tonight tonight

OK, so Paul Collins is playing in-store at Phono Select today at 6:30, and then tonight at The Hub with Boats! and Poontoons. An interesting twist is that at The Hub it's 7 bucks if you have exact change and 10 if you don't.

You know that ORMF:X is this Saturday, right? Dreamdate got added! I heard the Fresh and Onlys aren't playing but they are still listed on the myspace.

Paul Collins at Phono Select!

That's tomorrow at 730. Don't forget!

The Four Eyes, were, uh, they played "Low Rider" and "Smoke on the Water" if you get the picture. It was like they were playing soundtrack to a Time-Life "Heavy Rock of the 70s" infomercial.

I know it's lame to just link to the Bee, but there' s an amusing Shallit piece (total piece of Shallit) about the owners of Old Soul getting pissed about missing out on the airport contract (it would have been rad if they got it, I'm sure they could handle it), and about the new giant mural going up on Willys. I'm surprised at all the disses on Old Soul coffee in the comments. Or maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I had a cup of their Columbian a couple of weeks ago that was really good, although I don't love all their roasts.

Today's paper is filled to the brim with good news for local businesses. Paragary's at the airport and Mulvaneys at the Crocker. I love it!

Paul Collins at Phono Select!

Wow, it didn't take long for me to flake on one of the shows. I didn't go see Bare Wires last night because I suck it. However, I will be going to the Four Eyes show tonight come hell or high water.

The really big show is on Wednesday, Paul Collins at the Hub. Have you ever heard the song "hanging on the telephone"? How about the perfect pop song "I don't fit in"? Check out this video. I think I posted this last time I went to see him. Of course, he's older and doesn't look like that but he still has a ton of energy and is an awesome guy and sounds great. He's also going to do a free acoustic set at Phono Select at 730, so check that out, too!!!!

These pictures are kinda dark but you can see that the kids at 11th and U set up a real nice space in their back yard for a folky/acoustic show. It was a lovely evening.

last but not least you guys have all gotten fruit from one of these vendors, right? it's so fucking tasty and such a good a deal. this guy put a ton of lime on it but not a lot of chili, at my request.

Whose alley is this up?

So there's that show at the Hub on Sunday night with Bare Wires and Nacho Business. Just listen to a tune or two from Bare Wires. If it's up your alley you'll know it in your bones. Coasting is headlining? Is it the drummer from Vivian girls? Here's a video:

There's a Saturday night art event, and it's not on the dreaded Second Saturday. It's a bunch of cute kids putting on a show. I had to look up the address even though I lived in the house for years. Senior moment. Here's a video with the details. Heckamax is going to play and Lil Maxwell, too.

Also, on Sunday night, starting at 10 pm on channel 6, some Verge artist's artwork will be auctioned off as part of the KVIE benefit auction. On air personality Liv Moe will be handling some of the auctioning duties. Can a spot on Good Morning Sacramento be far behind? Works by our friends Joel and Hillary will be auctioned at 1030 pm and 11 pm. I don't think I get that channel so I will be watching Criminal Minds. J.K. I will try to watch.

put it in your (fat)face!

People of Davis and vegetarians (there is a big overlap there), rejoice! FatFace has a new veggie sandwich which is "meatballs" made of lentils and eggplant, topped with warm marinara and romesco and melty mozzarella and arugula. Boing! I will be eating this in about an hour.

Pweeze? I can haz family?

This kitten is staring deep into your soul. This kitten wants to be a loving part of your household. Please let me know in the comments if you can open your heart to this kitten.

many many shows

I got to see a room at the Citizen hotel yesterday and man it is niiiiicccceeeeee. Pretty sweet. Nice view of city hall, too. I know I talked shit when it was being developed but I guess it's a cool thing for the city to have. Better than just an office building, anyways.

There are a lot of shows coming up. So many that I'm starting to feel slightly stressed about attending them all, which usually means I will flake out on at least one. Sunday there's a band I'm pretty excited about-Bare Wires. Kind of an Oh Sees protege band, right? Or at least on their label. Also, the return of Nacho Business! I really want to see them. That's Sunday night at the Hub.

Then on Monday, also at the Hub, The Four Eyes are playing with a Siltbreeze band called Mt. Carmel.

The big show is on Wednesday, the 29th, when the legendary Paul Collins (Nerves, Beat) plays....The Hub. Get there early.

