Direct Me- Mitch Ryder MP3

5/31/12

beeradvocate.com rating- N/A

Bear Republic- Das Coma- California- Brouweji Lane, Brooklyn- 32oz. Growler into Pub Glass

Head- 1 1/2 finger, pillowy head

Color- Pale orange

Mouthfeel- Light bodied and active carbonation, a little oily

Aroma- Hoppy, not much wheat

Taste/ Overall- This is described as a hoppy imperial wheat beer. Not sure what made me choose this beere but it basically tastes like a double IPA to me. Super bitter and hoppy. No real wheat beer qualites jump out at me. It also has a bitter and boozy finish which I am not really enjoying. Wouldn't get this again. It needs to have more balance and something to bring out the wheat beer profiles.

Here we go again…another loss of an influential electric bass player from a seminal group. It was reported on May 15, 2012 that Donald “Duck” Dunne bassist for Booker T and The MG’s and all around session dynamo from the 60’s through the 2000’s passed away. It is an unfortunate reality but most of the music featured on this blog is being dictated by obituaries. The funny thing is the music of Booker T and the MG’S is music I probably would have not have sought out had it not been for the Beastie Boys. I don’t think I know of any direct samples in their music but the Beastie Boys did expose me to instrumental funk/soul and the MG’s were one of the leading purveyors of that style. In the late 90’s I started seeking instrumental music out for myself. After reading an article about them in a magazine I realized this is what I may have been searching for and I bought my first Booker T and the MG’s compilation at the now defunct Kim’s Video on St. Marks Place. Probably about 7 or 8 years later I saw Booker T and the remaining MG’s perform at park in Battery Park City for free on an overcast night in August. I am not gonna lie the weather seemed to dampen both the festivities and the energy in their set. I would have liked a more engaging performance but it was nice to just be in their presence and hear Green Onion’s, Groovin and Hang Em High. The venue and whole set was pretty informal and when we were walking back to the train I remember seeing Donald Duck Dunne hanging out by some trailers talking to some folks.

On the turntable is Mitch Ryder and the Detroit-Memphis Experiment recorded and released in 1969 for DOT Records. My only Booker T on vinyl is my copy of their musical and visual tribute to The Beatles -Mclemore Avenue- whose LP jacket mimics the cover of Abbey Road replacing London and Abbey Road for Memphis and Stax Studios. I chose this record to represent the MG’s because I actually had been both listening to it and thinking about it lately. I bought this LP back in November of 2011. Not really sure why this record was relegated to the dollar bin but I am assuming it was based on the unfortunate decision of “Dick Robertson” to write his name on the front cover in thick, permanent black marker. When I found this record it was not on my radar at all. It was not a record I had read about in Mojo or Waxpoetics. Nor was I hipped to it through one of the countless blogs I frequent which are deep sources of knowledge. I was familiar with the name Mitch Ryder and the added element of “Memphis” in the title was enough to persuade me to pick this up and take a look. I am glad I did because the liner notes indicated that this lp was produced by Mr. Steve Cropper and the backing band was Booker T & The MG’s. I have never been a complete stickler for condition so I decided to overlook the previous owners name in boldface and take this one home with me.

It is hard to anticipate failure when names like Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunne, Booker T and Al Jackson Jr. are attached to a record and this record is no different. This is a compelling LP which blends the backbone of the Memphis sound and a Detroit fortified snarl into a casually recalled slice of rock n’ soul. Included above is a MP3 version of Direct Me which has both a Stax and an gospely, Atlantic Records feel to it.

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.

IPA Cage Match!!!

A Little Weight- CSC Funk Band MP3 5/3/12

beeradvocate.com rating Brooklyn East India Pale Ale- Brooklyn, NY

Head- Dense 2 finger head

Color- Hazy dark orange

Mouthfeel- Medium

Aroma- Citrus hops, light malts

Taste/ Overall- The first IPA I ever tried about 10 yrs ago and my personal benchmark for the style. A solid IPA with what I feel is a maltier backbone than alot of other IPA's I have tried. Will always enjoy this beer and probbaly my favorite Brooklyn Brewery product with there summer seasonal coming in a close second and the lager in third.

beeradvocate.com rating Goose Island IPA- Chicago, IL

Head- 1 1/2 finger of head, dissipated quickly

Color- Hazy orange but lighter and cloudier than the Brooklyn

Mouthfeel- Medium

Aroma- Grapefruit, Grapefruit and more Grapefruit

Taste/ Overall- Since I have started trying new beers about 3 or 4 years ago this has become my new go to beer when I want something accessible yet complex. If I am watching the Jets and I don't want Budweiser I 4 out of 5 times will reach for this. Although the Brooklyn IPA will always be my first love this is the beer I have come to reach for more often which is a little disappointing because it is from Chicago but I will ignore that for now. Has probably the characteristics of a modern IPA where I believe the Brooklyn IPA probably has more traditional IPA characteristics.

My oh My, its been a while!!! On the turntable is a variety of LP's I won't discuss here but records I am reviewing for a flea market. I will have a table this weekend with the goal of selling some of my records I no longer want or need. Some explanation is required for my prolonged absence. For one I was serving on Grand Jury for the last month and it screwed with the rhythm of my ways for a while. Second I had another set of unfortunate computer issues which seized up my computer on me once again. Luckily over the years I have developed a thorough set of autodidactic MIS skills and got this frankenstein-beast of a PC running again.

I chose to return to the blog with a more ambitious post based on my recent reading of Peter Brown's Hops and Glory. It was a really good book and gave me a real education in the development of the IPA style of beer. In the process it also made me want to revisit my favorite examples of the style in a side by side taste test.

As for music I have got some interesting records as of late but the focus of this post is the records I bought when I attended my first Record Store Day. Well, to be exact, I went to J&R Music the day following Record Store Day in the hopes of picking up some of the leftovers. I never payed much attention to Record Store Day in the past. First off I tend to by used records and don't like the idea of paying a premium for exclusive releases. Secondly, basically every week is record store day in my life. But this year for some reason I looked at the list of "exclusive" releases and saw one or two I was interested in and decided to go down the following day because there was no chance of me going down there the day off. Luckily for me J&R, which is the largest independent record store in Manhattan, still had almost everything available. I ended up buying the reissue of the Genesis Spot The Pigeon EP from 1977 with material slated for the Wind and Wuthering LP but was not included. A Dillard and Clark 45 reissued on Sundazed Records. However it was the CSC Funk Band 45 which I came across that I had been unaware of which was the real great find. Released on Electric Cowbell Records based in Brooklyn this 45 includes two instrumental tracks inspired by the hip hop artist Gangstarr. Wow, I was bl;own away when I listened to this. These musicians executed this premise with a sophisticated minimalism to great effect. This is a fantastic 45 and I will definitely be seeking out more releases by this label. Enjoy the A-Side posted above A Little Weight.