Outside Lands has quickly become Northern California’s largest music fest and the glorious weekend is upon us. Peeps are chattering about heavyweights like Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Petty, etc, etc, etc… But there’s a slew of artists on the flyer in a smaller font size that are worth an hour of your weekend. Check it:
6. Lucius – Sunday, Sutro Stage, 2:30 – 3:20
The Brooklyn band is led by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, who despite looking calculatedly stylish and similar when performing, are not sisters. Their 2013 Wildewoman (One of my favorite albums of last year) is packed with a unique energy that comes alive on stage. Blast “Nothing Ordinary” and i dare you not to feel the uncontrollable urge to jump up from your seat and dance when the chorus drops. They’ll likely be starting off my lazy Sunday. Get there!
Fun Fact: Holly and Jess provided the vocals on the album recording of San Fermin’s brilliant single, “Sonsick.”
5. Deer Tick – Saturday, Sutro Stage 4:00-5:00
The sound of Americana comes from Providence, Rhode Island…Well, at least as far as Deer Tick is concerned. These bluesy rockers were all over the soundtrack for Hall Pass, written by fellow sons of Providence, the Farrelly Brothers (not their best movie bee tee dubs). But there is indeed something so American about their sound…Be it their epic record Born on Flag Day or singer John Macauley’s labeling the band as “drunk buffoons” when they’re on stage. Go to hear “Easy” and stay to hear jams off of 2013’s Negativity and maybe you can tell me why i think they might be the embodiment of the fictional band Stillwater from Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous.
4. Gardens & Villa – Sunday, Panhandle Stage, 5:55-635
The Santa Barbara based band just put out the follow-up to a masterful 2011 self-titled debut that stood out with beautifully written and arranged tracks like “Black Hills” & “Star Fire Power.” On Dunes, they continue to explore the use of the flute and electronic waves like on “Bullet Train” and no track is as sublime as the synthy and bouncy “Colony Glen.”
Fun Fact: You can buy your very own Gardens & Villa flute here!
3. Gold Panda – Sunday, Panhandle Stage 7:40-8:25
Do you not give a shit about Tiesto? Think the Killers are just overhyped arena-rock? Cool..me too. We can all end our festival weekend together on Sunday night with what promises to be a spacey, yet lively closing set on the panhandle stage from Ghostly International’s Gold Panda. Avant-garde electronica fans might already be familiar with the London producer’s music, but you might know him best from the beat he produced for Charli XCX’s “You (Ha Ha Ha)”. Look to hear tracks from his 2013 release Half of Where You Live like “Junk City II” and my personal favorite “Brazil.” Gold Panda’s sounds are intelligent, interesting and memorable. The Panhandle stage is a treat of a venue for this set and best part is, when it’s over, you can make a smooth exit through Hellman Hollow to beat the crowds. You might even be able to get a cab or Lyft home that early!
2. El-P and Killer Mike (Run The Jewels) – Friday, Lands Ends Stage 215-305
Straight up, hip-hop like this doesn’t come around too much anymore. Last year’s show at the Independent was such a throwback to the heyday of hip hop: An El-P set, followed by a Killer Mike set and then a Run The Jewels set. The crowd fed off how much fun they were having on stage, everyone was bouncing, hands in the air and it felt for a moment that we were transported to the early 00’s. They’ve been taking the Run The Jewels on tour non-stop ever since, including playing Lollapalooza this past weekend where Rolling Stone attested to the “made for each other” vibe by dubbing them “The Best Hip-Hop Buddy Movie in the Making.” The project sees two of the fiercest rappers comin’ correct on the mic with the same flawless production that put El-P on the map in 2000.
Fun Fact: Run The Jewels 2 is nearly done and a teaser track titled “Blockbuster Night Part 1” was just released. Hear it here.
