SXSW BBN R1 - Swamp Cabbage vs Zeds Dead

Looking back on the last competition, I spent an inordinate amount of time listening to multiple songs from each band.  The less tedious version of this will be to review the most popular song on either iTunes (first choice) or YouTube (second choice) and if the band is not easily found on either, we go to their website or social media postings. Then, when the band goes head to head against another band we've already heard from, I'll pick the second most popular song.

I foretell there will be some judgement calls on my part... it should be interesting.

First round! Swamp Cabbage vs. Zeds Dead.

Swamp Cabbage
Blues
"Tallahassee"
Sounds like something I'd hear in a True Blood episode. Banjo. Dirty guitar. I can easily picture myself with my Floridian cousin out in the swamps in his Mud Mobile, coming across a gator or two and drinking some filthy spirit that burns my throat to the point I can sing along with the lead singer in his gravel tones.

)

Zeds Dead
Electronica
"Rude Boy"
Okay, we are immediately into dubstep. This isn't usually my style unless it's a version of a song I already like; I don't really know how to dance to dubstep, or maybe it is meant to be just pure enjoyment whilst listening in your car with the bass turned to 9... #suburbanwhitegirlproblems. If this is your thing, check them out. I can tell that they mix beats per minute while playing up and down the scale for intensity, then throw in a few snippets of dialogue to keep the momentum going.
There is a version with Omar LinX which I enjoyed more, but them ain't the rules.

)


Round one goes to Swamp Cabbage. 
Let it be known I prefer the iTunes version rather than the live set. 

SXSW BEST BAND NAME - Let the competition begin!

Once again, I will NOT be attending SXSW in Austin and seeing the amazing bands I've been wanting to see live - especially Seryn.

To remedy this and keep myself entertained, I will once again conduct a non-scientific and completely biased competition to determine the best band name performing over the next few days. How do I do this? Glad you asked.

I went through the list of bands performing that are listed on the SXSW site, A through Z. Then, I selected the band name that sounded the most interesting, made me chuckle, or generally sounded off the wall. Why? Well, why not. My rules. This year, I am selecting a name from each letter of the alphabet. (Sorry, Dr. Awkward. So close to making the cut!)

From there, I will build out a bracket which places the bands against each other for rounds of competition. I listen to a handful of songs by the band (ones that I can find online) and determine which band's music I prefer. The band with better music gets to move on until we have a final winner. Remember the winner a few years ago? Ham Sandwich. 

I am not allowed to chose a band name that I have heard of before, nor can I choose what is clearly one person performing or a comedy act. So with that, here are the bands that are up for the win!

Air Traffic Controller
Bearcubbin'!
Cello Fury
Dinner And a Suit
East Cameron Folklore
Foxboro Hot Tubs
Ghostpizza
The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer
In-Flight Safety
Jam Jam
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
Landlady
Manic Sheep
Not In The Face
OK SWEETHEART
Paranoid Castle
Quiet Company
Royal Teeth
Swamp Cabbage
Tacocat
The Unlikely Candidates
Volcanos On Lo
Wakey!Wakey!
X
Yuppie Pricks
Zeds Dead

Bracket forthcoming. Let the competition begin!

Music Monday - "Rock Away Blind" by Lindsey Buckingham

Slightly belated, sorry.



I heard this for the first time a few minutes ago; woke up from a dream and needed to expel some energy. I kept expecting a heavy drum beat to kick in, but I think the genius of this song is that it allows you to imagine the backing instruments yourself.

Tech Thursday - Winklevoss Twins, Space and Bitcoin

This article on CNN yesterday struck me as interesting.

In essence, the Winklevi are paying Virgin Galactic in Bitcoin to go to space. Richard Branson's company has been accepting it for payment, which further supports the virtual currency's place in our future. The Winklevoss Twins are also invested in Bitcoin and promoting their own capitol group, which should come as no surprise that they would enjoy the media attention around their "unique" purchase with a futuristic payment method.

Austin, Texas has announced that Bitcoin ATMs will be coming in the near future with one already established in a bar. My guess is that they are capitalizing on upcoming SXSW which drives music lovers and techies to blog, tweet, post and video all the new offerings. In my opinion, this is great PR for Bitcoin ... and free media and branding.

