April 2009

It isn’t often that the MSG Network is mentioned in this column but on Thursday, April 9 at 10 pm the channel will premiere The Beacon Theater: A New York

We’d like to welcome Ryan Holiday to the staff. Take it away, Ryan…

When pundits make their annual “most important albums everyone should own” lists, classics such as Blood On The Tracks, The White Album, Exile on Main Street and even Nevermind are mainstays. It’s not hard to ignore these albums. Between selling millions of copies and constant exposure, most of us have been hit over the head a thousand times with them. The artists who made them have the type of recognition most of us musicians crave.

I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to a write a brilliant piece of music, only to see it fall into obscurity. To me, Talk Talk’s albums Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock are prime examples.

Lead by singer Mark Hollis, Talk Talk enjoyed hits like It’s My Life and Life Is What You Make It during the 1980s. In the US they were cast off as one-hit-wonders; that was solidified with No Doubt’s awful re-make. But because of those hits they were able to create two of the most wonderful post-rock albums ever in Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock. I discovered both albums in a used CD bin. Having been on a new wave kick at the time, I took a chance, thinking that the discs would sound like the electro-pop that made Talk Talk. I was astounded to find much, much more. Talk Talk had transformed themselves from a Duran Duran clone to an experimental, progressive, organic, art-rock band. READ ON for more…

This week, I am bringing you one of my favorite sites that has hit a great concept right on the head. It is called Dinner with the Band, hosted by chef Sam Mason of Tailor NYC. The premise is that each week he brings an indie band to his loft, cooks them a meal (and shows them how to do it). After that the bands rock out Sam’s loft.

In this episode Sam goes kosher with cured lox and bagels for this childhood meal of El-P’s. The chef makes the steps simple enough for even this indie band to follow along.

Brett Thorn of Nation’s Restaurant News‘ blog The Food Writer’s Diary handicaps this year’s James Beard Awards.

You haven’t enjoyed coffee until you grind your own beans and brew using a Bodum Chambord 3-cup Coffee Press – Perfect Pressed Coffee. (via Kitchen Contraptions)

Grub Street let’s us know what to eat at the new Citi Field.

READ ON for more of this week’s food happenings…