Music Monday

Taken by Trees
I've been obsessed with this week's song of the week since I heard it recently. Watch the Waves is the first off the sophomore effort by Swedish singer Victoria Bergsman, AKA—Taken by Trees. Bergsman is probably best known for her work in the band the Concretes and the one who's not Peter Bjorn or John singing on that ever-present song from a few years back, Young Folks (remember how good?). Anyway, Bergsman took her sound in a completely new direction with this record, picking up a heading to Pakistan to record with traditional musicians native to the rural areas there and creating a total east-west smash-up. About half the record was made outside because, as Bergsman puts it, "when you take the music into a studio, the creativity and the playfulness in the music often gets lost." Check out the National Geographic video below. Very interesting piece with Bergsman talking about how she made the album and just the relative culture shock of being in Pakistan.

I very much admire Bergsman for trying to create a wholly new thing with this record. Her last album was good, but it didn't stand out nearly enough among the many Feist-ish singers and song-writers who are crafting great songs, but songs that don't necessarily stand out as unique or wholly un-generic. This really does sound like something new that required much creative effort to achieve, and not in the "Wow, this humming, skipping, whirring loud song is really...unique" way. In a "My god, I really love this song because it's easily accessible for me as a westerner but is infused with this other-worldliness and unique peacefulness" kind of way. Or something. Point being, it's good AND unique. Take a listen (to the right there) and see what I mean.

East of Eden, the second record by Taken by Trees, comes out September 8. For anyone in the NYC area, Other Music and Swede Beat Magazine are hosting a listening party this Thursday, September 3, at 9PM at Stanton Public—16 Stanton Street, between Bowery and Chrystie.

Music Monday

This Man is Much Prettier Than You
I know we usually focus on bringing you the lesser-known artists on Music Mondays, but, anyone who knows me also likely knows that I'm a damn sucker for some straight up, saccharine-sweet pop. Which brings us to this week's song of the week by the omni-present John Legend. I'm not a huge fan of this man's songs on their own, but there's no denying he's got a sweet-ass voice. Combine that with an excellent musical reinterpretation by remix-masters RAC and you've got a top-notch pop song with infectious hooks and catchy beats. So I'll say it without shame: I totally love this John Legend song. No doubt.

From the Nest

An Open Letter to Mighty-o Donuts

Dear Mr. and/or Ms. Mighty-o:

Last summer, while visiting a good friend of ours in Seattle, my wife and I happened, by chance, upon your donuts in a local grocery store. We’re both vegans for ethical reasons, so, needless to say, when we realized that your donuts were made sans any animal-derived ingredients, we loaded up. Now, being vegan is tough, man. Maybe you know this already, but we miss out on a lot of good stuff. Cheese is the most likely candidate for vegan kryptonite, but, right below that on the list, for me at least, are nice, cakey, awesome donuts. Don’t get me wrong. I live in New York City, arguably one of the best places for a discerning vegan to live. So I’m already spoiled. I have easy access to a bevy of superb vegetarian restaurants, can walk to cafes that sell the always superb cakes from Vegan Treats, and basically have little to no call for complaint…except in this case. I was fine before I ate your warm, soft, sweet donuts—living in blissful ignorance of the wonders that could be contained in those decadent rings of joy, placed there by whatever black magic you conjure in your kitchens. But after that fateful meeting between me and your donuts last summer, I slipped into a state of hysteria. They could barely get me on the plane back to New York. And, once back, I slept sparsely, in fitful starts and stops, plagued by odd dreams of mocking transcontinental Dali-esque donuts. It was a long, tortuous road to recovery, but, with the help of my wife, I put my life back together and was once again a whole man.

Then, the other day, I received an unexpected call. Our friend from Seattle, Patrick, had placed in the care of his visiting cousin from New York one dozen Mighty-o Donuts to be delivered to and consumed by me. It was all too much. How could I once again introduce to my poor mouth something so very treasured and yet so very irreplaceable? But there was no way I could deny the allure of your fine products, gems of the baking world and, once again, my Achilles heel. As I write this, I have just finished consuming the fifth donut—a lovely lemon poppyseed—leaving me with a mere seven. I plead with you: You must open an east coast Mighty-o Donuts in New York before I finish that last donut…preferably in or near Park Slope, Brooklyn. My life depends on it.

