amanda palmer theatre is evil

the new amanda palmer album came out recently, and after being barraged by her tweets and retweets, i picked it up. (to be fair, i follow her, and if i don't want to deal with the volume of tweets that she does i should unfollow instead of complaining.)  i've been a fan of her music since the dresden dolls, and have a bunch of her cover stuff as well.  i don't know what it is, but i just enjoy the music that she does.  sometimes piano driven, sometimes a more basic rock, but it's just good music.

i'm not going to review songs all the songs or anything like that, but i did want to hit on a few tracks.

• the killing type was is the first to really jump out at me.  i saw the video and it didn't do too much for me, but with the headphones on it just really stood out.  they lyrics are this interesting piece about not being able/willing to kill but having those sort of urges, carrying a knife, getting angry but knowing you couldn't/wouldn't do it.
• do it with a rock star - "do you want to see all my cavities."  that's a damn fine line, great double entendre
• want it back - really reminds me off dresden dolls stuff, in a good way.  but also has this nice, 80's synth feel to it.
• melody dean - man, this sounds so much like 'my sharona' that i have to imagine that it's intentional.  okay, she even says my sharona at one point in the song.  having said that, it's awesome.  this song rocks, will get you moving.  the drum break down is effing awesome.
• berlin - this really has that old melodramatic dresden dolls feel to it.  the song builds along what seems like a pretty simple piano riff, but mixed in with what sounds like a old striptease.  or, i guess a cabaret.

Overall, the album is a departure from the dresden dolls, which is fine, because it's not the same band.  obviously, when you have a band like the dolls that is only two people, and now the front person is in another band, there will be a lot of shared sound.  it's unmistakably amanda palmer.  i enjoyed the whole album.  obviously, some songs will speak out more to you than me.  the bed song is definitely one that will rip your heart out, and as exhibited by the amount of tweets palmer gets about it, people love it.  (i'm not sure why i didn't write about that one.)  i also really like the amount of the synth sound on it, which i am hearing & enjoying in a lot of current stuff.

On a related note, palmer has created a minor (?) controversy by asking for volunteer musicians to play at her shows as part of the grand theft orchestra (here's a good summary post).  she's asked for essentially semi-pros that would be willing to play, and would get to hang out with the rest of the band, get free beer/food in the green room.  she has been taken to task for this because some people feel that she should pay those musicians.  she is devaluing what musicians do because she's not hiring actual musicians, or paying musicians at the scale they might receive.  there is also a devaluing of live music because everyone should get paid for what they do.  i think that's most of the argument.  now, some of it has also been a bit nasty toward her personally, but that's dismissible for the argument.  if you're going to attack a person rather than their argument, well, you lose.  palmer's argument back is that the people are volunteering.  they're choosing to do this, they're having a good time, and they're getting a form of payment.

to be honest, i think i see both sides.  i've always been surprised when i talk to friends in bands that play for free.  i get it if you're getting some exposure from a really big touring act, but even then, shouldn't you see a little bit of the door?  also, it seems like some bands may also get the rep of being willing to play for free, and so venues/bars will put them on the bill all the time or frequently because they know they can get them for free.  that seems pretty bad, and i wouldn't want to be in that position.  i mean, i'm not going to do a painting at your house for free.

then again, when i was playing music regularly, i was doing it for free, as a volunteer.   sure, i was playing at church, and so it had some other meaning attached to it for me.  but, deep down, i did it because i wanted to play and provide a service.  if people want to get on stage, help out another musician, even one that is making pretty good money, and play for free/beer & high fives, that's fine with me.  i probably lean a little more this way in this particular argument about amanda palmer.  i still wouldn't play regularly as a band/in a club/in concert for free.

california calliope spectacle

saturday night was the california calliope spectacle at fulton 55.  what's that?  well, realistically it was the cd release show for the local country band back in the valley.  they just recently finished recording their debut album and wanted to put on a release show that was more than just your average show.  so, they came up with the idea of the california calliope spectacle.  they encouraged attendees to get dressed up in crazy outfits of whatever era.  they had go go dancers.  they had belly dancers.  they had a lady on stilts wandering through the crowd.  i heard there was a fire juggler, but didn't see it.  and, they had the music.  we were lucky enough to score some tickets from chris, the lead singer of back in the valley.

the first band was the psychadelic homeboys.  they played rock versions of a lot of 90's r&b songs.  bobby brown, montell jordan, and beyond.  they also did some hendrix and other classics.  it was pretty fun stuff.

