Tonight is a big day for music here in Brooklyn, and even though I haven’t had great internet access over the past couple weeks I still need to let you know what is going on!

Death By Audio has a killer show happening with two of my favorite up and coming acts.  First is Swimsuit, a new band that features the one and only Fred Thomas and friends, making sweet surf pop.  Their debut cassette was pressed in an edition of 100 copies and sold out within a month!  This tape featured this blissful track called evaporation where one of the ladies in the band added some vocals to what has been so far just excellent instrumental surf rock:

[mp3] Swimsuit- “Evaporation”

• buy their new tape here.

Opening this show will be Philly’s own Pet Milk playing their fourth live show ever, and their first in NYC!  Pet Milk’s demo has been on at least a couple times a week since I first heard it, and “Cherry Outline” is probably one of my favorite songs of the year.  These guys are quenching my thirst for twee in the best possible way.  I can’t wait to see them in the flesh I’m sure it will be stupendous!

Although these were previously posted here they are again:

[mp3] Pet Milk- “Cherry Outline”

[mp3] Pet Milk- “Always Knew It Couldn’t Stay”

People Get Ready and Bad Indians are also playing too.

SWIMSUIT is also playing at Pizza Forest in Brooklyn tomorrow Saturday July 31st.

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Right around the corner from Death By Audio is Glasslands where New Jersey’s finest will be there in the flesh.  Not only will Mathew Mondanile, better known as DUCKTAILS, be there, but another one of my favorites…the one and only Julian Lynch!  Along side these two headliners will be Bathetic/ Mexican Summer veterans’ Campfires, another one of my personal favorites Big Troubles, and the up and coming Brooklyn group La Big Vic….all of which is being presented by  Microphone Memory Emotion!

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper Cover)“

• Buy Julian’s music here.
  • Cyndi Lauper cover via Friendship Bracelet

[mp3] Ducktails- “Mirror Image”

• buy the mirror image 7″ here.

No matter which side of South 2nd and Kent Ave you end up on you are in for a treat, and if you get there early you can probably jump back and forth between both shows (if you pay for both!).  I’ll see you there.  Cheers,

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• more on Swimsuit here.
• more on Pet Milk here.
• more on Ducktails here.
• more on Julian Lynch here.
• more on Big Troubles here.

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I normally don’t write about two shows happening on the same night, but I love so many of these bands I had too…both shows will be amazing.  The heat broke so both of these venues should be pretty comfortable tonight.  No more 90 degree heat!

Colorado has been producing a good number of wonderful musicians over the past couple years (ie see M. Pyres!), and one that I started to follow last year was the Fort Collin’s Candy Claws.

Candy Claws have been lumped into the whole chillwave genre that has evolved over the past couple of years, but in actuality they have been making music since 2006.  Hidden Lands, their new album, will be released on August 3rd on Two Syllables, this will be their second full length (third if you include the rarities).

Hidden Lands, much like their previous album In the Dream Of Sea Life(which seems to make it’s way back into my listening rotation at least once a month since I discovered it) in the sense that are both soundtracks written to go along with books. Hidden Lands is said to be  ”A musical companion to Richard M. Ketchum’s book, “The Secret Life of the Forest.”

It’s interesting that Candy Claws say they make musical companions,because in reality I feel that is the most accurate description for their music…they illustrate with sound.  Their music is heavily based in keyboards, electronics, and synths which they use to create lush soundscapes.  In “Sunbeam Show” you can even hear what appears to be bird sounds intermingled into their orchestral like arrangements that encompass you and bring you to a far off place.  This is one of my favorite bands to listen to when I’m reading, especially in the park (man, I wish that happened more often).  The “Sunbeam Show” is the first single to emerge from Hidden Lands, and leaves an air of mystery to the LP (an LP I think will be hitting year end lists).

[mp3] Candy Claws- “Sunbeam Show”

I can’t wait to see this Hidden Lands on vinyl…I’m sure it will be glorious…the band should have CDs on their current tour.  See the tour dates below.

If you haven’t already snagged their great rarities download called Glacier Prey do that now:

[free album download] Candy Claws- Glacier Prey

Or expierence the wonderful world of In the Dream of Sea Life…which I highly recommend it.  A beautiful album overlooked by way too many.  Buy/stream  it here.

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Candy Claws have ventured out from Colorado to play for us on the East Coast!

