A good pumpkin ale and the story of the "Golden Guitar"

10/29/10

beeradvocate.com rating- n/a

St. Ambroise Great Pumpkin Ale- New Beer Distributors, Chrystie Street New York, NY-12 oz. bottle into Pub Glass- 5% ABV. A nice cool, autumn Friday and my third pumpkin brew. It was a bit warm this week but fall weather returned today finally. I feel cheated when fall days are too warm. There was no rating for this beer on beeradvocate.com. Its from a brewery in Montreal, Canada. Nice brown color with hints of red. Nice and fluffy, one and half finger head. Not much retention or lacing going on. This beer has a nice pumpkiny smell and not as cloying as the Southern Tier which bordered on potpourri. Mild pumpkin aroma and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Medium bodied mouth feel, smooth. Carbonation is pretty light, just a bit of fizz, which is nice because it lets the taste profile come up front. This beer is real good. I have to say its probably my favorite of the pumpkin beers I have tried which is ironic since I have tasted two of the highest rated pumpkin beers out there (Southern Tier and Dogfish). I could actually see myself sitting back and drinking a couple of these fairly easily which I can't say I would like to do with the others! Just enough flavor to remind you this is a pumpkin beer but not so much it makes you feel like you are drinking a "flavored" beer. Cheers to the St. Ambroise Great Pumpkin Ale, well done.

I have been asked by friends what I like about old country music. I often have a hard time telling them exactly what it is that attracted me to this music in the first place. I didn’t grow up in the south; I’ve lived in NY my whole life. I grew up listening to classic rock, alternative, metal and rap. I don’t even know anyone who likes this style of music. And yet I am compelled to seek out this music more so now than ever before. My original introduction to “country music was Johnny Cash particularly A Boy Named Sue and Sunday Morning Coming Down. Following that introduction I read about the guitar player Chet Atkins in a guitar magazine. Thus the two components of country music which most appeal to me, the instrumentation and the storytelling, were discovered and I have been looking for different records and artist ever since. An additional element of country records which appealed to me was that being in NYC most people aren’t looking for them so when I came across them they were fairly if not completely cheap. Fundamentally, like soul/R&B records from the 50’s and 60’s, country records of the 50’s and 60’s were consistent in both production and style. In a sense if you liked one record by one artist you would like another artist who may be unknown to you but was on a particular record label or came from a geographically similar area. Much like hip hop producers who look record labels and at the back of album covers and become familiar with certain session musicians the same can be done with country records from the 50’s and 60’s. This helped me when I started buying country records because, beyond reading magazines or books, I had no one to advise me on which artists to buy and/or what to look for as far as labels are concerned.

This brings us to this week’s record The Greatest Hits of – Bill Anderson aka Whispering Bill Anderson. This LP was released in 1967 and is a compilation of his Decca Recordings dating back to 1962. A very popular singer and songwriter from the 60’s through the 70’s who is known for his intimate, smooth vocal style and his knack for spoken-word, “story” songs. Mr. Anderson was also an excellent songwriter represented on this LP with Bright Lights and Country Music, Three A.M and I Love You Drops. Golden Guitar is a great example of why I have gravitated towards country music. I found this record at the WFMU record fair last weekend. It was a fairly productive fair for me. I went in looking for country records because my regular spots have not had too much lately and I have been buying mostly “rock” records lately. After making a round or to through the fair doing surveillance I was not finding a whole lot that met my buying criteria. Originally I ignored a couple of tables, by the WFMU organizers, of dollar records of which I assumed would be filled with Barbara Streisand and Woody Herman. I decide to take a look and I actually found quite a few pretty good country records. Nothing on my small list of wants but all stuff I didn’t have and actually a few records which are probably worth at least more than the dollar I spent on them.

Finally I chose this record to list to for one reason a song called “Golden Guitar” when I saw this name on the back of the album I figured it would a sappy little number or possibly a little instrumental ditty. I was wrong! I was listening to this record the other night when I finally got some time to review and listen to some of my finds and the last song on Side B of this record was “Golden Guitar” at first I didn’t take too much notice because I was cleaning up the living room while I listening but the line “I could tell you quite a story friend if you'd care to buy me a drink” caught my attention. I sat down and moved the needle back to the beginning of the groove. What followed was a story of a guitar hung above a bar “neck was set with diamonds “and “six keys of solid gold” and the man who asked for the drink told him he would tell him the story of the guitar if he bought him a drink. In short the guitar player returned from the Great War blinded and his friends bought him a guitar. He mastered the guitar and finally was invited to play the Grand Old Opry. The storyteller volunteers to drive him from Shreveport to Nashville but on the way the car gets hit by the train and the guitar man goes to the hospital. The Doctor tells him “you're lucky son it was just your arm it could have been your life” but the storyteller tells us “but he died that night life just demanded more than he could give.” The last verse tells of the guitar man playing in heaven and that the owner of the guitar was in actuality the storyteller’s son!!! I was genuinely surprised by this song and the clever turns the narrative took. Also the delivery in the spoken word style Mr. Anderson was known for was really well suited and heightened the songs dramatic effect which might have been lost if it was sung in a traditional style. “Golden Guitars” is a great example of the creativity often ignored in country music and a story which will inspire me to seek out more songs which are unknown to me but flesh out a new perspective.

