A Night at the King Club With The Treats

With all the hoopla surrounding the SoCo Music Experience and Snake on the Lake music festivals yesterday, that the King Club was the place to be Friday night seems to have gotten lost. It was the CD release party for The Treats and their new album Reservoir Tales. I arrived around 8:30 to meet my friend Charles only to find bassist Tim Payne and guitarist Andy Isham outside. Seeing them, I reiterated to them my desire to hear "Eve's Playground" and introduced myself. It was Don Isham that had sent me a copy of their album but they recognized Up the Downstair. They were both extremely friendly. We went to grab a cup of pre-gig coffee down the street, chatting all the while. It wasn't long after returning to the King Club that Charles showed up as well as Don. Tim talked up his Standing Water Recording Studio which is his basement. He'd found a mixing desk cheap which was used on Oprah's television show. If that isn't a great endorsement, I don't know what is. We talked some more and I threatened to flash my tits before heading in for some beer.

Stepping in, we found the place nearly empty. No biggie as the night was young. We grabbed a couple beers and found a place to sit and chat as the gear was set up. I cannot honestly say I've been there as the King Club. I remember it well as The Chamber, however. The place hadn't really changed that much. Memories flooded back of being threatened by an angry mob of women at a Pachinko show as well as seeing Tempest there with an ex-girlfriend hoping all the while she'd take me back. (It never happened.) Along with The Treats were Cash Box Kings and The Selfish Gene.

By the time Cash Box Kings got things started, the place had filled up quite a bit. I'm ambivalent about them, to be honest. I give them credit for keeping alive the electric blues of the 1950s and 60s and think Travis Koopman's work on guitar is wonderful, especially his tasteful slide work. But the music needs more swing and to be a bit more gritty. And there were a couple tunes where singer Joe Nosek affected an old bluesman voice that was just over the top to me and unneeded. He's a good harp player and there's no reason to try and sing like he's from the South side of Chicago when he's not because the whole thing descends from tribute to parody.

The Treats, curiously enough, came on second. They took the stage to a packed house with lots of folks standing near the front. Honestly, I figured they'd draw a crowd with more tattoos. Instead there were a lot of collared shirts and women wearing dresses. (Luckily a couple of the female fans with callipygian figures were right in front of me.) I guess that just goes to show what I know. Despite not having gigged in a while, they shook off their rust quickly and delivered a great, if all-too short, set. By "great" I mean they were just incredibly awesome. I had never seen them previously and didn't know exactly what to expect. They did a healthy dose of tunes from Reservoir Tales with unrestrained energy. The band was nice'n'loud and the songs gained some maniacal muscle in the live context.

"Eve's Playground" came second or third and was dedicated to your humble narrator. It was incredible. Andy Isham is playing one of the catchiest riffs ever and pleading "I try and I try" with just the right amount of menace while his brother Don flails away, going from ride to crash cymbal as if he barely could decide what to hit.

"Cuchillo" is another favorite of mine from their new album. The acoustic part of the studio version was electrified and, just as Andy finishes screaming "cuerta tu!" for the third time, Payne's bass urgently takes over. The band then launch into a short jam which is the closest thing you'll ever hear to The Who in their live prime. Listen to it and tell me that wouldn't have fit on Live at Leeds like a glove. In fact, most of the show had that same vibe. Just as with The Who, The Treats' songs were gritter live – faster and more raw.

"Blind and Undying" slowed things down for a moment and it came off well with some great harmony vocals. Other highlights were "Not Enough" with its slow bluesy riff which became total pandemonium by the end and "I've Got Your Number" with its 70s hard rock vibe. "Ever Been Down" had me screaming "When I get up!" along with Isham and closed with another fantastic bit of ear-splitting splendor.

The show was recorded and I am hoping against hope that I can get my hands on a copy.