Sincerely,

Troy Farmer

Brooklyn, NY

The Find

Picture it: You're up on a stage in front of a crowd of people when one of them shouts out a word at you and you're expected to create an entire musical on the spot. And make it funny. Sound like a terrible nightmare to you? Yeah, it does to me too. But that's what the musical-improv-comedy duo of Eliza Skinner and Glennis McMurray—AKA, I Eat Pandas—do every time they have a performance. And, somehow, they make it look easy. More importantly, they make it INSANELY funny. We caught up with Eliza Skinner (dark hair, no mustache) to find out where the funny comes from in anticipation of this Wednesday's show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade.

KoR: Okay, so, we'll start at the obvious place: What's with the name? Are either of you actual pandavores? That seems....entirely terrible. And not very smart, really, given the economy and lack of convenience.

ES: Ha, no we are not Pandavores, although I like the term! We had to come up with a name for this little improv competition we were in, and we had no plans to take the group any further, so when I said "what about 'I Eat Pandas'?" Glennis and Travis Ploeger (our original musician and 3rd member) said "Why not!" Five years later...maybe we should have thought about it more. Nah.

Were any other names in the running?

Not that I remember. It was just that simple.

Efficient comedy. Excellent. We totally like your logo, by the way. That panda looks PSYCHED to be eaten. Like the pigs on all those BBQ joint signs in the south that are like "I'm gonna eat my friend! Yeehaw!"

You think he looks psyched? I think he looks a little worried, but resigned. Either way, we love it too. It was done by our friend David William.

Oh wait! You might be referring to our old logo, which DID look super psyched to have a fork sticking out of it's head. That one is by Dyna Moe, now of "Madmen Yourself" fame.

Oh, yeah. Totally thinking of that one. So, how did you and Glennis meet? Was it some sort of awesome movie-like scene, where you lock eyes across a crowded improv class, end up getting dinner, she gets all upset and calls the relationship off when you profess a love for Carrot Top, and then you end up holding a boombox playing Bill Cosby's "Himself" under her window?

Yes. Exactly. Did I tell you that story already?

No, I was coaching an improv group that Glennis was in and she just seemed to have a sensibility I could relate to - and was clearly very talented. I thought it would be fun to play with her, so when Travis suggested we put together a group for this 3-person improv competition, I suggested her.

I like my version better. You should go with that. So, I know you regularly collaborate with a piano player, who seems great, but have you all ever considered expanding the group beyond a duo, or do you think that’s part of the appeal for audiences and you two as contributors?

We are very protective of what we do, and so much of it comes out of the relationship between the two of us. Our work is really this thing - this ball of energy that comes out of the focus between the two of us. I think... I don't know, man, basically it's magic and you don't wanna fuck with magic. Plus we have other groups where we work with more people - if I want to do a show with a bunch of people, I do one with Baby Wants Candy.

And yeah, Frank Spitznagel, who usually plays piano for us, is a genius and a big part of what I Eat Pandas is too, but he is so in demand that we have to work with other people occasionally. Usually those people are Ari Scott or Jody Shelton, both amazing singer-songwriters in their own right. We have been very lucky to work with the musicians we have worked with.

Alright, now, honestly, how the hell do you practice for an I Eat Pandas show? Given your shows' premise—that the audience gives you a phrase or subject matter, and then you stage three completely improvised acts of a musical—it seems entirely impossible to prepare yourself. Do you have some sort of time-stopping device that allows for seemingly instant song-writing? Cyborg mind link with Glennis?

Cyborg mind link, yeah. That's that magic-ball thingy. We spend a lot of time together and we talk a lot, so we know each other really well. We also just like each other, so we like to surprise each other on stage and make each other laugh. The songwriting takes a little more skill, and a lifetime of being steeped in musical theater. Mostly we just pretend like we know what we're doing - if you do that hard enough, people believe you.