Even mainstream television has picked up on the Bitcoin movement. Shows like "Almost Human", which is set in the near future, make frequent reference to the untraceable currency.




Bitcoin is in it's infancy; or perhaps more correctly, its formative years. The value is volatile and still fluctuates, though it is becoming more steady as society begins to adopt it as an alternative to cash and credit. It is worth paying attention to during these growing pains. And yes, investing in a Bitcoin or two now could be a great investment in the long run.

Silence of the Braised Lamb's Neck

I had a lunch date planned with a colleague today, but he rescheduled an hour before for a later date. This now bumps him down on the "G's Favorite Pilot List" which stands as thus:

1. Captain Blue Eyes (no one is going to take away his number one spot. Just not going to happen.)
2. Dougie Doug
3. Mister Jim
4. Tommy P
5. Cantabene (Because he left us, other wise he'd be above Tommy.)
6. Duane (Yeah, that's right Duane. You just got kicked to the bottom!)

He doesn't care. Trust me.

So with time on my hands I went to the gym for 20 minutes of intense elliptical, 20 minutes weights, 10 minutes treadmill. Felt pretty good! From there I hopped over to Sprouts to figure out what I wanted to create for dinner. On special? Lamb necks for $2.99 a pound.

Well there you go.

Figuring that it would be similar to a shank, I decided to get a few key ingredients and head home.

 

Lamb necks, flour, garlic salt, black pepper, lemon, onion, tomatoes, white onion, butter, olive oil, potato (I actually decided on couscous instead, but the photo was already taken.)  

I could have added fresh rosemary from the garden, but decided against it this time. 

First step, get the necks dredged in the flour and spice mixture. 

While you are coating these, put one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a good pot. You want the heat high enough to crisp the lamb but not so high to create a smoke bomb. 

For me? It's the range at 7.

Lamb has a lot of fat, especially this cut, but you need to crisp up the exterior and eventually saute the onions and tomatoes. You may remove the fat later. 

 

Once the lamb is coated, put it in the pot. This applies to shanks as well.

It's not rocket science. 

 

Sorry for the blurry photo, but I needed to be quick at this point. 

You need to get the onions and tomatoes chopped and ready to go in the pan once you remove the lamb. 

 Now you need to remove the lamb to another plate. Place the chopped onion in the pot and lower the heat. Toss in the tomatoes once the heat is reduced and you're at a low, low simmer. 

BE CAREFUL OF GREASE! Too much and you need to remove it from the pot. 

 

You can see it's slightly smoky. 

Now, I used fresh tomatoes but it's completely acceptable to use diced canned tomatoes. Just make sure they aren't seasoned or have something weird like jalapenos in the can. 

Fresh is best!

Wine. 

There will be people who disagree with me, but I think a good, long braise should include wine. 

Just a cupful of a non-expensive but a trusty tasting Cab Sav. 

 

Today I used a 2012 BV which is more than adequate with which to cook. 

One you pour in the wine and add tomatoes to the onions, it should look like this:

Sorry it's upside down, but you can figure it out. You're smart. 

Note that we are on absolute low, simmer. Here's when you add the lamb back. 

 If you wanted to add a starch like potato, do it here. Just place them quartered around the meat. 

Cover. 

I'm opting for couscous so that won't be until the final five minutes of cookery.

Oh, maybe I'll have a glass myself while we wait. 

Because now you just LEAVE IT ALONE! Let it simmer for two hours or so. When the meat falls off the bone, it's done. This method can be applied to any cut that is more bone-in than flat cut. In fact, you could probably braise pretty much everything.

Now I know what's your going to ask... can I do this in a crock pot or oven? 

The answer is yes. 

But you're going to need to sear the meat in a pan anyway. So unless the pan is also oven-proof, don't make a bigger mess in your kitchen than you need to. And crock pot cooking is better for a lamb stew than a bone-in cut. Just my POV. 

Okay, it's been an hour and a half, let's take a look.

