Friday, January 22, 2010

Wyman's Pond Music Fest


Instead of just being incredibly supportive of our local musician friends by listing their live dates and attending many of their shows, I have taken it upon myself to produce a one-day music festival this summer!

So Saturday July 31st will be a day-long lakeside live music event. Some of the artists you see listed in the live dates above, and in the Local Musicians section on the right will be playing acoustic sets that day.

Further details and updates are posted as they occur at the official site. Become a follower to stay in the loop! And if you play guitar or percussion of some sort, and would like a slot in our "Amateur Hour", drop me a line at NotLameMinus@gmail.com for consideration. There is limited space for both performers and attendees, so save the date!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Made in Massachusetts

It has been proven many times over that if you spend locally, your dollar spends more time in your community, and works harder for everyone. If you are as much a fan of helping local businesses as I am, then you may want to check out the following links to companies in Massachusetts that I learned about on Wednesday night's Chronicle on ABC Channel 5 Boston. Each company listed below started small, puts a lot of care and handiwork into their products, and provides jobs which are a boon to the folks of the region.

  • Sterlingwear - High quality winter wear. They make the peacoats for the US Navy.
  • Vanson Leathers - For all of you motorcycle riders, and all-around fans of leather clothing.
  • Best Friends Cocoa - Hot cocoa in four spectacular flavors! It's not just for winter (think fireside, after dark down at your lake/beach/camp, or for quiet backyard sunsets).
  • Bay Shore Chowders - A variety of seafood chowders and bisques, both old favorites and exotic recipes.
  • Aunt Sadie's Candles - If you're tired of your usual candle company, try this one. In addition to many standards and old favorites, they have several unique scents I've never seen before (iced tea! pipe tobacco! leather! beer!), and a $16 candle burns for 75 hours in a classy designer tin. The company even turned down bigger accounts to avoid having to ship the labor overseas!
  • Wachusett Brewing Company - Sure, they weren't on the show, but how could I pass up a chance to plug my hometown brewery! Whether you are skiing at Mt. Wachusett, or dining at any number of restaurants all over New England, you have to try their beers if you get a chance. I recommend the Nut Brown, and the award-winning Blueberry Ale ("#9 Best Beer in America" - Stuff Magazine, 2005).
Also, check out this cool article about experiments where creating and utilizing a local currency could actually help the economy where you live. Creative and fascinating stuff.

Tell us about YOUR favorite local business (either in MA, or where you currently reside), and you could win a sampler of Best Friends Cocoa! Either leave an interesting plug in the comments section of this article, or send us a note at NotLameMinus@gmail.com We will choose a winner at the end of the month!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Porter Square and Beyond


Tuesday night was the first live show in 2010 for us guys in Not Lame Minus.

After an eventful ride on the Red Line (the train stopped and the power went out for half a minute between Alewife and Davis Square), and a long trudge up ten flights of stairs at the Porter Square stop (thank god for the escalator saving me from the other 7 flights), I met Jay at 5 pm across the street from our destination: Toad. A local musician named Tom Thumb was making his only New England appearance this spring (and Toad never has a cover charge), so I wanted to hear his show while catching up with the guys.

Toad is a small, yet very cool and well-kept bar. As you walk in the door, you're immediately greeted warmly by the bartender (Jeremy in this case). The bar itself takes up the entire left hand side of the place, seating about 20 people, and the right hand side of the room is lined by a long bench and six or seven cafe tables, with the beer list printed out neatly on a big chalkboard above the bench. The stage takes up two thirds of the rear of the joint, and a door to the left leads to three unisex bathrooms. Finally, the bay window at the front of the bar gives a fantastic view of a brightly-lit Porter Square.

Toad has a convenient relationship with Christopher's next door. I walked over and ordered the English Burger* with hand cut fries and a pickle ($8.95), which was delivered to me at the bar less than 15 minutes later! It was fantastic, and went well with the beer, and the stereo's cool college radio spins.

As Jay and I caught up on the fall and the holidays, he enjoyed a few Fuller's ESBs, and I decided to try the Opa-Opa IPA from Southampton, MA. It had a great scent, and a light fresh taste, but lacked a certain bite. It was a bit dull for an IPA, but still delicious. I switched over to good old dependable Smuttynose IPA for my next two beers, and was quite happy with the richer flavor. When Brian arrived around 7:15 or so, he had a Guinness, I gave the Opa-Opa another try (yep, not quite as good as Smutty, but serviceable), and Jay headed home a bit later.

While the music didn't start until after eight (despite a posted time of 7 pm), Tom Thumb was worth the wait. He played guitar on several quiet songs (the place was oddly and reverentially silent as he played), and then moved over to his little electronic piano. I am glad I got to see him perform. After nearly an hour of good music Brian was getting restless, and I'd heard enough to be satisfied, so we headed out into the Arctic cold to find another place to check out.

