Category: A Good Read, A Good Listen and a Good Drink

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Nicolas Snyder, 1, 2, 3

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Big Weather is 1, 2, 3‘s second record, and it is a double album. While listening to it, I decided the following: 1) If the name of your band is the same as the act of counting in, every song faces the challenge of being “4” – the, or at least a, point of ignition and 2) With Big Weather, 1, 2, 3 have more than met that challenge.

The name of the record reflects the place where it was made: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which I can tell you from experience surely does experience some big weather. But geography aside, it’s well named: it’s a big record, ambitious and diverse and compelling. It contains multitudes: several different flavors of pop and punk; the occasional burst of classic rock, country blues and jammy noodling; even some spoken word interludes, one of which (In the House of the Locust) was so unsettling I could only listen to it one time.

Example #1: Leave Me in the Sky With A Lawnchair, which is a punk-rock whirl through the feeling of just wanting to float away:

Example #2: Porch Swing Song, which a little slower and more reflective, almost lounge-like, but has what I love best: big rolling drums.

Example #3: When the Levee Broke at the County Broke at the County Fair, which is a jaunty romp about young love being foiled by an unexpected wall of water.

And now, I turn the floor over to guitarist/lead singer Nicolas Snyder (second from left, below) who has some book, music and drink recommendations for us:

Photo by Chris Miskis

Photo by Chris Miskis


A GOOD READ

Had someone asked me this question at any other point in the last ten years I would almost undoubtedly have recommended Cormac McCarthy’s classic gore-western, Blood Meridian, or possibly if in a lighter, yet, slightly cynical mood, George Saunders’ brilliant nuts and bolts satire The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, but, in the last six months, I stumbled across a non-fiction book that I’ve already recommended more than anything I’ve read before. Everything from the way I daily interact with people to my personal definition of success has been impacted by An Autobiography of a Yogi. Written by the Yogic master Paramahansa Yogananda in the mid 1940’s, this book is a beautifully penned explanation of almost everything spiritual. Timidly posing as a memoir, this book is for meditation what prayer is for the Bible. Check out Ben Kingsley’s reading on Audible for a nice long mind blowing.

A GOOD LISTEN

When people talk about Mott the Hoople, they usually dwell on the glamish Bowie years. But, let’s not forget that the reason Bowie gave them All the Young Dudes and helped modernize their image was because he was such a fan of their prior work. This same work also prompted the Clash to hire wild man Guy Stevens to produce London Calling. Mad Shadows, in my opinion, is the best and most emotionally engrossing of the band’s pre-Dudes era. Comprised of only seven songs, the album’s presence is equally tough as nails and haunting. A band at the peak of frustration, debauchery and creativity. I Can Feel and When My Mind’s Gone are twin power-ballad nut-shots.

http://youtu.be/YP1uGjVmSVs

A GOOD DRINK

I like drinks with a purpose. I only drink coffee if I’m super tired. I drink hot tea to feel comforted and warm. I drink wine to relax, beer to be social, and whisky to get drunk. I rarely consume sodas or juices because, to me, anything physical or emotional to be gained doesn’t outweigh the negative consequences of the beverage. Negative number one being sugar. However, the concoction I’m about to relay contains both effervescence and fruit juice, and serves physical, emotional, and hopefully medicinal benefits.

Nic’s Elixir

Ingredients:
Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 Airborne or generic effervescent immune boost tab
Fresh Grapefruit
Fresh Ginger
Ginger ale
Vodka
Water

Okay, so this is intended for consumption in the midst of a cold or flu:

Get a mason jar.

Pour in a healthy two or three second glug of unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

Toss in one Airborne tablet (generics always accepted).

Squeeze one whole grapefruit in (orange or lemon works as well).

Add one teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.

Fill to the top with ice.

Stir it up, little darling.

Add half can of ginger ale.

Pour Vodka to taste.

Add cup of water if desired.

Feel the health burn through your innards.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Zoë Biggs, The Franklys

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

The last time I wrote about The Franklys, I shared the awesomely weird video they made for a song called My Love.

This past week they released a new single, Puppet, along with another tune called Imaginarium. I happen to prefer Imaginarium, because it has a delicious air of menace, but, since they are both great tunes, I’m going to put them both here so y’all can make up your own minds.

