chocolate shake make for a filling, tasty lunch.I wrote about them last year(with a picture of the sign), after a visit to their Lamar Street location.
http://jaysummer4.blogspot.com/2008/06/3-lunches-and-in-store.html


Well, the P.Terry's people really wanted that location, across from the hospital and big lunch crowds. They offered the property owner a huge increase over what the Maldonado Family (owners of Hillbert's) was paying to lease the land. So it was good-bye to Hillbert's. By all accounts, the P.Terry's people are not evil; it was just business, and business in good on North Lamar. They tore down the old building, and put up their trendy-yet-retro new digs. I've liked P.Terry's when I've had burgers from their other location. It's good value for a quality, fresh burger. I have yet to eat at the new location, out of some sense of loyalty to Hillbert's.

The Maldanado's aren't naive about business, and they have two locations other than their new flagship store on North Burnet Road. I wasn't even sure where the new place was, but yellow is their color. I knew that if I drove north until I saw a garish (I write "garish" with the most positive of meanings) yellow building, I'd be in the right spot. I stepped inside, and it was just like visiting an old friend. The A/C works better in the new place, so you sweat a lot less. And the decor is like visiting an old friend who can't afford to upgrade the mustard yellow couch that they had in college. The burger and shake were as good as ever, but in a nod to "healthy eating," I passed on the fries.

A major upgrade has occurred at the corner of 45th and Duval. No longer a car repair place, it is the home of Daily Juice, which as you might guess from the name is a juice bar. Usually, I get my juice in a smoothy at home, or in canned concentrate from the HEB, and I like bars to have sudsy beverages on tap. But the Daily Juice is also a cafe, which drew me in for lunch last week.

Interestingly, they follow a style of food preparation that allows food to be heated to only @120 degrees. This is something I've heard called the " Raw Foods Movement." So cooked meat is out. It's all veggie and fresh, and served at room temperature. But it's not all cold sandwiches and salads. They have enchiladas which I'm dying to try, and tacos, and more that I can't recall. I had a taco with walnut chorizo - that's a fake chorizo created out of walnuts. I don't know how they do it, but it was awfully good; kinda spicy with guacamole, sprouts, and other fresh veggies.

As you can see, the exterior still has the look of an old gas station, but the interior is colorful, clean, youthfully hip. It sort of makes neighborhood favorite, "Mother's Cafe," look stodgy by comparison. Sometimes on the weekends, Daily Juice has what appear to be Hula Hoop Festivals on the patio/parking lot area. A fine addition to the neighborhood.

Hope you all had great 4th of July.

Peace,

JS4

Dexterity Skills

Joel Guzman was late starting his recent in-store, and it turned out he was waiting for his wife, Sarah Fox to arrive, because she gets co-billing on their new album. The beer line folks were growing impatient,too. He finally started without her, and she joined in after the second song. They played nearly a full hour set, which, honestly was a few songs longer than I needed of Conjunto music. Very talented, high energy and fun to watch, just not a style that holds me rapt for that long.

I have to confess that I genuinely like the accordian as an instrument. I think it gets a bad wrap, and is too often dismissed. Watching a skilled player is visually pleasing, and Joel Guzman, who often plays with Joe Ely, has a flashy accordian, and a physical style that is easy to appreciate.

On a different note entirely, I went to get a massage yesterday. I must say, that if you need a massage, and if you need attention in the hip and groin areas, it is best if you have a very professional masseuse, and one that your spouse has complete trust and faith in. Just sayin'.

Thanks for the gift certificate, Carrie. You're the best!

Peace,

JS4