Ventures & Such

A weekend worth bantering about, revelations, and a funny little thing called love. Sometimes one gets so caught up with routine and living a life in the comfort lazy-zone, that the things one once loved are forgotten. There's this city nestled on the coast about an hour and a half outside of Los Angeles where I grew up called San Clemente. There's eroding geological wonders, vanishing beaches, epic waves, and my old bedroom that's been taken over by my parents belongings. You know you're back in your old neighborhood, when you can hear the roaring horns of trains traveling alongside the sand and the moist ocean air, sifts a salty layer upon your skin. It's happiness really.

You realize that L.A. is a city which offers you glitzy entertaining options, musical venues aplenty, eateries galore, pretty spectacular people watching, but no sea. It'd been forever since I actually took a walk down to the beach and swam out into the Pacific, and let me tell you it was a religious experience, perhaps what an ultra religious person might feel upon being saved. In fact, I was saved that sunny Friday afternoon as I dove under waves and floated about so free. Later that evening I finally took out my new 9'8 surfboard, which I freshly waxed with my brother and we paddled out. The bright blood-orange sun began making its way down into the shadowy blue waters, and my heart sank with it. I caught a few good ones that evening, nothing spectacular, but that of the entire day. Saturday brought forth business in San Diego with some lovely individuals as we set off in our Party Bus/Limo for a Brewery tour.

Green Flash was first up on our list as we sipped on fine beers, pregaming for some ridiculous reason. Six bucks bought you a flight of beer, TEN beers which were all really quite fantastic. My favorites included the Hop Head Red Ale, Imperial India Pale Ale, and Double Stout. All the beers exuded unique features in the palatal region, and the beerstresses schooled us and gave a grand tour of the place. Next on the list was Lost Abbey as we continued with our buzz.

Of all the places, I thought that this was likely going to be my favorite of the 3, however due to unfortunate circumstances of a supposed on again off again fridge problem, the beer wasn't as cold as it should've been. I'm a belgian lover, don't get me wrong but these were just boring. Their Inferno was probably the most exciting, but nothing really caught my tongue except the Hop 15, having the perfect amount of hops. After we finished up here, Stone Brewery came quickly upon us as we had a little dance party and acrobat spectacle back in our pimpmobile.

If San Diego had a Disneyland of breweries, Stone would win first prize hands down. It's extravagant design of mixing rustic California adventure, with an outdoor wonderland of creeks and lush greenery is simply amazing. We ordered a few over priced appetizers and drank a few delicious cold ones outdoors. Lagunita's was one of the beers I love, love, loved and there was another one, but really you expect me to remember the name?

And that was my "magical" weekend, as Huell Howser would say. Many more to come of course, I'll be giving you a full report on the Flaming Lips performance, which will be happening August 15th at the Del Mar tracks (you should go, only 6 bucks & there's a beer fest) in the coming weeks . I leave you with something lovely, an Elliott Smith cover by my beloved Wilco...

Wilco-Thirteen (Elliott Smith cover)

Blooming Up from the Ground

I am in love... Perhaps its the new music slump I've been plateued into, or it's really the lack of good bands to come out in the double O nine. Oh Blind Pilot, take me away in a sweet airplane to your native city of Portland, where I can live happily ever after in the microbrew capital of the U.S. Their folky, cutesy, indie, acoustic greatness, is bound to be bliss to your ears. If The Shins went folk and crossed paths with The Avett Brothers, this is what it would sound like. It's hard not to get strummed into a daze with the vocals and lyrics this band has to offer, hope you heart them as much as I do.

Blind Pilot-Story I Heard


Blind Pilot-3 Rounds And A Sound

The Road

Seldom do I come across a book that provokes me to finish it in an astounding 3 days flat till I came upon The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. A post-apocalyptic tale about a Father and son who journey through the gloomy world that has become nothing more than a damp, soiled, lifeless wasteland. The imagery is daunting with its graphic gray tones and to live a life where the ashes of hell fall upon one, is no life at all. Their enduring journey with hope that the coastline will bring some sort of real sunshine into their life, is that of a long shot, but a shot nonetheless.

Please do yourself a favor and read this book, as it is now one of my favorites... One of those books that makes you appreciate the life you have and those around you, it might even make you complain less about the little things you over dramatize yourself with. Oh, let me mind you it is an upcoming major motion picture, so read it soon!

And I highly suggest Sigur Ros to accompany you on your travels down The Road, to enhance and mystify... I leave you with quite possibly my favorite track off of Ágætis byrjun.

Sigur Ros-Svefn-g-englar

Portlanding

Nestled near the lushly green Oregon coastline, lies perhaps one of my favorite cities I've ever set foot upon, Portland. Imagine a town full of fantastic eateries, micro breweries a plenty, friendly people lacking pretentiousness, and weather that permits one to sport a variety of different jackets. The only thing it could do without, are the super granola hippies who loiter the streets and bookstores begging with ridiculous signs, twisting in Obama campaign banter and pity me that. But really, the main reason we went to Portland was for the beer. A 12 hour pub crawl took place on one gorgeously gloomy day, that never seemed to end.
Pictured above is the first brewery on our tour, which has tied in first place with Stone(located in sunny San Diego), as having the best beer I've ever had in my entire life. Mind you on this trip alone I tried well over 50 beers on our 14 day excursion up the coast. I wish they'd make these pub & grub eateries multiply the way BJ's has taken over California, one can only wish. The tastiest brews here included Twilight Ale, a perfect summer pale ale to enjoy in the sun. Mirror Mirror, a pleasant barley wine beer, likely the best I've ever had in that context. Lastly the Nitro Obsidian Stout, which truly kicked Guinness's ass, with its bodacious balance in perfection and dark undertones. What I would give for a glass of that right now on tap. For my fellow Californians, you can pick up a delectable 6 pack of Mirror Mirror Pond Ale and Black Butte Porter at your local Vons. Both are fantastic, especially the Butte, she's a smokey, dark, lush flavored mystery. I'll get into the other breweries in future posts, good day my lovers.

Oh and for your ears, here's a morning track from Band of Skulls. They're a three piece stirring in undertones of The White Stripes and Strokes, with nothing more than dirty sexy guitars and toe tapping goodness.

Band of Skulls-Light of the Morning

Red & Purple

I love The Dodos and you should too. Really, they are the best band I've heard in a long time that balances rhythm, guitars, and vocals in such a creative way that I wonder aimlessly through my day, humming and singing their songs around the people in my life. This song in particular has been the repeat of the week, singing the chorus;

"I know that I am yours and you will be mine
Come and join us in the trenches
Red and purple by our side
Say you'll never leave us
In this company of mine"

They're also playing a free show at the Getty in August, which I'm afraid I might not be able to attend, due to a beer tour with the lovelies in San Diego. Do yourself a favor, go see em', they'll inspire you in many ways.

The Dodos-Red & Purple

You're So Beautiful it Seems

I can't say that I know any tunes by Mike Mulcahy off the top my head, nor if I've ever actually heard anything by him period. I do know that there is an beautiful compilation to be released in September featuring many of my favorite artists such as The National, Dinosaur Jr., Ben Kweller, and many other musicians to raise money for the recently widowed man with twins. Thom Yorke's track is the first to be released, and has hints of The Eraser entangled with slight synthy-electronic undertones. His brother Andy even lends his vocals, how cute.

Thom Yorke-All For The Best

Skinny Lover

Wow.