back in the valley actually went on second.  they wanted to be able to play the show, and then hang out and enjoy themselves.  they do mostly originals, and overall it's pretty likeable stuff.  chris sings well, and the fiddle player was very good and had a nice voice as well.  one really funny moment (to me) from their set was when they were about to play the title track of the new album.  chris was explaining the concept of the album being about california, and it was conceptualized in the metaphor of a woman.  as he's saying this, the guitar play chimes in that it could be a metaphor about whatever you like.  umm, not really a good idea to contradict the lead singer while he's actually speaking.

the westerns went on last, and they play rock.  i think you could effectively call it screaming classic rock & roll.  i don't mean that in a bad way.  they play it well, and generally have a good energy about their performances.

overall, it was a good show, and we had a fun time.  it got crowded enough in fulton 55 that they opened up the top as well, which they don't do unless they pass a certain number of people in the venue.

two last notes about the night & venue - drinks are not cheap at fulton 55.  i had to do a double take on our bill at the end of the evening for the two of us.  i'm not complaining (too much), but it seems like as a venue they could charge a little less per beverage.   the last thing, one bartender was working his but off.  seriously, he was scrambling and getting drinks out quick.  i actually tipped him straight up at one point because he was working so much.  the other bartender, not so much.  very busy talking to people, socializing, and didn't seem all there by the end of the night.  not very good.

lies romney told me

in one of my classes, the students consider the leadership of kings, specifically king david from the bible and some of his failings.  in it all, there is a question about moral failings of leaders, and the unwillingness to admit fault.  in the context, students frequently make connection to bill clinton, and his lying about the lewinski scandal.  fair point.  some will throw out nixon & watergate.  okay.  a rare few will throw out jfk and the alleged affairs he had.  i'm sure they could go on further, mainly because our leaders continue to demonstrate the ability to screw up.

this brings us to this week and some of the political situation our world is in.  let's look @ facts:

• a strange film promo pops up online, and it's some sort of film that defames islam.  at the time, no one really knows who made this low budget film.
• people in the islamic world react with displeasure to the promo, speaking out against it
• the u.s. embassy in cairo tweeted that it was displeased with the film, that the u.s. was against mocking anyone's religion, and so on.  their tweets, although not the official u.s. government response, were almost identical to the statements released by the bush administration when muslims were upset by a cartoon in a dutch paper.  yep, very similar statement, but not the official u.s. response.  as it should be noted, this statement was made on twitter, before any protests in cairo or libya.  the embassy later deleted these tweets.
• protests began in several countries.
• the  u.s. embassy in libya was attacked.  many credible sources say that this was a preplanned attack.  the snafu over the movie trailer was used as cover for the attack.  it had nothing to do with film, or the tweets, or really the muslim protests over insults to their religion.  the attacks resulted in the deaths of several u.s. citizens at the embassy, including an ambassador.

that's the timeline.  it's clear, it's verifiable.  but, willard romney and his campaign are going to ignore that.  romney's campaign claimed that the obama administration was apologizing for the film, apologizing after the attack, and that obama's foreign policy was weak.  willard romney is willfully ignoring the fact that it wasn't any official statement by the administration.  nope, the official words from the president's office completely condemned the attacks, the loss of life.  when this has been pointed out to willard romney, he refuses to accept it.  he maintains his stance.  he stubbornly refuses, almost childishly, digging in his heels about what he sees as obama's foreign policy, which he clearly is wrong about.  he says that the president shouldn't apologize ever for america.  well, he didn't here.  but, i disagree with that statement anyway.  if our country does something wrong, we should admit it.  in fact, i have no problem with the fact that our president has apologized for the actions of the u.s. gov't in central america during the 40's and 50's.  now, we haven't admitted or apologized for everything we did, but last year we did admit that we did medical experiments on people.  it was unethical, although not illegal.  so, we apologized for our participation.  but, in the situations of this week, no apologies were issued, or needed.

all willard romney needs to do is admit that they were wrong.  they were misinformed about the timeline of events, and that under their initial understanding of the situation, it looked different.  upon being given the correct order of events, the full situation, they have a better understanding, and respond appropriately.  nope, not going to do it.  days later, with tons of time, with a political isht-storm swirling about, willard romney continues to stand his ground.  he is defiant in his interviews about it.