We do enough shows now that we don't really practice, but when we did it was more like training for a sport - you run drills and sharpen your skills so when you're on the court you know what to do.

I'm totally picturing a Rocky-style montage of you and Glennis running comedy drills now. So, anyone who’s attended one of your performances knows you’ve got an amazing voice. Do you ever use it for non-comedy purposes? You know, not including superb college bands…

My singing voice? Nope. Comedy only. I Eat Pandas, Baby Wants Candy, weird fringe musicals, and parody songs for College Humor and E! I'd be totally down to do some dramatic musical theater, but no one wants to hear it!

Both Glennis and I do voice over work, though, so that might sort of count.

That sort of counts. What is Pop Tudors? I’m not really too familiar with the actual show, Tudors, but, just judging from the subway posters, it looks all the way rad.

Pop Tudors was a series of promos/recaps that we did for Showtime for the last season of The Tudors. We watched the whole season before it aired (which wasn't really full of spoilers, since it's actual history), wrote up some jokes and shot all 10 episodes in a day. They put them on TV and all around the Internet.

The Tudors is pretty rad - it's history, but porn-ier. Oh, and lots of disease and blood-letting! Good stuff.

Can you talk a little about how you originally got involved with Upright Citizens Brigade? You introduced us to them when we moved to New York and they really seem to have a hand in nearly everything funny in the city.

My first contact with the UCB was in a show called "Made Up Musical" - which was another improvised musical - way back in 2001. The guy who was putting the show together, John O'Donnell, had seen me perform short-form improv at a craphole called "Chicago City Limits" and asked me to do the show. It went well, and I was asked to be in KILLGORE!! - the theater's annual Halloween show, with people like Horatio Sanz, Rob Riggle, and Jack McBrayer. It was pretty great. That will make you want to stick around a theater for 7 or 8 years.

I bet. Those dudes are funny. So, I know you both split time professionally between NYC and LA, which seems to be the way of things for people in the comedy game. I feel like most people get their start in NYC or Chicago making a name for themselves with the goal of eventually getting into TV or the movies on the West Coast. Is that a totally skewed generalization?

Nope - you got it. NYC and Chicago are so competitive you either give up or get crushed into a talent diamond. LA is too easy - if you go there first without a lot of direction and self-knowledge, you can get lost.

What do you like about LA?

Work. That is where the work is. There used to be more of it in New York, but it's all slowly migrated over the past few years. Now we just have Law & Order, 30 Rock, SNL and Fallon.... Thank god for NBC and Comedy Central, or else there would be nothing here but Ugly Betty.

Oh, and there are beaches & great fish tacos. And I like that people actually listen to the radio there. I love the radio.

Say something you hate about LA, for all of those New-York-or-nothing types.

Traffic & skanks. The traffic there can make you want to pull your eyes out of your head, and like 80% of the women look like total Rock Of Love skanks.

High five. So, you’ve been in Astoria, Queens for, like, nine years now. First off, way to be neighborhood-loyal. For those of us who don’t spend a ton of time there, what do you like about it?

It is cheap and the apartments are bigger. Like people from other cities can come to my apartment and not be shocked at it's size. Plus there are tons of great restaurants, and I have lots of friends nearby. It's so easy to live here. It might not be cool, but it is very easy and I care more about that.

Okay, if you were given a massive Hollywood budget and unlimited choice of cast members, what kind of movie would you create? What would be the general story? You know, without giving it all away.

I have a romantic comedy that I am writing now about a punk rock music-writer girl and a cheesey boy-band guy, so I'd take your money and quit my health-insurance-providing dayjob and finish that. Or...hmm...MASSIVE budget you say?... Freddy Vs. Dinosaur.

Dinosaur would TOTALLY win. Um, any SUPER embarrassing stories about a performance you’ve given?

I don't have any good ones, but Glennis burst a blood vessel in her eye in the middle of one of our shows! That wasn't really embarrassing, but it was exciting in a terrifying way.