Maybe Mati Indian Express' move to Midtown will explain the mystery of this place to me. People RAVE about it yelp, and back when I used to pay a lot more attention to yelp, I visited because of that and didn't get it. I actually was so bummed on the atmosphere that I left and didn't eat there, which sounds crazy when I say it, but makes sense when read that the owner is comparing their business vision with Panda Express.

chugwald

Well, the yardsale was a spectacular....failure. I made a few bucks and probably spent it all on lunch. Thanks to MM for buying a few things. I was happy that an older lady bought this super loud dress that I have never been able to successfully rock. We needed some dude hipsters to show up to buy smiller's castoff plaids, but none ever materialized. Well, actually, they all rode by on fixies and weren't able to stop. It's like we're on a yelp thread right now!

I did earn the misplaced nickname "Chugwald" at an after-party this weekend. That's right, I afterpartied, mostly because Biz said something like "we're old, this may be our last afterparty". Sad but true. Or is it even sad?

yard sale tomorrow!!!!!

When we visited the Bruery in Placencia (in Orange County), I picked up two bottles of the Hottenroth, which is a Berlinerweisse-style wheat beer. They use lactobacillus and brettanomyces in this brew, so it's tart. It has a nice toasty wheat flavor as well. At the brewery they offer it in the traditional way, with woodruff syrup which turns it bright green. I think they said it's made from moss? It smells like playdough and tastes like toasted marshmallows. They gave me a taste of the mixture, and I liked the little taste but wouldn't want a whole glass. If you ever see a bottle in these parts, snap it up!
Not a wonderful picture, but I have been stoked on my garden's bounty lately and could use some creative ideas for using tomatoes and zucchini. I have been drinking a river of gazpacho, sometimes made with peppers (hot or sweet) from the garden. My peppers are starting to finally go to town, which I guess makes sense because bell peppers are kind of an early fall crop, right? I am about to have enough habaneros to give all of Sac sting ring, as well. I'm pretty sick of zucchini but have been experimenting with different kinds of fritters. It seems to work well to squeeze the moisture out of them with a towel before frying a la latkes. And I didn't grow it yet this year, but man the arugula and frisee is just beautiful right now. I cannot get enough frisee.
OK, on to urging you to come to the yardsale that me, Connie Champagne, and Jamattack are having tomorrow at 2665 San Fernando Way. I have a lot of clothes, these are just the first few I pulled out. I have...

hipster unicorn tshirts

smiller's tennies
sparkly green wrap dress
secretary-ish dress with fake suede skirt and silky paisley top with a tie at the neck. wear with a bun and glasses. then, take the glasses off, pull out the bun and your silver fox boss will say "why, Ms. Peterson, you're beautiful!"
teeny cute little hippy top
and much more!!

all right, who tweeted?

Oops, I was just trying to follow Jonathan Gold's tweets and somehow accidentally opened an account?#accidentallytweeted

When I was in LA I was reading the LA Times and came upon Gold's editorial about food carts. Sacramento isn't the only city with food cart controversy.

oh honey

Don't forget the Sandwitches and Touchez (pronounced "touches") show at The Hub tonight. 830.

The new News and Review is kinda blowing my mind. I always trip when people say they don't read it at all. I can understand skimming a few sections, but if you don't read it's pretty much like not checking out what's really going on in our community. I usually read it cover to cover, with the exception of the food review, which I find hard to swallow. I can't stomach it, either, and it gives me indigestion and acid reflux. This week brought Nick's riveting man-on-the-street account of 2nd Saturday. Again, as it sinks in I feel more like a schmuck that my first thought was about the future of the event rather than about Victor Zavala and his friends and family. If it was someone close to me I don't know how I'd be able to deal with the fact that that's where everyone's attention instantly turned. I know the world can't stop because of it, but it's really tragic.

I also was stoked and surprised to see the new MidMo referenced, with a picture of the cover and everything! I can't find a link to it online. The "Keep Midtown Janky" issue of MidMo has been our most buzzed-about yet and it's pretty gratifying.

Then of course you have Bites, which is always juicy, and the fact that Dan Barnes has a column and any number of things like Nick's coverage of !!! and Seven Seconds playing on the same bill at the Fuck Yeah Fest (worst name) in LA and it's really worth the read. Plus, oh honey! Your're reading Ask Joey, right?

I can't believe someone said "suburban scum"!

Midtown Monthly has a discussion going on about Second Saturday on the blog. It really is so, so horrible that someone got killed. I can't believe it.

I disagree with a lot of the suggestions, such as the one to only play blues and swing music. Trying to enforce a decibel level instead would be nice, but probably isn't possible. As usual, I like Bill's suggestions. I think this one is KEY:

In time–It’s time to bring elements of Second Saturday to every Saturday. Street busking, food carts, and vendors need to be an everyday part of central city life, not just once a month at a pre-selected date. It should be regulated and properly managed, but the process should be simple and straightforward. You shouldn’t have to check your calendar to know something interesting is happening downtown.

Yard Sale on Saturday!

Don't forget that the Sandwitches and Touchez are playing at the Hub tomorrow night.