frankly, i'm mystified.  willard as seen as strong, full of resolve in the situation.  he's sticking to his guns.  well, he's also wrong.  who would celebrate his stick-to-itedness when you're completely wrong about a situation?  i guess it's one of those things that you never want to let facts get in the way of a good argument.

the sleepover disaster

will there be a sleepover disaster show before the end of this year? rumors circulating.

rumors already circulating about a new album, but the chance of a new show has got me excited.

fresno blogger bowl 5

kiss the ring.  or, in this case, my laptop or my trophy. tonight, our group of fresno bloggers had our fantasy football draft, and at said draft, i also was awarded my trophy from last year's win (blogger bowl 4).  we had a little bit of turnover in the league, and a couple of folks had to step out, but we were able to secure 10 teams for the league this year.

as last year's winner, i was awarde the first draw for draft order.  i grabbed 5 from the pitcher.  honestly, i wasn't all that happy with 5.  with 5, there's a good chance you'll miss your desired first pick.  and, in snake draft fashion, that 5 pick is also 15, which probably means you won't get the guy you would have wanted to get at your second pick either. so when michael of weird fresno threw out he was willing to trade the #1, i jumped at it.  i offered him my pick in round 4 & the 5 spot and we switched it up.  this did not work to his benefit in round one, but he was happy with the move.  so, here's how it went, in order for me (you don't care, but wev, this is my blog).

aaron rodgers, green bay qb - this pick was super funny to me, because michael instantly was upset, as he hoped to get rodgers with his recently acquired #5 pick.  sorry, brother, he was the #1 you coulda had.
rob gronkowski, new england te
marshawn lynch, seattle rb
fred jackson, buffalo rb
dez bryant, dallas wr
steve johnson, buffalo wr
willis mcgahee, denver rb
c.j. spiller, buffalo rb
ben tate, houston rb
donald brown, indianapolis rb
ben roethlesberger, pittsburg qb
laurent robinson, jacksonville wr
ny jets defense/special teams
rashad jennings, jacksonville, rb

i'm actually a player short since i traded my fourth rounder away completely.  so, i need to still pick up a kicker before wednesday's first game, but whatever.

looking over my team, i admit i'm a little worried having 3 buffalo guys and 2 jacksonville guys.  one of the buffalo guys is just a handcuff for the starting rb, so that's okay, i guess.  rashad jennings is jacksonville's top ranked rb, but only technically because maurice jones drew held out during the preseason.  if he's not on par, or gets hurt, jennings could be worth it.

some funny highlights from the draft - i think people tried to pick demarco murray three times.  malcolm floyd was picked in back to back rounds...by the same team.  tim tebow was picked, but mark sanchez wasn't.  and oh yeah, people tried to pick randy moss twice, which it was joked that ours was probably the only league where that happened.  good night overall.

and, btw, we had our draft over @ swigg's.  first time i've been there.  good burger, local beers on tap,  wings were good, too.

tri tip hamburgers

i've had an idea in my mind for a little while.  i think a part of it goes back to the book fast food nation, and the idea that a burger at a restaurant or ground beef at the market could have meat from 100 cows in it.  i realize the claim wasn't intended to be a fact, but it did get me thinking, and sorta stopped me from eating burgers fro a while.  in time, and after watching a lot of food network, i started to think about grinding meat and making my own hamburgers.  this lead me to thinking about burgers made from high quality cuts of meat.  this isn't that crazy of an idea, so i bought a meat grinder.

but we live in central california, where tri tip is king.  it seems like a local law that bbq places must serve tri tip in some form.  sliced tri tip, tri tip steaks, tri tip sandwiches, even tri tip salads.  but for the life of me, i've never seen a tri tip burger.  i started floating the idea out there among friends and everyone thought it sounded like a fabulous idea.  one friend did bring up the idea that it might be dry, as tri tip isn't the fattiest of cuts.  but, i solved this issue by getting a cut of tri tip that was untrimmed (i usually buy it this way, it's a little cheaper and i can trim the fat and decide how much i want to leave on for flavor in cooking).  i trimmed of the silver skin and away we went.