*Footnote*- the writer of this “Golden Guitar” was not Bill Anderson. This song according to lpdiscography.com, a great country record discography and resource, the song was penned by Curtis Leach and Betty Gary. I could not find any information on Betty Gary but Curtiss Leach sounded like an interesting character. Please visit http://www.hillbilly-music.com for more information on Mr. Leach who died as a result of a knife wound on December 14, 1965 in Mesquite, Texas.

Oh, so I drank one, it became four And when I fell on the floor, I drank more...

10/21/10

beeradvocate.com rating- A-

Stone Brewery Smoked Porter-Community Beverage, Queens, NY- 22 OZ. bomber into Pub Glass- 5.9% ABV- Dark, dark brown but not quite black. Head was 2 fingers with strong retention with a deep butterscotch color. Pretty thick lacing. I smell roasted coffee in this porter. The body was lighter bodied than I expected but definitely more of a medium bodied mouthfeel. And this was fairly strongly carbonated which I also did not expect. This tastes pretty good. I would more describe it as roasted than smoked but maybe as it warms I will get more smokiness present. Not very strong on the alcohol and I don't detect any real heat. I could easily put this bomber back unlike last weeks bomber which was way more challenging.

On the turntable is "Strangeways, Here We Come"- The Smiths- Recorded in Wool Hall Studios in Bath England and released in 1987. I am not a Smiths expert but I do consider myself a fan. I came late to The Smiths. Growing up I was certainly exposed to them but they were a bit over my head. I was reintroduced tot hem by a friend when I was about 26 and I certainly appreciated them more. What I needed to do was get past my own preconceptions and bias towards what I believed to be "mopey" music. Despite the dour image The Smiths may or may not espouse alot of their music is quite energetic though not what I would define as heavy. This is their only LP I own. All the rest of their albums I have on CD. Around 2000-2001 it seemed like a lot of young bands started citing The Smiths as one of their primary influences and these days Morrissey is basically considered a saint. That is all well and good but I find it hard to believe all these people were such Smiths fanatics back in the day, it seems like a bit of revisionist history on the part of some people but that is just my opinion. This album is certainly not their best but much like the Final Cut, discussed in a previous post, this album doesn't get much mention when discussing there catalog. I bought it around the time I started listening to The Smiths only cause I found it for cheap in comparison to their other LP's which I had on CD anyway. Not much more can be said about the wit and lyricism of Morrissey. He belongs to a rarefied group (Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, etc.) whose lyrics can be analyzed and interpreted in volumes of books without exhausting the subject. What truly hooked me on this band was Johnny Marr. When I first listened to The Smiths in high school his style was a bit lost on me but once I started to play guitar in college my opinion of what makes a good guitar player drastically changed. This change allowed me to appreciate Mr. Marr in a new light.Johnny Marr in the last decade has gotten some much deserved recognition for his immense talent. I actually got to see him play live with Johnny Marr and The Healer's (I also saw Morrissey solo) which was a bit of a disappointment except for his version of "A Light That Never Goes Out." From what I have read he was the primary musical arranger for the group and needs to be mentioned in the same breath as K. Richards and Jimmy Page, to name a few, in his ability to fuse together guitar parts. He had a knack for weaving together voicing's, arpeggios and instrumentation into a definitive style which complimented both the complexity of Morrissey's lyrics and the versatility of his vocal range. The rhythm section of The Smiths also is often neglected. Andy Rourke is a wonderful and melodic bass player with a definite sense of funk necessary for any good bass player. Mike Joyce the subject of much of Morrissey's wrath is a good drummer at the very least and compliments the band well in my opinion. The songs on this album are a bit of a departure from their earlier material and seem to have more of a brooding, atmospheric quality and certainly less direct, The second side of this LP is certainly not as strong as the first but it still remains an enjoyable listen throughout and is notable for me as one of my first forays into the W. 57th Street Holiday Inn Record Fair.

