So Live = SO Good

Thanks to some Mute Math tickets I bought way back in July, and my friend Erik getting two last-minute passes to The Cranberries up at The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, I was able to see two of my favorite bands live this past week.

I had three tickets for Mute Math on Thursday the 12th, but only Brian could go (thankfully, he's always down for a trip into Boston!). So I rode the T in to Lansdowne Street, and parked myself at the bar at The Cask N' Flagon to wait for him. After he got there, I had a couple of Sam Adams Octoberfest drafts (always good), and a turkey club (with hand-cut fries), and he got a pizza ("not very good") for dinner. Then it was down the street to The House of Blues for the show.

As Tall As Lions were the openers, which was a nice surprise. I had tickets to see them in San Francisco back in February when I went to visit my brother Jason, but we wound up not going, so it was cool to have a second chance. They were pretty good, if a bit gimicky at times, though every song that featured the trumpet turned out to be a cool jam that should be heard in person.

Then Mute Math came out. They were almost as amazing as they had been in September of '07, when Jay, Gavin & I went to see them for the first time. I say almost, because that first show kicked such ass, that it couldn't be matched for pure enthusiasm and power. That being said, this night's show was fantastic because they had two full albums (and an ep) of material to pull from. The songs were great (sometimes it's better when the live version isn't performed "note for note" to the studio version), their energy was consistently high, and the light show added nicely to the experience. Totally worth the drive, T ride, T ride, and drive (haha).

On Saturday the 14th, I drove up to Hampton Beach in the rain to see one of my all-time favorite bands. I thought I would have to miss them this time around (on their first tour in seven years) due to lack of disposable income, but Erik came through out of the blue with a pair of tickets he got on eBay! I was PSYCHED. The opening act was a dude with his guitar named Griffin House, He was pretty good, and funny (apparently his wife was on tour with him as an extended honeymoon), and made the settling in at our table (with several Longhammer IPAs - great scent, better flavor!) beforehand quite pleasant.

Then it was The Cranberries. I've seen them live on three other occasions (05/03/99, 08/21/99, and 05/14/02), as well as Dolores solo back in July of '07 with Jay, and they are absolutely in my Top 3 Bands of All Time to See Live. Every show has been amazing, and this one was no exception. Dolores had released her second solo album back in August, and was going to embark on a solo tour, but amazingly, she got to talking with her bandmates, and they agreed to do a Cranberries tour instead! They would play a bunch of their greatest hits, and sprinkle in some of her solo tunes. They did not disappoint.

The first few songs included "Animal Instinct" and "Linger" (two of my all-time favorites), and except for a couple of quiet moments (including her solo tune "Lunatic"), the energy never let up. Twenty-two songs flew by, with barely any time to breathe in between the music and banter. Amazing. The playlist was very "No Need to Argue" heavy, which happily took me back to my two years in Boston ('93-'95) and hearing them on the jukebox of every bar Jay & I used to hang out at with friends. There is nothing better than driving home from a kick-ass show, ears still ringing from your favorite songs being blasted at you by the people who created them, and reminiscing about the people & places you first heard them with/at. Well done, Erik, well done. Thanks, buddy, I appreciate the effort you put forth to get these tickets!

ABC's (Alpacas, Beer and Chocolate)

Back in September, I had a Grand Plan to visit brew pubs and microbreweries in each of the other five New England states within a two-week span, just to get out & about for a bit. While that fell by the wayside due to economic circumstances, I kept a couple of the day trips' plans on my desk, and this past Monday, with my list of things to do & a hand-drawn map, I made the drive northwest to Bennington, VT.

After a quick stop at my parents' house to drop off their share of my homemade seafood chowder, I headed down Route 2 West. The 60-mile stretch of highway had little traffic at 11 am, so it was a stress-free drive up and down the hilly highway, and I made it to 91 North in no time at all. Fifteen minutes later (and 18 miles gone), I was on the final leg of the 2-hour drive: Route 9 West (Exit 2 Brattleboro/Bennington) in Vermont. Up and down the mountain roads I drove, with the early afternoon sun shining through the multicolored leaves, and the occasional stream or pond off to the side. I stopped twice, once at a farm where the grass was shockingly green, and also at Hogback Mountain, where the view was too amazing to pass by. I took a few pictures, and headed into town, onto Main Street in Bennington.One of the purposes for this particular destination was the local brewpub, Madison Brewing Company (no website available). I had one of their IPAs (Crowtown Pale Ale) as I waited for my swiss burger. It had that delicious hoppy smell that I love so much, and was above average for the style. The burger was great too, though the roll it came on was frighteningly powdery (haha). I also had one of their signature Old 76 English Strong Ales, which was passably good, but otherwise unremarkable. The best part of the meal though, was being seated in front of the bay windows and being able to watch the town pass by on its daily routine. People of all ages walking by in the sun, chatting each other up, and trucks of all sizes driving by with local business logos and phone numbers on their sides. And there is nothing quite like having a pretty girl flash you a winning smile through the window as you stare off into space... Moments like this enhanced the vista of a quintessential small-town Main Street, with its coffee houses, craft stores and other shops.