before grinding meat, it's suggested that you chill it in the freezer for a while.  this definitely made it easier to cut the meat into small chunks.  they also recommend you put the parts of the grinder in the freezer as well, although i'm not really sure why.  i still did it though.  speaking of the grinder, i considered a grinder attachment for our kitchen aid stand mixer.  however,  i eventually purchased a standard, hand crank grinder.  it was a little cheaper, but also bigger.  i'm not sure which i will prefer in the long run, but the grinder was easy to use, and fairly easy to clean up afterwards.  while grinding the meat, i added a few cloves of garlic.  that was pretty cool, just drop in a clove every so often while your grinding and it's in the mix.  i didn't add any other seasoning to this point.  after the meat was all ground i added a bit of pepper that i folded into the meat before shaping into patties.  here's the meat as i was finishing up grinding:

now, here's the part where i'm a bad blogger.  i didn't take pictures of the patties.  i was going to do it after they chilled and before i put them on the grill.  didn't.  then, i was going to take some pictures of the cooked patties. didn't.  nor did i take a shot of the finished burger.  lame, lame, lame.  what i can let you know is that they looked nice.  i made most of the patties about 4" across, with a bit of a dimple in the middle.  they cooked up rather well and at the normal rate for most burgers.  i also grilled a bit of romaine lettuce to go on the burgers.

to the flavor: the burgers tasted good.  i slightly overcooked them, which was my own fault, but they still stayed juicy enough.  i'm not sure that you could really taste that it was tri tip, but i still like the idea of a higher quality cut of meat.  overall, the process was worth it and i'll be grinding more meat in the future.

edstewart.net

for a long time, i've had another blog that had my artwork on it.  it's still hanging around the internet, but now i'm proud to let you all know that i have a proper website for my art.  i've updated my sidebar link, and am promoting the site through my social media contacts.

edstewart.net is my new art home.  i'm really excited for you to check it out.

jared jurcak did the work. he's local, he's talented, and yes, he's for hire.  so get at him.

the site currently has 24 of my paintings on it, but it's also got room to grow, so hopefully this will be a little bit of drive to get to work.  i have 2 paintings in progress, that have been in progress for a while.  they need to get done, and i need to get showing (& selling).


and maybe, just maybe, i will finally find a suitable wall w/creative fresno for a mural.  and at that time that sort of stuff can get there, too.

watts' grill chicken & waffles

i'm a fan of watts family grill.  i love their bbq, their sides, and they run a pretty good ship over there.  shoot, the other night, we went there to watch the historic 1-0 u.s. victory over mexico from azteca stadium.  today, i was craving fried chicken, and was thinking about going over to rudy jr.'s chicken man.  but, when we were @ watts the other night, we saw someone having the chicken & waffles, which i haven't had there.

i love chicken and waffles.  the spicing of fried chicken mixed with the sweet of waffle & syrup really does it.  so, i decided to hit up watts instead of chicken man.

this is the 2 piece, one waffle combo from watts.  it's $8.  i had wanted legs or thighs, but they were out so i had to go with just wings.  that's fine.  oh, yeah, that picture is also before i put on syrup.

upon ordering, they let you know that it'll take a little extra time because the fresh fry all their stuff - no sitting around.  the chicken comes out super hot, so i waited and worked on my waffle for a bit.  the waffle is pretty dang good.  i seemed lie a multi-grain type waffle mix, not just your typical waffle batter used to make a fresh waffle.  i liked the powdered sugar, but of course, i also used syrup.  when the wings cooled a bit, a dug in to them, too.  good stuff.  this is actually the 2nd time i've had the fried chicken here, and it's good stuff.

overall, i thought the chicken & waffle combo was a good mix.  it is definitely worth ordering if you want chicken & waffles, or if you want something different than your usual bbq order.

now, here's the real test in my mind: how do they stack up to Roscoe's?  the waffles are a bit different. roscoe's is a little more basic of a waffle, but they also give you a good amount of butter.  i think i actually like watts' waffle better.  but the chicken, man, roscoe's has them beat.  their chicken is ridiculous.  and, i love the gravy option at roscoe's.  this is no slight on watts at all.  it's just, roscoe's is my gold standard for chicken and waffles, and to dethrone the king you've got to really bring it.

chevron trick pricing

so, today i needed to get some gas, and i was in north fresno, away from the gas stations i usually go to.  i was heading south on north blackstone and saw that i could get to a 76 or a chevron.  i scanned the signs, and the cash price was about the same, or so i thought.  chevron was going to be a little easier to get to, so i pulled in, went inside, and gave the attendant my cash for the fill up.

and then, i realized i had been duped.

you see, on my experiences, and i'm sure yours as well, gas stations advertise their cash and credit prices.  so, in the picture above, i saw that the cash prices were $4.25, $4.17, and $4.25, with the credit prices 20 cents more at each level.