• Tonight, July 13th 2010- New York, NY @ Pianos w/ We Are Country Mice
• Wednesday July 14th, 2010- Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands w/ Pepper Rabbit, Blair, Baby Alpaca

and the Midwest too:

• 7/16 – The Cave – Chicago, IL
• 7/17 – The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL w/ BEST COAST!!!!
• 7/19 – Vaudville Mews – Des Moines, IA
• 7/20 – Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
• 7/22 – Skylark Lounge – Denver, CO
• 7/24 – Capital Hill House – Seattle, WA
• 7/26 – Rotture – Portland, OR
• 7/28 – The Hemlock – San Francisco, CA
• 7/29 – Crepe Place – Santa Cruz, CA
• 7/30 – Spaceland – Los Angeles, CA
• 7/31 – Beauty Bar – Las Vegas, NV

One of Candy Claws cars just burned to the ground in an accident….thankfully everyone is safe.  If you see them on these live dates buy some merch, and help them out!  Or donate to help them here.

Candy Claws is not to be missed at these very rare NYC shows…get out there and see them!

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• Candy Claws was just on p4k’s RISING.
• more on Candy Claws here.
• band photos by Matthew Sage. Backgrounds and layout by Ryan/Candy Claws

Just over a month ago I posted a new track by Dead Gaze, and a review of his album End of Days, Why Not You? (check out that post here) and at that point he didn’t have any shows booked, but tomorrow night brings this Mississippi psych rocker to Brooklyn for a Group Tightener showcase at Monster Island Basement.

Dead Gaze have a way of making heavy psychedelic with the song writing sensibility of a pop band.  At the beginning of “Remember What Brought Us Here” it’s unclear whether the guitar or the synths are going to be the star of the show, and when it gets down to it they both really shine giving even more texture to Cole Furlow’s scratchy crumpled vocals.  The synths drop out just in time for the chorus, but jump back in just before you start to wonder where they went.  This song has been one of my jams lately, one that I go back to, put on mix tapes, and overall have just been rocking all the time.  Just another reason why I’m excited for new releases coming from this talented young Southerner, and his show here in Brooklyn tomorrow night.

[mp3] Dead Gaze- “Remember What Brought Us Here”

• mp3 via the bros at Weekly Tape Deck
  

Dead Gaze have a split cassette with Grey Things that is coming out on Clan Destine (which I think the track above will appear on), and I just heard from Group Tightener that they will be releasing a Dead Gaze 7″!

• Buy Dead Gaze’s End of Days, Why Not You? from Mirror Universe here.

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Andrew Cedermark will also be playing this show,  you might recognize his name from the various Underwater Peoples compilations, or his split 7″ with Family Portrait,  or his face from Titus Andronicus (he used to play with those dudes).

Cedermark is gearing up to release his first full length album titled Moon Deluxe on the previously mentioned Underwater Peoples (are those dudes on a roll or what).  The title track from his new album has been floating around for a while, and has really caught my ear.  “Moon Deluxe” is bringing Cedermark’s guitar playing to the forefront with a wonderful shoegaze inspired track.  He incorporates a little bit of country twang, and heavy nods to Phil Elverum though some of the melodies, and specifically his use of the percussion.  Think Glow Pt. 2 meets New Jersey via Charlottesville finishing with a twist of melodic noise.   This track is just a tease knowing that a full length on the way.

[mp3] Andrew Cedermark- “Moon Deluxe”

• there will be lots more to come on this album as the information is release.  so excited. 
  

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Please note Andrew Cedermark and Dead Gaze are opening this show…so get there early!

Friday July 2nd, 2010
Group Tightener & Todd P present:
Andrew Cedermark
Dead Gaze
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks
Coasting
and
The BEETS
live at Monster Island Basement
$8//Doors at 8pm

Honestly I’m most excited about Cedermark and Dead Gaze, but Alex Bleeker is always great and Coasting and the Beets are both fun.  Should be a great time.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these bands that I didn’t talk about at the beginning of the post…here is a taste:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker & The Freaks- “Animal Tracks (Mountain Man cover)”

• buy it here.

[mp3] Coasting- “Kids”

• Buy it here.

[mp3] The Beets- “Happy But On Our Way”

• Buy it here.

See you at Monster Island.

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• more on Dead Gaze here.
• more on Alex Bleeker here.
• more on Group Tightener here.

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UPDATE: Andrew Cedermark had to cancel.  sad.

The Newark Dog…it’s something that was thought of and conjured up the great state of New Jersey, but it has become the signature sandwich of St. Anselm. St. Anselm is the newest Brooklyn eatery by the owners of Spuyten Duyvil and Fette Sau (all of which are located within a block of each other), and they specialize in sausages.

St. Anselm has a selection of hand made unique sausages (from what I understand these change regularly), blue plate specials everyday, so called “nasty bits” (various animal parts), hot dogs, bugers, fries, and more.

While this all sounds pretty standard the Newark Dog has been getting press for being one of the most unique hot dog experiences out there.  They say it’s “Newark style,” and what does that mean exactly? It is two deep fried hot dogs on napoli pizza bread (basically a hybrid of a focaccia and a large roll), fried peppers & onions as well as fried potatoes. And according to this handy Hot Dog style guide…they are exactly correct.  Maybe it’s a only a unique experience due to the fact that St. Anselm is one of the only places doing it this way in Brooklyn, but none the less it is a must try.

When ordering this sandwich I really had no idea what I was getting into, and after all this is an $11 hot dog. klk had seen pictures, but I just went into it thinking that I would just order what they are known for. When I got my order my mind was kind of blown…this was the biggest hotdog concoction that I have ever seen. When you look at it in the little paper tray there is no point of reference, hence I am providing you with two pictures…one with a beer glass(above), and one with my hand (below). This thing is huge.

While it might sound like just a bunch of fried food it really is an impressive sandwich. While all of it’s contents are fried it’s not greasy. The onions and peppers are fried into a sheet of vegetable goodness that lays over the fries and hot dogs. The hot dogs themselves are delicious (as expected), and are full of flavor…juicy and perfectly cooked.

My only complaint is that the sandwich, on it’s own, is a little dry but St. Anselm takes care of this with an array of home made condiments. They have an very spicy mustard that was totally amazing. A slightly sweet ketchup to balance the mustard, and a hot chipotle sauce (which might technically be a chipotle ketchup) to add a little bit of a kick.

These condiments help bring this already amazing sandwich to the next level. It was a task to eat the whole thing, and an even harder task to fight off the coma like sleepiness that it brought on as well. Overall a great first experience at this Brooklyn sausage haven.

Currently St. Anselm does not have a liquor license, but when they get it you will be able to drink wine off of the tap. As a nice consolation they share a back yard with sister establishment Spuyten Duyvil…so you can order your food at St. Anselm, find a table out back, and then grab a beer next door. Pretty much the perfect set up. I didn’t get to enjoy the comfortable interior of St. Anselm, but that can wait til they have their own booze. Overall a great addition to the neighborhood, and a must try place for sausage enthusiasts.

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Try the Newark Dog, the $11 hot dog that is well worth it:

St. Anselm is located at
355 Metropolitan Ave
(between 4th St & Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Check out their full menu here.

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• This post is part of This Week In Sandwiches.  More sandwich related posts can be found here.
• if you are looking for more bloggers that focus on music and food…check out Made A Blog who recently reformatted to showcase her passions….and the corresponding tumblr for additional food musings.  I love seeing music bloggers changing it up.

This past Friday I was really craving a sandwich, and I’ve been in a little bored with the things directly around my house so I called in an order to Nha Toi for their Bo Kho bahn mi.

It seems like bahn mi shops have popped up left and right over the past couple years, but if you are in Williamsburg Nha Toi is the way to go.  Overall their sandwiches are a little more expensive (the Bo Kho is $7) than Bahn Mi or Bahn Mi 172(two of the other spots in the hood), but I think it’s worth it.  Nha Toi’s sandwiches are bigger, and are stuffed like I feel a sandwich should be.

I’m talking about Bahn Mi like everyone should know what it is, but honestly I wasn’t familiar with the sandwich until about two years ago.  Bahn mi is technically a Vietnamese baguette made with rice and wheat flour, but it is also typically refers to a Vietnamese sandwich made on this bread.  The sandwiches normally have pickled carrots and diakon radishes, cucumbers, cilantro, and spicy peppers.  The proteinis either of tofu or various meats.

The Bo Kho is a braised beef sandwich.  The beef is extremely tender a little on the sweet side, and extremely delicious. One of the most impressive things about Nha Toi is that they really fill the sandwich…there is a lot of meat and vegetables.  The carrots and radishes at Nha Toi really are pickled, which you can taste, and brings to mind a really unique sauerkraut…this is an accomplishment because I feel like the vegetables are just used as filler at other restaurants, where as Nha Toi makes it one of the highlights.  These pickled vegetables also do a great job balancing the flavor of the sweetly seasoned beef.  The baguettes that they use are always fresh (I got my sandwich late in the day, after 7pm), and complement the ingredients better than most.

