Journal of the Movement of the World

Totally ridiculously cool. We give up. 

Journal of the Movement of the World

Mycket vacker.

International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day

Reader, as you may or may not know, today is International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day.

Wait, let us rephrase that—as you definitely do not know, today is International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day. As far as we can tell, it was essentially proclaimed as such by four Canadians via the Facebooks. In fact, if you do a Web search for International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day—ICRAD for those in the know—you pretty much just find the Facebook page. And our blog. 

ALAS! We have never been ones to shy away from celebration or question potential problems pertaining to proper registration of international holidays. ESPECIALLY when they involve ravens and crows, who not only serve as our company's namesake, but also fascinate us personally and visually. 

So raise your glass of dark, dark, beer, reader; tip your chapeau noir in reverence, friend; and don that slightly creepy crow mask to freak out your neighbors as we all toast these covetable corvids!

On a related note, please enjoy this superb headline from a couple years back. Oh, Metro editors.

The Find • Vegan Bánh Mì

At raven + crow studio, our day-to-day operations are pretty streamlined. It's essentially two of us working in a studio that used to be part of a pre-prohibition brewery, so cool and old-school, yes, but not exactly cushy. Being a small business and personally and professionally concerned with lessening our overall impact overall, we generally keep it simple—walking half an hour to work and then back every day, relying on reusable and recycled paper and other materials whenever possible, sourcing from and supporting local businesses as much as we can, and almost always bringing lunches from home. 

So, when the rare day comes around and we decide to order lunch—because of a heavy workload or having to be at the office super-early or just because we want to treat ourselves—we get pretty f'in psyched. And, being people of the world and living in such a diverse, exciting city, we always try to expand our horizons. "Let's order from the vegan raw place up the street! Or maybe the veggie asian place over on Court! Or maybe V-Spot!" But, I'd say 4 out of 5 times, we end up walking a few blocks northwest and pick ourselves up a vegan Vietnamese sandwich from Hanco's on Bergen. And we rarely regret it.

Next time you're in Cobble Hill, give 'em a try. Not only do they make Bánh mì with fried tofu, they've also now got mock chicken (pictured above) and the brand new mock roast pork, and, we must say—they are BAD ASS. Oh, and be sure to order them without butter and mayonaise—both staples on traditional Bánh mì. They've assured us that the mock meats are totally vegan, which makes sense, because they both remind us of the chicken and veggie ham from May Wah, both of which are vegan. And yes, that "chicken" has "vegetarian perfume" in it. Hm....

But trust us! It's AWESOME! 

The Find

Hats off to today's Google logo—a tribute to the 226th birthday of John James Audubon.

Music Monday

Happy Music Monday to you, reader. This week, we're down right elated to bring you a song from the soon-to-be-released collaboration between Thao Nguyen, of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, and Mirah, of awesomeness. Their self-titled album comes out tomorrow and we're featuring one of the many stand-out tracks—"Eleven," featuring indie-jangle-artist, tUnE-YarDs—as our Song of the Week. What's more, Mirah, who we've both been a huge fan of since she released her beautiful debut, You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This, took some time to talk with about the album, what it's like to work with Thao, and the oh-so-dreamy Marc Summers, former host of Nickelodeon's Double Dare. For reals.

Kindness of Ravens: Alright, first thing's first—What brought on this magical musical collaboration? I'm assuming you two originally knew each other from the west coast music scene...but I don't know, maybe this is like one of those things where some old rich dude puts together a band of well-groomed, fresh-faced strangers to woo the mall-stalking teens of America. 

Mirah: Why thank you for the compliment.  I don't usually get to claim membership in the well-groomed club. We were introduced over e-mail after I moved to the Bay Area by a mutual friend who also happens to be our licensing agent.  So it was sort of like a cross between a ride-share bulletin board, internet dating, and general cosmic alignment.    

KoR: How would you say the resulting sound differs from, say, a Mirah record or a Thao with the Get Down Stay Down release?

M: Does it?  Love child, man.  The question is—'how does it sound the same, yet somehow magically better and even more beautiful'?  I think it must be the influence of all the drugs other people do so that we don't have to do them.   

KoR: Alright, but you're both such strong song-writers and you both have such distinctive sounds. Does the collaboration break down along specific lines? Like, did you, say, write all the lyrics and maybe Thao wrote particular guitar lines? Or maybe you each had your own songs you sort of 'owned'? Or did you just sit around and jam? ...or maybe you did the whole thing and Thao, I don't know, got you coffee and breakfast burritos?

