RIP MCA

Big Sur Suite- Johnny Hammond MP3

5/10/12

beeradvocate.com rating

Victory Headwater's Pale Ale- Pennslyvania, PA Brouweji Lane- Colorado- 32oz. Growler into Pub Glass

Head- 1 1/4 finger head

Color- Operative word: PALE- beautiful, pale orange

Mouthfeel- Light bodied but slightly dense nice active carbonation

Aroma- Hoppy and malty, well balanced

Taste/ Overall- Really nice blend of malts and hops. A little bit of bitterness. I am not an expert on Pale Ale's but this has to be one of the better examples. I could easily drink a few of these and really enjoy them.

In April it was Levon Helm and now on May 4, 2012 it was confirmed that Adam ‘MCA” Yauch from the Beastie Boys passed away from cancer. When my friend texted me with the news it left me speechless. I was upset when Levon Helm passed away... but this was way worse and really hit home for a variety of reasons. First off the mere fact that he was only 47 years old and the father of a young daughter and from all outward appearances a fairly healthy guy (no smoking or major drug habits that I know of) made it really upsetting. Secondly the Beastie Boys are impossible to separate from my own past. The Band and Levon Helm's music was from my parents generation and although its important to me it didn’t have near the impact on my life personally as the Beastie’s did. The music, lifestyle and attitude of that group was fundamental to how I lived my life from my teens up until today. They were one of the main reasons why I wore Pumas, obsessed over the Knicks, moved to NYC, listened to Jazz and bought records.

When I graduated college in 1997 I remember distinctly listening to the Beastie Boys at one of the last college parties I went to and thought of how I couldn’t imagine my life without the Beastie Boys music. The irony is when I finally moved to NYC in 1999 my musical horizons opened up in such a way that I began to neglect the Beastie Boys. Not only did I neglect them I went some time without listening to them at all (at least in my own apartment). In the last week I have listened to more Beastie Boys than I have in a long time other than when I saw them in concert at MSG in 2005 and when they reissued Licensed To Ill, Paul’s Boutique and Check Your Head in 2008. It has been sad, inspiring and made me happy to hear their music again with fresh ears. It has reminded me of why I fell in love with their music in the first place and made me think of people I haven’t thought about in a long time. Their music makes me think of my own friends and our collective experiences and I feel blessed to have had the Beastie Boys provide the soundtrack for a significant part of my life.

Since I have already visited Paul's Boutique on this blog and it is my only current piece of Beastie Boys vinyl I chose a Beastie Boys inspired LP for this session. The mighty John Hammond is on the turntable not my favorite Hammond record but probably the first record I bought where I recognized a Beastie Boys sample. Posted above is an MP3 for Big Sur Suite the source for one of the samples in the Check Your Head track Pass The Mic.