The Selfish Gene had the unenviable task of trying to follow all that up. Still, they put on a short but great performance. Why most of the audience left before they started is beyond me and this is a crying shame. Songs like "Overboard" and the Beatles-esque "Autopilot" gained some muscle live but the harmony vocals were as strong, if not more so, than on The Grand Masquerade. Bassist Eric Andraska's hyperkinetics were infectious and his playing on "Bad About It" was wonderfully melodic. Some folks idolize guitarists but I've always been a fan of drummers and I have to say that I was really impressed with Mark Marsh that night. His playing was superb with deftly placed cymbal crashes and tasty fills. The band played a new song called "State of Nature", methinks, and it was quite good.

If you go to The Selfish Gene's webpage, you'll see that they've gotten a modicum of national press. Hopefully they found more fans at the SoCo festival where they played yesterday. Tim Payne told me that The Treats have a hard time filling the High Noon which is ridiculous. Are their lyrics not self-consciously ironic enough? I am hoping that they just need to gig more and that they can correct this in the coming months.

Vegetables, Fruit, and Creepy Crawlies

I grabbed a few stray tomatoes and a couple cantelope this morning as well as a habanera. Oddly enough, there are more habanera on the way but I don't know if they'll ripen with cool weather on the way. Not sure what kind of bug that is. And that spider is well over and inch long.

Oktoberfesting

It has been quite some time since I've written about bier. This is not to say that I haven't been drinking it, but rather that I've just not been writing about it. I hope to correct that here.

Firstly I want to herald the arrival last month of Madison Beer Review. It appears to be a group effort and the folks are doing a great job with reviews, commentary, and news. In fact, they are much better than I could ever hope to be so I highly recommend heading over there with some frequency. In addition, Robin Shepherd over at Isthmus has begun writing with some frequency about beer. It began as a look at The Great Taste of the Midwest and has developed into a weekly beer review. The Daily Page is now a must-stop for beer aficionados.

As both Shepherd and the crew at MBR have noted, autumn nears and that means Oktoberfests!



I love autumn. I love the changing colors, the harvest bounty, and I love Capital's line-up. Beginning in September, I eagerly await each of their seasonals and limited editions through the spring. As I lamented last weekend, I was unable to attend Firefest at the Capital Brewery or, rather, I opted not to since I was on-call and couldn't drink. Had I been there, I would have witnessed the tapping of the season's inaugural keg of Autumnal Fire, brewmaster Kirby Nelson's fall limited release. It's a doppelbock that warms the palate and is the perfect beer to chase autumn's chill away. I look forward to this stuff just as I do to the leaves changing color. Capital's Oktoberfest is also available. This is another great beer and the pair yet again inspire me to thank Nelson for keeping lagers at the center of his brewery. There's no IPAs or race to the top of the IBU scale. I realize that Island Wheat is an ale and their most popular beer but, while refreshing on a hot day, I find it dull and uninspiring. It's more of a beer for hipsters to be seen drinking than anything else.



Over at my neighborhood brewery, the Ale Asylum, there's Diablo, a Beligan Dubbel as the fall seasonal. I turn from praising Capital for its lagers and praise AA for its line-up of Belgian style brews. Being able to head over there and grab a snifter of one of them is a real treat because they are tasty.

Over at J.T. Whitney's, look for their Marzen (i.e – Oktoberfest) soon. Their webpage doesn't list it as being on-tap yet. Yet. Also, kudos to them for having three different sodas on tap: Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Orange Cream. If you're the designated driver, you can still drink something that's made on premises. And, it's never too early to get kids to appreciate hand crafted foods, even if it's just soda.



I am going to go out on a limb here and say that we can expect Fallen Apple once again from Furthermore. However, I have heard a rumor that a different beer will be introduced this fall. Let's hope we get both.



Ever since changing ownership, the Huber website has been under construction. Still, look for Berghoff Oktoberfest.



