WFL Bass drum

I've long wanted a huge vintage giant bass drum. For cheap. As cool as a big 28" drum from 1920s might be, I didn't want to pony up $350 on ebay. This past weekend I finally scored a 1950s gold sparkle 28" marching bass drum. I'm planning on adding some fiberskin heads, for a kind of dry woofy low whomp. Best of all, I paid $27 for this bad boy. It even has a hilarious Jaycees,/McDonalds marching band contest sticker on it from 1977.

MANTRIP 2010

I'm heading out for a week long trip across the South to visit my old friend Eric in Charleston SC. Accompanying me is another old friend, Shane. We're planning on eating soul food, listening to and talking about music, and drinking in a part of the country neither Shane nor myself have seen much of. I'll (hopefully) updating along the way. Stay tuned.

New Beer (for me) discovery

I feel like a johnny-come-lately to the party, but I just discovered the magic of Duvel, Belgium's finest. Crisp and clean, it has a deceptively high alcohol content at about 8.5%. I was a little skeptical, as when I poured it into a glass it looked suspiciously like a light pilsener. However, it reminded me more of champagne than beer. Like I said, very crisp, but also quite dry. At $5 for a 11.2 oz bottle it won't be my every day drinkin' beer, but I tried it a few weeks ago. My better half (she's not my special lady, man) bought me another Duvel as a Valentine's day present, so I got a chance to see if my memory of the first bottle was right. Good stuff.

New Music (for me and you)

About a year ago my friend Shane suggested that a few friends make a list of songs that "had influenced you musically" and then mail a mix CD to all involved. Amongst my selections were a coupla embarrassments (for instance "You Really Got Me" by Van Halen), but I had a great time putting it together. After all, who doesn't love to pretend they are John Cusack in High Fidelity? I was thinking about the CDs I received from the group, I discovered some great new music from these guys last year. My thoughts then turned to new music I've discovered (or rediscovered) in the last year. I've made a list, and would love to hear comments, suggestions, etc. Most of these songs I've just encountered in the last few months, but some (like Love Removal Machine) were songs I'd completely forgotten about. I was in a band in high school that unsuccessfully attempted to cover Love Removal Machine. Now I crank it up on Friday evenings after work. And I love Jesus Etc, from Wilco, and discovered a live version with Andrew Bird. The bridge is awesome, beautiful.

But I digress. If you've heard any of this stuff I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you have new listening suggestions I'd love to hear that as well. I've included links to youtube or Amazon (mostly), where you can at least get a taste of the song. Finally, if anyone wants to work a little mix CD trade let me know.

DISCLAIMER: Most of this stuff has been out for awhile, not much new here. All the cool kids have already discarded this stuff like an old stick of Juicy Fruit.

2ND DISCLAIMER: I like mellow acoustic music with somber themes, so, yeah, I know, it can get kinda boring if you like the rock. I tried to mix it up.

Slipping Into Darkness Carl Bradney Darker Than Blue: Soul From Jamdown 1973-1980
Wilco Wilco Wilco (The Album)
I Am Not a Farmer Bill Frisell Disfarmer
Charlie Darwin The Low Anthem Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm Andrew Bird Soldier On
Heavens Hold the Sun Kris Delmhorst Shotgun Singer
Moving Pictures Silent Films Great Lake Swimmer Great Lake Swimmers
Unwed Mothers Jeffrey Foucault Shoot The Moon Right Between The Eyes
He Never Said A Mumblin’ Word Bifrost Arts Come O Spirit!' Anthology of Hymns and Spiritual Songs
I Hear Them All Dave Rawlings Machine Friend of A Friend
Tear Down the House The Avett Brothers The Second Gleam
Jesus, Etc. Wilco/Andrew Bird Funny People (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Poor Fool Justin Townes Earle Midnight at the Movies
Bodysnatchers Radiohead In Rainbows
Strange Overtones David Byrne & Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Love Removal Machine The Cult Electric
Small Planes The Innocence Mission Small Planes
Spirited Laura Gibson Beasts Of Seasons

A night out w/ the wife @ Dante Pizzeria

Went to Dante Pizzeria in Omaha w/the better half tonight. Dante's boasts Neopolitan style pizza, just like the kind in Italy. They have a brick wood fired oven, a special dough mixer from the old country, and fresh mozzarella made in house. The pizza was quite good, probably the best I've had in quite some time. We got the Giuseppe, basically sausage, onion and red pepper. The sausage was fantastic, veggies were roasted, and the cheese was nice -n- gooey, without being overwhelming. The star of the show, however, was the crust, which was tender, chewy and light. It had nice little charred spots on the bottom, which I tend to like, in moderation. The middle of the pizza was a little soggy, the cheese had kinda pooled in the center, so the dought didn't quite cook through, but it was still good. The sauce was mellow, a little tomatoey goodness, without the usual cloying sweetness that accompanies most of the pizza sauces around here. Appetizer was different, for us country bumpkins anyway. We got the salumi plate, which was grilled bread, coppa (what I've always known as capocollo) and a hard cheese that tasted a lot like really good parmesan, though our waitress didn't know what it was called. Which brings me to the one of the more disappointing aspects of our meal. Our server had no idea what she was serving. She kept referring to her cheat sheet when we questioned her about the menu items. When I asked asked her about the aforementioned cheese, she said, "I think its kinda like parmesan." Kinda like lame, in my world. I was also fairly disappointed in the beer selection. No tap, and the usual Bud, Bud Light, Coors, etc, were out in full force, though they did have the obligatory Boulevard Wheat and Pale Ale. To their credit, they did have Moretti and a coupla other Italian beers, but I wasn't in the mood to pony up $4.50 for a 12 oz. bottle. The wine list looked good, but I was completely out my depth on what wine was good with pizza, and I wasn't about to ask ol' cheat sheeter for a wine recommendation. Which is a shame, because once I tasted that pizza I kept thinking a beer or glass of wine would really hit the spot. All in all, good food, and I got to hang with my wife without the kids.