Thursday, January 27, 2011

Matthew Morrison's First Live Performance Sat Jan 29 @ The Grove


As a Gleek I am extremely excited about Matthew Morrison's (aka Will Schuester on Glee) first solo performance this Saturday January 29th 12PM at The Grove.  I'm even more excited that Oscar Mayer is joining him in donating $50,000 to the GRAMMY foundation, an organization dedicated to music education.    

For those of you who can't make it, all you have to do is click "Like" on the Oscar Mayer Facebook page to see a live stream of Morrison in concert.


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Violet Sedan Chair on Fringe's "The Firefly" Ep

Photo via BuddyTV

This is a comment from Wing, who is a bigger fan of Fringe than I am:

In the latest Fringe ep, Christopher Lloyd guest-starred as the ex-keyboardist of a once popular psychedelic rock band "Violet Sedan Chair" that Walter is a big fan of. Guess what? J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot crew actually made a real album for this fake band! You can stream it here:
http://soundcloud.com/letitplayout/sets/violet-sedan-chair-seven-suns-lp-side-2/

This show...I have no words!


This was such a great episode.  I loved the romantic struggle between Olivia and Peter, the Tessla mention, Walter acting like a giddy fanboy, the twist at the end about consequences / the butterfly effect, and the use of Lloyd in a time traveling theme.

And the music is actually pretty good! 

The band "Violet Sedan Chair" is a fictional band, but one that J.J. Abrams had named-dropped two years earlier in an issue of Wired for which he had guest-edited, alluding to the band's album, Seven Suns, recorded in the 1970's.  Prior to the broadcast of "The Firefly", a number of vinyl records of Seven Suns were shipped to a select number of independent record stores across the United States, which have been discovered by some people.  The album does contain twelve songs in the style of psychedelic and folk. The album itself has been briefly shown in the series. (Wikipedia)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Coachella 2011 SOLD OUT


It's barely been less than a week and Coachella is already sold out.  What happened?!  Last year I was able to buy tickets up until a month before the festival.  I blame fans of Kanye West fans and maybe even *shivers* fans of Kings of Leon.  Oh well, I'm hoping to hear back from Coachella about press passes, but that's looking bleak. 

Some ways you MIGHT be able to get passes are listed on The Scenestar.  For now, I guess I'll just have to listen for them on KCRW's Winter Pledge Drive

Friday, January 21, 2011

Sound Bites 10.0: Grilled Cheese Sandwich Dinner Party

Lovely table setting by our host, Andy

I feel kind of silly blogging about this dinner party when I didn't really contribute anything besides chipping in for HC's sparkling wine, so this post will be mostly pics!

Appetizers:
Tangerines and olives - good thing there were snackages because we were getting HUNGRY before the grilling started. 

1st Course:
Taleggio cheese, capers, chanterelle mushrooms, and Gruyere on Zingerman's rye bread by Chef Andy, paired with Domaine du Manoir de Montreuil Cambremer Cidre Pays d’Auge - At first, I was skeptical of bread worth FedExing for, but I was proven wrong when I tried the tasty crust, 

which was made even tastier with cheese.  Mmmmm...
Before

After

Nathan brought the surprisingly dry apple cider from DomaineLA.

I have to thank him for the great notes he took during dinner.  Sometimes I just see food and all my brain functions (except for seeing, eating and tasting) stop working.

2nd Course:
Preserved quince, manchego cheese on homemade olive oil tsoureki by Chef Anna, paired with Spiral Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2009 - secret ingredient:  tears.  Kidding kidding... unless it was baked into the bread...  I mean, look at it.  Who makes bread that looks THAT good? 
Before

After

I had quince for the first time in Boston and now I LOVE it. 

3rd Course:
Salted coconut butter, homemade paneer, masala sauce, and vadovan naan bread by Chef Andy, paired with Maui Brewing Company’s Coconut Porter - this was his Indian version of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, inspired by LudoBites 5.0.  

I felt a little guilty eating a spoonful of butter, but it was soooo good.  Andy was kind enough to remove fresh cilantro from my sauce, but after trying some of HC's sauce, I found that I actually didn't mind cilantro so much, not when Andy cooks with it anyways.  I loved the sauce so much that I even asked for extra to go.  What?  I already had to take half my "sandwich" to go since I had to save room for HC's. 

4th Course:
Mesquite honey, Wisconsin mascarpone, blackberries, black currant jam on honey wheat by Chef HC, paired with Granny Smith Sparkler cocktail - just when I thought I could barely eat any more, HC brings out this light and tasty treat.  HC has taught me to never leave a dessert behind, so I devoured it. 

Besides helping contribute to the sparkling wine, I helped mix the cocktails. 
Yep, that's my half sandwich I took home

HC, Andy, and I ended the night with Maui Brewing Company’s Mana Wheat beer made with (one of my favorite fruits) PINEAPPLE!  It is now on my list of favorite beers.  I'm actually still craving it... 

I got to try new kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches and make new blogger buds.  The night was such a success that Andy suggested another themed dinner party for next time.  I almost regret suggesting a beer theme because everyone else is already extremely familiar with cooking with beer and next time I might actually have to make something.  :O

Song Pairing:
Of Montreal - Oslo in the Summertime

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Coachella 2011 Lineup Announced


And The Scenestar had it first...from what I saw on Twitter anyways.  Announced it even before Coachella's Twitter did.  Awesome!