Conwad and Jamattack are having a yardsale this Saturday and I am jumping on it. I will be selling mostly clothes, probably for one or two dollars! I'm sure I'll be selling a lot of stuff for a dollar that I bought at stupid Goodwill for five dollars. I have a lot of clothes to sell. I'll also have some books, maybe some records, and some puzzles for like a quarter to a good home. It will probably start around 8 am, my stuff won't be there till nine I think. The address is:

2665 San Fernando way.

my trip to l.a. (or how I gained 3 pounds in 4 days)

Wow, I leave town for a weekend and all hell breaks loose! Was anyone out that night at Second Saturday? Was it scary? It seems like the city council is planning a somewhat measured response, which is good. It's so horrible that someone got shot, especially someone who was not really involved in the altercation.

Totally different subject: The Sandwitches and Touchez are playing at The Hub on Thursday. Good show! A funny quote about The Sanwitches is "if the shaggs were hot"

Our trip to souther Cali was fun. We ate at Pizzeria Mozza. The pizza does live up to the hype. We ate the pizza from the cover of Saveur. The crust is so airy, so light. The sauce is so fragrant. Uh mazing.

Then we ate the dumplings of my dreams, the pork fried from Luscious Dumplings.
One of the many highlights of the trip was a sojourn to Burger Records. This is my favorite record store ever. I love power pop and bubblegum so it's perfect for me. They are so nice there and it's such a treat to see a whole store filled with records that I've never seen anywhere else; each with a story behind it that the kind employees are happy to share with you.
It was actually pretty overwhelming.
Here's Sean, one of the owners. He's also in Thee Makeout Party. He's the guy who sings "birthday suit", which is a hilarious sight.
Burger Records is putting out the new Twilley record! They said it's really good.
This is a picture from the back of Chevy Chase's 60s psychedelic record! It was kinda baroque, like Left Banke. It was good.

super rare record from Sean's private collection. Not for sale.
The Burger cat. I highly recommend a visit to this store, and The Bruery is five minutes away and has a rad tasting room.

Skoal Scott!

Tomorrow is a very important day! It's 40 years to the day since a bouncing baby boy was born, who turned into a boyish man, who turned into the best dude in the world. I won't even try to write anything sappier than that because I could write a book but I'll just say Happy Birthday!!

Looking through pictures all I could think is "what a fine-ass stylish guy". I'm sure you're all thinking the same.

He never met a vaguely guitar-shaped object that he couldn't solo on...


Skoal, Miller!

And for yet another reason why he's the best, watch this sorta pretentious video of the Woodsist fest at Big Sur until about four minutes in. All those fake hippies are just lethargically laying around and Scott is up front, showing his boundless enthusiasm for good tunes.

I like that old time chalk n roll.

The Mayyors certainly brought it this weekend. I had to watch them through the window at the DAM house and what with the red light and the sweated-up windows it looked like the seventh circle of hell in there. Except fun! They went out at the top of their game.

Speaking of the top of their game, check out these sandwiches from Magpie. What do you guys think is their best sandwich?

Magpie has been making sausage. This one was a pork sausage with fennel and an eggplant tapenade.
It already looks like fall in my community garden. There are GIANT pumpkins everywhere, as well as this little baking pumpkin.
Bittman had a weird recipe for pumpkin pasta so I gave it a try. You shred the pumpkin in a food processor, then cook it with water, a little butter and oil, chili flakes, a sprinkle of nutmeg and sugar, and s and p.
Then serve with parmesan on top. Pretty good. The nutmeg is really the key. Otherwise it would be boring.
After only 16 years as a band The Four Eyes finally got around to making a pro banner. They invented a new genre of music this weekend-Chalk N Roll. I heard it's here to stay.

This little girl's drawing was my favorite. Later she was diligently coloring it bright orange.

have fun

SacPress has a nice article on Cafe Marika today.

There's a lot of stuff to do this holiday weekend, as I'm sure you are well aware. The Mayyors are playing a couple of times-their last shows. Here's the schedule for chalk it up performers. The Four Eyes are playing around 11 am on Sunday, The Shruggs play right before that.

On Sunday, movies on a big screen is showing the only blacklisted film "salt of the earth". Have fun!

hey look over there

Hey look, there' s a thread on yelp discussing the MidMo "keep Midtown janky" issue.

If you care!

Since it's yelp, it has degenerated a bit, but is pretty reasonable. Only Katie "with club sauce" B. (gotta love those yelp nicknames*)is saying truly annoying things, such as:

to me, i don't care what something looks like on the outside as long as they have whatever it is i need. whether that be cheap/ good drinks, decent food, and a clean toilet. boom!

*actually I hate the yelp nicknames