 The meat is pretty soft on the bone, so I'm going to flip it and keep waiting.

 

Now the other side will soak in the yummy goodness of onion, garlic, tomato and wine. 

Lamb is good. It's described as "gamey" but I don't really know what that means. I lived in New Zealand for a while and ate it rather frequently. 

Fun fact: There are seven sheep for every person in New Zealand.

But I prefer lamb over beef. And I don't dig pig. Unless it's bacon.

Huh. Apparently "Wine Wednesday" is trending on Twitter. 

I suppose another few sips are therefore sanctioned by my Twitter following. 

Oh yes, I'm big on Twitter. 

Like, 45 whole followers!

More than my very silent three readers here. 

(cough cough)

Time to roast the Brussels sprouts.

I like to keep it simple with sea salt and white truffle oil. They get nice and crispy. 

Roast for 15 minutes MAX at 350 degrees F.

When the BSprouts are nearly done, I'll remove the lamb from the pot to rest and put in the couscous. 

Five minutes covered, turn off the heat. That's it. 

Try not to get the couscous all over the stove like I did.

Uh, where did the wine go?

Let's take a look at the final product.

Mmm. 

Verdict? 

Tasty.

Next time I would try grilling to get more crispy bits and remove more fat.

Here's a trick for the leftover sauce. Strain it, refrigerate, remove the fat and use for a base for the next meal.

Bon appetite!

See what happens when a Pilot stands me up for lunch?

Things that might take away a headache

It's Wednesday. I've woken up at a ridiculous time and besides watching Being Human season two, thought I might do a little web surfing.

Go to for cuteness?

I'm not a huge fan of cats, but I love *JAZZ PAWS*

Song on my iTunes Wish List.

I only own two Vampire Weekend songs. This isn't one of them but should be.

This pretty much sums up what happens when nerds get drunk. Moveable kitty ears and asking puppets about necrophilia.


First photo I saved on my MacBook Pro.

Me in Bangkok on the Chao Phraya river. I actually dislike Thai food and had a not-so-great time. Not a huge fan of Southeast Asia. Sorry.

ZzzQuil works if you just want to sleep through the headache. Or listening to a thunderstorm with heavy rain. Or good music recommended by a friend.


I hope that helps. 

Come With Me Now

I haven't been listening to the radio lately, but I had an early morning meeting in Addison so I was flipping between stations. 91.7 KXT which is my "go to" station is having a membership drive, so I tried 102.1 which usually plays good alternative music in the morning. Sure enough, after a few moments a new tune started... with an accordion. Wait, what? An accordion? An accordion and a thumping drumbeat. Next, fat deep bass lines supporting the melody.

Woah! Come with me now. I'm going to take you down. 
Woah! Go with me now. I'm going to show you how.

I'm trying to figure out which band it is, but I'm driving and can't Shazam it. 102.1 doesn't always list the song and title. Glancing down at the dashboard, I see the title "Come With Me Now". Okay, that's a start but might be challenging to find on YouTube. I try to remember some lyrics just in case I have to search harder.

I think with my heart but ... confusing myself with something that's...

BRIDGE!
Far away I heard him say. Don't delay I heard him say. 
Oh my god, the singer sounds like an angel! Is this Keane? It can't be. Back to the chorus. I can tell it will wrap up soon. I have to buy this song. I already want to plan a play list around it for the gym later.

Song ends. I hold my breath. Jagger says, "That's the new song from Kongos. When I saw them with the accordion, I didn't know where they were going with it. Now you know too. They'll be at EdgeFest."

SWEET!
Check them out for yourself.

It Could Totally Happen

If I was on The Walking Dead, these are the things I would want to do...

I don't have the greatest priorities in the Zombie Apocalypse.

Music Monday - Beck "Wave"

This is my recommendation for Music Monday; a hauntingly beautiful new song from Beck called "Wave".  Even if you saw him perform it on SNL, it's worth listening to again. And again.


But if that is a little too dark and moody, I have another option.  (And sometimes emotional music with gloomy weather might make one down. And you shouldn't start your week that way.) How about this instead?


Open to suggestions for next week.