M: First things first—I am not a coffee-drinker and Thao and I both shared duties on the quinoa and greens provisions. Thao happens to be the only person in the world who I've ever successfully jammed with and so, yes, there was some of that. But it was most like your option number 2—ownership, sharing, conferring, jamming, allowing space for each other; like each of us holding open a door for the other that neither of us could hold open just alone.   

KoR: Ooh, I like that. And your sessions sound VERY well-catered. And tUnE-YaRds produced the album, correct? How'd ya'll hook up Merrill (of tUnE-YaRds)?

M: She was one of the constellations who became cosmically aligned via mine and Thao's yenta. Merrill and I also both happened to be moving to the Bay from elsewhere during the same month of at the end of 2009.

KoR: Nice. By the way, we really like the cover art (above). You both look really tough. Who did the design work for the album?

M: Thao had met Alejandro Chavetta at one of her shows, I believe. He's the art director at San Francisco magazine and a photo-collage artist and had offered to take photos, should she ever need. He came and took a bunch of beautiful shots on the roof of our upper Haight apartment. My friend, Forrest Martin, who does graphic design work out of Portland, put together a lot of the design elements for the outside of the package, but then we ran into a time crunch and our people at Kill Rock Stars took over and finished up with the booklet.  And, yes we are tough.  You should see me flex my biceps.  

KoR: I'm afraid I didn't buy any tickets to the gun show. So, not to get all serious and junk, but I know a lot of women in music—or the arts in general—feel an obligation or pressure to represent the gender as a whole or provide a positive role-model to their female audience. Some people embrace that kind of thing and some people totally dismiss it as an unfair burden that's not placed on your average white male (um, hello,  TRAIN!). Where do you all fall on that? ...or are you just like, "Fuck it"?

M: I'm far too intentional of a person to just say 'fuck it' about anything.  I represent myself, and I identify as a feminist, as queer, as a powerful female person, and as a conveyor of love. I have my days where I feel small but I try to meet those days with patience. I don't stand up in the world because of feelings of obligation but rather through a commitment to doing my humble part in carrying on the tradition of positive female role models who have inspired me in my life. I'll paraphrase one of my favorite celebrity quotes from last year . . . 'Some days I wake up feeling like any other insecure 24 year old, and then I say to myself- "Bitch, you're Lady Gaga, you get up and walk that walk today."'

KoR: Hells yeah! A friend of ours was in the band Velocity Girl and I remember him telling us how crazy it was when Volkswagon bought the rights to "Sorry Again," but that was like, 50 years ago. Do you think the songs-in-commercials scene and what it all means has changed a lot with the way the music industry has shifted in the past few years?

M: It is honestly harder to make a living as a musician ever since people stopped buying music. It took me a couple years to really face that reality. I kept thinking that since I was so incredibly independent, and that the scene of folks who listened to my music felt more like a big family I was a part of than some dualistic fan/rockstar model, that the consequences of the shift to digital and the advent of file sharing would never be felt. But I was wrong. I do know that people still love and listen to music,  but the whole social and financial structure of writing, recording, touring, selling, listening to and buying albums has inexorably shifted. Also, when I was coming up as a musical presence in Olympia and the Northwest in the mid to late 90's, making money or charging much money for anything or being involved with main-stream anything was just simply not done. The identity was anti-globalization and anti-capitalist and pro small scale, grass-roots and d.i.y. And as a kid raised by  hippie macrobiotic parents who were self-employed, I just never really felt myself a part of most of the dominant structures of our society which champion making money and running with the herd. I still question any emphasis on financial gain over emphasis on pulling up the people, and at the same time I can see a certain pretension in some of the attitudes I used to have about 'the main-stream'. I still feel myself to be an outsider in a lot of ways because of having been born and bred in alternative-land, and I've also come to a point in my life where I can appreciate things I used to disregard. The combination of all of these changes has led me to making certain choices about my music which I might not have made earlier in my career. I still use a healthy dose of discretion and there are offers which I decline but it's true—a song of mine has been featured in a Kinder Chocolate ad in Europe and I've had a number of songs in TV shows and movies. I feel like positive messaging is present in much of my music and my aim is to share that with as many people as possible.

KoR: That seems like a healthy way to view things in this ever-changing scene. So, on a personal side-note, Katie (my wife and partner) and I have been HUGE fans of yours forevs. Actually, I fondly remember riding in a friends car and listening to You Think It's Like This But It's Really Like This and deciding to to propose to her. Whenever I hear a song from that album, I think of that. No real question there...just...thanks.

