Category: Reviews

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Zane Patrick’s Day 2009

A few weeks ago Paul mentioned that there was a Three Sheets event in New York City and we could meet Zane Lamprey, so we called Nate and bought some tickets. The event was great, Zane was very cool and made himself available for the fans. The drinks were not all that hard to come by as we had a system and a group of willing people to make drink runs.

>Nate and I got to the Knitting Factory around 1:30. The doors opened at 2 PM and the line was already very long. Within minutes it was MUCH longer wrapping around the block. Paul stayed behind at the hotel waiting to meet up with a new friend named Liz. They met us in line around 1:55 PM and jumped in line with us (The NYC crowd was very cool about that and encouraged it).

We got in and it was like a mad house. We quickly decided to go down two flights of stairs to the lowest bar. This was the base for the rest of the event. We immediately made friends (what’s up Tony!!!!) and drank some car bombs. We got to know Liz a little bit and she is a cool person that I certainly hope to see more of her at our social events. Everyone was very friendly and cool.

The day wore on, I kept drinking, I stole a few pizzas for my new friends, drank some more, used the pizza box to hide the effects of drinking too much and then put on a little performance at the front entrance as Nate and I left. GREAT TIME.

We went back to the hotel, took a shower and rested for a little while. Paul got back with Liz and we made plans for the night. We went to NYC’s South Side and met up at a huge Uno Grill. I thought I saw Flava Flav, but quickly dismissed it because what the hell would Flav being at a Uno…more on that later.

Tina and Glenn showed up and we headed to a few bars. At this point the day caught up with me and I had my fill of drink and food. I didn’t want to be a downer for anyone so I just told the crew I was going to cut out. Nate wanted to go too. So we walked a few blocks to get a cab and who do we run into… FLAVA FLAV!

He bummed a few cigarettes off of Nate and then cut out (he had a very small baby girl with him, so I didn’t want to be that asshole tourist asking to take pictures).

Nate and I eventually got a limo to take us back to the hotel for 15 bucks and we settled down for the night. Paul showed up an hour later and we were done.

This morning I got up early and worked out at the hotel gym to get the rest of the booze out of my system. My wife was in town visiting friends so she met us at the hotel so we could all go home together.

All in all a very good weekend.

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Food Blog: Blackbird Review

A few weeks ago, I finally had a meal at Blackbird in Collingswood, NJ. I know, you are saying “what’s your point?”, for me this was a victory because I have attempted to secure reservations at this place at least four times with no luck.

Is Blackbird ultra-exclusive? No.

Its just a small up-scale restaurant with a well trained clientele that makes reservations weeks in advance. On this particular Saturday, we were in luck, I guess the hard economic times freed up some spots and my wife and I with a group of friends managed to snag a table.

Thanks to joys of the internet, I like to look at menus and reviews of the restaurants before I go so there is no fucking around with the menu. I will listen to the daily specials and then make a decision. I checked out Blackbird’s site (Blackbirdnj.com) and discovered that Chef Alex Capasso based the menu on a Franco-Italian foundation. Whenever I see Franco associated with food I usually run. I find classic french cuisine to be pretentious and overdone. But I noticed an Asian influence on the menu and figured it was a solid combination.

Unlike many Collingswood restaurants, there is parking across the street for Blackbird which is especially great when you are running late. The restaurant was decorated tastefully and had an inviting feel. We sat down, the wait staff took our beverages to chill them (Blackbird like all Collingswood restaurants is BYOB). Blackbird’s menu is very small and focused. Normally I enjoy this but I felt that this establishment could benefit from a few more items. The daily specials didn’t interest me, so I had my meal picked out. Thai Chicken spring-rolls for the appetizer and Roasted Rib-eye for dinner. I noticed the wait staff while extremely nice, was moving quickly and I got the idea that they wanted us out quickly. I am okay with the idea of getting people in and out, but I can honestly say I felt rushed (our reservation was for 6:30, so I am sure they had a big crowd coming in starting at 7:30).

I will make this short. The food was very good. It wasn’t great, but it was very good. The spring-rolls were cooked well, nice texture, I just wish they had a little more flavor. The rib eye was cooked perfectly, but I felt the portion was a little too small. Yes I am a big guy, but after sharing a few small pieces with the table, I had like 5 bites of meat left, which is good for the waistline but bad for the wallet. The entree should have been priced at around 20ish and it was more like 30ish. The Franco element was clear when the focus of the dish was very much presentation and appearance first (although I have no complaints about the taste). We had a small dessert and went on our way.

I don’t know if I was expecting more since we have tried so many times to get a table at Blackbird, but when we finally did eat there, I came out thinking, that place was good, but we could have had a better meal at a slightly lower cost down the street at Casona (I will review that another time). Bottom line – Blackbird is a nice clean restaurant, with a friendly staff, cooks that know what they are doing, but a little overpriced for what you are getting. You can do alot worse.

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Concert Review: Feist (4.23.2008)

I had the chance to catch Feist at the Academy of Music on 4.23.2008. I thought Feist was good going into the concert, now I think she is great; a true artist. Simply put, she has become a better musician and artist since she released her last album “The Reminder”.

Before I get to the main event, I will say that her opening act Hayden played his own special brand of “kill yourself” music for 55 minutes… Horrid. I will say that he seemed like a nice guy, and had good stage presence, but his songs were pure drudge – I was counting the minutes until he was off stage.

After the stage crew did their jobs (I have never seen a stage crew take so long to set up a drum set – Damn Canadian Teamsters!), Feist took the stage. Leslie Feist is the daughter of Canadian artist Harold Feist, so I was expecting something visual, but she exceeded my expectations. The show incorporated two people doing interesting visuals using an overhead projector, and the opening song featured Feist behind a screen so you could only see her silhouette, which complimented the overhead presentation.

Feist’s performance was excellent.

She took elements of her records, fleshed them out and expanded them. Her four piece back up band was outstanding… bright and tight. Like Liam Finn, Feist employed a audio capture and looping device so she can add her own vocal layers during the performance, she used it well and it enhanced the experience.

I could go on about how much I liked the show, but you get the hint. Another great aspect of the event was the venue. The Academy of Music was beautiful, comfortable, and classy. Great place to see a concert. If you get a chance to see Feist, do it, you won’t regret it.

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Music Review: Neil Cleary – I was thinking of you the whole time

Jack deLaurentis gave me a CD on Friday and I have been enjoying it so much (I actually can’t get the songs out of my head) I wanted to share it will my loyal three readers.

Jack passed on Neil Cleary’s “I was thinking of you the whole time”. The album is a poppy and bright but the lyrics run deep and echo with sentiment. There are quite a few musical influences that I picked up on – there are shades of Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet, and even The Beatles (although I hear that Neil isn’t the biggest “Fab Four” fan).

Neil does a nice job blending all the styles together but definitely has his own sound. I recommend you take the chance and listen to his music right now. AND HERE’S THE PLUG:

Buy his music on iTunes
Neil’s Myspace Page

Simply put – Neil’s music is exactly how pop music should be. Sounds great with a hint something else going on in the words if you listen hard enough. I suggest you do.