Sunday, March 11, 2007
TV on the Radio and Aloha
Aloha is on hell of a band and the photo I took of them does no justice. The show was at Toad's Place on Saturday. Aloha opened along with some other band for Sparta, who also performed very well. I went with Kat, Tatsu, and Jesse. The picture doesn't show it very well at all, but there are two keyboards and one vibraphone. I was really happy that Aloha brought their vibraphone because Kat had told me that in a previous concert it was not present, presumably because it's difficult to transport. It sounds even better in concert than on CD. Their set included some songs that I didn't recognize but they played most of my favorites including "All the Wars", "You've Escaped", "Summer Away", "Boys in the Bathtub" and "Let Your Head Hang Low". Their rapid instrument switches and the percussionists' seemingly ambidextrous, multi-instrumenting skills were really appreciated by the crowd which consisted mostly of Sparta fans hearing Aloha for the first time. The encore began with looped keyboard effects and ended with an explosive drum break down. The $5.00 Bass I was sipping on couldn't have tasted better. If Aloha performs this well as an opener, I can only hope to see them headline.
The last three photos were taken at the TV on the Radio Concert at Lupo's in Providence on March 1. The were taken with a real camera so I guess I don't have an excuse for their poor quality other than that I am a crumby photographer. Luckily for Kat and I, we showed up right before TV on the Radio got on stage. Prior to the concert, I never thought of how the band performs together. It was just great music to me. Now when I listen, I get taken back to the show and visualize them interacting with themselves and the crowd. Their set covered most of the good stuff from Disparate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes and Return to Cookie Mountain. However, it was too bad that they didn't play "Mr. Grieves". The set ended with "Staring at the Sun" which broke down into a dance bass riff to send the crowd their separate ways.
Labels: Aloha, concert, Lupos, music, Sparta, Toad's Place, TV on the Radio
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Sierra Nevada Clone
I tasted my latest brew for the third time in four weeks and it was delicious. It's Sierra Nevada clone made with the following recipe:
Pictured is the label Kat illustrated. I don't really want to stick it on every bottle. I'd rather just save time and only put it on the ones that we give as gifts. Removing the original labels from the bottles is just two much of a pain. In fact, bottling in itself is a pain. I can see myself upgrading to a keg system within a year. Then again, there is an old school glamor to bottling and naturally carbonating, which isn't to say that natural carbonation cannot be achieved when kegging. It's just nice to see a little sediment at the bottom of the bottle, like that in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottles.
- 8 lbs. of Pale malt
- 1 lb. Biscuit Malt
- 1 lb. Crystal Malt
- Mash at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour with 1 quart of water for every pound of grain
- Sparge with 10 quarts of water at 170 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 minute boil; at 60 minutes add 1 oz. Chinook Hops, at 15 minutes add 1 oz. Perle Hops, at 2 minutes add 1 oz. Cascade Hops
- Chill wort to less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit
- Pitch Wyeast 1056 (American Ale)
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| From Last Semester... |
Pictured is the label Kat illustrated. I don't really want to stick it on every bottle. I'd rather just save time and only put it on the ones that we give as gifts. Removing the original labels from the bottles is just two much of a pain. In fact, bottling in itself is a pain. I can see myself upgrading to a keg system within a year. Then again, there is an old school glamor to bottling and naturally carbonating, which isn't to say that natural carbonation cannot be achieved when kegging. It's just nice to see a little sediment at the bottom of the bottle, like that in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottles.
Labels: beer, homebrewing
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