God…okay, quick fire round, miss. Biggest pet peeve?

Slow walkers.

Amen. Chosen super-power?

Sound wave manipulation - that can be a weapon, shield, OR flight.

Nerd. Favorite movie ever?

Dirty Dancing. Or Aliens.

I heard they were thinking of a cross-over…Unicorns vs. centaurs. Who wins?

What kind of battle? Poking - Unicorns. Wrestling or joke telling - Centaurs.

Excellent clarification. Funniest musical that's not meant to be funny?

Starlight Express. I LOVE Starlight Express.

Coolest comic book hero/heroine?

This is a rapid fire question?! Geez...um...Elektra? Kitty Pryde? NO! Dazzler! Dazzler is the best.

Aw, I totally remember her… Best NYC bar?

I like Little Branch a lot - also Crescent and Vine in Astoria, but that's more of a wine bar.

Fancy. In seven words at most, weirdest dream you’ve ever had?

Literally swimming with the devil.

Funniest joke ever? Or at least one you’ve heard recently?

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Panther

Panther who?

Panther no panth - I'm going thwimming!

Catch Eliza and Glennis performing another all new, all improvised show tonight at the Upright Citizens Brigade—307 W. 26th Street. Do it!

Music Monday

Keep an eye out for London rapper Speech Debelle, who provides us with this week's Song of the Week, "The Key". She gives us a fresh, young take on hip hop, superb lyrics, and a wonderful sound—employing undeniable hooks, woodwinds, double-bass, and a jazzy sound. Plus, rapping with a british accent is always cool, man. Debut album out on Big Dada.

Track courtesy of jus' like music.

Buy This Record

We've been on a bit of a record kick lately. Like, actual records—those giant vinyl disks. The whole slow shift to non-tangible, electronic files of music that we never get to hold or open, that don't allow us to read along with the lyrics or marvel at the intricate cover art that's larger than 200px x 200px—that movement's gotten us down over the past years. Yes, it's wildly convenient to hold your entire record collection in your pocket, but it also robs SO much from the overall sensory experience of music too. I realize I'm not alone in this and that it's a wholly un-original thought, but that actually works to my advantage in this case as it seems many labels and artists and people behind creating music are catching on to this too. With labels like Sub Pop providing download codes for almost all of their vinyl releases and many other independent labels following suit, it's becoming easier and easier to have your cake and eat it too. You get the nice, weighty, substantive representation of the artist and his or her music along with the much more real experience of playing the record itself, with all it's warm crackles and depth of sound. You can't just hit play and start listening to what would eventually be a string of, say, 6,770 songs. You have to realize when one side of the record is done and go over and flip the record in order to enjoy the rest of it. It seems minor, but it goes a long way to putting you in the moment. And then, on top of the nice record, and big beautiful art, you've got the MP3s to put on your iPod or whathaveyou (I swear I've seen people with these other, non-iPod things). It's win-win, really. There was actually a great piece on vinyl on last week's Soundcheck on NPR, if you're interested.

Anyway, what this gets us to is one of our most recent and most rewarding vinyl purchases: That of Yim Yames' "Tribute To". Yim Yames is the somewhat silly-sounding moniker under which Jim James, front man of the band, My Morning Jacket, chose to record solo. I've always liked My Morning Jacket, even more so with the last record where they seem to really be getting comfortable in their own collective skin, but I've never been a huge fan or anything. But there were two intriguing things about this record that reeled me in: First, the EP is a tribute to the life of George Harrison that James recorded a few days after the ex-Beatle's death in 2001, locking himself in the bathroom of an old farm in his native Louisville, KY to lay down the tracks. Second, part of the proceeds of the record are going to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York, a little farm sanctuary in upstate New York with a big heart that we absolutely love.

Knowing that James recorded these songs stowed away in a little room on a farm so soon after Harrison's death makes them even more moving. You can hear the loneliness and heartfelt sentiment in James' voice and it saturates the songs in the most beautiful of ways, especially in "All Things Must Pass." I challenge you to read a biography about George Harrison while listening to that song and not cry. For serious.

The EP itself is a total of six songs, four of which are covers from Harrison's post-breakup album, "All Things Must Pass," the remaining two being the George songs from the Beatles' catalog, "Long, Long, Long" and "Love You To." Every one of these songs is truly superb on its own, but there is absolutely nothing like just putting this record on and listening to it from side to side with your friends and/or loved ones. Record night, ya'll! Highly, highly recommended. Especially in this case. The limited edition vinyl for "Tribute To", which, in addition to being pressed on awesome, heavy-weight 180 gram vinyl (why's that cool?) and being packaged in a beautifully pressed sleeve (check out the embossed owl below), comes with a CD of the entire record. So easy iPoding. Or faux-iPoding.

As for the nod to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, it all came about after a chance meeting at restaurant in Louisville, KY, which, it turns out, acts as the hometown for both James and WFAS founder and superstar, Jenny Brown. Brown approached James, an ethical vegetarian, about doing a benefit for the farm and, with the 40th anniversary of the original Woodstock concert hitting this year and knowing George's love of animals, James thought unearthing this recording and finally releasing it for such a worthy cause made sense. We have to say, we whole-heartedly agree. Preview the tracks here.

To order the record, visit Jim's site. If your order the vinyl from there, not only does it come with a CD, you get a Woodstock FAS shirt too. So, holla! For those of you in NYC, Other Music (15 E 4th Street off of Broadway in Manhattan) also has a number of the records. And find out more about Jenny and husband, Doug's work at Woodstock here. I challenge you to read about any of those touching success stories while listening to this record and not totally bawl too, man. Finally, you HAVE to read this article on Jenny and amputee goat, Albee, from the Times if you haven't already. Apologies for all the reading assignments, but it's summer, right? You shouldn't even be working.

Ya'll have a great week.

Music Monday

Brooklyn has done it again—produced a superbly awesome band that I'm sure to lose my shit over. This time up to bat: The Antlers, led by the way-too-sad Peter Silberman and started as a straight-up singer-songwriter thing. Silberman's now got some backing and widespread distribution of his band's self-released LP, Hospice, via the always on-the-edge Frenchkiss Records. Check out the winningly tragic Two, this week's Song of the Week, and check them out next Friday at Mercury Lounge for their record release party.

As the Crow Flies

News on the Quick
Katie and I had the good fortune to attend a screening of Paul Giamatti's new film, Cold Souls, at BAM last night. We had been hearing a lot about the movie lately and, honestly, weren't sure what to expect. We both have mixed feelings on the whole modern mainstream surrealist film genre—movies by Gondry, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jones—and feel like it produces hit-or-miss results, for us at least. That said, we were totally delighted. The movie hit that oh so elusive mark of being everything at once to the viewer, dancing between cleverly funny and beautifully poignant while telling a wholly original story.

BAM followed the screening with a Q+A session featuring the very talented director/writer, Sophie Barthes, director of photography and Sophie's husband, Andrij Parekh, and the always awesome Paul Giamatti. The whole experience left us utterly impressed, especially with the creativity and craftsmanship of Sophie and the down right bizarre dreams that inspired parts of the film. And her husbands camera work was truly touching, creating a soft line that divided the realistic from the dreamy nether reaches of the world they created together. And it goes without saying that Paul Giamatti was funny, charming, and a perfect fit for the role...which makes sense as it turns out that it was written for him.

Anyway, point being, if you're in New York, go see the movie this weekend, and, if you're not, TOTALY check it out next weekend. Or come for a visit!

Coolest. Boat. Ever.

This weekend marks the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, a day of races with narrow boats made to look like Chinese dragons and furious rowers and on-board rhythmic drummers. Yeah, it's that awesome. Or so I hear. I've never actually been able to make it. But THIS YEAR, I vow attendance. And I'm totally psyched. You shoudl come. Deets here. From the Web site - "According to One Legend, the people of Chu, mourning the death of Qu Yuan, threw rice into the river to feed his hungry ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth moon. The practice continues to this day throughout China. The dragon-boat races symbolize the frantic attempts to rescue Qu Yuan." Holla!

Bloody Vegan

Our good friend Marisa has started tending bar Saturday afternoons over at fave Fort Green haunt, Rope. She'll be serving up vegan bloody marys, superb margaritas, and anything else your heart desires 1-8PM. Best yet, Rope has an open grill policy in the back, so bring over some seitan and kabobs and bask in the weekend-ness. Rope is at 415 Myrtle Ave between Clinton + Vanderbilt.

Green Lightsabers

Keeping on jammin' on the Fort Green vibe, eco-Cuban restaurant, Cafe Habana are continuing their outdoor summer movie series with a showing of the original Star Wars at 8PM on Sunday. Mmm...tacos, beer, environmental stewardship, and wookies, together at last.

Farewell

Ending on a sad note, I'm not one for mourning the loss of celebrities or those I don't actually know as if I do...but, that said, it made me very, very sad to hear that writer/director, John Hughes died of a heart attack yesterday in New York at the young age of 59. Hughes was responsible for scores of movies that have a place in the hearts of many—from Sixteen Candles to the various Chevy-Chase-driven Vacation movies, to the immortal Breakfast Club, to the "oh my god, who are these awesome bands" Pretty in Pink. But, for me, his crowning achievement was Ferris Bueller's Day Off—a movie that truly, sincerely taught me that life needs to be, above all else, appreciated and loved and if you're not loving and appreciating your life, start. Skip school, sneak into a parade, bluff your way into an expensive dinner, steal your best friend's dad's car save him from drowning in the pool and then let him have a nervous breakdown when he sends said car crashing from a fancy garage. Live life. We here at KoR are actually getting weepy as we type this: Mr. Hughes, we did not know you, but we knew well what you created. They were memories for us, not movies, and we thank you for them.

Except for Beethoven's 5th. Not that one.

"Life moves pretty fast... if you don't stop to look around once and while, you could miss it."

Ferris Bueller

From the Nest

Hotcha Momma
Sub-prime summer temps gotcha chillin' too much? Warm things up with habanero-infused tequila, an easy-to-make and always exciting spirit.

Ever since drinking the Picante Margarita at Bonita in Brooklyn, I've been thoroughly convinced that spicy drinks are the new awesome thing that everyone should try. They have this superb tiered attack of the tongue, first hitting you with the immediate rush of spiciness that befuddles the senses, and then following that up with the warm nature of the spirit. It's like a really quick action-adventure movie with a sweetly romantic ending in your mouth. Exactly like that. So, being that we couldn't visit the lovely Bonita every night (try their vegetable tacos sans cheese—super-good), we took matters into our own hands and infused tequila at home and came up with a comparable drink recipe.

We've infused vodkas in the past with things like ginger, lemongrass, basil, strawberries, and all kinds of things. In each case, the time that the liquor needs to infuse varies depending on the potency and porousness of the additives, but it usually took us a week to a month or more. One of the nice things about infusing with a pepper as notoriously potent as the habanero is that it only takes about three days.

Here's what you do:

• First off, buy a bunch of habaneros. Not sure which peppers they are? They're the squat little ones that usually vary in color as they ripen from green to yellow to orange to red. These guys.

• Now, carefully quarter anywhere from 3 to 7 peppers, entirely depending on how much you like very, very hot things. For further control over the heat, remove the seeds of the peppers for less spice, leave them in for maximum fiery-ness. Note that some people go as far as wearing surgical gloves when slicing these peppers. Honesty, they're mad hot. Be really careful, wash you hands well after handling and cutting them, and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES. Speaking from experience here, unfortunately. Oh...careful going to the...um...restroom as well.

• Toss however many peppers you like straight into a fresh 1 liter bottle of tequila. We like to either wash off the label, so it looks nicer and you can see the peppers, or find a nice mason jar or other pretty container to fancy things up when not using the original bottle.