We were going to hit the Lizard Lounge, but the walk was so freezing and windy that when we spotted Cambridge Common, we ducked in there instead. What a great place! Several tv's were located strategically yet unobtrusively around the place, a HUGE rectangular bar took up the center of the room, and a very friendly staff was attentive all evening. We spent a couple of hours catching up while Brian ate some sirloin tips (surrounded by a mountain of green beans - yikes!) with a Cambridge Amber, and I had a couple of Lost Sailor IPAs from the Berkshire Brewing Company. Lost Sailor was the best of the IPAs I'd been drinking all night - full-flavored with a good bite and a bold hoppy aroma. I'd recommend the beer and the bar to anyone wandering down Mass Ave.

Overall it was a fantastic evening in Cambridge with two of my best friends, some good live music, and several great local beers. It was the best Tuesday of 2010 to date! ☺

*English Burger: Coleman natural beef burger marinated in ale and grilled, with cheddar and Applewood smoked bacon, served on a large English muffin.

Monday, January 11, 2010

10 Bands I've Been Listening To Lately

Hello readers. Ken asked (a while ago actually) to list some of the music we've been listening to. Thought I'd chime in with 10 8 groups I've been listening to with some frequency.

They are (in no particular order):

The Decemberists
The Black Keys
Kings of Leon
Peter Gabriel
Adventureland (Original Soundtrack)*
The Raconteurs
Cake
Goldfish

* Being a soundtrack, it has various artists on it but it's filled with some good stuff. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend that too.

So that's what I've been listening to. Share and enjoy.

J

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Year Resolutions (Social)

Everyone has self-improvement resolutions that he or she makes at the beginning of each year, and I am no different. I make several each year (and last year I kept them all!), but I also make several social resolutions as well. It's important to get out and see the world up close and personal, whether it's faraway travel (nationwide or international), or closer to home. This allows for broadening of the mind, stimulation of the imagination, and accumulation of interesting stories to share with friends and family. Plus it's just plain fun!

Here are my social resolutions for 2010:
  • See ten live music acts. I made this resolution last year as well, and managed to go to eight shows. The Cranberries and Mute Math were as amazing as always, but I enjoyed seeing my friends Jay & Luc, and The Johnnies more. I always feel a great pride in seeing my extremely talented friends do so well. There are so many great local bands all over the country, who are inexpensive to see, yet pour their hearts into every note. Do your local music and business communities a solid, and check out a local band or two. You may just find a sound you suddenly can't live without, while helping promote talent and assisting the local economy, all just by going out to have a great time! And we always have fun dates listed here at Not Lame Minus. So please take advantage, however you can ☺
  • Average one new place for a beer or coffee per week. For many of the same reasons I listed above, I plan to patronize a coffee shop or bar per week, in order to see what is good, and to help the locals. Sure, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks are dependable, but they lack a certain charm, a certain je ne sais quoi if you will. And okay, I will admit, I am a beer snob, but I know what I like, and if a beer needs a commercial to keep its sales up, it's probably not that interesting in the first place. Basically, for less than five bucks, I'll be able to enjoy either a good cup of coffee and a fresh pastry, or a microbrewed beer that just might knock my socks off. Plus having the satisfaction of being a small part of helping the local economy.
  • Visit ten states. Last year I made it to California (to visit my youngest bro & his family), upstate New York (to stay overnight at a college chum's house), and Vermont (a day trip, to break up the monotony of my fruitless-to-date job search). I also saw The Johnnies in Maine for Brian's birthday (it was only for a few hours, but hey, I wasn't in MA). Being in New England, I can hit any one of five of the planned ten states in my car between sunrise and sunset on any given day. I want to get back to Cali to see my brother again, and hit four others (NYC is high on my list) just to see more of the country.
  • Use my passport. Pretty self-explanatory. I've only been to Canada a few times, and I would love to spend some time in a country or two where I didn't speak the native tongue.
  • Host a music festival. I would LOVE to get a bunch of my musically-inclined friends down to the lake for a day of music performance and sunshine. I haven't brought it up to any of them yet, and I know scheduling could be difficult, but my goal is to get several of them down to the family lot on Wyman's Pond, provide a keg or two of the local beer, with grill and firepit going, and just have a heck of a time. I envision several short sets throughout the day, with a jam or two in between (performers willing, maybe even with audience members), with an opportunity to aquire their respective recordings should one desire. And maybe even free t-shirts for MusicFest 2010!
My year would be pretty darn exciting if even half of the above happen, with the occasional Red Sox game and a trip to Nantucket and/or Martha's Vineyard thrown in for good measure. There is nothing better than experiencing travel and music with friends and family. What plans do you have for 2010? We would love to know. And we hope to see many of you over the course of the year at the above events!