nope, at this station, those lower prices are for a gallon with a car wash.  with a car wash?  w.t.f.?

yes, it is my own fault for not being able to read that with car wash element when i was going by and eyeballing the prices.  i understand that.  but that is some chicanery by chevron, setting up their pricing advertisement just like every other station, but swapping in a variation of car wash instead of cash.

to be honest, i have no idea what it would have cost me had i been using plastic instead of cash.  i dread the thought that it would've been another 20 cents on top of the non-car wash price.  it's pretty devious to trick your patrons in that manner, especially at 20 cents a gallon.  since i ride a motorcycle, the car wash wasn't even an option, so i'm not sure what it would have actually cost in addition to the gas for the car wash.

today's lesson: i should have gone to 76.  and, never assume that the standard formatting is what you're getting.

stringer bell raps

i can't say i know the band milk.  i can't say that i'm particularly fond of their maroon fivesque sound.

but i can say that when i heard that stringer bell (idris elba) was rapping on a track, i was like, yes please.


not exactly the best bars i've ever heard spit.  i really like the confused looks on the faces of some of the band.

btw, i know that mr. elba does some dj-ing.  i think i'll try and see if i can find some footage of that next.

pinot wine bar

so, i'm not a big wine person, so i've sort of stayed away from pinot even though it's in my neighborhood and i always like to find good, local food.  i also didn't think their menu was all that extensive.  anyway, a good friend had told me that they had been recently and that we should check it out, and that they dinner menu had changed a little.

i stopped by on a wednesday evening and it was crazy hot outside.  inside, very pleasant.  clean, cool atmosphere greeted us, and we sat with our friends who had gotten there before us.  the waiter brought out waters and menus, and gave us some time to look over things.

when he came back, i ordered a spatten off their beer menu - even though they're a wine bar they have a very nice beer menu.  not sure if they have much on tap, but have a good bottle selection and most are very reasonably priced.

anyway, my wife ordered one of the cheese plates and a dessert for dinner. she really liked it - the cheese was up to her expectations and it also came with fruit and nuts.  yeah, i know, this is basic cheese plate stuff, but it was still good.  i ordered the burger & fries.  the burger comes with fresh lettuce, tomato and choice of cheese. you can also add bacon or an egg for an additional charge. i wanted to taste their burger as is, so i just went with the standard order. i was impressed that it was cooked to order, and the chef actually cooked it right.  sounds simple, again, but often a cooked to order burger is still well done, which isn't my taste.  the burger had a very good taste. the fries were some simple shoe strings, but the tasted nice, and were finished with a sea or kosher salt.

i will certainly be going back for the burger again, but this time i'll be adding the egg for sure because eggs on burgers are the business.  probably the bacon as well.  the food menu isn't super large, and the other items seemed interesting and worth trying.  i have no idea about the wines.

doughnuts 2 go review

i was looking for something different for lunch, and remembered that a little place down olive had bierocks.  That place: doughnuts 2 go (or maybe it's donuts 2 go, i can't remember).  for those that remember, this locale used to be a chinese food, burgers & donuts place, but a few months back it became Doughnuts 2 Go.  they still do multiple things, as exhibited by the fact that i went in and had 2 bierocks.  they were pretty basic (ground beef & cabbage) but good tasting and cheap - $1.99 each.  i was rather pleased with the taste.  i'm not sure if they make them on the premises or are buying them from someone else, but i'd guess they pre-make them and then heat them up.  anyway, they tasted good.

i also wanted to try out the doughnuts, so i bought a apple fritter to eat later.  the doughnuts seem reasonably priced, and i think the fritter was $1.75 - but your average doughnut was under $1.  i'm not sure when they made the fritter (i'm assuming it was in the morning) but i ate it about 5 hours after buying it, and it still tasted really fresh and good.

they also do burgers & fries, and the prices seemed good, so i think i'll have to go back at some point and check out the burgers, too.