Next up was the local bookstore. It had a musty smell, but not the good one you'd expect from a bookstore. More of a 'we rarely clean the carpets' understench. And it was pretty generic in layout and selection. After that entirely underwhelming experience (all five minutes of it), I headed up the street to The Village Chocolate Shoppe. Whooooo! I was so entranced by the immense selection of chocolate and other homemade candies, that I think I lost a half-hour of my life just looking around and drooling. Everything is locally made, and most of it on the spot. I snagged some malted milk balls, chocolate covered blueberries, a white chocolate "Snowman on a Stick", four big homemade jawbreakers, a few peanut butter fudge Santas, and four big chocolate initials (HCHG) for my sister's kids. All for under fifteen bucks! (note: it's Friday as I write this, and all but 2 of the jawbreakers have since left this mortal coil...). I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area.

Then it was down the street and up a flight of stairs to Now And Then Books, a used bookstore that had the good kind of musty smell: old dry books! Pachelbel's Canon was playing in the background as I searched through the tall stacks of rare, out of print, amazing 1st editions, and just plain old books. I got two lessons in that place: a) old books can be expensive (sometimes inexplicably so); and b) one can lose an ear when being talked at by a lonely clerk. I asked the kid behind the desk (after he finished his loud cell phone conversation) if he had to keep that specific music on all day, and this poor Missouri transplant launched into a fifteen minute 'conversation' (quotes because I was only able to get the occasional "uh-huh" or "wow, really?" in edgewise) about various aspects of his life. I felt bad for the lonely guy, but it made for a quirky (and somewhat charming) shopping experience. I excused myself, headed back to the car, and drove west out of town to my next destination......Shaftsbury Alpacas! I nearly drove right by the farm, as it's located on a left-turn bend in the road on Route 67, but I pulled in, and waited in the gravel drive for someone to notice me. The woman in the far pen saw me, and came over. Sandy Harder has been raising and breeding alpacas (and attending shows) for eight years now. She has 24 alpacas (and a llama!), and I got to hang out with some of them (including one adorable recently newborn boy) as she told me about the business. She is truly passionate about the alpaca wool industry in America. I learned about the various grades of wool, the ups & downs of breeding, pesky recessive traits that pop up unexpectedly (the white-wooled baby was "show perfect", except for a streak of blue in his left brown eye), and I got to pet a few of them. Her lesson was so engrossing and passionate that I didn't have the heart to interrupt at all to ask for a picture or two with the animals! She showed me the shop where she sells the yarn she spins herself, and a wide selection of scarves, blankets, hats, socks, scrunchies and teddy bears. The quality and softness of the processed wool is amazing. I've never felt the like. I thanked her for her time (she needed to finish mucking out the stalls before sundown, and it was already 5 pm), and headed back east into town.

Once back on Main Street, I made a quick dash into the quaint Nova Mae Cafe to get a coffee for the road home. *POW!* The woman behind the glass pastry counter had the face of an angel. I gave her a hearty big-grinned hello, and she pushed her light brown hair back over her ear, poured my coffee, gave me a few blushing smiles, and wished me a good evening. Wow. There is nothing like one of those rare "insignificant except for in the moment" romantic interludes to put a spring into a guy's step. I know I had a stupid grin plastered across my face as I walked back to my car! ☺ Most of the day had a certain dreamlike quality, and the drive home was no different. The full moon loomed humongous above the mountains as I headed out of town at sunset. Seriously, it was so bright, that a few times I thought cars were approaching from the opposite direction just from the moon's reflected light off the guard rails. I even stopped to take a few pictures of it to demonstrate how huge it appeared, but the stupid flash on my camera prevented my obtaining any good shots. Up and down the mountainous roads I drove, the moon appearing and hiding over and over until it set. It was awesome. And the lack of traffic (even at what is normally rush hour everywhere else) made it even better. Beautiful autumn scenery, good coffee, friendly locals, and a long but enjoyable drive all combined into a perfect day.

It was truly a fantastic day. I can't recommend Bennington, VT enough. Someday I want to go back, and spend the night so I can hit more of the local shops, visit the museums and a few of the crafters, and get a picture or two with the alpacas! Plus: more chocolate! ☺

NLM Turns 50!

...Well, not quite. But this is the 50th post!

Here is a breakdown of contributor activity:

• Ken - 40 posts (including this one) = 80%
• Jay - 3 posts (last activity: 9/28) = 6%
• Brian - 3 posts (last activity: 7/11) = 6%
• Rob - 1 post (July 1st) = 2%
• Christopher - 3 guest music reviews (thanks man!) = 6%
• Gavin - 0 posts (he still hasn't even accepted the author invitation!) = 0%

Most of the blogs have focused on music (shocker!), though lately beer and coffee reviews have been popping up, plus the occasional "This Day in NLM History" lookback.