And now I will turn the floor over to Franklys bassist Zoë Biggs (center, in the picture below), who is here today to tell us about one of her favorite books, records and drinks.

franklys

A Good Read

This is a bit of a challenge for an indecisive Libran such as myself! One of my favourite books is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I first read this book back in probably 2006/7, and have re-read it at least once every year since. Time sort of melts away when you read this book. It’s about the opposite of disappearing, which is just a way of me lifting the author’s words to disguise the fact that I don’t really know how to describe what this book is about without re-telling the stories within it in their entirety.

What I love about this book is that, whilst it contains intertwining stories, weaving back and forth amongst the past, the present and the idea of a future, it doesn’t try to be too clever or pretend to wrap everything up in a neat little package like some books tend to do.

I love its realistic viewpoint, especially that of the main character Leo Gursky. And I think that this is a read that can resonate with anyone who is searching for something, I don’t think it matters what, just for something.

Please don’t let my fumbling attempt to sum up this book put you off! Likewise for my awkward attempt at describing my good listen…

A Good Listen

It’s End of Daze, an EP by one of my very favourite bands – Dum Dum Girls. This choice will probably be no surprise to anyone who knows me! Anyway, End of Daze comprises just five songs, one being a haunting cover of Strawberry Switchblades’ Trees and Flowers. The original was great, but this version is something else.

There is also the extra otherworldly Lord Knows, which is even more beautiful live. My favourite is the final song on the EP – Season In Hell. It is perfect as an ending song because, and don’t let the title fool you, it ends on a note of hope and of moving on. The whole EP is a brilliant blissed-out buzzsaw, shoegaze, etheral concept and, despite it reminding me of nothing but painful experiences, I adore it.

http://youtu.be/K-EunEOfAbc

A Good Drink

Finally, a good drink…you can’t really go wrong with a good coffee can you. I’m sure my barista friends could tell you what particular one would be considered ‘the best’ and the various reasons for it. Unfortunately I don’t possess such a skill! So, let’s just stick with a nicely subjective ‘good coffee’.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Some of you may have seen Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray at Couch by Couch West, where they came to us live (if somewhat delayed) from their wedding reception. They did five songs, including three – Drifter’s Compass, Coyote and Bleed Me – from their most recent record, Lean Into The Wind.

They are all great tunes, but I’m especially fond of Drifter’s Compass, because I think it’s the kind of song you’d put on at either the beginning or the end of a long trip, as encouragement, or as solace:

Drifter's Compass - Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray (Wedding)

And also of Bleed Me; it’s a raucous stomper, and the one that hooked me on the record as a whole:

Bleed Me - Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray (Wedding)

I do not use the phrase “the record as a whole” casually; I really do mean the whole thing. It’s solid, no dead weight or filler, and good company, especially, as I discovered, on the downtown bus on frigid evenings.

Here’s one more song that I really liked; it’s called Oh Tornado, and it made me smile in wry, pained recognition. Yeah, we all have that person, the one who tears everything apart, and yet – and yet – when it works, it works so well:

If you’d like to catch them live, they are out on tour starting Sunday, April 6, in Fairfax, VA – New York, your show is April 11 at Grand Victory in Brooklyn – and ending June 4 in Washington, DC, but covering huge chunks of the United States between those bookends.

With that I will turn the floor over to Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray, who have graciously assented to share their favorite books, records and drinks with us.

Miss Shevaughn:

A Good Drink

Since writing, road testing, recording and releasing our latest album, Lean Into the Wind, process has been on my mind a lot. Yuma and I recently moved into a house in Paso Robles, CA that is the first place we’ve gotten to live by ourselves in the three years we’ve been touring.

Painting and fixing up the house took almost a month, and having my own kitchen has prompted me to embark on ambitious culinary adventures like cultured non-dairy cheeses that take days, or even weeks. I’ve been deeply enjoying things that take commitment, patience, craft and the willingness to slow down. One of these long-term experiments was a strawberry shrub that I made to serve at our wedding on March 1st tour.

A shrub is a vinegar-based drink that was popular in Colonial times and has recently enjoyed resurgence. It takes 2 weeks to make the shrub, but it is totally worth it! It also looks beautiful on the counter while you’re waiting for it to mellow. Here’s how you make it:

In a quart jar, muddle a few sprigs of thyme, basil or mint along with sliced ginger from a peeled piece about as long as your thumb (peeling ginger with a spoon is the easiest method)

Fill the jar with fresh sliced strawberries almost to the top

Completely cover the berries with coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Make sure they are covered so that mold won’t grow on top.