I am eagerly awaiting the opening of New Glarus' expansion where I can guzzle top notch brews in an Old World setting just like some of my ancestors did. Until then, we can take comfort in Staghorn Octoberfest. I was just over the age requirement when New Glarus opened and I took to their brews like a junkie to the needle. Staghorn quickly became one of my favorites, not only of the NG arsenal, but of any beer. It was the first fall seasonal that made me look forward to the season. Also note that this month is the last for availability of their Totally Naked.



I've waxed poetically over Tyranena and its beers several times here. Robin Shepherd reviewed it at The Daily Page a couple days ago.



Also available on a return visit is Hop Whore, an Imperial IPA. It's part of brewmaster Rob Larson's Brewers Gone Wild! series.



Moving up north to Chippewa Falls, the venerable Leinenkugel's weighs in with their Oktoberfest. Also noteworthy is this:



A Russian Imperial Stout is the latest in their Big Eddy series of true craft beers. I thought that the first in the series, an IPA, was magnificent and will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for this.



The Viking Brewing Company is quickly becoming a favorite of mine for many reasons. Their year-round brews are mostly lagers and they tend to eschew the hops arms race with their rotating brews which change every month. And they even make bracket, although I am still searching for it here in Madison. To top things off, their 4-packs are ultra-portable. As you can see, this month brings a ruach bier und a Swedish-style Imperial stout. Living as I do on the east side, I can say that the Jenifer Street Market carries a goodly selection of Viking's products.



Let's start our look at Brew City brews with Sprecher who has a wonderful Oktoberfest.



Lakefront has two seasonal brews – an Oktoberfest and a pumpkin lager. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin-spice beers and can handle only one per session. Unfortunately, I can't say that I've had Lakefront's Oktoberfest but I now dedicate myself to changing this sorry state of affairs.



Up in La Crosse, the City Brewery has their Festbier, a Marzen style brew. And they also appear to have a new variety:



At the moment, it appears to be available only on tap at locations in the west central part of the state and neighboring areas in Minnesota.



Moving over to Black River Falls and Sand Creek Brewing Company, we find Black River Red which is their Oktoberfest brew. Their other fall seasonal is the Cranberry Special Ale made with cranberries grown here in Wisconsin.



Something that the brewery introduced this summer was a hard lemonade. I have had it and I like it quite a bit, though it can get too sweet. I'll say more about it in a separate entry.

The MBR crew listed a number of Oktoberfest events at their "Oktoberfest" entry. I would add that the Essen Haus here in Madison will be having its festivities on the 29th of this month. Also on that day will be the 4th Annual Bay View Pub Crawl in Milwaukee.

The following weekend on 6 October will be Quivey's Grove's 14th Annual Beer Fest.

On 22 September in Mount Horeb will be The Thirsty Troll Brew Fest. Mt. Horeb is, of course, home to the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub.

More events around the state from Suds, Wine and Spirits:

September 7 – 9
29th Annual MainStrasse Village Oktoberfest
Old Heidelberg Park, Glendale, WI

September 7 - 9, 14 - 16 & 21 – 23
United German Societies Oktoberfest
The Bavarian Inn, 700 Lexington, Glendale, WI

September 8
Brown Ales & Merlot Wine Tasting - 1-6 PM – Free
Three Cellars, 6955 S. 27th St., Franklin, WI

September 8
Wisconsin Rapids Lions 5th Annual Fall Brew Review - 1-6 PM
Robinson Park, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
(715) 423-0669 - ottlarry17@yahoo.com

September 8
7th Annual Clearwater Beer Fest - $25 ($22.50 Advance)
Eau Claire County Expo Park, Eau Claire, WI

September 13
Delafield Brewhaus Oktoberfest - Keg Tapping @ 5 PM
Delafield Brewhaus, Delafield, WI

September 15
4th Annual Great Lakes Brewfest - 4-8 PM
Racine on the Lake Festival Park, 5 Fifth St., Racine, WI

September 22
5th Annual Big Lake Brew Fest
Wessman Arena, UW Superior, Big Lake, WI

September 28
12th Annual Septembeerfest - 8-11 PM - $30
Oak Creek Community Center, 8580 South Howell Ave., Oak Creek, WI - (414) 768-5840

September 28 – 29
Old World 3rd Street Oktoberfest
Milwaukee, WI

Raise One For the Beer Hunter

The Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson, died a little over a week ago. He was a consummate and tireless promoters of good beer through his writing and even a long out of print television show. His work helped transform our notions of beer as a strictly blue collar drink and elevated brew into an art, on par with fine wine. Jackson was instrumental in helping Belgian beers find a wide audience here in the States.