Ugh, Kings of Leon is still a headliner.  I heard about this a few months ago, but I kept praying that they would try to cancel before the poster was made.  Bleh.  Anyways, the other bands look pretty good.  Too bad Daft Punk isn't on there, but I still excite.  Let the listmaking begin!  Here are my preliminary choices (after I make my top choices, I usually try to listen to the other bands - tedious, I know - to discover some new music):

Top Picks:
  • !!! 
  • Arcade Fire 
  • Cee Lo Green - been listening to a lot of his Lady Killer album lately
  • Bright Eyes 
  • Cold War Kids
  • Cut Copy
  • Empire of the Sun - they put on a fantastic show
  • Jimmy Eat World
  • Kanye West
  • Ratatat
  • The Black Keys
  • The Morning Benders
  • The National
  • The New Pornographers
  • The Presets - hell yes!
  • The Strokes
  • Two Door Cinema Club
  • Yelle

Maybes:
  • Best Coast  - guess I should find out why people like them so much
  • Brandon Flowers - this is a maybe.  I saw one of his videos, still not convinced that he's any good
  • Broken Social Scene
  • Crystal Castles 
  • CSS 
  • Elbow  - Grounds for Divorce is pretty much their only good song, but I haven't seen them in awhile
  • Erykah Badu
  • Flogging Molly
  • Interpol - I know all their music sounds the same, but I should probably listen to their new stuff
  • Jack’s Mannequin - for old time's sake  
  • Klaxons
  • Ms. Lauryn Hill
  • Ozomatli 
  • Paul van Dyk 
  • PJ Harvey 
  • Robyn 
  • Scissor Sisters 
  • She Wants Revenge 
  • The Aquabats 
  • The Chemical Brothers
  • The Kills 
  • The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 
  • The Swell Season - probably during some down time.  They are really mellow

Thanks for the alphabetized lineup and larger image, Stereogum!


More:
Ticket info at The Scenestar

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Sound Bites 9.0: Roy's Restaurant @ DTLA


The tiki torches outside the Roy's Restaurant in Pasadena gave me the impression that the interior would resemble that of Trader Vic's.  Apparently, the torches weren't allowed at the downtown location, but I think that helped make the restaurant look less cliched.

This was supposed to be a pit stop for drinks and snacks before HC and I headed over to Hatfield's for dinner, but manager, April McCaa, was generous enough to give us a taste of all the appetizers on Roy's Aloha Hour menu.  They have not just one but TWO happy hours:  Sun - Fri 4:30 - 6:30pm and 9pm - close.  The second happy hour is great for people who work late like I do.  Another plus:  you can order any cocktail off their menu for $5! 

Drinks:
  • Lychee Caipirinha - I'm a sucker for anything with lychee in it
  • Lemongrass Saketini
  • 1988 - more than one person raved about this, so I had to try it.  Success!  Lychee again!  It was just as strong as the bartender said it was.  HC wasn't a fan because he doesn't like guava, good thing I do!  
  • Pineapple Ginger Mojito - less gingery than I thought it would be 

Best Bar Bites:
  • Tempura Crusted Spicy Ahi Roll - loved the crispy exterior
  • Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers

Biggest Bang for Your Buck (recommended by bartender):
  • 1988
  • Wagyu Beef Sliders

    Sunday, January 9, 2011

    September Issue

    Photo via ShoppingBlog
    I just finished watching The September Issue and was very impressed by the documentary's soundtrack.  The behind-the-scenes action was fascinating (I wish there had been an interview with Andre Leon Talley because he was such a character, but I enjoyed learning about Anna Wintour, who only showed real emotion when she talked about her what her siblings thought of her job, and Grace Coddington, who seemed so down-to-earth, and a bit tragic, for someone in the industry), but definitely was helped along by the music selections.

    Here's the track listing:
    1. Opening Title - Craig Richey
    2. Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron
    3. Back From Paris - Craig Richey
    4. The September Montage - Craig Richey
    5. Anna's History - Craig Richey
    6. Textures/ Grace's History - Craig Richey
    7. Grace's Photos - Craig Richey
    8. Burn It All Down - VHS Or Beta
    9. Golf Cart - Craig Richey
    10. Around the Bend - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
    11. Nostrand - Ratatat
    12. Packing For Rome - Craig Richey
    13. At Sea - Electrelane
    14. S to U - Chessie
    15. Grace at Versailles - Craig Richey
    16. Give It Up - LCD Soundsystem
    17. Diversion - Mark Ronson
    18. Anna's Meltdown - Craig Rickey
    19. That Home - Cinematic Orchestra
    20. Grace In Car - Craig Richey
    21. Don't You Worry - Jim Noir
    22. Flathead - The Fratellis
    23. Swisha - Ratatat
    24. Suffer for Fashion - Of Montreal
    25. Be A Star - Oh No! Oh My!
    26. End Titles - Craig Richey
    Suffer for Fashion, one of my favorite Of Montreal songs, was PERFECT for the start of the end credits.




    More:
    indieWIRE