Cover the jar securely with cheesecloth and leave it out on the counter for 12 hours

Put the lid on the quart jar and shake the mixture once every day for 4 days

Take out the herbs but return everything else to the jar shake daily for 3 more days

Strain out the solids and add 1 cup of sugar and juice from 5 limes to the liquid

Store in the refrigerator shaking once daily for 6 days

Now it’s ready to drink!

Sublime Smokey Strawberry Shrub

1 shot of silver tequila over ice

4 Tablespoons of shrub (modify this to taste)

splash of mescal

garnish with lime

Worth the wait.

A Good Read:

Speaking of waiting, all this thinking about the rewards of time and anticipation makes me think of one of my favorite books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I was originally drawn to this author through One Hundred Years of Solitude, but I’ve grown to truly love the slow unraveling of Love in the Time of Cholera. This novel’s entire existence covers the distance that usually makes up only the climax or ending of any other story: the point where two people fall in love.

The story takes place over an expanse of time between the late 1800s and the 1930’s in a Colombian city that is dirty, ancient, haunted and colonial in a way that reminds me of New Orleans, where I spent a lot of my childhood. On some level the plot is simple. A man loves a woman. Her father doesn’t like him. She marries another man and is happy for the most part. He dies when he is old in a silly accident involving a parrot, and her childhood sweetheart once again professes his love.

He doesn’t win her over for 51 years, 9 months and 4 days, but finally persuades her to take a riverboat cruise with him. They end up drifting on the riverboat forever with the yellow flag of illness (cholera) raised so that no one will let them dock, and with only the captain and his lover as companions.

It seems simple and romantic but under the sweeping ideals of true love are human failings and frailty. There is also the strangeness of a love that has waited until old age to see itself through. Death, aging and illness are ever present behind the flowers and love serenades. Yuma and I first had a fling when I was in college and we just got married some 13 years later after I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and we sat on a long train ride down the coast wondering what would happen. In some ways we could have been suspended on that train forever.

Love in the Time of Cholera doesn’t stop where the young lovers take their lives or live happily ever after, it continues into death and beyond and forever.

A Good Listen

For my album, I chose Blue by Joni Mitchell. This record has all of the pace and surprise both musically and lyrically of something completely spontaneous, but is also clearly a work that was born out of real living and the processing of events, emotions and experiences. I know that I was exposed to this album at some earlier point. I grew up performing traditional folk music, and that folk music that enjoyed a Renaissance in the 60s and 70s with my mom. I also took a rock and roll history class in college while I was studying opera and I remember scoffing at the confessional songwriter styles of the 70s. I was really into punk rock at the time.

One thing that I’ve enjoyed about getting a little older is that I no longer feel the need to define myself by musical style or fashion. Something wonderful broke free at some point that enabled me to return to the folk songs I learned as a child with absolute love, and to listen to new music with a very open heart. When our first album, We’re From Here came out, several critics compared my vocal style to Joni Mitchell so I decided to check her out. Blue was the first of her albums I listened to and I am completely hooked on it.

It is one of those albums that I know I will listen to for the rest of my life. Sometimes it’s not about discovering new things so much as stumbling blindly across the things you had previously cast aside at a time when you’re ready and willing to let them enter your world. Time may be a completely imagined thing, but you do notice yourself change. Take the time to dig in. Listen to full albums, ponder a thought for days and create art that says what you really wanted it to say in as long a format as that takes. Others might see this as laziness or indulgence. But sometimes speed is carelessness or insincerity. Breathe deeply, think and enjoy.

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Yuma Wray:

A Good Read:

Starting with the book – I spend a lot of time driving on our tours, so my choice of novel may seem a little bleak, but… I really must begin with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

I’ve yet to watch the cinematic version of this tale, but I’ve read the book at least half a dozen times. And even though I usually end up shaky and tense with this tale of a man and his son wandering through a post-apocalyptic nightmare with nothing but a shopping cart full of whatever they can carry – all the while attempting to avoid the few remaining members of humanity that have survived (most of whom have turned to cannibalism) – it hasn’t stopped me from returning to read it time and time again.

Is this a metaphor for the plight of the few “starving” record companies left in the music business? I’m sure McCarthy didn’t mean it that way, but The Road is not quite as hopeless as it initially comes off with the first perusing. It is actually a tale about change and rebirth. It ends with the father (who remembers the world before it all burned up) passing on, and his son (who was born after the world burned) being taken in by another family with children of the same age. Is this hinting at a chance of a re-birth for the human race, perhaps? It is here where my joking comparison to the “burnt-out” music biz actually offers a little more comfort.