He was 65.

People Are the Main Spring

UW Philosophy professor Lester Hunt recently wrote a post at his blog called "Completely Rebuild New Orleans? Sorry No." in which he argues against restoring the city to its pre-Katrina state. The issue of how to rebuild New Orleans is certainly contentious and Prof. Hunt's general position is certainly not one that I, someone who is ambivalent on the matter, want to dismiss out of hand. But I am sorely disappointed, if not outright dismayed, at how he chose to write about his opinion on the matter.

He argues that we (i.e. – taxpayers) shouldn't have to foot the bill to rebuild New Orleans in its entirety: "…completely rebuilding New Orleans would mean some of us indulging our sentimental attachments and aesthetic tastes at other people's expense". His solution?

Let's rebuild the parts of the city that make it great -- Tulane and the French Quarter, among others -- and move on. On to Baton Rouge, on to Houston! Some of the parts of the city that are just a place to live should be allowed to go the way of the Stutz Bearcat, the brontosaurus, and the liberal Republican.

Prof. Hunt does a great job of avoiding mentioning that the areas he does not want to pay to rebuild were mostly populated by poor black people. Indeed, he doesn't mention them at all and thusly tries to avoid race and, I would imagine, charges of racism. He does this by first saying, "I am a long time-time admirer of New Orleans, and of Creole and Cajun cuisine and music", as if admiring a couple genres of music and a regional cuisine somehow banishes all prejudices and makes one completely impartial. Instead of recognizing that his plan would actually affect human beings who somehow don't fit into his vision of what New Orleans is, he transmogrifies them into tracts of land. "Places to live" is a euphemism for the homes and lives of the poor and black. Those communities didn't have the romantic attraction of Rue Bourbon for the white libertarian(my term) university professor so they have to be reduced to mere areas of utility which are devoid of culture and all the intangibles that human beings create around adn amongst themselves regardless of where they may be. A couple paragraphs down Prof. Hunt notes: "Further, as I understand it, the parts that are below sea-level tend to be the parts that were built after the formation of the modern welfare state." Clever! Again, that actual human beings called those "parts" home is never directly stated and by using "modern welfare state" he can acknowledge that people lived there without ever having to mention them. Plus he gets to be critical of the evil, wasteful government that he despises. Two birds with one stone.

His argument comes down to not wanting to force "the taxpayers to repair all the bad effects of this government-caused mistake." It's mostly, if not all, about money so there's little wonder that he would neglect to humanize the situation. If he did, it would probably veer perilously close to "I don't want to spend my money to rebuild the home and communities of poor black people" and we all know that would go over like a lead balloon.

When confronted with trying to apply his reasoning to San Francisco and its attendant earthquakes, Prof. Hunt replies:

San Francisco can probably survive on the resources of people who find it profitable or in some other way worthwhile to pay for it. In other words, protecting the whole thing is worth the cost.

So, it's fair for taxpayers to fund projects that earthquake proof SF as much as possible because SF has rich private benefactors. But, since New Orleans doesn't seem to have such private benefactors, there shouldn't be a public one. If rich people find San Francisco profitable and thusly have much to lose, then why should taxpayers subsidize their businesses? They should pay for it since they have more to lose. If SF doesn’t need to suckle at the public teat, then why is Prof. Hunt saying that it's fine for them to do so?

