Lunch w/ Darwin Deez

We are approaching the hungry gap at Wealth Underground Farm, the time of the year when what is in the field flowers or becomes woody and we must wait for new plants to grow.  We are furiously eating the collards, cabbage, garlic, and other vegetable remainders from last season.  Darwin Deez joined me at the farm in the middle of this frenzy, sharing in the abundance offered by this end of season.

We are getting hit with the final flood of Brussels sprouts at the moment so I roasted a lot of them as well as made a cream of roasted rutabaga soup.  We ate the meal and shared stories, which can be found here: Road Snacks Podcast.

Later that night, I biked down to the Doug Fir for the show.  I don't think I've ever seen a band having more fun playing music.  Everybody in the band was smiling for pretty much the entirety of their set, especially when they would perform their interlude choreographed dances.  At one point, Gregory excitedly ran off the stage to the sound booth.  I heard him say, "You said I could run the lights for this song!"  At the end of the dance, he just barely made it back to the stage to begin the next song.  You would have to hate fun to not have a good time at a Darwin Deez show.

Thanks to Darwin Deez for taking the time to visit Wealth Underground Farm for the Farm to Artist project.  Please check out their new album, Songs for Imaginative People.  Also, get caught in the whirlpool of Darwin Deez's wildly creative music videos (like the one below).

Lunch w/ Big Business

Big Business was not phased by the rain, which makes sense as they were once based out of the Washington and have a song called, "Another Beautiful Day in the Pacific Northwest."  They borrowed Red Fang's van for the tour, choosing to leave behind the band jet on this "back to our roots" tour.

It was just Jared and Scott who sat down with me for the meal.  That said, if you listen to the podcast, Coady jumps in and makes a few (mostly rude) remarks here and there.  If you listen until the end, Jared and Scott give an a cappella teaser of the upcoming record that they haven't started recording.

The show was at the White Owl Social Club, a restaurant/venue that has recently opened in what was once Plan B.  The food is worth it alone to go to shows here, where their burger varieties include buffalo, salmon, and pulled jackfruit.  But this is not a food review.  Following the Portland band Rabbits, Big Business maintained their larger than life sound for the entire set.  The music is great because of the drumming alone but the fact that they write catchy songs makes them a force to be reckoned with.  Also, Jared might have the best vocal stylings in contemporary heavy metal.

Thanks to Jared and Scott of Big Business for joining me at Wealth Underground Farm.  Go to the band's website for more information.  Here's a song to get you pumped for the podcast:

Brunch w/ Terrible Feelings

 The months of December and January are perfect times to take stock.  You look back on the previous year, the celebrations and pitfalls, and you look toward the year to come.  In this part of the world, the harshness of the outside environment pushes one inside where, in the absence of much physical work, there is time to think.  It is also a time to have people over to share warmth and to revel in the midst of darkness.

Terrible Feelings visited Wealth Underground Farm during their recent US tour but, more importantly, it was also on the day of Andy's (drums) 30th birthday.  If you have ever wanted to hear someone being serenaded happy birthday in Swedish, be sure to listen to the podcast for you opportunity.  The conversation over fresh veggies generally revolved around the Swedish foursomes interaction with a number of beautiful (read: disgusting/insane) Americans as they drove past the amber waves of grain.

After the brunch, in the evening, Terrible Feelings played a show at Blackwater Records.  I had only been into the shop area of Blackwater Records and didn't realize they had a large room/stage beyond all the vinyl.  Anton (guitar) jokingly described the sound as "dark power pop" and though they deserve to have punk somewhere in the description it was hard to pin down their sound exactly.  I'll describe the music as powerful, the songs are epic but without the frills of music that generally gets labeled epic.  Terrible Feelings is a band who you can see, not knowing any of their songs, and feel like you've known their music for your whole life.  Try not to fall in love when you see this band live.

You can hear the music of Terrible Feelings on their soundcloud page.  Check out their website for news or to see if they are playing any shows near you.

Also, tune in to KBOO every third Wednesday (tomorrow!) at 11am PST to hear me on the Food Show.

Dinner w/ Brendon Small and Mike Keneally (AKA Eating Real Food w/ a Fake Band)

I'm not going to write a flowery introduction: I had dinner with Dethklok.  Admittedly, the food wasn't prepared by a six star, dismembered then put back together then reanimated, chef (I cooked the meal and then humbly offered it to my guests) but I literally got to sit down with a band that doesn't literally exist.  If you don't believe me you can ask anyone in my family (who photobombed several of the pictures).