There are several ironies that should be pointed out about the blog to date. Gavin & I are the two who came up with the expression "Not Lame Minus", yet he isn't really a writer, and lately has no time to hang out (he was MIA all summer), let alone scribble things down here. Also, the main point of the blog was for us to post our travel adventures (mini vacations, concerts, pub crawls, etc...), and to look back on past events. But this year we haven't really spent much time together as a group (Brian has a new ladyfriend, and Rob went back to school), the June rain cut down on the LakeFests, and our annual fall road trip fell through for the first time in half a decade. It's been an odd year...

The phenomenal news is that we've had people view our blog from all around the world (15 countries, some with multiple unique visitors!) as well as over 300 unique visitors from the United States alone! To be fair, my brother Jason hit us up on a recent business trip to a few European nations (Sweden, England and Switzerland), but still, Not Lame Minus has circled the globe! ☺ And reader participation in "Beatles Week" was greater than I had hoped (thanks again to all who sent in memories and/or poll responses).

Finally, with all of the fall & winter holidays lined up in a row, plus a trio of MuteMath tickets yet to be put into play (and maybe a Bruins game, if Brian throws a group together), plus the inevitable "cabin fever" once the snow begins to fall in earnest (but not too soon!), and we should reach 100 posts in no time! ☺

Currently listening to:

Who Do You Love - Mojave 3

This Day in NLM History

A year ago today the Not Lame Minus crew (Gavin, Rob, Brian & I) were in the middle of our annual fall trip. We had decided upon Burlington, Vermont for two reasons: 1) it took the others too long to decide where to go (The Chestnut House on Nantucket, one of our favorite "off-season rate" places to stay, had already filled up); and 2) we'd never been there, and felt like going somewhere different than our customary island trips (plus: no ferry cost!).

Since we were coming from two different directions that Friday, and because Brian & Rob had gotten out of work hours earlier than Gavin was able to, they went to the UVM vs UMBC hockey game, had dinner & a few beers, and awaited our arrival at the local RiRa. After a 3-hour drive Gavin & I arrived at the Shelburne Super 8 around ten pm, checked in, then headed out to meet the others. The four of us had a couple more beers, Gavin & I ate, and we headed back to the motel to crash.

Saturday morning we took our time getting started, and then we pigged out at the local Denny's for a cheap breakfast before heading downtown to wander around the cool shops of Church Street Marketplace. The weather was brisk, but clear and sunny, so armed with either sweatshirts or jackets, and coffee from Uncommon Grounds, we walked down the hill to the shore of Lake Champlain. We wandered all over the place: Rob & Brian took many pictures (funny statues, cool rooftop ironworks, fall foliage, lakefront vistas, etc...); we walked through a couple of parks; hung out on the water (the docks); goofed around in a nearby train yard; and I stopped at the Local Motion bicycle shop, where I bought a flying disc for us to throw around (which we didn't), and made a donation to their bike trail preservation cause.Back to Church Street to split a large at Ken's Pizza (we were all mesmerized by our waitress, a spunky athletic brunette who had a husky voice, an angelic face, and charm enough for all four of us!), and then it was back to the motel to chill, change, and (re)charge for the evening.

We walked around downtown to find a place to watch the Red Sox game, and settled on a place called Finnigan's Pub. They were having technical difficulties, but when the game finally came on, we had a few beers, surrendered our table to an older couple looking for a place to sit in the crowded bar, and then headed to The Vermont Pub & Brewery for dinner. Wow! What great food. I had one of their Dogbite Bitter Classic ESB's (fantastic!) with some kick-ass fried oysters, and a humongous fish & chips platter. I was SO stuffed, that I only had one more beer the entire night! Our gorgeous waitress even turned on the restaurant's projection tv especially for us, so we could watch the rest of the Red Sox game ☺ After wandering around fruitlessly to find a promising place for more beer, we finished the night back at RiRa, where it was packed like a sardine can, but a cool Irish band was playing, and it was worth it to see the Red Sox win Game 6 of the ALCS, making the series 3-3 and forcing a Game 7 (they would ultimately lose the series the next day, but hey, it was a good way to cap the evening).Sunday morning we packed and headed out. We had breakfast at The Burlington Bagel Bakery & Cafe, where I've never had such an amazing sausage, egg & cheese bagel in my LIFE. Seriously, I had a dream recently about how delicious that sandwich was, and it's a big part of why I am still kind of sad that we couldn't afford to go back this weekend (haha)... But I digress. The drive back home was so picturesque, I will never forget it: fall foliage in New England at it's best - driving up & down winding mountain roads, multicolored trees on all sides, and that glorious smell of crisp dry autumn air filling my nose and lungs. Sure, it was a 3-hour drive, and there was a 20-minute hold-up during construction at a narrow switchback, but it was the perfect end to a fun weekend in Vermont.

All photos by Brian!

First Snow

Yeah, that's right! I took these just after 7 am this morning (from the window in my apartment's home office). It's not much (check out the van's roof), but it's not a beach day either: