Tweets This Week

• I've been in Portland for 48 hours and haven't broken the 5 block radius around the @2PProductions house.
• Attempting to make white pepper and grapefruit zabaglione with @2PProductions
• @SuzanEraslan MAJOR LAZER ON THE OFFICE DEX Y'ALL
• Hey goog, you're ruining my workflow. Get your shizzle together! http://ow.ly/1aorp
• @chilitakedown So mad I'm missing the Bacon Takedown in Austin! Semper porcine! http://ow.ly/1aiEq
• Overstuffng myself at La Superior. I need a nap. Someone roll me into bed!
• Oh boy, spent the last two hours playing Level Up! http://ow.ly/19BLp
• Tore it up on the dance floor with @acarboni and @zenalbatross
• is going to SxSw, let's get some BBQ!
• Wow, that was fast. http://ow.ly/19ue8 Now i'm eating fresh ricotta with white truffle oil, pepper and chives.

Video: They Shoot railcars, Don't They?

Aria got a haircut and finally finished his European tour! They Shoot Music Don't They made this video of railcars performing “There is ice; it is blue.” The quiet comparison to Aria's clipped out, fuzzy tape recordings is even more dreamy in a Viennese courtyard.



(Via the bros at The FMLY)

Sidenote: They Shoot Horses Don't They? is a novel by Horace McCoy, a band on Kill Rock Stars and a 1969 Jane Fonda movie where she enters a Depression era dance marathon and convinces a dude to shoot her. Wildly appropriate, no?

More railcars on BLT/IDM
railcars // railcars at Market Hotel

Bands: Machinedrum's Birthday w/Yo! Majesty (2007)

I wrote this a long time ago and now give it to you as a flashback to 2007. It's an interesting look at how I used to process the live music experience. Since then, Yo! Majesty dropped the exclamation point and two members. Not really sure what's up with that these days. I'm happy to say that Machinedrum and Cassette are still around and going strong!

Everyone had to fill out name tags upon entrance. I was "Fanny" and my roommate was "Sugartits." We danced around with beers in hand for an hour or so. Yo! Majesty was going to perform. I shimmied my way up to the front. It was a fucking madhouse! They were three durrrtty womyn MCs (Shon B., Shunda K., Jwl B.) from Tampa, FL. One of them stripped and so most of the girls in front took off their clothes and were grinding up all over me. One started to grab at my shirt and at that instant, my friend, Andy, came bounding in out of nowhere screaming and dancing along; unknowingly saved my shirt. It was so rad! It was a SXSW warm-up, for sure.

My story begins way before my Yo! Majesty adventures. It was at Cake Shop where I was supporting one of my friends, Cezanne. Between sets, this laptop DJ was dropping Legendary Pink Dots and other electro remixes. This girl with a large cup of tea was dancing around with me and was the headliner, Unicornicopia. Her friend, Travis (Machinedrum), was DJing. I gave him a high five. I danced around with him some weeks later at Boogaloo during a Drop the Lime set. Travis was the birthday boy that threw the loft party [Above photo by Claire Morgasen]. My first exposure to Yo! Majesty was through myspace. I was looking at my co-worker's page, about to add him when "Yo poonanny better make that money!" blasted out in a very shrill crescendo. At first, I was offended by this sonic attack on my nether regions. I imagined them holding a megaphone directly aimed at my lower half. I sheepishly closed the browser out of nervousness. Months later, my boss got a cd from Yo! Majesty and put it on the office stereo. They swore so much that the bleeps on the clean edits were in rhythm with the backbeats. We listened to everything they had and it eventually was stuck on repeat in our office; especially "Club Action".

Word on the street was that they were playing twice in NYC. I had to go. Unfortunately, I was busy on the night Yo! Majesty graced Club Europa in m'hood (Greenpoint). Funny thing, my friend Poingly opened up for them. He gets pretty naked for his sets and he was skiddish about the act that followed him.

Me: How was the show?
Poingly: Really good. I set a bar for nudity and Yo Majesty topped it, I think that says something
Me: Oh my god.
Poingly: Yeah, I'm not posting some of these photos in the blog. It was sort of crazy
Poingly: Cripes, looking at these photos....boobies! Haha!