1. Courtney Barnett – Sunday, Panhandle Stage 4:20-5:00
Ok, full disclosure: The purpose of this post was just a ploy to get you to see Courtney Barnett. Here lies THE hidden gem of the festival. The Aussie singer-songwriter has been hitting the global festival circuit hard and she impresses with tongue-in-cheek jams like “Avant Gardener,” where she sings about the perils of leaving the house, egad! She’s clever as can be and plays guitar like a madwoman. She’s in the same breath as a contemporary like Sharon Van Etten, but sounds more like Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval. Her 2013 release, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas is a can’t miss record and her set will surely be packed with just about every track off of it. Another fine act for the Panhandle stage, Barnett’s irresistibly cute and clever will be just what your mid-afternoon craves.
Fun Fact: Barnett covered the entire Kick album by fellow Aussie rockers INXS at Pure Pop Records’ “Summer of Classic Albums” show. She nailed it.
Here’s a handy dandy spotify playlist of tracks (only instrumentals for Run The Jewels) mentioned in this post and other by these artists to gear up for the Festival!
Cusco is an interesting city….It’s population has nearly doubled over the last decade (think about that mind boggling stat for a second) and boasts a beautiful historic city center, emanating from the Plaza de Armas, where many prominent Incas were executed by the Conquistadores in the 1500’s. But it’s the the commerce-driven outskirts that truly represent the sprawl of Cusco. When i say “commerce-driven”, what i really mean, is that people are selling EVERYTHING, often times aggressively and there is no better example of this commercial cesspool than the Baratio market on Saturday mornings.
Call it dumb luck, but the day after i arrived in the small Peruvian village of Ollantaytambo for two and a half weeks, the most important annual festival in the town’s history kicked off for the next 4 days. I was in Ollanta (for short) to spend time with some some old friends who were living there as they neared the opening of their new craft brewery (Sacred Valley Brewing Company). Ollanta is a village of 2000 people, that you can’t get to Machu Picchu without passing through. But despite the heavy influx of tourists it sees as a result, the festival de Choquekillka is a prime example of how local tradition triumphs above all else and how when given the opportunity, the locals will out-party the visitors while dancing into the wee hours of the morning.
The festival celebrates the legend of when the christ of Choquekillka cross miraculously appeared at the head of the Incan road, ending days of spiritual strife. The spirituality of the event permeates the celebration throughout. 17 dance groups, ornately dressed with everything from bead art capes and handmade knit masks to whips and even dead baby llamas, pay homage to the local deity with parades, dances and a non-stop celebration. The whole town comes out every day to witness the festivities and leaders of the dance groups set up private parties (cargos) throughout the town as well. I had the pleasure of attending a few of these cargos and ate until i couldnt anymore, had a beer in front of me immediately after i finished the previous one, drank an intoxicating corn brew called chicha, ate guinea pig for the first time and danced with reckless abandon.
One of the dance groups parading through the plaza.
On one of the days i attended a picturesque bullfight, on another the evening ended with a dangerously intimate fireworks display, on another we walked down to the pampa to celebrate the afternoon away and every day ended in Ollanta’s central plaza, where my friends at Sacred Valley Brew Co were pouring beers amidst the crates and crates of the local Cusqueña lager that were littered throughout the entire town. The dance groups would march into the plaza and entertain the crowd while paying tribute to the Señor. The parties were fantastic, but it wasn’t until i started gaining a better understanding of what the traditions and the dances meant that i truly began to appreciate Choquekillka as a timeless local tradition and a unique display of faith and solidarity…
A waterfall of fireworks exploded over our heads.
I met one of the dancers, William, from the group Qapaq Qolla, who closes out the celebration each year and he began to describe the details of his outfit and of the festivals traditions to us. He talked about how speaking Quechua (the ancient Andean language) and understanding the history of Choquekillka are major prerequisites for being in a dance. I was amazed at how much William revered the Q’achampa dance group, who are considered to be the most sacred and traditional of all of the groups. During their performance he pulled me aside and gave me the type of play-by-play of their performance that i would give to someone who didn’t understand a baseball game. When members of the Q’achampa square off in the middle of the dance circle and exchange whips to each other’s legs, it’s a male proving ground that serves as a model of piety to the Señor and is just flat out entertaining:
Q’achampa ran in a “whipping circle.” Their stoic ability to keep moving despite such abuse gives rise to their nickname of “Pie de Christo” or “Foot of Christ.”