Unlike all other bahn mi places Nha Toi doesn’t put spicy peppers in the sandwich…they give you a very tiny raw chile that you can use as you would like.  I guess you could chop it up, and stick it in the sandwich, but I typically choose to just take a bite here and there  when I want spice.

Nha Toi is one of my favorite bahn mi places in the city (next to Baoguette), and I recommend  trying just about anything.  The three sandwiches I have eaten have all been wonderful, and I plan to go back very soon.

Nha Toi recently remodeled inside (or sometime between last summer and now), and they have a little more seating, and were showing movies on their projector while I was there.  They have also added a couple small tables outside for dining.  It’s a really friendly atmosphere, and I imagine if you can get a table a nice place to eat.  So far I’ve only picked up sandwiches to go.

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Nha Toi is located at
160 Havemeyer St.
(between South 2nd St & South 3rd St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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Sorry for the lack of food and beer posts…Northside Fest has made the neighborhood explode with music, so I’ve been trying to let people know about stuff I love.  Normal posting food and beer posting will resume next week.

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• This post is part of This Week In Sandwiches.  More sandwich related posts can be found here.

A couple weeks ago I walked up to my front door and saw this:

Ok, so I know it’s no mystery…but I live in Brooklyn…and most people reading this blog know that only one thing comes in a package that size…a fucking 7″.  Worst case scenario is that someone stole it, and I never know and I contact the label and say it never showed up…right?

Nope, not in this case.  Enclosed inside that little package was this:

Yes, an irreplaceable contemporary artifact of indie rock.  This is not a record that could have been easily replaced, and thank you residents of Greenpoint for not stealing it.

Golden Girls are no stranger to the Great Pumpkin…you might remember them from here or here?

But to actually hear their guitar driven rock n’ roll on vinyl is a very special experience.   Golden Girls bring a classic rock, almost cock rock, element to their music…they can shred, sing, and perform. Which is exemplified by this EP…I like that they said fuck it lets do a five song 7″ and sell it for $5…those are the days I miss (by those days I mean when a 7″s cost less than $8, and have more than two songs), and the Golden Girls are bringing it back.

“Sixteen Candles” is a track that had been floating around for a while, but honestly I didn’t hear it until I saw them play Cake Shop several months ago…as good as the live version was, I feel the recording tops it.  The guitars shine and really show how much Andy and Ben can shred.  As the track comes to a close they slow down, and while a little noodly, they stay true to form and bust back in with ear shattering feedback and scream…100% rock n’ roll.  Just one of the many reasons you should own their ULTIMATE FREEDOM ep.

[mp3] Golden Girls- “Sixteen Candles”

Buy Golden Girls ULTIMATE FREEDOM ep (on 7″ or CD) from Burning Mill Records here!

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For those of you in Brooklyn you can check Golden Girls out as part of Northside Fest!

Pop Tarts presents an afternoon showcase:
Saturday June 26th, 2010
Golden Girls live at Glasslands
w/ True Womanhood, Dinosaur Bones
EULA, The Senors of Marseille, & The Great Unwashed

Please note Golden Girls will play at 5pm.

Additional Golden Girls dates can be found here.

For a little sneak peak check out this video of Golden Girls at Cake Shop:

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• More on Golden Girls can be found here (track reviews, mp3s, and live videos).
• More on Burning Mill Records can be found here.
• More this week in mail order can be found here.
• More on Northside Fest 2010 can be found here (eventually).

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Northside Fest is a music, art, and film Festival happening in Williamsburg and Greenpoint Brooklyn from June 24-27th.  For a complete schedule click here, to buy an all access pass click here.

Please note that the Golden Girls I talk about in this post are playing Northside Fest, and not the Golden Girls that Northside links to from their website.

The other day I got this email from Spuyten Duyvil:

This Thursday, June 10th at 6pm, some old friends are stopping by for a hang. Jean Van Roy of Cantillon, Armand Debelder of Drie Fonteinen and Kjetil Jikiun of Nøgne Ø will all be at Spuyten Duyvil to meet some people and drink some beer. Jean and Armand are rarely on this side of the Atlantic so take this opportunity to come by and tell them that they are Gods among brewers. We are not 100% sure what we will be pouring but below is the probable list of draft. There will also be some rare bottles on hand that these guys brought over from Europe.