The conversation, as you can guess, was fascinating.  I picked Brendon's brain concerning the process of creating, developing, then inhabiting his characters.  My imagination was captured by a recent Radiolab that dealt with Mel Blanc and his cartoon voices and I thought it synchronistic that I would have the opportunity to eat dinner with someone who chats with and as cartoon characters on a regular basis.  In addition to talking about the show, Brendon and Mike speak to their experience as the "Metalocalypse Players" on tour and we have an obligatory conversation about food on the road.

After the dinner, my father and I headed into the show.  Brendon invited my whole family, which was a really sweet gesture, but my dad was the only one brave enough to take him up on the offer.  And I have to hand it to my dad, he seemed to enjoy himself even though several parts of the show were lewd enough to make me squeamish.  That said, the show is such a good time.  Not only do you get to hear the songs you enjoy from the show, but you are essentially treated to an hour long episode of Metalocalypse as the songs, with accompanying videos, are broken up by sketches featuring all of your favorite characters. 

Thanks to Brendon and Mike for stopping by Wealth Underground Farm and participating in the Farm to Artist project.  You probably don't need my help to find info about Metalocalypse on the internet but for more information about Dethklok and the show you can visit their Adult Swim website.  While you are surfing around, go check out Mike Keneally at his website.  Check back soon for the podcast!

A Word From Our Sponsors w/ Jeans Wilder

As I was editing the Jeans Wilder podcast I was reminded of the fact that we just went through an election season (aka the last couple of years).  It seems like it ended an eternity ago and I thought about how lucky we are to no longer get bombarded by news from the campaign trail.  I'm glad that the Jeans Wilder prediction, that we would have Romney in the White House in 2012, did not come to pass.  I'm also glad for the turning seasons, the abundance of good food here at Wealth Underground Farm, and the opportunity I get to meet and converse with so many interesting people via the Farm to Artist Project.

Jeans Wilder was on a short tour when they took the time to swing by the farm to participate in the project.  They brought an incredible energy with them, which translates into a fast paced podcast.  I hardly remember what we talked about since the conversation was such a frenzy.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get to catch them when they played in Portland but Andrew did grace us with a special, one time only performance of Dog Years.  Be on the lookout for that Road Snacks short to be released in the coming weeks.

Thanks to Jeans Wilder for a raucous lunch at Wealth Underground Farm.  To here more from them go to their Bandcamp Page.

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to the Road Snacks podcast on iTunes.  Also, go to Facebook and "like" the Farm to Artist project.

The Skeletonwitch podcast was a lot of fun to produce and I hope you enjoy listening to it.  There will be a special treat from Jeans Wilder out at the end of the week to tease that upcoming podcast.

Early Dinner w/ Skeletonwitch

At a time when their is a lot of division amongst the people of the United States of America, when two men take the spotlight in a mud throwing charade that makes us all feel dirty and defeated, there is still music.  Skeletonwitch, from the much disputed state of Ohio, brings to all of their shows a sense of acceptance and positivity that is especially refreshing during election season.  Their songs are often dark, pursuing themes of brutality and violence, but the opportunity for amusement and escapism that they create leaves everyone who encounters them better off.  Plus they are five incredibly pleasant individuals who are able to leave their aggression on the stage and in the studio.

Any day is worth celebrating but a day without rain this time of year in the Pacific Northwest is to be cherished.  The sun came out as we toured Wealth Underground making it difficult to motivate a transition inside for the meal and the podcast.  When we did go inside, an assortment of roasted vegetables, pasta, and a homemade tomato sauce was there to greet us.  

We met up again at Branx in Southeast Portland for their show with Havok and Mutilation Rites.  They played a ferocious set to a surprisingly large crowd for a Monday night.  If you missed Skeletonwitch this tour, you will no doubt have an opportunity to see them in the coming year, playing an array of new songs, as they are not going anywhere soon.

 

Thanks to Skeletonwitch for swinging by the farm on their latest tour.  Visit their website or Facebook page to hear songs or get information about upcoming shows.  

Also, on the podcast I promised a link to Happy the Hobo's obituary.  Here it is as well as his Facebook page.  RIP Happy the Hobo.