The whole time, William was so enthused…and i likened his giddiness of the dance to the way i feel about my “religions”: baseball and music…the two things that make me fly up out of my seat and vibe out on the regular and it started putting the festival, the town, the celebration and their faith into perspective. How a small town like this who doesn’t live at the pulse of amenities like baseball stadiums, concert halls, gastro pubs and gasp…supermarkets, finds a purpose to their simple, yet sustainable lives in the spiritual traditions in which their livelihood’s were founded. It was incredible. Watching the closing ceremonies on day 4 and seeing William and Qapaq Qolla so reverently chant and move with deliberate grace as the cross of Choquekillka bowed to every corner of the crowd of thousands, i was silent…as was everyone else. We were mesmerized by the ceremony and i was overcome with the memory of the last 4 days. Thinking about all of the people i met and of the exposure to a remote culture that i could’ve never imagined i’d have when i arrived in the town.
Me, Louisa and William.
Overview of the plaza during a daytime parade.Q’achampa standing proudly.Kapakuya flanking the Christ de Choquekillka as he bows to the masses before re-entering the chapel in the plaza where he resides, thus ending the festival.The moon rising above the celebration on the pampa.SVBC provided fine libations throughout the festival They even prepped a ginger ale (pictured w/ Louisa and Juan)!
Until next time….i’l be prepping for my trek into Machu Picchu and bumping the new First Aid Kit album on repeat!
You MUST press play on the new Damon Albarn album before going any further:
Ok…so I’ve tried my damndest to give every post a “hook” so far, but this time, i just gotta wax….I gotta wax on how anxious i’m feeling right now on the evening before heading to Peru. It’s been a lovely last 4 days in San Francisco, but there’s been a certain emptiness to it all…Like a big fucking purgatory. You see, it’s an interesting life i’m leading right now. Cause while i love traveling and being on the move more than just about anything,..I’ve had my share of moments where i wonder what the next long term step will be and it’s hard to detach from that.
I found myself talking to a couple at a bar this weekend about living in the moment. How it’s a truly beautiful thing, but it’s challenging at the same time. Especially for someone like me who has so many ties to so many people and cares deeply about them all. And yeah, traveling cross country and then to Hawaii and then to South America for months requires a certain ability to detach from that next step to be able to live in the moment. I just chuckled thinking about how “first world problem” that might sound, but it’s a real emotion..and i’m bracing myself for it. I’m ready to arrive at this village in the mountains of Peru and just breathe and NOT think about the next step for a while….In fact, it IS the next step as far as i’m concerned and the “boundless belief in the future” that John Wooden spoke about is the confidence that lets you enjoy it all.
So here’s to the next month and a half+ of living in a village in Peru and then going to Brazil for the World Cup. Here’s to my lofty goal of starting the “I Believe That We Will Win!” chant in a bar in Peru during Team USA’s opening game against Ghana and then doing it all over again from the stands of the stadium in Manaus against Portugal. Here’s to a wedding for someone i have yet to meet the day after i arrive in Peru where according to my friend “they’ve ordered 40 pigs slaughtered” for the occasion. Here’s to seeing Machu Picchu just before i leave Peru to head home to Brazil. And finally, here’s to all the time in between where i have no fucking clue what i’m gonna do and who i’m gonna meet, but that’s the part i’m most excited about. Cause that’s the essence of this madness. That’s the heart of this trip…the great unknown and living in the moment.
One simply cannot drive cross country without meaningful music to set the tone every day. Below is a collection of the tracks that got me through the 4,200 mile drive from New York to New Orleans, across to Southern California and up to San Francisco. This is largely an indie rock and old school hip-hop compilation, with no shortage of Modest Mouse tracks sprinkled throughout. I added some stories from the trip and assorted morsels below as well. Press play!
Sylvan Esso – Hey Mami – I’ll admit, this wasn’t the first song i added to the list, but it’s the perfect opening track. It builds immaculately and sets the stage for Sylvan Esso’s incredible debut album. Do yourself a favor and peep the whole album here.