[I'm into the beat, Poingly's into the lyrics. Photo by the Deep Element]

Poingly: I like how everyone else looks so into it, and I just look stupid.
Me: You look like you're thinking about the lyrics.
Poingly: "Fuck That Shit...Fuck...That..Shit." So profound...I think it was.

Back to the party: We hit the dance floor hard while this guy named Frank DJed. He had a pirate mustache; if I knew his DJ moniker, I'd tell you. Praveen was in charge of a hosted bar at the kitchen counter. The entrance donned a large coat rack and pretty standard single bathroom (complete with long line the entire night). It was perfect for a dance party: high ceilings, minimal furniture, large open windows and wood floors. For his birthday (and prelaunch for his regular DJ night Cassette), Travis had asked Yo ! Majesty to perform at his party. Yo! Majesty dresses with big t-shirts, sport bras and baggy pants ( Shon B. sports a plastic gold crown at every performance). Very humble personalities off stage; wild sex bombs on stage. Shunda leads with a majority of the raps, Jwl provides the high pitched howls and hype; and Shon doubles the rap vocals. Jwl is very intense when she performs: head banging, waving her braids all over the place; rolling on the ground convulsing; spitting out whatever drink she has; shaking whatever drink she has; screaming. It is definitely some sort of scare tactic, you feel like she is going to eat you or has the potential to pummel you with sheer strength. Shon is the shortest of the three and is quiet; she knows how to twirl glow sticks like a candy kid. Shunda works the crowd, she will rap in your face and throw her hands up at you. Lyrics are, at first, vulgar and offensive about womens' bodies.

It is a sonic body politic. Reclaiming words like "pussy" to empower the ladies; dominating anyone at mercy to their advances. I'm blown away by the fact that they're commenting on "club action" and meanwhile redefining the process itself; clubbin, picking up guys and girls with your sex appeal; and pumping a crowd up so hard their clothes fall off, melting together in a smelly sexual mess. I managed to keep my clothes on, but two girls in the front of me stripped down to their skivvies. It was so crowded that Yo! Majesty started to feel a little overwhelmed; Jwl actually pushed me by the chest to create a small half moon performance space. She eventually gave up, jumped onto the DJ table and took her shirt off. After the set was over, people were so enraptured they started to chant "Fuck that shit." Travis just started hitting beats on his drum machine and the ladies just continued to rap the fuck out of the party. I had such a great time.

Bow down to Yo! Majesty or be destroyed.
Machinedrum Myspace // Yo! Majesty Myspace //Cassette Blog

Bands: Against Me ! at Milk studios (2007)

I used be a huge freeloader and RSVPed to things whenever it had "open bar" or "free beer" in the subject line. Being somewhat of an "old", I now limit my Colt 45 /"free vodka at 8pm" intake to only maybe once a year on account of the crazy crowds, lines and sore feet. When I did have the patience, I got to see a lot of bands. Three years ago, I got to check out Against Me! at Milk Studios with Matt K., Doug and Lisa. To introduce the band, a mariachi group came out:
It was packed and there was an indoor half pipe with tons of skateboarders slouching about.
Were you there?

Cooking: Getting Awesome with White Truffle Pizza and Butternut Squash Pasta with Kielbasa

We were bored one night, so AdamGetsAwesome and I made dinner. We started off with white pizzas with mozz and truffle oil:
I made a huge pot of sage, butternut squash and kielbasa (Adam's contribution) pasta with my own veggie broth:
Earlier that day,
Me: Oh, I know! I can make butternut squash pasta!
Adam: What is butternut squash?
Me: WHO ARE YOU? IT'S A VEGETABLE.
Adam: What? Vegetables...?

And when I started cooking the squash, he googled it. #facepalm

Capybara Tour: Petaluma and The East Bay

Me and Capybara had been on the road for a while, so it was a nice surprise to pull into Petaluma, CA and sleep on really comfortable air mattresses. Dave's Uncle Dave (haha) had set up bedding with blankets and pillows in their garage for us. I was happily swaddled and "mee mee meeeping" until a tiny bit of sunlight peeked in and woke me up. I got an early start on some work and managed to scrounge up a breakfast of fried eggs, roasted garlic potatoes and fruit salad for our host. It was the least I could do !

For dinner, I made a spicy cinnamon pork loin stuffed with almond scented tomatoes and apples; roasted chayote, beets and potatoes. I wish I took pictures! Uncle Dave also broke out a couple bottles of wine for us, that was pretty awesome. The show that night was at The Phoenix, a legendary all ages punk venue. The place was huge. Teen girls slouched about with one-arm over their stomachs while some young gents climbed up the skate ramps (yes, there were ramps and rails). The place was dry, so Dave and I snuck away for a beer before Capybara went on. It sounded really good in there.
The next day, we packed up and headed off to El Sobrante, CA in the East Bay to meet my family. My mom organized this grand cleanse of grandma's house and all of my aunties and uncles gathered to help. We came at the right time because everyone was taking a break for lunch. What a lunch! Grandma whipped out pancit, fried rice, roasted bangus (fish), fruits, stewed chicken and a pantheon of cakes. I cracked open a couple beers with my dad and uncles while grandma showed the guys her fruit trees. She's never had anyone tall at the house, so she was happy to let us have a bag of freshly picked apples, persimmons and lemons. I made like a bandit with a box full of vintage hats and shoes! Grandma also thought the guys were handsome, so we took a photo in the front yard.

I nabbed the house keys from my parents and we jetted off ahead of them on our long drive to Southern California.

Catch up with Capybara!
Capybara in Portland // Capybara in San Francisco // Capybara in Eugene (Day 1) // Capybara in Eugene (Day 2) // Capybara in Davis // Capybara in Oakland / Capybara in Santa Cruz // Capybara Inspired Banh Mi // Bands We Met on Tour

Restaurants: Fada

In honor of my good friend and confidant, Steven Valentino, I'm taking you back to a time where we used to take each other to Fada in Williamsburg. It was thing where my then-Green Point roommies would treat the rest of the clan out to dinner on their birthday. It was a little backwards, but we liked being together and having a nice dinner. We preferred to sit outside as the sun was setting in the Summer time and we could eavesdrop on the gay couple next to us having an awkward date. We had the special filet mignon with haricot vert and potato quiche:Onglet (Hanger steak with mushroom flan and baked potato):
Tagine d'agneau (lamb with sweet ,potato, red pepper, apricots and couscous):
And we didn't skimp on after dinner espresso:
I ordered a giant bowl of hot chocolate with Grand Marnier to finish off the meal:
Do your roommates have a special place that you go to together?

Restuarants: Zen Palate

Went exploring out of my normal one block radius from work and discovered the vegetarian spot, Zen Palate. I ordered sides of scallion pancakes with fake duck and spring rolls to go. While I was waiting, I saw Ted Leo. NBD...




OMG...squeee!

Cooking: My Tv Watching Pizzas

For a cheap and quick snack, I bought ready to go pizza crusts for when I'm sitting like a lump and watching Peep Show (almost done with season 5!). I make a big one, cut it up into quarters and freeze some for later. On the left, I made a white pizza with artichoke spread, smoked mozz and bacon. The pizza on the right is sauteed fennel and chevre.
Mhrhmmm, what would you put on your pizza?

Video: failotron at Low-Bit Ostinato

During Blip '09, failotron wowed the audience with his compositions. Thankfully someone taped his set at Low Bit Ostinato! Interesting choice for a show title; ostinato is a musical term where a motif is repeated in succession, sometimes through key changes, akin to the a rapid arpeggios that chip musicians use. It also shares the root of obstinate or...stubborn, haha. The first clip is a track that Aron started on the plane back to Budapest, inspired by all of the people he met during his stay in New York:


Full set filmed by Soma Lepcsényi:

From the cameraman:
performed at Millenáris during the DigiTrends showcase on February the 18th 2010

if you are the guy who enters at 24min and never actually leaves:
we know where you live and we're gonna get you.
seriously

music by: Áron Birtalan
visuals by: Zoltán Lehóczky
filmed by: Soma Lepcsényi

Cooking: Creamy Radicchio and Potatoes

Jefe forwarded me a recipe for creamy cabbage and potatoes. Better known as colcannon in the UK, it calls for potatoes, cabbage, vinegar, milk, butter, flour and onion. I had a tiny amount of fingerling potatoes and some radicchio, so I decided to try it. Since I didn't have the amounts that the recipe called for, I supplemented the rest of the "cabbage" with shaved fennel. Here we have the mire poix:

