Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Weekend Activities

A couple fun activities from this last weekend:

There was a car show in what is basically our backyard.  The Koch's car show returned to the Acton KOA for its third year and there were quite a few gems on display.  I admit I am not a "car guy", I could not tell you the names of these glamorous vehicles or the the technical details of their makeup, but they are certainly fun to look at nonetheless.  There were old classics, muscle cars, hot rods, souped up strange looking automobiles, and a few crazy looking motorcycles.  The show was augmented with venders selling car related wares, a food truck, and live rockabilly music apropos of the atmosphere.  Here are a few examples:


'55 or '56 Chevy I think


This past weekend we also went on a spectacular adventure in Pasadena's Eaton Canyon.  Aside from the glorious natural beauty that the rolling hills provide filled with winding trails, lush plant life, and rocky streams at the bottom of the valleys, there are also some water falls providing pools which are opportune for jumping into from high vantage points.  So that is exactly what we did.

After we hiked down about two miles into the canyon we reached the popular cliff jumping spot at Hermit Falls.  There were three different jumping points of various heights: the shortest jump was about fifteen feet, the second about twenty-five, and the highest was roughly forty in my estimation though I really do not know the exact heights.  Anywho, we proceeded to jump into the cool water to our hearts delight.  The highest jump was quite intimidating and took some pondering before we had the guts to finally do it.  It was a rush to say the least.


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Tacos & Burgers in LA

Tacos and burgers.  Who doesn't love them?  Even vegetarians and vegans have their own versions of the aforementioned staples of American cuisine.  Sure tacos are technically Mexican but find me an American citizen that does not eat tacos and I will give you a million bucks.



This last weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying some of the best L.A. has to offer in this particular arena of culinary delights.  I'll start with the legendary Tito's Tacos. At this point the best taco I have had yet was from a tiny place near San Diego which I forget the name of.  I guess the closer to the source, meaning Mexico, the better the taco.  The tacos at Tito's certainly rivaled the previously mentioned taco.  It was simple, pure, and authentic.  Just a fried tortilla, special recipe beef, lettuce, and cheese.  And the truth is in my opinion, the tortilla is what sells this taco and makes it spectacular.  The shell contains the perfect combination of crispy and fried chewy goodness.  I was not able to get a close examination of the cooking and prep process as I could not see through the army of assembly line workers from my outdoor vantage point.  But whatever they do is just magic.  The tortilla encompasses the meat, lettuce, and cheese in a perfectly contoured pocket of crunchy bliss.  Tito's is located in Santa Monica and has been serving up legendary Mexican cuisine since 1959.  This place is a must visit for anyone looking for L.A.'s greatest tacos.


For the burger entry I will impart my recent experience with Astroburger.  Now, to begin with, the search for the perfect burger is an endless endeavor which will ultimately never reveal an ultimate winner.  Sure, I have been to In-N-Out burger, been to Tommy's, had Umami, The Counter, Five Guys, The Habit, and I could never turn down a good old Wendy's burger.  Father's Office I have yet to experience as well as Hawkins House of Burgers which I saw featured on one of those food shows.  But Astroburger deserves a spot in the competition.

I went to an excellent show at Amplyfi on Saturday night, saw a good friend play with thatwasthen followed by the delightful surprise of Frankie Marathon.  It was right next door to Astroburger so I couldn't turn down the chance to sample another offering of L.A.'s in the burger department.  I must admit I was not let down. As with Tito's, Astroburger provided a simple delight.  It was standard charbroiled, juicy, burger.  It happened to be just what I wanted, no frills or extra bs, just a quality burger that is great purely because it was cooked well.  If you find yourself near the Paramount lot on Melrose, do yourself a favor and try this place out.

Also, do not miss our special show tomorrow at House of Blues on Sunset in the Parish room.  We will be playing a rare trio set to showcase some new material. 

Ty

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Album of The Month: John Scofield - "Uberjam Deux"



For those of you not familiar with the brilliant music of John Scofield, he is a premier, modern jazz guitar player.  Mr. Scofield is truly a unique voice and has played with the greatest musicians of modern times including Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, and Pat Metheny.  In recent years he has branched out stylistically to suit his fancy including the R&B grooves of Ray Charles' music, tender ballads, small-combo horn arrangements, and collaborating with the swampy jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin, & Wood.  Among these efforts is another group he has cut a few records with that is inevitably grouped in with the "jam-band" scene; those being 2002's Uberjam and 2003's Up All Night.  Scofield continues in this vain with the long awaited sequel: Uberjam Deux.

The stellar musicians that comprise the band on this record include rhythm guitarist Avi Bortnick, bass player Andy Hess, drummers Adam Deitch and Louis Cato splitting duties, and the ever reliable John Medeski playing keyboards on select cuts.  Bortnick delivers his impeccable consistency as a rhythm player along with immersive knowledge of samples and synths, providing a wonderfully complimentary voice to Scofield's astronomical probings.  Hess holds it down with his tasteful low end that gives new meaning to the concept of smooth.  Deitch lends his typical hip-hop meets jazz style that sounds like an alien landed in New Orleans.  Cato gets a chance to showcase his driving groove coupled with elegant dynamics.  And Medeski's undeniable touch rounds out the sound of this record with an excitable quirkiness that only he can conjure.

On top of all this Scofield navigates the waters of fusion from the bouncy swagger of tunes like "Boogie Stupid", reggae inspired grooves in "Dub Dub", the sexy and aptly titled "Al Green Song", and electro-inspired tranc-y burners like "Torero".  It seems as though no note is off limits for the veteran guitar player and he continues on his inspirational trek through the annals of music with this recent effort.

If you enjoy some good 'ole stinky funk, irresistable grooves that are equally mellow and danceable, and truly sterling musicianship, then I urge you to have a listen to this record.

Uberjam Deux iTunes
Uberjam Deux Amazon
Uberjam Deux Spotify

Happy listening,

Ty