10/15/10

beeradvocate.com rating- A

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Specialty Ale- Community Beverage, Queens, NY- 22 OZ. bomber into Pub Glass- 8% ABV- Described on beeradvocate.com as an American IPA. I have been wanting to try a rye beer, a beer brewed partially with rye grains, and this bomber was only $5 which seemed like a good deal. Poured a dark brown with a nice finger and a half of head which dissipated at a moderate speed. The bottle said it is a an unfiltered ale, but it is to dark to see any sediment at this point, but maybe towards the end of the bottle I will be able to see some. Not so much lacing here as a thin film left over almost the whole glass as the head receded. I am currently getting over a head cold so my nose is a bit handicapped at the moment but I definitely get a fair amount of rye in the aroma as well as a considerable hoppy character which I didn't expect but should have since the name indicates "hop rod". Medium bodied mouth feel, with a silky texture which is not overly carbonated. The taste is pretty complex. Definite bitterness and some roastieness. I taste a bit of "burn" and don't know if this is the alcohol seeping through or the rye character. This is an interesting beer but I don't know if I would buy it again. I think I need to have a "clearer" head to truly enjoy this beer, right now I am a bit overwhelmed by the bitterness and the sticky, resiny quality its leaving on my lips. However... I certainly will finish it.

On the turntable is I Walk The Line- The Carter Family- Recorded for Harmony Records a subsidiary of Columbia records presumably in Nashville, Tennessee in the late 1960's or early 1970's but no information is provided on the LP jacket. A pretty cool version of These Boots Are Made For Walkin' appears on the record so I am guessing it was released in the same time period. I suppose this title is a bit of a misnomer because the album is actually by Mother Maybelle Carter and her daughters Helen, June and Anita Carter. The original Carter Family was made up of A.P., Maybelle and Sarah Carter, the popularly recognized first family of American Folk music. When that group stopped performing together Mother Maybelle started performing with her three daughters and continued to perform together at various times into the 1970's. I believe this is the first female(s) record I have put on the site and this is a good one. It's a straightforward record with simple production and arrangements, but, there is beauty in its simplicity. When I first picked up this record I expected the record to be a product of the times. In that sense I expected some electric instruments, maybe strings and possibly even some keyboards. Alot of traditional artists of that era started experimenting with their sound and augmenting it with production techniques of the day (60's). This is not the case with this record. With the exception of maybe an electric bass or guitar here and there this is a stripped down affair which really lets the listener experience the pure unadulterated harmonies of four powerful singers. There voices capture both femininity and a soulful, woodsy quality. Pretty much all the songs here are worth repeated listens but some standouts are That'll Be The Day, While The World Goes Whizzin' By, Less of Me and the aforementioned These Boots Are Made For Walkin.

10/7/10

Beeradvocate.com Rating- A-

Southern Tier Pumking Ale- Community Beverage, Queens, NY- 22 oz. bomber into Pub Glass- 9.0% ABV- I have been waiting to try this beer for awhile! From what I have heard this one of the best pumpkin beers around, so here goes. Poured thick with a two finger head, slightly orange foam with nice retention. This beer smells like pumpkin pie crust to me. Its really powerful on the nose. Strong vanilla, graham crackery smell. Nice slightly hazy light orange color. Not as much lacing as I expected. Real nice medium bodied mouth feel with subtle carbonation. I have heard this beer is like drinking "pumpkin pie". I wouldn't go that far. But of the three I have tasted I would say this has the most "pumpkin taste". Though its still not overly pumpkiny, I taste more of the spices associated with pumpkin pie than actual pumpkin and that is probably because it has such a powerful aroma. Definitely nutmeg, cloves and vanilla qualities in this beer. I would probably drink this beer again and would like to try it on draft. I would like a thicker body on this one more closer to a stout and I would think this was real good and actually like drinking pumpkin pie. Additionally I do get bit of the alcohols presence but it kind of works with this beer, a nice warming affect.

On the turntable The Final Cut- Pink Floyd- Recorded in a number of studios in England in the 2nd half of 1982. I am showing my roots with this album. Its fall and one of my oldest friends is getting married tomorrow and its making me feel a bit nostalgic so one of my favorite Pink Floyd albums seemed like a good choice. I am not sure why but when the leaves start to turn and the air gets crisp my friends and I refer to it as "Alice In Chains" weather. Now this is not an AIC record but Pink Floyd in someway are in the same vein as AIC. Fall is my favorite time of year and it is a great time of year to get a little old school with music. This was an album that was listened to by me countless times but I lost track of over the years. About four years ago I finally got it again on vinyl. Pink Floyd was a very important group to me growing up and this album in particular has a warm place in my heart. It may sound cheesy but just by listening to it I am transported to emotions I was having when I was 15 and 16. I have had conversations with some of my friends who are big Floyd fans and we all agree that owning this album is an indicator of whether you like Pink Floyd or love them. Its definitely an under appreciated Floyd album and is rarely mentioned in magazines with the reverence of their other albums. This could just be bias because it has been described as Roger Waters first "solo" album and original keyboardist Richard Wright was fired shortly before they started putting it together. For me this album lyrically is some of Mr. Waters best work even though,again, many consider this album to be cast-off's from The Wall sessions. The album, which is dedicated to Waters father Eric Fletcher Waters who died in World War II, is filled with similar imagery that is found on The Wall (fascism, war, broken families and lovers) and on some songs equals if not betters The Wall Lyrics:

From a The Final Cut:

Through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes
I can barely define the shape of this moment in time
And far from flying high in clear blue skies
I’m sprialling down to the hole in the ground where I hide.
If you negotiate the minefield in the drive
And beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes
And if you make it past the shotgun in the hall,
Dial the combination, open the priesthole
And if I’m in I’ll tell you what’s behind the wall.
There’s a kid who had a big hallucination
Making love to girls in magazines.
He wonders if you’re sleeping with your new found faith.
Could anybody love him
Or is it just a crazy dream?

From Paranoid Eyes:

You put on our brave face and slip over the road for a jar.
Fixing your grin as you casually lean on the bar,
Laughing too loud at the rest of the world
With the boys in the crowd
You hide, hide, hide,
Behind petrified eyes.

You believed in their stories of fame, fortune and glory.
Now you’re lost in a haze of alcohol soft middle age
The pie in the sky turned out to be miles too high.
And you hide, hide, hide,
Behind brown and mild eyes.
“Oi!”

Its hard for me to look at these songs individually but I wanted to give an example of some of the lyrics. Of course taken out of context these lyrics can be misinterpreted but taken as a whole they reveal a sharp analysis of the effects of war on both the participants and the ones left at home. Unlike today when people are guilty jumping from song to song, like myself sometimes, this was an album that I always listened to this album from back to front. All the songs together were a means to an end and listening to them separately did not and doesn't do justice to it as a whole.

9/30/10

Sixpoint Pumpkin Brewster Ale- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint, Brooklyn- 32 oz- Poured in to Pub Glass- 5.5% ABV- My second pumpkin beer comes from the Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn. Copper colored fairly clear. About a half a finger of head, ever so slightly orange in color. Not much retention or lacing. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg in the aroma but not alot. No pumpkin that I smell. Medium bodied mouth feel with light to medium carbonation. The taste, disappointingly, does not have much pumpkin in it or any of the spices I get from the aroma. The taste kind of has a "bready" quality if that makes any sense. This is the second Sixpoint beer I have had in growler form and I was't a big fan of the other. I believe it was the Lager or Pilsener and it wasn't bad but it just didn't distinguish itself in any way. This seems to be the same case with this beer, its not bad, but doesn't really strike me as a very "pumpkiny" beer whci is what I was expecting.

On the turntable is Bill Holman's Great Big Band- Bill Holman- Recorded for Capitol Records presumably at their Los Angeles based studio in the late to 50's and early 60's but the record doesn't indicate either the location or the date. For me the world of records can be a challenging one when it comes to genres. For me, I honestly like a little bit of everything. Lately my focus has been country and 70’s rock n roll. But whatever I am looking for there is always something I find that I wasn’t looking for. As a result there some inconsistencies in my collection and it tends to jump from place to place. It also makes it kind of difficult to decide on what to listen to because I often have competing desires from one minute to the next. Luckily for records there are no real complications or consequences from choosing one style over another from one day to the next. I bring this up because tonight’s record is a brassy, big band affair from the 1950’s. Based on my previous choices it would probably be hard to assume I would enjoy this type of music, but I do. Records in this style were popular in the 1950’s up until about the mid 1960’s. Some are from long forgotten arrangers and some are by more well known like Paul Ruggolo. I bought this record for $2 on a whim but was not familiar with Mr. Holman's work. After reading up on him I learned that he made a name for himself as a member and arranger for Stan Kenton's Big Band. According to the liner notes written by Leonard Feather, in an easy to understand and humble manner, Holman played and wrote for other west coast players of the time (50's and 60's) including Gerry Mulligan, Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers, etc. This album includes both originals and standards and is made up of a 17 piece band but the only players names I recognized were Conte Candoli on trumpet and Mel Lewis on drums. I am not a jazz scholar nor am I music major but I can tell you from experience that these “brass” records are great. Jimi Hendrix would often reference colors when speaking about music and I think these jazz based orchestra records really do have “color”. I can’t dissect or analyze these songs critically through musical notation but luckily you don't need to in order to hear the movement and color in the music. The arrangements, instrumentation and tones can be subtle or provide a surging momentum. An ebb and flow of rhythms engage the listener and make it an enjoyable listen. Some standout tracks form me are Shadrach with its bold opening, Stereoso which has a bluesy, plodding quality which wouldn't sound out of place in an old cartoon and The Gentleman Is A Dope with another great intro with a pulsing 007 Theme feel.