Courtney Barnett – Avant Gardener – Man…i love this girl. Think of her as the Aussie Sharon Von Etten, but not as melodramatic. Courtney, who’s voice is eerily reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, has a penchant for the playful and Avant Gardener is deliciously addictive.
Wye Oak – Logic of Color – I was a skeptic of a Wye Oak album without guitars, but they pulled it off. Jenn Wasner’s voice is just too good.
Clipse – Hello New World – I was in bumper to bumper traffic at midnite coming out of Washington DC on night 1 of the drive and this jam came on when i was stopped under a bridge. I jacked up the volume and lowered my window, only to be outdone by some dude bumping Pharell’s “Happy”
Gang Starr – Mass Appeal – One of my favorite old school beats.
Modest Mouse – Gravity Rides Everything – Thus begins a long drive for someone with nothing to think about…..
Sylvan Esso – Coffee – This was the first song i added to the list. It was the jam of the trip. I pretty much started every single day listening to it. It’s perfect and this band rules. Get on it!
Led Zeppelin – Going to California – Cause after all, that’s where i was going.
Kid Ink – Hello World – Shouts to my family at GrungeCake Magazine! They did a bomb video interview with Kid Ink that just made me wanna throw this on and it got me super pumped up.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message – Timeless
Salt-N-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex – I always laugh thinking how much this song would make my Mom cringe.
Damon Albarn – Lonely Press Play – “I did a record for me” — Damon Albarn. Killer track.
Sun Kil Moon – Ben’s My Friends – My favorite track on Sun Kil Moon’s BRILLIANT new record, Benji.
Courtney Barnett – History Eraser – More from Courtney Barnett. Peep the record here.
The War On Drugs – Under The Pressure – Spoiler alert. This is my favorite album of the year so far. It’s the evolution of American rock and roll paying respect to the sound of it’s beginnings. I love everything about this band, this song and this album.
Givers – In My Eyes – When i arrive at a new destination, i always like to throw on music from a local band. Givers met my Louisiana fix.
The National – Mr. November – This was the first song that came on as i hit the highway leaving New Orleans and i sang it at the top of my lungs. Felt like 2 hours had gone by before i knew it.
The Preatures – Is This How You Feel? Some new bumps that were super smooth
Atmosphere – Free or Dead – One of the greatest car songs ever.
Modest Mouse – Spitting Venom – There’s something special about listening to Modest Mouse on a long road trip. Maybe it’s because so much of their music is inspired by the roads of America.
Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor – This gave me a good energy boost on a long stretch of Texas road.
The War on Drugs – Red Eyes – What a single.
Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks – Little Fang – Animal Collective’s Avey Tare is really bringing it on his new project and this track takes the cake.
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) – Great hip-hop beat or greatest hip-hop beat?
Doug E. Fresh ft. Slick Rick – Ladi Dadi – So much of hip-hop owes itself to this track. It created a style, an approach, and attitude and so much more.
Tune-Yards – Wait For A Minute – My favorite song on the new record. She doesn’t try too hard on it and it’s one of the best new tracks of the year.
San Fermin – Sonsick – All kinds of yes.
Interpol – Evil – See above comment regarding Interpol.
Mac Demarco – Chamber of Reflection – Mac Demarco makes so much more sense when you realize how chill wave he is.
Real Estate – Talking Backwards – Try and locate a recording of the acoustic version Real Estate did live on SiriusXMU and thank me later.
Slick Rick – Hey Young World – MC Ricky D FTW!
Das Racist – Rainbow In The Dark – Ok…i’ll give it up to Das Racist now. Dudes are clever as hell.
Jessy Lanza – 5785021 – I love this girl. One of my favorite recent discoveries and seeing her in SF the night before i take off for Hawaii. Yes please.
May the road of the future yield as much wonderful music for you as it did for me! One love.
It’s an overwhelming idea, to think about visiting one of the most culturally significant and tumultuous cities in America for the 1st time in your life. The thought of “How the heck have i not been here yet?” lingering in your conscious. When people you’ve met all over the country and the world always say “That’s one of my favorite cities,” it makes you wonder what exactly makes it so wonderful. And in all honesty, it builds a bit of anxiety, cause you don’t want to go to NOLA and end up missing whatever the charm is or whatever that ONE thing that makes New Orleans so awesome is. This anxiety (fear?) is likely what led me to decide to make my first 2 day stop on a cross country drive, where everywhere I’d been up to that point was for a one day trip.