601 E. Olive
Fresno, CA 93728

(559) 443-1730

please help stop crime in the tower district: facebook folly?

i once was a part of a group on facebook.  it seemed like a pretty good idea.  neighbors wanted to help each other out.  they wanted to be able to let people what was going on, and help find solutions.  i don't know if this can ever really work, but i thought it was a good idea.  eventually, i took myself out of the group.

yes, i left the "please help stop crime in the tower district" group on facebook.

why?  well, despite the best intentions of the founders of the group*, it became a place to bitch and moan about the things that certain people didn't like.  i admit, i wasn't fond of some of these things as well, but i also didn't think that these gripes really met the purpose of the group.  yes, the tower community garden had become a mess, a nuisance, and some minor criminal activity was happening there, but overall, was that the problem of crime in the neighborhood?  and the voluntarily homeless that loitered around some of the businesses were bad, but again, were they the major problem around?  it was these sorts of frequent posts and ensuing comment threads that drove me out of the group, which, since it's a facebook group leaving was pretty easy.

the group continues on, as it should.  and, as i would expect, it has just gotten worse.  there are still some beneficial posts, stuff that actually alerts people about crime happening, but there is soooo much more.  somebody thinks they heard a gun shot.  someone saw some guy that looks "suspicious" in their neighborhood.  the cops arrested someone in fresno with a gun so i'm posting a photo.  i saw the cops, anyone know why?  little ceasars is a nuisance.  and the comments on most post, ugh.  they range from racist to threats of violence to the occasionally helpful.

i mean, i understand if you just saw someone committing a crime, and you're giving people the heads up.  but when there are continual comments and posts advocating open violence, i'm not sure you're helping to end crime in the neighborhood.  i'm pretty sure that advocating crime isn't going to stop crime.

here's a few actual comments from recent threads:  
"Forget the police. It's time to shoot a thief when they try to rob your place. Maybe if a few gang mutts were hung in front of the Tower they'd get the message and move on."

"Text me from now on since PD's "too busy", besides there's only one thing these guys understand and it isnt cell phone pics or threats to call the cops. Remember they didnt grow up like you and me, their moral compasses are off, the threat of the cops doesnt strike fear in them anymore because they know they'll be out within the hour... so maybe a 6'5" 235lb tattoo covered Marine confronting them would be the best medicine from now on"

"mark my words everyone, there will be a day in the near future when we will have to rise up and protect ourselves. Depending on a non existent police presence is not going to protect you or your belongings anymore. We have to watch out for each other, protect each other and stand up against this criminal element who is preying on us like we are baby gazelle. If we ALL stand up, If we all confront them in unison regardless of personal belief about how to go about it, then they will stop. We cant stand idly by anymore because we are too afraid to confront someone, we cannot let these people take our possessions so freely. Please meditate on my words friends. Because I will be standing with you should this be the case when I am out, I will be emphasis to your voice and strength behind your strength and courage. I hope that after reading this that we will start making a difference, and not allowing people to stand alone as victims any longer."

now, those last two comments are from the same guy.  who is he, bane?  

here's one from someone else
"it's typical entitlement society behavior. These street people think they can harass and intimidate people. Then when challenged they want to play the "homeless", "mentally ill' ,or "race card". It's time to teach them to stop messing with people. This cavepest makes the mistake of sitting on the ground in front of the post office in the afternoon. A good quick kick from a steel boot might teach him some manners. Old ladies might be scared of him but he better watch out. I's how they operate they target people they think are weak or they can intimidate."

yep, this is going to stop crime in the tower.
 
my favorite part of the page, though, has to be the post about cafe corazon not opening until 10 a.m., and all of these people that "love" the tower attacking a successful business family for their decision to keep the hours that work for them.  effing brilliant.  

*please understand that this post is in no way intended as a slight to the founders or their intentions. the idea may be good, but i'm critiquing what the page has become and expressing the why i've left & stay away.

show review: the mallard

"The Mallard, Strawberry Jam, Ornery Ones were fantastic last night! The Mallard sounds super cool as a four piece!" - Luke Giffen, via facebook


last night i went out to see the mallard play at audie's olympic.  fortunately, heather is on vacation so she was able to go as well.  i like the mallard, and really like them live.  for those that don't know, the lead singer of the mallard is greer, formerly of rademacher, but it's a much, much different sound than the old days of rad.  i dig it.  the first time i saw the mallard it was a two piece. then, heather and i saw them as a three piece. now, it's a four piece and sounds really good.  the music is more densely constructed, but still has a very light, energetic and loud feel to it.

the first band of the night was a project featuring james brittain gore on guitar & singing, benji mcentee (of the fay rays) on bass, and another guy on drums.  they had a nice sound, but it didn't blow me away.