Without running the metaphor into the ground, for those that haven’t read The Road, it is horrifyingly stark and minimal tale of a world almost completely devoid of life where the remaining few devour what is left of themselves . . .

Did I mention that The Road might have influenced the lyrics at the beginning of When The Pumps Run Dry on our recent release Lean Into The Wind?

A Good Listen

So, next, the album – As Miss Shevaughn & I have finally got a place to hang our hats (we moved to California after concluding our fall 2013 tour) – we also have a place to plug in our record player. My choice for album is the double-LP, self-titled deluxe re-issue of the 1998 debut by Queens Of The Stone Age.

I must preface this by saying I am currently a Queens fanboy – but I didn’t start out that way. The first song of theirs that I can remember hearing was Feel Good Hit Of The Summer from their 2002 sophomore release, Rated R. Most people know the song even if they don’t recognize the title – because the lyrics are just a list of drugs spat out over a single heavy chord pounding away for three minutes. And that song
cemented them (at least, in my mind) as nothing more than a bunch of drugged-out California frat boys with guitars.

Fast-forward to 2008 – when I took a job at a bar in Chicago that had at least three Queens albums on the jukebox. Over the next three years that I was employed at this establishment – the riffs that were both aggressive & heavy and also laid back & subtle burrowed their way into my brain and have yet to be dislodged. And the deluxe reissue treatment that the double LP version was given saw some of the REALLY weird & more experimental songs that were originally left off returned to their rightful place alongside hypnotic hits like “Regular John” & “Mexicola”.

Queens of the Stone Age - Regular John (Rock AM Ring 2003) HD

The repetitive drone of Josh Homme’s guitars, the robotic drumbeats and the simple, understated pop format that these songs are presented in makes Queens Of The Stone Age’s first offering perfect not just for reading along to, but for long stretches on the road – driving from one show to the next. I love everything about it – as it both exciting and tranquilizing every single time I give it a spin.

A Good Drink

And now for the cocktail – which, unless I want to attract the attention of law enforcement, does NOT go equally well with driving or reading. Just reading . . .

I’m going to have to offer up a stripped-down version of the same cocktail that Miss Shevaughn has touted. There is something magical about the flavor of good tequila and mescal – a combination which I would love to take credit for myself, but which I actually discovered during my time as a doorman at Big Star bar & taqueria in Chicago. They make some of the based tequila-based drinks I have ever tasted.

To put the flavor of smoke and the desert in your cocktail, just mix the following:

(Over Ice) – 1 part silver tequila (preferably Don Julio Blanco – but, dear god, no Patron!) – mix with:

– 1 part soda water

– splash of mescal

– fresh lime juice from about 3 lime wedges (which can go in the cocktail once they are juiced)

Stir the cocktail, read the book, listen to the album!

Thanks for reading!

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Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Ivo Ramalho, Poeticat

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Poeticat, my favorite purveyors of slam poetry set to music, are back with a new single entitled Third Arm, for which they have made the video/short film below, wherein a nerd becomes a super hero with, you guessed it, a third arm. His costume is very orange; the villains have amazing wrestling masks; the whole thing is awesome.

http://youtu.be/wi23is3obkQ

They will also be releasing an EP in April. Meanwhile, Ivo Ramalho (bass) is here to tell us about the books, music and drink he loves best.

poeticatnew

Ivo Ramalho is on the left; also pictured: Baj Kenrick (Guitar), Catherine Martindale (Vocals), Vic Meadowcroft (Percussion) and Ziggi Jadovski (Vocals).

A Good Read

You won’t get a reading lecture from me as I have a bit of a problem with reading. The thing is that I have the memory of a goldfish and have read so many amazing books which I automatically forget about. However, Life of Pi [by Yann Martel], Shantaram [by Gregory David Roberts] and The White Tiger [by Aravind Adiga] are good exceptions to this rule, probably because they are set in India.

I am also a sucker for crime novels, I love a good page turner, and hands down The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy [by Stieg Larsson] was probably the best I have ever read; just literally couldn’t put those books down.

And on a sentimental side of things, the Harry Potter [series by J.K. Rowling] as to be up there. These books were a big part of my teenage years and start of adulthood, and I remember the joy I got from reading them, it was amazing! No shame here whatsoever.