• Let the bottle sit in a cool, dry, dark place—say a cabinet—for 3+ days. Three will likely do ya, but 4 and 5 will make for a spicier, more infused drink and, as it sits beyond that, it will only get spicier, absorbing both the taste and color from the peppers over time.

• Now enjoy your weirdly-chilly summer day by unleashing your inner fire with a sip of this tequila straight. Or, alternatively, mix this lovely, party-tested cocktail up:

As noted on the recipe, feel free to tone this drink down a bit by mixing in non-peppery tequila. Also as noted, don't touch your eyes, yo.

Now get that summer spiced up!

Hot Dogs, Not Photos

As promised, we've added photos to the veggie hot dog post (below). Thanks to Shannon for the pics! And yes, it was very hot out that night.

Whistle While You Work

We've got a new piece over at The Discerning Brute on grilled Massaman curry and the band, Now Now Every Children, who rule. Take a look.

The Find

This Just In!
Alright, I'll admit, we're not regularly big news-breakers here at KoR. I trust that you get your world and local updates from far more reputable sources than us. That said, check this out: THE METS GOT VEGGIE DOGS! That's right, Citi (also Taxpayers') Field now boast Yves Spicy Veggie Hot Dogs at what looks to be two locations in the stadium. They also carry some sort of Yves Veggie Burger, but this is a ball game, people. Burgers?

Anyway, not being a huge sports fan, in general, I went to the game primarily to hang out with friends and check out the new stadium...which looks a lot more like a mall than anything else (Shake Shack? Sushi? Fancy beers? Oh my.) But I had been told previously that, despite the promises of veggie dogs last year, the stadium had none as of yet. So imagine my surprise when my veg friend at the game told me she had found them! But were they vegan? Turns out, for whatever reason, the Miracle Mets order their Yves products from Canada (those northerners and their vegan products, man), where items vary a bit from our American wares, evidently. But the result is a totally vegan dog, specifically the Hot + Spicy Chili Veggie Dog.

First off, they're not at all spicy, but I don't think Canadians are known for their spicy foods. Gravy fries, yes, but spicy foods, not so much. Other than that though, they're pretty good. My first two seemed like they might have been sitting around for a bit, so they were a bit dried out, but still great. And my THIRD one had to be made fresh, which proved to be a ton better. I imagine they didn't plan on selling more than two at the game, so take THAT supply and demand. And, to top it all off...literally...they've got some pretty fancy toppings bars that provide you with regulars like ketchup and mustard and then go above and beyond, serving up freshly cut jalapeños, fresh onions, pickle relish, warm sauerkraut, and those crazy canned onions in the red sauce.

So, if you're vegan and looking to go to a ball game where you can subside on more than just soft pretzels and peanuts, check out the Burgers + Fries stands on the ground level at sections 113 and 123. Even if you're not into sports, you can have a nice time hanging with friends, marveling at the intermingling of America's pastime and over-priced commerce, loading up on totally vegan dogs, and watching that crazy giant apple rise up from the stands (when it's working) as they knock a ball out of the park!

Note that we're not sure what kind of Yves veggie burgers they serve, but most of the American and Canadian burgers do contain egg products (booooooo). Also note, the Mets totally lost to the Rockies (also boooooooo). They made some awesome touchdowns in the process though.

The veggie dogs, in order of appearance: Dawg #1: Relish, sauerkraut, fresh onions (thumbs up); Dawg #2: Ketchup, mustard, jalapeños, canned onions (raise the roof); Dawg #3: Everything I could find on the toppings bar (that one hurt).

Music Monday

Wondering where all those NYC surf pop bands have gone? Really? Alright, well, we found one. The Drums make saccharin-sweet pop that sounds like the Cure have body-snatched the Beach Boys. Or something. Regardless of the random pigeonholing, these kids are good. And with neigh a proper release to speak of, they're generating quite a buzz with the few songs they've put out there and an admirable barrage of shows. Speaking of, they'll be playing this Friday's Mondo Indie Dance Party at Don Hill's, our favorite local dance night. Catch 'em if you can!