the second band of the night was strawberry jam.  i'd never heard of them, but they're from the area.  and they freakin rock.  both heather & i were astonished by the bass player especially.  she laid down some seriously good bass lines on the night.  i shot two videos of them to share with the world:





finally, the mallard was up.  i could see them over and over.  the energy.  the talent.  the awesome noise.  the videos don't do them justice.

so, i'd agree with luke.  awesome show last night.

paterno statue removed

this weekend this famous statue was removed.  and it should have been.

some would say that joe paterno was a great coach, and we should honor his accomplishments.  the statue should stay.  while i understand the sentiment, and agree that he was a great football coach, we can not deny what he also did: cover up a horrendous crime.

joe paterno tarnished his own legacy.  he could have done things differently.  he could have reported his dear friend to the police as soon as he was aware.  he could have made sure that a great university would not be brought down by such a heinous scandal.  i realize paterno was not alone in this.  everyone complicit in this scenario should be brought to light.

but football is not as important as life.  football, wins, and paterno are not as important as those children's lives that were ruined.  i know there are many that still would love to worship at the altar of paterno, but they should not.  and the university needed to take down the statue as a way of closing the door on that part of their history.  as long as that statue remained it would be a reminder of the shame paterno brought on himself and the university.

i wonder if the school's ice cream shop will still sell peachy paterno? (yep)

btw, the photo above is me in 2008. i visited happy valley on our way to a friend's bachelor party.  i respected paterno as a coach, even though i wasn't a penn state fan or from the area.  i thought it would be cool to take a picture with the statue.  here's another one i took:

in case you can't make out the words, it says "they ask me what i what i'd like written about me when i'm gone. i hope the write i made penn state a better place not just that i was a good football coach."

sadly, that's not what is being written any more.

lela's dinner review

it's restaurant week in fresno. that means a lot of local restaurants have fixed price menus going, and you all should get out and try some place new.  you don't have to go to one of the participating restaurant, but you should go to something local and new to you, in my opinion.  for us, the stars aligned and we decided to go to lela's.

you see, the other night i was talking to nolan, a guy i've talked to a few times before, but i wouldn't say i know him really well.  i know him, he knows me, in the sense of we've got some shared friends, we've chatted at bars, and we'd definitely say hi to each other in passing.  well, the other day we ran into each other and he told me all about the new ventures in his life.  he had been cooking in restaurants, but has stopped, and is now a part of tower urban family farm.  he and his brothers have converted some property around one (maybe more) of their houses into farm, and are growing vegetables.  they're selling it every weekend from the urban farm.  they're also in the process of getting certified as a farm, something that's a little tricky when you're in the city limits.  once they are certified, nolan felt they could really be sustainable as a business because they could sell more openly to restaurants and such.  in fact, he said he had at least two places that specifically will be using their vegetables as soon as they are certified, but aren't able to take the risk before.  one place that is willing to go out on a limb is lela's.

lela's is out at herndon and marks, which is pretty far out there for us.  it's not that we won't go to different parts of town for food or entertainment, but this is any area of town that we don't spend much time in.  lela's is tucked away in a less than scenic shopping center, but that doesn't really matter for the dining experience once you're inside.  the decor is nice and clean, fairly modern and there's a window that allows you to see the chefs at work.  they have a few booths and mostly tables.  i'd guess the place seats around 50 to 60 people.

the menu is standard american cuisine, and i don't say that in any sort of pejorative manner.  in a recent fresno bee article it was referred to as lighter, traditional fare.  for starters, we had the cheese & fruit plate and the crab cakes.  my wife really enjoyed the cheeses. (admittedly, we love cheese, and will get cheese plate appetizers at a lot of restaurants. if it's on the menu, we'll probably order one.) i had the crab cakes, which were a dungeneus crab mix, coated in panko. they're served on a bed of greens with a light sauce.  they were amazing.  you get 3, i could have foolishly eaten like 30.  maybe that's just me.  for our mains, we ordered the grilled salmon and the ribeye.  the salmon comes with quinoa, which had a texture like maybe it had been fried a little, and that was pretty nice. it also had a nice sweetness to it.  my wife said if quinoa was always like this she would love it.  it also comes with some root vegetables and arugula.  the salmon was well prepared, but overall was pretty normal.  the ribeye comes portabella mushroom potato croquet, spinach and asparagus.  i liked the veggies, but whatever, i was focused on the ribeye.  the ribeye was everything i expected: tender, juicy, flavorful. it had a simple seasoning to it, which allowed the meat flavor to stand out on it's own.  yes, there is a glaze that went over the food, but it added to the flavor and didn't dominate the plate.  i was also pleased that the ribeye was trimmed of most of the fat but still had a little on the edge along with the juicy amounts in the cut.  honestly, sometimes at restaurants you get a ribeye that has a crazy amount of fat and can be a bit overwhelming.  for dessert, we had the new york cheesecake which was good, and their take on the drumstick - the deconstructed drumstick, which is a scoop of ice cream with a waffle cone peace on it, chocolate sauce w/peanuts and some cashews.  both desserts were good, but we were pretty full from our meal and neither of us finished dessert (again, we were just full, both tasted good).