Not knowing much about the city, i logged on to AirBnB and booked an apartment in the French Quarter, a block away from Bourbon Street. “That’s where you’re ‘supposed’ to stay, right?” I thought to myself, whilst keeping the promise of figuring out what “it” is in NOLA with every decision. I fired off a few texts to seasoned NOLA veterans with “send me your recommendations” and off I was, rolling in just in time for dinner following the 8 hour drive from Atlanta. My apartment was a quaint unit, tucked away in a courtyard that despite being near the loudest street in the city, was pleasantly quiet. My host pointed out the hurricane doors on the unit:
I strolled out onto Bourbon Street amidst a mass of drunks enjoying themselves following the week’s annual Jazz Fest. I walked around the French Quarter for over an hour, trying to understand how Bourbon St breathes in relation to the surrounding area. It didn’t take long for me to realize that unlike most of these people, I wasn’t really in New Orleans to get blitzed, but rather to get a glimpse of a city that i was sure i would hope to visit again and catch up on my writing & upcoming travel plans. I retired into a large seafood house on the outskirts of Bourbon St and drank Jefferson Rye and Voodoo Bengal pale ale over oysters and Creole shrimp.
i couldnt resist eating a couple of these before snapping the photo.
The Creole flavors were out of this world, the type of sauce that balances spicy and bold flavors impeccably and lingers on your palette long after you’re done. I left relaxed and a bit parched, but felt content to discover the ups and downs of Bourbon St for another hour with a “big ass beer” before turning in.
I had a full day ahead of me on Monday and my quest to understand the NOLA paradigm began. I settled into Stanley Cafe on Jackson Square on a recommendation from a friend who called it “the best breakfast i’ve ever had.” A bold statement which had to be investigated.
Jackson Square is a bustling plaza, likely the French Quarter’s largest and it boasts a colorful population of artists, fortune tellers (yes, fortune tellers…lots of em), performers, tourists and vagrants. A lone stool at the end of the breakfast bar helped me circumvent the line immediately, which looked to be a 30+ minute wait. I ordered eggs benedict with fried Louisiana oysters. Yes please:
The hollandaise sauce was light and agreeable along with the three thinly sliced Canadian bacon discs on each english muffin, but the fried oysters…oh the fried oysters! THIS was a Benedict and something about having oysters for my last two meals in a row put a huge smile on my face.
As for the coffee, I couldn’t even tell you how many cups I had. In New Orleans, it’s customary to infuse the coffee grounds with a plant/herb called chicory. The result is a creamier bodied blend, with a smooth chocolatey taste which feels far less acidic.
I talked to a couple at the counter who told me to check out Frenchman St, which was in the Marigny neighborhood that was also on my radar. Frenchman St was littered with restaurants, music stores and jazz clubs and even on a sunny Monday afternoon, the music was playing everywhere from the street musicians along my walk, to the clubs/eateries along Frenchman. While there were clearly tourists perusing the area, (likely spillover from the nearby Farmer’s market/bazaar along the water) it felt like I was somewhere between where the touristy French Quarter tapered off and a pseudo-suburban village picked up.
I ventured deeper into Marigny to a coffee shop for the next few hours, only to arise with the hunger of a thousand southerners. After dilly-dallying up and down Frenchman St looking for the right spot to eat, i decided to go back to that Farmer’s Market and hunt down the local favorite, a Po boy sandwich. The market had a food boulevard of sorts and I posted up at a stand called N’awlins:
I sat by the kitchen and listened to the cooks talking about cooking, paying rent, saving money, their families and having a few laughs. I had a bowl of seafood gumbo with andouille and a sautéed crawfish Po Boy sandwich that’ll go down as the best thing i had in the city. The “CEO” of the place, Arthur “King Creole” Humphrey, came out and asked me “How you doin’ oer there son?” I nodded and put a thumbs up as i took a bite of the buttery sandwich with the sexiest balance of mayo to hot sauce. Right on cue, King Creole replied with “We Got Da Kind Dat Stop Da Baby From Crying!”…I didn’t really get it and he must’ve noticed the look on my face cause then he asked “You know how to stop da baby from cryin’, right?” I made another puzzled look and in perfect rhythm, the King said “Put food in his mouth! Hahaha!” What a cool dude and a helluva sandwich.