I started with sauteing the onion in bacon fat and eventually added the fennel. Once those were salt, peppered and slightly caramelized; I added the radicchio. After a toss or two, I turned the heat off, added a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and covered the mixture.
The recipes requires you to boil potatoes simultaneously and to start a roux in a third pan. The roux pan should be oven safe or get a spatula ready to transfer things. Once the potatoes are tender, drain and mash; turn that little roux into a bechamel. Fold everything together in an oven safe pan:

I was dumb and didn't read the whole recipe through, so I transferred everything to a glass pan. Also decided to get fancy on this hizzay and topped it with grana padano cheese:
I was a little worried about this because I just combined an acidic vegetable mix with a milky based bechamel. Was it going to curdle in some weird way or taste like feet (in the bad way)? I let the colcannon bubble until the cheese was browned on top.
For some reason, I wanted it to serve like a slice of pie. Nope, just a gloppy looking side dish. But, whoa, it was hearty and really really good. The scary bitter taste of radicchio was baked away and my one serving filled me up.
Ever had colcannon?

Video / Photo: King Khan and The Shrines at Seaport (2008)

A while ago, I volunteered to make sandwiches for King Khan and the Shrines for their South Street Seaport show. I stayed relatively veggie friendly because I heard vegan, John Norris, would be hanging with the crew too. I had several kinds of tea sandwiches with roasted garlic, hummus, dill, mustard and cucumber.
The show was fan-freaking-tastic! Jason/Poingly was in attendance:
as well as Pete from Dinowalrus:
and this guy (I don't know who you are, but damn, Dylan Thomas at a show? Holluh!):
The crowd was movin' and it was a perfect set to experience on a warm Summer day by the water.


Were you there?

Blogs: Best NYC Veggie Burger

Suzan's on a quest to find the Best NYC Veggie Burger! Join the quest or suggest the best!

You see what I'm doing? I'm trying to make friends with the vege-ma-tarians...

Tweets This Week

• Starting an email list for my mix tapes. DM if you want in. Drum Machine Dating Service Advisory 1 is done.
• Wow, that was fast. http://ow.ly/19ue8 Now i'm eating fresh ricotta with white truffle oil, pepper and chives.
• I can't stop laughing at all of these figure skating faces: http://ow.ly/19rY3
• Just saw my cousin as an extra on Modern Family ! WTF !
• Goin' to Austin! 3/15-3/21. Roll call, y'all !
• http://twitpic.com/141i7b - Pegu Club
• Need more bacon detox. Another week of salad for breakfast coming up.
• ME sleeping in = 9am, I'm an OLD ? #someonestabme
• Saw Ted Leo sitting down to eat vegetarian dinner at Zen Palate in Hell's Kitchen
• http://twitpic.com/139jv7 - Waiting for our torta espanola doble
• My mom: "Feliz valentino mi nina amor" #someonestabme

Cooking: Grilled Radicchio with Truffle oil and Roasted Root Veggies

Radicchio doesn't mess around, guys. It's so bitter ! I attempted to grill some with herbed olive oil and finished it with shaved Parmesan cheese and truffle oil. Some bits were good, but the others were just plain detestable! Next time, I think I'll submerge it in marinade so the flavor hits all of the layers.The roasted mustard potatoes were pretty wonderful and I thought the roasted golden beet was a pretty cute garnish...

Lemme see that grill !
Red Hook Cheesesteak // Grilled Skirt //Black Pepper Grilled Cheese //NZ Grilled Cheese //Vegan Grilled Cheese

Interview: Matt Timms Talks Takedowns

I bothered the Takedown master, Matt Timms (photo by Metromix), since the amateur cooking series turned 5 this year:

BLT/IDM: What made the Winter Brooklyn Chili Takedown special?

Matt: The Takedown is always special! This was the 5th year anniversary Takedown and over the years they've only been getting more nutzos - I hosted 60 gallons of chili , 30 super fun cooks at the Bell House- my new favorite venue... and I feel like I finally figured out how to control a huge crowd and make this event feel like it did when I first started doing it - intimate and super sick. I'm finally getting the hang of how to be awesome. The really cool thing about the Takedown is that after 5 years, I can honestly say the Takedown is an established Brooklyn phenomenon and tradition- and I have no plans to quit!