A Good Listen

This is that hard question to ask a musician, so I’ll try and keep it short. Absolutely anything by the Red Hot Chili Peppers have ever released. Listening to the evolution of the band’s sound throughout the years is amazing. The trio Flea-Chadis-Frusciante, is for me, absolutely flawless. No words needed, just listen to Stadium Arcadium, what an album!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh) (Official Music Video)

System of a Down, for the attitude and the amazing fusion of eastern sounds with heavy metal music. The mix of great vocal harmonies with heavy riffs and powerful drums.

System Of A Down - Hypnotize

Skunk Anansie, for me, one of the best bands to ever come out of England. Great lyrics, great music and the fantastically raw vocals by the amazing Skin.

I Hope You Get To Meet Your Hero - Skunk Anansie - Official Music Video

Bob Marley, for bringing reggae into the main stream, and for making me want to listen to more and more reggae.

Bob Marley - Three Little Birds [Official Music Video]

Ben Harper during his period with “The Innocent Criminals”. 5 great albums.

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals - Jah Work: A Lewis Marnell Tribute

Anything that has come out of Motown Records, from Diana Ross to MJ.

Diana Ross - Take Me Higher

A Good Drink

The day doesn’t start until that cup of black coffee has been assimilated by my body. Then, after that, anything that the day brings. From water, to beer or scotch, to home-made Serbian +50% fruit liquor (Rakija).

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Justin Courtney Pierre

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Justin Courtney Pierre is a man of many bands, though perhaps best known as the front man for Motion City Soundtrack. This is Inside Out, their most recent single:

http://youtu.be/gxBx98S7-oU

And this is This Is For Real from Even If It Kills Me the song (and album) I listened somewhat obsessively back in 2008, after I burned my life down and then didn’t quite know what to do afterwards:

Motion City Soundtrack - This Is For Real

Ok that’s kind of not true. I knew what I wanted to do afterwards, which was sulk in basements listening to My Chemical Romance at high volume. Apparently I needed Gerard Way howling about being not okay in my ear in order to admit to myself that I was also not okay.

But I also knew I couldn’t sulk in basements forever. It Had To Be You, also from Even If It Kills Me, was the flip side to the misery, my reminder that I had done the right thing, burning my life down, and my glimmer of hope that I might someday want to invite someone to get wrecked on pop-tarts and sex and see the Taj Mahal:

Motion City Soundtrack - It Had To Be You

Pierre’s other band is The Farewell Continental Group of North America, and when not rocking out, one of his many other projects is being co-host of a podcast called Book Narcs. It is with great pleasure that I turn the floor over to him to tell us about one of his favorite books, records, and drinks:

A Good Read

One of my favorite books of all time is Jerry Stahl’s Permanent Midnight. It is an unapologetic look at the drug fueled life of a broken man, the author, as he spirals toward extinction while trying to hang on to various television writing gigs, a wife, a kid, and what little sanity he has left. It is fucking beautiful. It is the only drug book I’ve ever read that doesn’t glorify the act of using. It is all open sores, teeming with things that squirm, and late night heart attack panic frenzies – but funny. Real funny, you know, if it’s not all happening to you. Somehow he makes you laugh and want to throw up at the same time. It’s one slow plunge of brutal truth after another.

I originally discovered this book after seeing the movie based on it starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. I thought, “that was fun, I should read the book.” But the book was WAY darker, and sadly, far more relatable than the film. True, I never stuffed black tar heroin up my ass while standing on my head to help facilitate the ingestion process, but I did spend a large part of my life nearly dying in an effort to chase the high and quiet my mind.

At the time I read this book I was drinking heavily, with amphetamine filled evenings peppered throughout the work week, which may account for the beer stains, the stab wounds, and a good deal of dried blood on the last 5 pages. There is redemption, however, for the author of the book, and I suppose even a little for me. He survived to tell his tale after literally washing off his own vomit and feces with somebody’s garden hose during the LA Riots of ’92, kicking the habit alone in a shed for several days – reborn with purpose. I found this book at the right time and it spoke to me. It said, “You do not wish to end up here. You will not fare as well as this.” It took me a few more years, but somehow I made it out of my own dark and endless nightmare. Thanks, Jerry.

A Good Listen

One of my favorite albums of all time is The Flaming Lips‘ Clouds Taste Metallic. In the fall of ’95 I moved into a cold sub-level apartment near Dinkytown in Minneapolis after a failed college attempt. Simultaneously, I inherited an old record player from my uncle and a set of ancient speakers, but no stereo to marry the two and provide sound. I also owned a VCR but had no television. I would pass the time listening to movies on my headphones (this is how I discovered the same sound was used for both the roller-coasters in True Romance and the fighter jets in Top Gun). I also listened to records this way, sitting cross-legged on the frozen tile floor, consuming copious amounts of Mountain Dew and ephedrine for days at a time.

