Live At The Apollo

The first day I arrived in Chicago I went exploring my very Latin neighborhood (Logan Square), only to stumble on a brand new record store which had just opened a few weeks ago. I thought I would browse, although with no intention of buying since I wasn't able to move my record player with me.

Luckily, they had a whole section devoted to the written word, specifically the 33 1/3 series. I've never been confronted with the series face-to-face, but it has always intrigued me. Essentially the series takes a look at one record and pretty much tears it apart piece by piece in the context of the time it was created and political climate.

[Douglas Wolk's 'Live At The Apollo']

I bought Douglas Wolk's 'Live At The Apollo', largely because Doug and I went to Sasquatch together a few years back. WOW. What a pedantic piece! I guess I didn't know just how into detail these books got. It isn't an entertaining read really, but the further into it you get, the more you realize just how paramount each detail can be in forming a particular record. I like it, and I also am loving the James Brown record it is based on.

I've been here a few days now, and I keep going back to the Dill Pickle Co-op I wrote about before. This time, I picked up a weird local soy beverage that promised to be a perfect summer cooler. Dude at the counter thanked me for supporting local products, which kind of ruined the purchase for me.

[Chug Soy 'Cool Mint']

But despite that, I went to another grocery store called Tony's to buy even more local products in the form of BEER! Due to the intense heat, I haven't had much of an appetite for alcohol, so the six pack of Goose Island's '312' I purchased has lasted me 3 days now. I remember coming here with my dad and disliking Goose Island brewery's beers, but I really enjoy this 312. Hopefully they'll have some on Tap down at the 'Taste'.

[Goose Island's '312' Wheat Ale]

Almost One Year

It's been nearly a year since I posted anything on this here website, and a busy one it has been.
For one, I graduated from University of Oregon. Stuffed about 30% of my credits into one year, which made it much harder than it needed to be.

For another, I've moved to Chicago for an internship with Biz-3 Publicity. I met with one of the dudes last night (he was having a house show), and he seemed much more laid back than I imagined. I botched the opportunity to make friends, but I've only been here for a few days now, so I still have some time.

[California 'EL Train' Stop]

One of the most interesting things I've noticed about Chicago is the appreciation for food. No matter who you ask, you'll get a different answer for "Best Salad" or "Best Mexican Food". Maybe people are just excited about the 'Taste Of Chicago' which is going on downtown as I type this, but it sure seems like people love to tell you about their favorite hidden gems.

Another thing that is interesting to me, so far, is that every band I want to see is playing one venue-show, and one free-to-very-cheap beefit type show. For instance, yesterday I caught Woven Bones playing a small set at Reckless Records, which meant I didn't have to pay to see them at the Empty Bottle. Also, last night Fang Island played a show at Subterranean... but they also play a 5$ show today with David Bazan at an outdoor festival. It's been good to my wallet, which is depleting at a rapid rate what with all the eating out I've done.

[Woven Bones @ Reckless Records]

Which brings me to my next point...

I think while I'm here I'm going to try and document the delicious foods I create and experience. Yesterday I stumbled upon a Co-op called The Dill Pickle. It's a small little place, but already they've introduced me to some greens called Lamb's Quarters which I cannot get enough of. Yesterday I made Spaghetti with Wild-Mushroom and Roasted Olive Puree, piled it on a bed of Lamb's Quarters and chopped Crimini Mushrooms. It was amazing, but I was too embarrassed to photograph it in front of my new roommates.

The first day I arrived I went to a place called Belly Shack, which is right by the Biz-3 offices. It's a weird little cafe-style place where they give you a number and then bring out your order to you. Anyways, it was hotter than shit, so I got the advertised special, which was the Watermelon Salad. For my first food experience in Chicago, I was very impressed! I'm sad it isn't pictured on the website, because I'm dying to recreate it. Here's the closest thing I've seen to it on the web. And here's my crappy phone-photo of it:

Anyways, it was an excellent introduction to what I hope is a healthy and delicious summer of grubbing. Might have to put health on hold though when I finally hit up the 'Taste Of Chicago' to see Trey Songz preform on Thursday... for free!