BLT/IDM: You have many children (Fondue, Cookies, Bacon and Chili), who is your favorite?

I ain't got no favorites! It's like, what if I have kids one day? My favorite one would never know... Anyways I'm always making new kids! The Cookie Takedown is going to be hilarious - and man oh man I wonder how the Valentine's Day Aphrodisiac Takedown will go? Probably totally AMAZING, I'm guessing...

BLT/IDM: Dude, where can people get Facemelter -the hot sauce?

Thanks for asking!!! I'm selling my new brand of hot sauce, The Takedown Facemelter at my "store" and at all my events and wow it just might save your holidays. And melt your face.

BLT/IDM: Who does all the art work for your Takedown flyers?

Matt Langland, who is an actual genius. The mascot of the Takedown is the warrior princess who can fight her way out of any situation. The posters are a document of her adventures.

You can high five Matt Timms at the Boston Lamb Takedown on February 28th !

Cooking: Honey Tahini Cupcake Rescue

My roommate J. Marms made a bunch of cupcakes from scratch! I applaud her because I hate baking. She said she used salted butter when the recipe called for unsalted. To remedy this, I doused the little baby in tahini and honey. Overall, the cupcake wasn't bad to begin with Marms! Good jorb!

Facts N' Cheese: Behind the Scenes of February's Shoot

We wrapped another shoot of Facts N' Cheese last week and I managed to take a couple blurry photos with my phone. Here we have leftover "prop food" that was snacked on the whole evening:
Nick Brewer and Matt Timms wax about Ms. Pac Man strategies:
Our production assistant, Jordan makes sure we clean up every crumb:
Matt starts yelling at Inky and Pinky:
I can't wait to see our newest episodes! New cheese, new pairings, new guests and of course..MORE BEER !

Check them out!
Facts N' Cheese Episode 1
Facts N' Cheese Episode 2
Facts N' Cheese Episode 3
Facts N' Cheese Episode 4
Facts N' Cheese Episode 5
Facts N' Cheese Episode 6
Facts N' Cheese Episode 7
Facts N' Cheese Episode 8
Facts N' Cheese Episode 9
Facts N' Cheese Episode 10
Facts N' Cheese Episode 11
Facts N' Cheese Episode 12
Facts N' Cheese Episode 13

Restaurants: Purple Yam

My photog friend, Jeff Lagasca accompanied me to Purple Yam for brunch. The internet was buzzing about the newly opened Filipino joint in Ditmas Park and we were obligated to a pilgrammage to experience more food from our Pacific heritage. We sipped on passion fruit mimosas and calamansi soju. First up: fresh lumpia with what I presumed to be a purple ube crepe. Ube (ooh-beh) is the namesake of the restaurant, a purple yam ! Traditional lumpia filling is stir fried vegetables and the whole burrito-like thing is topped with a garlic gravy. The version we ate had sauteed Napa cabbage and mushrooms in a purple rice crepe with peanut & tamarind sauce. This dish was much bigger than I was used to growing up, portions are traditionally "snack wrap" sized.
Jeff ordered the Balinese fried chicken legs with mashed taro & sweet potatoes. It came with a bit of hoisin sauce on the side, yum !
I order the lechon kawali /deep friend pork belly with pickled papaya. It was cut pretty thick and the crispy pork skin was TO DIE FOR. It was even better after you dipped it in a mix of white vinegar, garlic and peppers. The fat layer was melty goodness. The lechon I had in Spain was cut thinner and the fat was crispy like the fat in bacon. Both versions, very good.
We accompanied our dishes with a bowl of bagoong fried rice (dried briney shrimp paste, not pictured). For dessert, we devoured the champorado (chocolate porridge) with coffee ice cream.
Well worth the long train ride to Ditmas Park !

Music Muster: Shows in NY & Music News

Where she drops, there it snows.

New York

• 2/18/2010 - Magic Magic at Pianos. 21+, 10pm
• 2/20/2010 - AdamGetsAwesome and The Golden Age of Radio at Tommy's Tavern. 21+, 8pm.
  
• 2/27/2010 - Pulsewave at the Tank with The J. Arthur Keenes Band, Sievert, Kris Keyser and exileFaker. All ages, 8pm
• 3/4/2010 - Bowery Ballroom featuring Tally Hall, Jukebox the Ghost and Skybox. 18+, 8pm.
  