Now I’m confused. This should hardly be surprising since I am without a PhD. If Prof. Hunt or anyone else does not want to pay to rebuild New Orleans to its pre-flood state, fine. If Prof. Hunt or anyone else (especially up on this side of the Mason-Dixon Line) wants to coerce the cities Houston or Baton Rouge, well, I guess good arguments can be made. But, please, don't gloss over the thousands and thousands of people whose lives were ravaged by the flooding and are now going to be affected by these actions; don't refer to their homes and communities derogatorily as mere "places to live" or the results of the modern welfare state so you can score points with your libertarian friends. Stop hiding certain parts of the tragedy under rhetorical cover.

I'm not accusing Professor Hunt of racism and I understand that the almighty dollar is an essential part of the recovery process regardless of what gets rebuilt and what doesn't. What got in my craw was that Prof. Hunt came across as issuing commands ex cathedra - Houston shall do this, Baton Rouge shall do that, and you poor folks will go here or there - without even paying lip service to the people who are going to make up the diaspora. Democracy Now! broadcasted from New Orleans last week and the programs were filled with the voices of the people who inhabit Prof. Hunt's "places to live" and to find them excluded in his post or reduced to inanimate units for economists and theoreticians to calculate was most disappointing.

Scott Milfred Has Hopped the Trolley

When the Madison Common Council meets tonight, it'll be considering, among other items, a resolution calling for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush and Cheney. Scott Milfred of the Wisconsin State Journal came down against the resolution, labeled it a waste of time, and predictably laid all the blame at the doorstep of Progressive Dane. For its part, PD has pointed out the error of Mr. Milfred's assertion as has party co-chair Lukas Diaz at his blog. In light of this, the proprietor of Caffeinated Politics and Councilman Tim Gruber have publicly written in favor of the disputed resolution.

There certainly seems to be no love lost at all between Bush & Co. and the various Madison players mentioned above. Everyone seems to agree that Bush has, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "rendered himself obnoxious", but nary a mention is made castigating Congress. The Founding Fathers knew very well that the Executive Branch would be subject to men who sought to consolidate power. As Edmund Randolph noted:

The Executive will have great opportunitys of abusing his power; particularly in time of war when the military force, and in some respects the public money will be in his hands. Should no regular punishment be provided it will be irregularly inflicted by tumults & insurrections.

The ability to impeach is in our Constitution precisely because of a long line of men of which Bush is only a recent incarnation. (Though most of them were worse than our current president.) Human history is beset by men grabbing power, claiming authority, or in other ways dictating policy that is unmediated. For better or for worse, we do things by committee in this country, not by Executive fiat. The second that the words "impeachment is off the table" fell from Nancy Pilosi's lips, she should have been charged with dereliction of duty and removed from office. Didn't she swear to uphold the Constitution and not the Democratic party line? Our own senator, Russ Feingold, thinks that Bush and Cheney "may well have committed impeachable offenses", but steadfastly refuses to champion impeachment because he feels the Congress is unable to multitask. The only palliative the Democrats can offer is "ride the storm out". Well, REO Speedwagon song titles just don't cut it.

The resolution before our Common Council is not so much an anti-Bush statement as much as an attempt to implore the House of Representatives to do its Constitutionally-mandated job and hold the Executive Branch accountable for its high crimes and misdemeanors. Bush and his toadies are certainly worthy of vitriol and the criticism of the above-cited bloggers, but I am disappointed that my fellow Madisonians did not direct some at Congress. Milfred wrote: "Remember that Bush is leaving office anyway in little more than a year. By the time he were impeached, he'd already be gone." How many more heinous precedents are you willing to let be established to be taken advantage of by a future John Yoo, Mr. Milfred? Sixteen months is long enough for Bush to inflict more damage. Even if Bush were to actually protect our Constitution starting today and for the rest of his presidency, the damage has been done and it is compounded by a Congress who refuses to even consider impeachment, thusly allowing the dangerous precedents to stand. Riding the storm out, Mr. Milfred, does absolutely nothing to send a message to future executives that power grabs are unacceptable and will not be tolerated here. What did Edmund Burke tells us happens when good men do nothing? It is you, not the lefty politicos you berate, who are in the make-believe club. You are the one who takes the trolley trip into some la-la land where, once Bush is gone, our government suddenly becomes inundated with good, honorable men and women and where vigilance is unnecessary.