as for the staff, we found our waiter very nice.  he and the other staff seemed pretty knowledgeable and willing to serve.  it seems strange to say that about wait staff, but sometimes they just want to talk your ear off, or aren't around.  we were checked on a reasonable amount of times, and the waiter actually asked my opinion on how they do their coffee - they bring out a french press to your table.  i was honest, and said it was alright but not great.  i liked the presentation of it, but the coffee itself wasn't that great, and with french pressed coffee it always seems a bit silty.  it was also nice that the executive chef come out and was checking on patrons, and stopped by.  i wanted to ask him some questions, but was busy with my ribeye when he came to our table.

overall, we had a very nice experience, would recommend lela's to other's, and would go back again.

lela's
7089 marks avenue, ste 101
432-9900

btw, i recommend reservations, and the dress seems like dress casual.

spiral cut hot dog

i saw a video, specifically this video from chow.com, the other day on the internet about spiral cutting a hot dog before cooking it.



i thought i would have to try that technique the next time i cooked up dogs.  for anyone that knows me, i love hot dogs.  i realize that they aren't the pinnacle of culinary creation.  but, they are handy, and offer a lot of variety in preparation technique and condiments afterward.  i like to try different combos to really make hot dogs interesting.

this spiral cut technique works well.  i didn't use a skewer so the cuts weren't as deep as in the video, but it still worked.  and, like they mention in the video it does allow for more crispy deliciousness.  i'm sold, i think this may be the way for me in the future.

this also made me miss tower dogs and their options on dogs.

finally, i recommend checking out chew's youtube channel. lots of good ideas there.

UPDATE: i didn't realize heather mclane of the beehive blogged this yesterday.  granted, we wrote different stuff, but just wanted to point it out in case people were thinking i was biting another local site w/o credit.

fierce creatures changing

if you're on the fresno internets, or have seen indie rock in fresno over the past few years you have to have heard of the band fierce creatures. in fact, we had a few members of the band on looksgoodfresno.com. currently, they are gearing up to release a new album, and put out a video for the first song off the record.
 

but here's where it gets interesting. rumors are circulating that the band is breaking up. well, maybe breaking up is the wrong word. several members are leaving, three from what i heard. some will stay with the band through the release and some upcoming shows, but then are out. while i don't want to name my source, it is veeeerrrrrrrry reliable. things could change, and it's possible the leaving members don't, but it didn't sound like that would be the case. so what does that mean for fresno's up and coming musical darlings? i don't know. i hope they're able to fill in the holes with good replacements. they're a band with a lot of potential. speaking of rumors, enjoy this:

master of doin' it

what is this, a blog that just post videos? shhhh, i know, i know. but i loves to share that vids that i enjoy. so today, here's my latest find & share:

i grew up loving a variety of music, and was blessed with an older brother with good taste in music. i got to experience in brit music, college rock, and rap all before a lot of my peers. but metal, that was all my own. and i loved metallica. had the shirts, the music, everything i could get my hands on. for a class project we had to write a letter to someone famous, i chose them. i actually got a signed photo in return, which was awesome to junior high me. as an adult, i'm not as much into metal, but throw on an old metallica album and i'm there. i've also grown in my appreciation of music, especially funk, from the 70's. seriously, i think stevie wonder's songs in the key of life may be one of the best albums ever made. while i can't say i've listened to a lot of herbie hancock beyond rockit (that video scared the shit out of me as a kid), i enjoy this mashup and what he lays down on it. i think i may need to dig into his catalog a bit.

news reporter prank

pranks for all! so, what this really reminds me of is beauty pageant contestant answers. people put on the spot will try to answer about anything. and if they really don't know, they'll adlib. some of these adlibs are kinda funny and true, but others just, well, dumb.