I was spent and it was barely 6 o’clock so I strolled along the river and made my way back to my room. But in a turn for the best, I decided to go on a run instead of sitting around. I’d been eating like a pig for the last 3 days and hadn’t exercised a lick.
My run took me along the Mississippi and then i got lost somewhere in the CBD (Central Business District). I looked down on my phone’s map and realized I wasn’t far from the historic Superdome, so to there I ran. When I arrived, the surrounding area was a ghost town. With football season over (The Saints play in the Superdome) and no major events on the horizon, there was no reason for anyone to be around. The nearby Smoothie King Center (yes, that’s what it’s called) where the NBA’s Hornets play, was also empty and i felt like the last survivor in a zombie apocalypse in that moment.
I walked around the building, admiring the changing colors on it’s facade with the sunset sky in the foreground and i couldn’t help but think of the thousands of families who came to the Superdome for safe harbor when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005. My mind was blown when i replaced the lasting image of this building during Katrina in my head:
with this image that was now before me:
The breathtaking grandeur of the Superdome started opening my eyes to a rebirth and the strength of this city & its supporters following a devastating Hurricane which claimed nearly 2,000 lives, flooded over 80% of the city and caused over $81 billion in property damage. Think about that…$81 billion?!?! When I juxtaposed the idea of a city in shambles with this beautifully renovated facility, it represented a Renaissance and a transformation of a city that i would learn more about later that night…And with the emotional visit to the Superdome under my belt I ventured home, showered, packed to leave the following morning and readied myself for a walk to the finest beer pub in the state of Louisiana, Avenue Pub.
Avenue Pub is a bit Uptown, well off the French Quarter on St. Charles St and came highly recommended. I hadn’t realized what a craft beer mecca it was until i was reading about it on my 35 minute walk, but suffice it to say this beer geek was happy. I felt like most everyone I had talked to so far was also a tourist and I really wanted to post up at a bar top and meet some locals. Turns out this was just the place for that as I sat at the bar drinking Envie Pale Ale’s from the fantastic Parish Brewing Co in Broussard, LA. I met a dude named Phil, who grew up in St. Louis and had lived in NOLA for the last 6 years working as an attorney. Our interests were similar: beer, sports, cities and it was cool to compare living in New Orleans with life in the last two cities i had lived in, New York City and San Francisco.
The bartender was cheerful from the moment I walked in and there was a chef whipping up southern pub grub (I had 5 small crawfish pies. They did not suck.) In fact, everyone at this bar was cheerful. There were people watching playoff hockey (LA Kings fans?!), other folks who wanted to talk about beer and random barflies who clearly knew the ropes at Avenue Pub.
Phil took off and this older biker looking dude had moved into the stool next to me. We started telling our stories to each other, like where we’re from, where we’ve been, you know… typical bar fodder and he soon introduced himself to me as Beast. Beast was a bartender at a new Italian restaurant down the road and had moved to New Orleans 8 years ago, a few months after Katrina hit. Naturally i was curious about the role that Katrina played in his arrival and Beast had a wealth of modern history to tell. He arrived here a seasoned bartender and applied for a job at the House of Blues. They hired him on the spot and asked him if he could start that night. Turns out a lot of the food service industry had been hit hard following Katrina. The House of Blues company for one, offered a job relocation to any HOB NOLA employee at another HOB location across the country to get away from the Katrina aftermath along with their families.
Beast was part of a food service and culinary landscape that had been drastically altered after Katrina. Up and coming chefs who had to claw to get positions on the line of New Orleans’ finest restaurants were now finding it easier to slide into a notable spot in the years following the disaster. As a result, the beautiful food of the city was blossoming; mirroring the city’s growth into 2014 during my visit.