I'm not a big fan of local governments making proclamations on national policy but the resolution to be considered is not a policy, per se. It is not about trying to get Congress to vote the Lefty way. It's about getting Congress to do something that transcends party lines and something we all can agree upon - its job. For this, our Common Council can take a wee bit more time tonight.

Pecks of Peppers and Preserves

The North Side Farmer's Market was doing good business this morning when The Dulcinea and I arrived. It was my first time there and I think her's as well.



While not anywhere near as large as the Dane County Farmer's Market, the north side version benefits from not having as many yuppies drawing wagons that are the equivalent of SUVs around at a snail's pace. It suffers from a smaller variety but there were plenty of vegetables to be had as well as preserves, meat, and even a stand offering chili.









I had some of those chilies in a batch of pico de gallo that my friend Dogger and I made a couple weeks ago and, lemme tell ya, they are potent! There was also a stand selling apples but, having bought a country ton yesterday, I couldn't bring myself to buy any. The Dulcinea, however, did get a Ginger Gold which was nice and yellow with a blush. Very tasty – sweet with a bit of zest to it.

I also got to meet and chat with Lee Davenport who is the proprietor of Pamplemousse Preserves. I dated a former roommate of Lee's several years ago and I hoped that my ex didn't fill her head with nasty tales of me. Stepping up to her stand, she looked at me and commented that I was familiar to her. After revealing my identity, she opened up and we made small talk. Briana must have gone easy on me.



I bought a small jar of her Apricot and Pinot Grigio Preserves. Haven't tried them yet. Yet. However, I did sample her Black & Blue as well as the Black Currant & Pinot Noir preserves and they were fantastic.

I sure have a lot of cooking and preserving to do.

Going Deep Dish

With all the food shopping we did yesterday, I decided to make dinner using apples. To that end, I whipped up Beef and Apple Deep Dish Pie. It's not tremendously difficult but it is very time consuming.

The idea is to put beef stew in a doughy home. You season flour with cinnamon, mace, ginger, and pepper and then roll your stew meat in it and brown. Then sauté some onion. I used a Spanish onion that we'd bought at the orchard. Eating a couple slices of it raw was a real treat. My tongue was bathed in their tremendous sweetness and they were very juicy as well. These were the watermelons of the onion family. I threw in some bell pepper because our garden gave us a bounty of them. Once they're about done, pitch in the rest of your seasoned flour and cook so you have a bit of roux. Next, throw in the meat, vegetables, and your liquid – beef stock and red wine.



You end up with a simple stew which goes in a pie crust. My pie crust making ability is for shite. I prefer using lard but opted for vegetable shortening this time 'round as per The Dulcinea's request. I cut the shortening in with two forks and added water just a wee bit at a time but I couldn't get a ball to form by stirring so I ended up using my hands. I don't know why the ability to make good pastry dough eludes me so.

Here's a diagram showing pastry doughs at the molecular level courtesy of Harold McGee:



The middle section was what I was going for – flakiness. The upper half shows fat surrounding flour in an uncooked state while the lower bit is after baking. Last night I had to add a little extra water to get it to form a ball and perhaps this was too much. Resting the dough in the refrigerator not only lets the fats solidify again but it also gives the water time to distribute itself in the dough. I guess I just added to much because my dough wasn't as flakey as it ought to have been. Excess water causes the dough bits to stick instead of separate giving a nice light flakiness.

My failings aside, the recipe calls for a two quart dish. I lined one with dough and put my stew inside.



Then top it off with apple slices.



Here is it with a steam hole ready to get thrown into the oven.



