BONUS PLAYLIST - Playlist for January 22nd, 2011

This playlist is for the Lady of the Manor, who is celebrating her birthday today.

She has put up with my mercurial ways and my foul mouth for many years now, and these are just a couple of the many reasons I love her.  She is a blast to be around and she knows how to have fun.

Always curious and extremely patient, she has been there for me in good times and bad times and, for that, I'm very lucky.

So, if you see the Lady of the Manor (maybe tonight at Bar None for the Waco Brothers), wish her a happy birthday and buy her a drink.

The playlist consists of some very well known tunes and some obscurities as well.

Happy Birthday, Baby!!!

Playlist for January 21st, 2011

Henry Bemis, the patron saint of
the Rochester Reader

THERE ARE SOME SELECTIONS IN THIS WEEKS PLAYLIST THAT INCLUDE ADULT LANGUAGE!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

This week, we celebrate the birthday of my fellow prairie blogger, the Rochester Reader.  The Reader describes himself as "an anonymous free thinker with an unhealthy addiction to the printed word."  He helps to bring a little culture to us prairie folk by reminding us of the wealth of written knowledge out there for us to enjoy.

His latest posts deal with, not only the film, but the novel "True Grit", both of which he highly recommends.

A true aficionado of the page, let's all raise a glass to the Reader this week.

The playlist includes songs about books and writing, as well as readings from some of my favorite authors.

Enjoy!

A Night on the Town - The Waco Brothers

The Waco Brothers
Enjoying a pint
from the Bloodshot Records website
http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/

According to the Events Calendar, the fabulous Waco Brothers are coming to the prairie capital, playing Bar None (427 E. Monroe in Springfield; Ph: 217-523-3050).

Tom Irwin has a great write-up on the band in the Illinois Times, which includes this statement:

"The band could be considered a collective as each member performs in several different groups and participates in other outside endeavors.  The term fits as well into their revolutionary approach to life and culture, of using the sense of art as more than expression of emotion, reaching beyond to a way of being that considers living a springboard for enrichment of the soul and the betterment of the planet.  Song subjects of the Waco Brothers give away this sentiment with objects of their attention including right-wing radicals, the Bushes, commercial music radio and other favorite notions sure to delight hardcore punkers and left-leaners everywhere.  Politely they infuse this with danceable rock to make it palatable to those who care not for the lyrical content, but come to boogie-woogie."

-Tom Irwin from the January 20 - 26 edition of the Illinois Times

Go check them out this Saturday and wish the Lady of the Manor a "Happy Birthday" while you're at it.

Movie Night - Tokyo Drifter

Tetsu the Phoenix (beige gloves) vs.
Tatsu the Viper (black gloves)...
I know, it's a little confusing

Not to be confused with the movie in the "Fast and the Furious" series, this 1966 film is about a yakuza member, Tetsu the Phoenix, who, along with his boss Kurata, decides to go straight.  Another yakuza clan, led by Otsuka, is wary and do their best to bring them back into a life of crime.

When Tetsu decides to flee Tokyo until things cool down, he is tracked down by the killer, Tatsu the Viper, sent by a rival gang.

Culminating in a slapstick bar fight followed by a highly stylized final confrontation with the boss who betrayed him and his other enemies, Tokyo Drifter, despite huge plot holes, is a good movie that has influenced many other films since its release.

Check it out! (WP)(AMG)(IMDB)

A recipe for a Gin & Tonic

Gin might lead to sin.  Enjoy!

First, pack a rocks glass with ice.  

Next, cut up a lemon and a lime into eighths.  Take one slice of each and squeeze the juice onto the ice.  Then, run the rinds across the rim and dump them into the glass.  

Take a shot of your favorite gin (mine is New Amsterdam 'cause it's a clean tasting gin, but I'm currently drinking Desert Juniper which is supposed to be a high end gin, but it kinda tastes like nail polish remover.....anyway) and pour it over the ice.

Fill the remainder of the glass with tonic water and enjoy.