But as people came to New Orleans following the disaster, even more people left. The metropolitan area’s population had dropped from 489,000 pre-Katrina to 369,000 post-Katrina. Low income families had relocated to other large cities like Houston, Atlanta and Dallas. The crime rates in those cities grew as the rate in New Orleans dropped historically. And through this conversation with Beast, I finally started to understand this city. Namely the transition and subsequent Renaissance that it’s been undergoing since the tragedy that struck 9 years prior. The dead space that I saw on my walk between the French Quarter and the heart of St. Charles St to the pub made more sense now as there were clearly areas that had yet to be re-developed. And the whole time, everyone who was there couldn’t be happier. This city withstood a catastrophic hurricane, but it’s people and culture had shown the strength to carry on and tout the things that endear the city to them and make it what it is: Food, music, culture, the people themselves and a prevailing attitude that’s as steady as the bridges that bind the city from end to end.
Even though I’ve left New Orleans, I’ll be thinking about how full of life the Superdome looked even in the absence of people. I’ll be thinking about oysters, that crawfish sandwich and sublime coffee. I’ll be thinking about Beast, that Pub and what lies in the outer extremities of the city that I didn’t get to know. But that’s what makes a great city so great…that it leaves you with a feeling that you can’t wait to go back. One love.
Spinelli
St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square from the walkway along the Mississippi River.
The RoadTrip Soundtrack has new additions from the last post:
A big segment of my cross country road trip has been visiting America’s baseball stadiums. I started hitting up some ballparks before the road trip and kept it going throughout the drive. I made a guest appearance on Bay Area sports blog Section925’s wonderful podcast to talk about everything from stadium layout and beer selection to pre-game options and expert tips. Peep the link below to hear me and the impeccable Connor Buestad break down my tour of 9 baseball games in 8 cities across America.
This is it. A cross country trip from New York to San Francisco….with a bit of an unconventional path. A shot down the East coast to Atlanta, before embarking on the road to the West. This has always been a dream for me…To see America while traversing it’s roads. To experience the unique culture of different parts of the country and see what characters i encounter, what experiences mark the journey and ultimately to see how much of it all i can affect by choosing when and where to go.
Look…I loved New York. It was non-stop fun, for real. There’s a lot about it that i’ll miss. But when i searched the depths of my soul, my heart and my head, my instincts told me to go traveling and get back to California. It made sense, after all, it IS home. Furthermore, the people that are nearest and dearest to me in this life are there…many of them are just around the corner or down the street 🙂 I’ve always said that i never wanted to leave California and now i’m coming back to her. And so the journey begins…
New York gave me the biggest middle finger on my way out. She poured rain on me as i tried to pack and ship boxes. I was battered, my body was achy, but on Thursday morning (more like 2 pm, lol) i hit the road. My first destination was to be the Charlotte, NC area where some family friends from Brazil live. But something happened as i was cruising the new York City city streets and trying to find my way to the highway. An impulse. I noticed there was a double header in Baltimore between the Orioles and Pirates. After not thinking for too long, i laughed and said out loud: “I’m going to Baltimore!” And i did. I went to Camden Yards for the first time and loved it. But more than the baseball game, my favorite part of it all was the impulse and acting on it. This is the essence of the life on the road that i’ve chosen for the foreseeable future. The freedom to make decisions on a whim and act on them. It’s a good feeling and one that’s been inspiring me every day so far. It’s these types of decisions that shape the road trip and make it unique:
It’s driving for 3 hours after the ballgame to get as far into Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley as possible before the evening ends and staying in a redneck town.
It’s a random sunset with lifelong friends in Davidson, North Carolina (the house that Steph Curry built!) that makes you feel like you’re truly seeing the country.
It’s cracking a bottle of wine you’ve had cellared for 3 years with Fernando while watching Damian Lillard hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to clinch a series for the Blazers over the Rockets.
It’s waking up to a simple Brazilian breakfast, while your friends’ daughter runs around the house laughing.
It’s seeing your Italian cousins outside of Atlanta for the first time since you met them in Italy 7 years ago.