I completely for got to egg wash the top and did so in a hurry by simply opening the over door and pulling the rack out a bit.



Hence the blotchy browning above. So, how did it turn out?



Well, aside from my rib-sticking crust it turned out on the mediocre side. What looks essentially like a big mess tasted good. It's just that it never bloody thickened! And I must remember to put more salt in the stew next time. Plus more apples. I really fucked it up now that I think about it. I definitely want to try this again with some modifications or, rather, additions. This will make a hearty meal come winter.

Apples, Apples Everywhere

Yesterday provided lots of entertainment options. Many folks headed over to Taste of Madison while others to the Capital Brewery for Firefest and the inaugural tapping of the year's Autumnal Fire. Being on-call for work until tomorrow morning, I didn't want to be near any beer-soaked festival because my will is weak. Instead The Dulcinea and I headed nort for a return visit to Lapacek Orchard. Their newsletter said that the mysterious Wolf River apples were ready a bit early and I just had to see them for myself.



Pulling up, we found the driveway rather crowded with a few cars, most of which were SUVs from Illinois. Stepping out of the car, we were greeted by the hound! He's just so big and fury and cuddly.



We moseyed to the store and saw walls lined with gourds galore along with pumpkins, and watermelon.





There was also a mean-eyed putty tat hanging out in the lawn.



Inside Kim was minding the store and she remembered up from our last visit. With September upon us, apple season is in full bloom and they were offering some pre-hoolied apple mixes such as for apple spice bread and apple streusel muffins. Plus there were canned apples and make-your-own caramel apple kits. The words "hot pepper" attract me like a moth to the flame and so I just couldn't resist buying a jar of the hot pepper mustard which, Kim informed us, was made by her mother-in-law.



In addition to food, the Lapaceks also sell craft items such as quilts and jewelry that they make. The Dulcinea makes necklaces and bracelets so she and Kim hit it off really well and chatted for a bit. Kim divulged that she is a "retired" engineer. With a youthful face that places her in her late 20s, she must have left the lab or drawing board quite early in her career for a life on an orchard. Meanwhile I continued to wander around and leave a trail of drool wherever I did go. Those red onions stared at me long and hard as did some of the Spanish variety. So we got a bit of both. And red potatoes too! Actually, I'll bet that the first things I took off of a table or shelf and put near the register was a couple caramel apples. They are addictive.

Were the Wolf River apples in? You betcha! Just take a look at these babies: (The apples, that is.)



Now compare the Wolf River to a Gala:



They're not quite the one-to-a-pie size, but they're still enormous. Kim was kind enough to let us sample 2 or 3 apples and we ended up buying bags of Wolf Rivers, Galas, and Wealthies. She even asked about my medieval apple fritters. Kim is a total sweetheart. She apologized much too much for having to change her daughter's diapers. No biggie. We can keep ourselves busy ogling apples and contemplating how many onions to purchase.

I really enjoy heading out there. It's nice to be able to purchase food directly from the folks who grow/produce the stuff. Plus the farm is just a relaxing atmosphere when contrasted with a big sterile square box that is the grocery store. I used a couple apples yesterday for dinner and am planning on making applesauce and apple butter to can. We also bought a bunch of corn which is going to end up in our freezers for a taste of warmer times when the chill descends upon us. We will probably head back next weekend for more. Kim told us that they'll have the first cider of the year ready by then.



On the way back to Madison we stopped in at Schultz's Market in DeForest. We'd both made the mistake of not having eaten before heading to the orchard and by this time we were famished. The D bought some pistachio fluff and a couple hot sticks while I bought some Italian and Hungarian sausage links as well as some incredibly thick bacon. I fried up the bacon this morning to break our fasts along with some hot rice cereal. I ran out of maple syrup recently so we put barley malt on the cereal. It tastes just like wort smells and this explains why I love Grape Nuts. The bacon too was delicious. Each slice was a bit less than a quarter inch thick and very narrow. It was smoked to perfection and it again made me realize just how sick & twisted religious prohibitions on pork are. For someone to deprive themselves of the culinary equivalent of orgasm because of some lunatic in the desert thousands of years is truly ridiculous.