I’m not sure if these names or breweries mean anything to most people, but to beer dorks the word Cantillon is the holy grail of lambics.  While most American’s think of Lindeman’s sweet almost soda like interpretation of the style Cantillon bring the true tradition of wild lambics and sour flavors who’s brewing process hasn’t changed since 1900 useing spontaneous fermentation and barrel aging.  It’s a very special occasion when Jean Van Roy, Cantillon’s brewer, will be in house to enjoy a drink with the patrons.

Spuyten Duyvil will have two beers from this amazing brewery on tap.  Cantillon Iris which is brewed with all pale barley malt and has three hop additions: one of dried hops and two of fresh hops(the second only two weeks before the bottling/keging).  This is not a traditional lambic because it lacks wheat as well as the use of fresh hops, and was brewed for the first time to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Brussels Museum of the Gueuze.   The second beer on tap will be the  Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus which is their classic take on the raspberry lambic.  Two amazing beers that are rarely seen on tap, available…possibly for only one night.  I imagine they will go fast.

In addition to Cantillon’s Jean Van Roy, Spuyten Duyvil will host brewmaster Kjetil Jikiun of Nøgne Ø.   Nøgne Ø is a craft brewery based in Grimstad, Norway.  Jikium developed his passion for craft beer, specifically American styles, while visiting the US on his many cross Atlantic flights as a pilot.  In the beginning, and maybe even currently, Nøgne Ø didn’t have a pilot system and every beer brewed by the brewery was released for commercial consumption making it essential that every brew be top notch.  In the beer world  Nøgne Ø is now one of those breweries beer geeks watch closely, and their beers while available in the bottle at fine beer establishments are rarely seen pouring from taps. Following Jikium will be four very special kegs from Nøgne Ø:  their IPA, Saison, Sunturnbrew (their new smoked barleywine…why didn’t we think of that?), and an Imperial Brown Ale (details about all of these can be found here).  Nøgne Ø’s beers are typically very expensive, and this might be your chance to do a side by side tasting of these wonderful brews.

Armand Debelder of Drie Fonteinen will be in attendance tonight as well, and he is also a brewer of fine traditional Belgian lambics.  While no beers from Drie Fronteinen will be on tap, Spuyten Duyvil did say that the three brewers will be bringing bottles with them.  I can’t even guess what that means, so it is probably best to make it over to Spuyten Duyvil to try some of these very rare beers…because the next time you see lambics like this might not be til this wonderful bar does their yearly lambic festival.

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Get over there, talk with some world class brewers, and drink some beers you may never see again.  The event starts tonight, Thursday June 10th at 6pm:

Spuyten Duyvil is located at
359 Metropolitan Ave
(at Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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• Photo of Nøgne Ø taps at Spuyten Duyvil via Beertography
• more on Spuyten Duyvil here.
• more What Ales You here.

The other night while I was at Brooklyn Bowl with Leah, I noticed that they now had a house beer.

The house beer is called Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale, and it’s brewed by Kelso of Brooklyn.

So as far as pale ale’s go it’s a pretty standard style…American Pale’s are hop forward, English Pales are on the malty side…all are in the 4.5%-6% alcohol range. But the Brooklyn Bowl Pale ale is a bit more unique than your average pale.

It was dark inside Brooklyn Bowl, but the beer appeared to be a pale amber color. As expected it was medium bodied, but the unique part about this beer was the hops. In pale ales you typically get citrus or pine notes from the hops, but the Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale has something much more herbal going on.

At first I thought it was all dank herbs…things like mint, basil, and other savory things (when I say this I mean not added into the beer, but rather natural flavors from the hops)…but as the beer warmed it started to show a very unique licorice scent and flavor.  It’s possible that this licorice like flavor was drawn from the combination of hops and malts, but it was a bit reminiscent of root beer except not sweet at all. According to Brooklyn Bowls’ menu this particular brew is made with NY state hops (varietal was not specified).

While I’m not sure this pale ale is for everyone I did enjoy two pints while I was there, and would drink another two next time I go.  I like seeing breweries do interesting things with session beers, and that is exactly what Kelso did with this one,  and I hope beer lovers seek out.

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Kelso’s Brooklyn Bowl Pale Ale only available at Brooklyn Bowl, and costs $6 a pint.

Brooklyn Bowl is located at
61 Wythe Ave
(between 12th St & 13th St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brooklyn Bowl here.
• more on Kelso of Brooklyn here.