It’s taking your cousin to her first baseball game and doing the Tomahawk Chop with the Braves fans.
It’s staying up til 2am watching the Mayweather fight (that you bootlegged) with Domenico.
It’s feeling emotional pain when you leave your family behind for the road ahead because they were so welcoming and you want them in your life forever.
It’s almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere in Alabama.
It’s deciding to go to New Orleans for 2 days instead of one and switching the vibe of the whole trip. (for the better!)
And that’s where i am right now. Inspired. For every single one of the 1463 miles i’ve driven so far. The conversations i’ve had with family and friends up to this point have shaped my outlook on the life i’m living and the world in front of me. I KNOW i’m on the right path and believe it or not, after talking to some travelers at a cafe this morning in New Orleans, my path is a modest one…hearing their stories of hitchhiking and taking boats to Africa put my trek into perspective. We’re all on a path to somewhere, some of them are just windier than others. One love.
Spinelli
Listen (and subscribe) to the running road trip soundtrack on Spotify:
Some photos:
The stormy Baltimore sky during a rain delay in the game.Another view of the North Carolina sunsetFernando and Manuella.Awesome view at Turner Field from behind the bullpen.Me, Domenico and Richelle shortly before i took off.The first image i took in New Orleans upon arrival.Oysters and rye whiskey. Sure.
And follow the journey on Twitter and Instagram too! @Spinelli37
You might’ve heard of Chet Faker from the work he did with Flume on the Lockjaw EP, like the big time single “Drop The Game”:
But on Built On Glass the bearded beau from Australia has set himself apart on the solo tip. WOW. I’m one spin in and this record is deliciously fantastic. It’s the kind of electronically infused ballads that i thirst for daily. It’s the use of horns and backing vocal tracks, intertwined with Chet’s love-lorn laments that just gets you going and gives you all the feels. This is “on repeat” music. If you’re a fan of Sam Smith, then Chet Faker is for you. Enough babble, hear it below (PS – DAYUM!):
Built on Glass is out on Future Classic/Opulent RecordsBaker and his beard in all it’s glory.
And for good measure, here’s the video for first single on Built On Glass “Talk Is Cheap”:
Who is this mysterious woman that popped up on the Young Turks label (SBTRKT, The xx, Glasser)? A friend told me about how FKA Twigs’ (FKA stands for Formerly Known As) performance at the Young Turks New Year’s party in Mexico blew him away and was easily his favorite, so i made a mental note to check her out. My first introduction, was this spellbinding video for “Hide”, released in February 2014 and filmed in the Mayan ruins of Tulum, where the aforementioned party went down:
We hear that ethereal voice, but it’s the visual aspect that really grabs you and lingers long after the video is over. The way she perfectly twists her hips and lets the energy of the ancient ruins run through her body and make every limb contort. The tribal sounds of natives banging sticks are juxtaposed with the guitar and synths….it’s unique to say the least. So i dug deeper and found this August 2013 video for “Water Me” produced by Brooklyn-based Arca, who claimed production credits on Kanye West’s Yeezus:
And we’re left with the burning image of her appearance. She’s almost doll-like and becomes more artificial as the video progresses. But the details are lasting…her tight-fitting septum piercing, matching with her ornery earrings…Her hair, meticulously braided behind her head, her eye make-up sparkling every time she blinks and her lush red lips are front and center as the words come out of her mouth:
He told me i was so small,
I told him “water me”
The melodious offerings of the British artist are just as intriguing as the visual nature of her output. And these are images that are now burned into my head whenever i listen to her. I can’t hear her music without thinking of her interpretive dance in that “Hide” video….or the way her eyelids flutter on the “Water Me” clip. Twigs has achieved a certain synesthesia…”in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” (A concept that Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes delves in to in his soon to be released TED Talk). And this is pretty fucking notable.
Want to hear more? Her EP2 is on spotify and you can hear it here:
Enjoy. Feel. And let’s see where this emerging artist’s road leads…….
08/2014 – Editor’s Note: LP1 Dropped this month. Hear it below:
Everything Ecstatic 