I had liked The Flaming Lips ever since my friend Nick brought them to my attention in high school when Hit To Death In The Future Head came out. I also quite enjoyed Transmissions From The Satellite Heart when that came out, and working backwards got into In A Priest Driven Ambulance as well. But it was Clouds Taste Metallic that splattered my brains all over the wall (well, that and the ephedrine).

This album is like Japan. To me Japan is this insane mixture of past and future; incredible history and tradition mixed together with Minority Report type technology. Every intersection in Tokyo is like that movie Alex watches in A Clockwork Orange – total mind fuck. Clouds Taste Metallic is like that. More to the point… There is an excellent array of ear piercing and off putting sounds interwoven through the magic that are these incredible pop songs. This is a great sounding record, but it hurts a little to listen to – you have to work for it, but it’s worth it. Wayne Coyne is not the greatest singer, but his word choices are nearly always brilliant.

I used When You Smile in my wedding because it is the most beautiful love song I have ever heard. EXAMPLE: “When you smile… all of the subatomic pieces come together and unfold themselves in a second.” Does that not so perfectly describe what it is to be in love? Or take Christmas At The Zoo, a song about a guy who tries to free the animals at the zoo on Christmas, but they tell him to beat it because it doesn’t mean anything unless they can free themselves. How do you come up with an idea like that? My 3rd favorite track on the record has to be Evil Will Prevail, a seemingly happy sounding song with soul-crushing lyrics, the chorus of which goes, “with loving hands knowing evil will prevail.” It ends on the saddest of whimpers.

I have no idea if I am selling you on this record or deterring you from ever listening to it. It stands the test of time for me and will always remain the high water mark to which all other albums are compared. I dare you to give it a listen and hear for yourself.

The Flaming Lips - When You Smile [Official Music Video]

A Good Drink

Being a sober guy, my favorite drinks tend to be either water or coffee, the latter of which being the last drug, and I am holding on to it with all I have got. But I will throw into the mix my go-to drink for social gatherings or a simple and refreshing treat: Club Soda and Lime.

If you are a sober cat who misses that feeling of a drink in your hand, this works pretty well. It feels like a drink but isn’t one. If you are a sober cat who is easily triggered by sense memory, I’d stick to 1:00 a.m. ice cream binges and 12 packets of sugar in your morning coffee.

I can’t stand bars for several reasons, but if ever I find myself in one I get a Club Soda and Lime and nurse it for hours. Usually you can get them for free if you tell the bartender you are the sober cat. Additionally, for anyone addicted to soft drinks and trying to get off that, this is a pretty good substitute. But you may want to up the ratio of limes to liquid for the first few weeks, until you get the hang of it.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and A Good Drink: Kris Bowers

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Kris Bowers is a Julliard grad twice over (undergradate plus a master’s degree in jazz performance with a concentration in film composition), winner of Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition (2011) and has performed at both the NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony at Lincoln Center (2012) and on Watch the Throne (2011) by Kanye West and Jay-Z.

He’s also just released his first record, Heroes + Misfits. It features him at the head of a sextet that includes alto saxophonist Casey Benjamin, tenor saxophonist Kenneth Whalum III, guitarist Adam Agati, bassist Burniss Earl Travis II, and drummer Jamire Williams.

This is Forget-Er, featuring Julia Easterlin, one of four guest vocalists who appear on the record:

As a bonus, here he is with his version of Kendrick Lamar’s Rigamortis:

Kris Bowers - Rigamortis (Kendrick Lamar Cover)

After I listened to his songs, I wanted to get to know him better. So here he is now, to tell us about one of his favorite books, records and drinks:

Photo by Janette Beckman

Photo by Janette Beckman

A Good Read:

It’s funny. Ever since high school, I’ve been drawn mostly to non-fiction books. At some point, I decided it was a waste to spend time reading something, and not “learn” anything in the process. Needless to say, that was among many of my assured lifestyle declarations as a naïve young adult. But, one of the most influential works I read during that time was a collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson essays, specifically one called Self Reliance.