• 3/1/2010 - I/O at Niagara with Chromix, Zen Albatross and Tony Ness . 21+, 7:30pm
• 3/5/2010 - 8 Bit Alliance Tour at Market Hotel with Anamanaguchi, Starscream, Sabrepulse and Henry Homesweet. 8pm.
  

Music News

• DataPop Kickstarter will help fund an amazing chip music event during SxSw featuring Sabrepulse, Henry Homesweet, Anamanaguchi, Starscream, Sievert , IAYD, 8BK-ok, Bit Shifter, Trash80, Paris, Outpt , Ricky de Laveaga and other surprise guests ! I'll be there !
  
• Nullsleep is planning to become a full-time musician! Donate to help offset the cost of his upcoming projects.

What's good in Portland next week? I'll be there for a couple days!

Restaurants: Brunch at Maggie Brown's

I hadn't been out to Maggie Brown in a while and the roommates (and honorary few) joined up for some brunch in Fort Greene. We had to wait a long time for our table since there was 7 of us, but it was well worth it.
I got the steak (medium) and eggs (over easy) with a mimosa. The steak was overdone, but flavorful. Who am I to be picky and starving? Let me also mention that the mimosa barely had orange juice in it, which isn't a bad thing. I recommend the raspberry butter and biscuits. Who cares that you get toast and jam with your meal, you're going to want this raspberry butter on the side!Joy and I ordered the same thing, almost exactly (photo by Yawen Chen).
Have you been?

Video: Save the Last Dance Final Scene

Again, I always fall asleep during the first 2/3 of this movie. There was a point in college where I'd watch the final dance before bed every night. Could have done without the super cheesy vocals, 'cause the fake strings and beats were pretty siiiick. The fan kick at 1:56 and fully extended turn at 2:06 always gave me a chill. God I want those dance pants!

Photo: The Menus of Chanterelle at Kill Devil Hill

I visited the rare pop up exhibition, The Menus of Chanterelle at Kill Devil Hill last weekend. It was blustery cold outside, but I don't know--the way the menus were installed were strangely comforting. I loved the clean lines and tan colored frames. The most astounding part of this collection was how affordable it was to own a piece of art (and culinary history) by Cy Twombly, Bill Cosby, James Brown, John Cage and exciting degrees of visual and musical celebrity. My favorite piece was the drawing of a chanterelle mushroom on a rope by Philippe Petit.
Surprisingly, the NY Times wrote a piece about the menus but didn't mention anything about the exhibition in Green Point. Nevertheless, a complete set of menus will be donated to the New York Public library. Lucky for us, some are still for sale online!
Did you go?

Cooking: The C-Men's Celeriac Risotto

I was really happy to discover that my VJ friend Julian / The C-Men loved talking about food !He shares a recipe for risotto with celeriac, which is a root version of celery.

Today I was in the mood for risotto, and this one has celeriac in it (or knob celery or whatever you lot call this). Plain but delicious.

Ingredients:
-risotto (duhhhh)
- 2 shallots
- 4 cloves of roughly cut garlic
- saffron
- white wine
- 1/4 celeriac (cellery root), cooked, chopped, fried in white wine
- salt & pepper
- cut fl...at parsley
- the usual amount of broth. This time vegetable broth, usually I enjoy star's funghi porcini but that wouldn't fit with the celery root. I... think....

Leftovers will be turned into fried risotto balls tomorrow ^_^

How to make risotto:

• About.com (step by step)
• About.com
  
• KCRA (with Biba Caggiano)
• WikiHow
  

Cooking: My Week in Salads

I told myself to have salad for breakfast. Here's leftover fennel and watermelon radish pizza with bacon, mozzarella and arugula in balsamic vinaigrette.Radicchio tossed in lemon juice with grana padano shards, chevre and smoked salmon.
Arugula, lemon, roasted golden beets, grana padano and mozzarella.
And I'm proudest of my "trash bowl" bento box lunch that I brought to work:
Roasted beets, lady apples, bacon, chevre, artichoke cream, arugula, rosemary pesto, watermelon radishes and roasted mustard potatoes!
Not sure if I was any healthier than when I ate eggs and bacon every morning...