Once into town, we made a final stop at Alex Polish American Deli at its new location on E. Wash and Alex himself was behind the counter with his trademark Highland moustache. Their new digs are smaller than their old ones on Monroe Street and I think a shelf was missing from the equation. Still, the sweets are still there along with the stuff that appeals to me. They had a variety or two of kielbasa that I don't recall seeing at the old store. There were Parówki Wieprzowe or pork wieners and I believe Starowiejska. Still no Jałowcowa (juniper berry sausage) though. That garlic ham and peppered pork loin are going to end up on my sandwiches for lunch next week if I don't eat it all by tomorrow.

Bobby Bryan @ The Brink Lounge

Friday night saw local bluesman Bobby Bryan and the Original Downtown Players performing at The Brink Lounge. It was the first time that either The Dulcinea or myself had been there and we both found it to be a nice place. The couches looked comfortable and it was dimly lit giving a nice mellow atmosphere. However, the establishment was not meant for the likes of your humble narrator. An extensive wine list warranted its own menu while the more general drink list included abundant fine spirits including lengthy columns of scotch and tequila. The lounge was dead when we arrived and I was the only person donning a t-shirt. I was on-call for work and was, much to my chagrin, unable to drink and I the bartender was visibly unamused at my order of their finest 7-UP. Bryan could be heard tuning up in an adjacent room.

Shortly before the show was set to begin, a large group of middle-aged folks came down the stairs as I was heading up. My fears that the show would be severely under-attended were allayed. Indeed, the venue filled up shortly after the performance began. The room featured a goodly sized stage flanked by an ornate spiral staircase with a dance floor before it. The lights were down low, which I appreciated, but the joint was, in my opinion, just too fancy for a night of gritty music. There was just something wrong with the scene. The audience consisted mostly of graying folk with the majority of men still clad in their business casual uniforms accessorized by the obligatory cell phone holster. However, when Bryan got down to business, the odd juxtaposition of music born of the hard times of Delta life and a mostly white audience which bespoke of at least a modicum of affluence, dissipated.

The band was in fine form. Bryan his trademark funky shirt and vest and The Dulcinea opined that such a shirt in a color more suitable for my melanin-deprived skin would look good on me. Drummer Rick Flowers had a Gustav Klimt t-shirt on and he spent his time behind the kit with a big toothy grin plastered on his face as he always does. Bassist Lon Walker's lanky frame didn't move much but his fluid playing was solid. Steve Skaggs' was off at the side of the stage hidden by shadows like Robert Fripp. He may be the least appreciated member of the band but his organ work is more than that of a mere yeoman. His playing fills out band's sound perfectly and his solos are always great.

I don't recall the set but "Forty Days" and Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" were aired as were tunes by Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland. Listening to them, it was easy to understand why they won the Wisconsin Blues Challenge – they are tight. I don't have to tell you that Bryan has the chops but I will say that one of the great pleasures of the show was how seamlessly the guys were able to move from blues to funk. One second Bryan is hammering out some classic blues solo and then next thing you know his foot has gravitated towards a wah-wah pedal and the beat has subtlety changed for the funkier.

As with the band's performance at the Madison Blues picnic, the atmosphere on stage was light-hearted with between song banter and Flowers alternately being congratulated for recently lost his bachelorhood and being given grief. During a set break, I was outside having a smoke and was joined by a younger woman who was also enjoying the show. Flowers came out for a smoke himself and the woman commented on how much she loves his playing and watching him with that big grin he always seems to have. Clyde Stubblefield may get all the press, but Flowers is still brilliant.

The crowd enjoyed every minute. By the second set, folks began to migrate onto the dance floor. Some younger folks had wandered in and joined the older members of the crowd but the dance floor was all-ages.

Bryan's next appearance is on the 8th at The Harmony.