In it, he essentially talks about the importance of being an individual, and not killing that search for your individuality because of your adoration and imitation of idols. It was really eye-opening at that point in my life, especially as a young jazz musician. It seems like, at times, you’re taught to aspire to be just like the greats, although you’ll never be “as good as them.” So it just made them all more human to me. As a matter of fact, my only tattoo is from that book: “imitation is suicide.”

A Good Listen:

Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys. It’s of course hard to pick just one album, but that’s what I’m feeling right now. It’s easily one of my favorite albums of all time. Actually, once, when I was on a flight with some really bad turbulence, I turned on this album and thought “I’d be totally fine if this were to be the last album I ever heard.” Maybe a little dramatic…but I forgot about the turbulence.

http://youtu.be/VtJSWIv91eE?t=2m

A Good Drink:

I’m a whiskey man. Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, Japanese…my preference really varies based on how I feel that particular day. But for now, since it’s SO cold in NYC right now, I’ll say Booker’s because that’ll warm you up in no time.

A glass of good whiskey (neat or with one ice cube at the most), a good book and a good album, sounds like the perfect evening for me. Sometimes I feel like I’m really a 65-year-old man caught in a 24-year-old’s body haha.

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A Good Read a Good Listen and a Good Drink: Sivan Gur-Arieh, Everyone is Dirty

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Everyone is Dirty is: Sivan Gur-Arieh (vocals/violin), Christopher Daddio (guitar), Tony Sales (drums), and Tyler English (bass). They are from Oakland, and they mix fuzzy aggression with pockets of sweetness to create some of the finest grunge out there. Here they are with the video for Mama, No!!!, their first single:

Everyone Is Dirty – Mama No!!! from Dalton J. Rooney on Vimeo.

A full-length record is expected in April, and they’re playing shows all over the Bay Area this spring. The next one is at Slim’s, in San Francisco, on March 7. If you’re in town head down and rock out with them.

Meanwhile, here is Sivan Gur-Arieh to tell us about one of her favorite books, records and drinks:

A Good Read:

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allan Poe

This is the story of what happens when your drunk-ass friend convinces you to jump into a random empty boat on the dock and go sailing in the middle of the night. I love Poe’s descriptions of storms and the stillness of the sea. Get tossed around in the ocean for a while and read the whole book here.

A Good Listen:

Histoire De Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg

Mesmerizing music even though I can’t really understand what he is saying. Sonically they’ve got some amazing players on this. I’m in love with Herbie Flower’s bass playing and all of those psychedelic orchestral string arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier. Um, and are you watching Jane Birkin dance in the movie version? This is a sexy fucking album. I must confess I’ve put it on to try and impress a boy ;)

Minute 11:05 of the video is especially fine:

Histoire de Melody Nelson – Serge Gainsbourg from LeGouter on Vimeo.

[ed note: you can also watch it on YouTube!]

A Good Drink:

Morning Sunshine! There’s nothing like an Italian Irish Coffee to set the right mood on a recording day, or any day for that matter. It puts together 2 of my favorite things . . . espresso and whiskey.

Italian Espresso

Johnny Walker Red

Whole Milk

Sugar

Whipped Cream

. . . add a few drops of Sativa Tincture for a dreamy work day.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Adam Turla, Murder by Death

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, the sixth record from Murder by Death, has pretty much everything I like: big roaring drums, delicate and occasionally super creepy string sections, and songs that double as good stories.

Such as Lost River – in which a husband begs a wife to drown herself to join him in the afterlife – for which they have made the dark and lovely animated video below:

Murder By Death - Lost River

They are, as we speak (type?), taking their show on the road, with sold out shows at the Mercury Lounge in New York next week, followed by stops in Baltimore and Cleveland. They’ll also be at the Wakarusa Festival in Arkansas in June.

Meanwhile, here is Adam Turla (vocals) to tell us about his current favorite book, record and drink:

Murder By Death, l-r: Matt Armstrong, Scott Brackett, Adam Turla, Sarah Balliet, Dagan Thogerson. Photo by Greg Whitaker

Murder By Death, l-r: Matt Armstrong, Scott Brackett, Adam Turla, Sarah Balliet, Dagan Thogerson.
Photo by Greg Whitaker

A Good Read

Last year I read Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History [by Robert Edsel] – a great book that turned into a pretty weak movie. The book is the true story of the World War II division of the US Military that was assigned to protect, locate and retrieve art stolen by the Nazis. I’m not usually a WWII buff, and I was shocked and horrified by the idea that Hitler was not only trying to eliminate a race of people, but also wanted to erase their culture and history.

And what was so fascinating and nightmarish (like the movie Brazil or something), he did it all by creating legislation that revoked the Jews’ right to own art, then had the Nazi state forcibly seize their property for “safekeeping” as part of a fever-dream vision of a massive museum full of looted masterpieces to be built in his hometown. What they deemed “too Jewish” or grotesque/modern (for example, Picasso) they would burn. An incredible read for both the terror and the triumph of crushing Hitler’s dreams of a shitty future.

A Good Listen

Lately I have revisited Massive Attack’s Mezzanine. It’s a wintery album that really gets you in a mood. The song that’s always knocked me out was Teardrop – kind of an obvious choice but I love it. Great record for sexy times.

Massive Attack - Teardrop

 
A Good Drink

Funny, I’m taking it easy on drinking this month. But lately I have enjoyed a Boulevardier, which is basically a Negroni with bourbon instead of gin. I love gin, but our drummer left a bottle of Ancient Age at my house and I’m happy to relieve him of it. It’s 1 1/2 oz bourbon, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz Sweet Vermouth, stirred in a tall glass with ice, then pour into a tumbler on or off rocks. Garnish with orange slice if you’re feeling like a fancy lad.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Lydia Loveless

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

No matter what state your heart is in – broken, full of longing, drunk in love, just drunk – it’s likely there’s a song for you on Somewhere Else by Lydia Loveless, due out on February 18. I’m particularly fond of Really Wanna See You; it’s a song for the end of a long night – what you should put on and sing along with instead of sending your ex a text you’re going to regret when you sober up.

And now here she is to tell us about her current favorite book, record and drink:

Photo by Blackletter/Patrick Crawford

Photo by Blackletter/Patrick Crawford

A Good Read: The Easter Parade by Richard Yates
You can expect anything by Richard Yates to be more than a little upsetting, but this book shattered my heart. I started reading it while staying at a friend’s house on tour, but couldn’t finish it before I left. I spent the next few days frantically searching for it in each town we stopped, and could think of nothing else until I found it. The story of two sisters for whom nothing goes right-or maybe everything goes exactly as it does for all humans-this is what it’s like to be a woman, told perfectly by a man.

A Good Listen: Ride the Lightning by Metallica

It’s tough to pick a “favorite album of all time” obviously, but I never get tired of this one (I’ll bet my band does, though…). It’s my favorite thing to listen to when I get mad and want to picture driving over people in a giant monster truck. Everyone does that, right?
 

Metallica Ride The Lightning

 
A Good Drink: I’ve been really into making carrot ginger apple (and whatever else I have lying around) juice in my blender. I don’t always get to be healthy on tour, so I find making a juice I can chew at home makes me feel oddly smug and Gwyneth Paltrow-ish.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Bob Morris, The Hush Sound

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Photo by Craig Seymour

Photo by Craig Seymour

In 2009, after three records and a lot of touring, The Hush Sound decided to take a break. That break lasted until 2013, when they reconvened to make more of their unique and delightful mix of power pop, folk and rock. As an example, here are two of their most recent tunes, Not A Stranger and Scavengers:
 


 

And now, here is Bob Morris (center, above; guitar/vocals) to tell us about a favorite book, record, and drink:

A Good Book
One of my favorite books is JITTERBUG PERFUME by Tom Robbins. It has many story lines that weave together and by the end they, of course, collide. My favorite story line in the book is that of Alobar, a ruler of a small tribe from prehistoric times. Alobar’s tribe doesn’t fear death, it’s a part of life. When you start to show your age, you are sacrificed and the next strong and able man takes over. Alobar, however, plucks his grays and when he is found out, he escapes. He meets the love of his long life and they meet some monks that teach them to live forever, through meditation. It’s an epic saga. It’s a beautiful love story and it weaves together ancient times with today.

A Good Listen
While I would argue that Stevie Wonder is the greatest music to listen to in virtually any situation, contextually, I think Marvin Gaye‘s What’s Goin’ On album is my favorite of all time. It was released in the late 60s on Motown and is the most ambitious of all Funk Brother’s arrangements. The themes of peace and forgiveness are both beautiful and empowering to any peaceful warrior. It’s an album that I can always listen to.
 
http://youtu.be/ph0aELhsQoc
 

A Good Drink
Intelligentsia coffee, man. Why are you saving ten bucks buying Trader Joe’s coffee when you could be living the high life with the good stuff. Just stop. You’re doing it wrong.