M: You are welcome.  You are why I love my job.

KoR: So...is it true that you were on Double Dare when you were a kid?
It is indeed. It was perhaps less fun than you might imagine, or maybe it was just less fun for me. There's something really chaotic about being herded around by a bunch of grown-ups in nylon pants shouting instructions like 'jump in the cereal and milk Mirah, grab the flag and stuff it down your shirt' while cameras are rolling and you're wearing ugly knee pads and a big bobbly white helmet and you're scrawny and flat-chested and your glasses are covered in goo from the physical challenge you messed up on earlier in the show.  It was awkward and confusing, and yes, a little exciting. The best thing about it was using the money I won to join up with the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament later that month.  I think I had my priorities pretty well set up at 12.

KoR: Um, yeah. My twelve-year-old self is pretty embarrassed for himself. But MAN is he good and making Transformers transform! But, yeah, I totally always wanted to be on that show. That Marc Summers. So dreamy. So, do you think this is a long-term collaboration or do you think you'll both go your separate ways after this album and tour?

M: We're friends and loved working together and we'll both be making music for a long time yet, so, all things considered, I'd be surprised if this was it.  

KoR: Having loved the album, we're very happy to hear that answer. So as to inform myself and others of proper show etiquette—kosher to request Thao wtGDSD

M: Absolutely, though i can't promise being able to play every old song. I try to make the people happy, and I am very human, not a machine!

KoR: Apologies, apologies. Though I am going to go ahead and put in my request fro "La Familia" now. Favorite thing about San Fran? Other than calling it San Fran?

M: Calling it Frisco. But really, I think my favorite thing is riding my bike all around and through it. Riding riding riding.  Looking looking looking.  I spend a lot of time at the ocean. And I'll go up a steep steep hill just so I can get a good view.

KoR: Those hills are nuts. Favorite thing to do while in NYC/Brooklyn?

M: Walking, anywhere, all over.  I could walk miles and miles just looking.  I was there for one of the blizzards last winter and loved walking around with almost no cars and all that quiet burying everything. Someday I want to run the NYC marathon—such a tangible way to feel somewhere, running my feet over it. When I was a kid I would go with my dad on knish deliveries (family business while growing up: natural brown rice and vegetable knishes that we made in a bakery in the basement of our house). I would sit in the car all day and look at people, buildings, taxi drivers, other delivery people, piles of garbage.  I love New York, the whole package deal.  

KoR: And we love you right back! Finally, in closing, were you each to be a mystical creature, you'd be a—?

M: Fairy Godmother

KoR: I knew it!

You can now pre-order Thao + Mirah's album—out everywhere tomorrow—and even listen to whole dang thing over at NPR right now. They'll be playing Music Hall of Williamsburg June 8 and touring across the nation throughout the rest of May and June. Catch 'em if you can!

From the Nest

We're told by people who are supposedly in the know with such things that warm weather is coming soon. I myself am convinced I'm trapped in some Inception-esque dream within a dream within a dream where there's a perpetual winter and that all "memories" of warm weather and skipping happily and shoeless through fields of thigh-high grass are artificial insertions of said dream within a dream within a dream...but I'm hoping I'm wrong.

Assuming I am, that means that, along with warm weather, invites to lovely outdoor get-togethers and parties are also just around the corner. And yes, reader, you should take that as a not-so-subtle hint.

But what to bring as a gift to your host that says, "No, in fact, I did not just get this from the wine store down the block from you and just peel off the price tag"? How about stocking up now on some classy-ass infused liquors? Katie and I made some over the winter weather months and still have a few sitting around for just such an occasion. 

Too much work, you say? You are totally wrong, I say. No, actually, it's super-easy. Basically, figure out some fun options, buy your ingredients, and then let 'em sit for a week to a month to however long, depending essentially on the permeability and/or potency of the infusing ingredient. This last time, we infused a number of different concoctions and then transferred to some smaller bottles we came across and made up some fancy-dancey labels. We had:
• Cinnamon Vodka • letting three or so tall sticks of cinnamon sit in a small bottle for at least a week, which turns the whole ting into this really amazing burnt orange color;
• Habanero Tequila • which we've written about before and is a big favorite of ours (plus it infuses crazy quickly—you can do it in a day or two);
• Lemongrass Vodka • using a fresh stalk from the farmer's market and allowing it to sit a little longer, two weeks to a month or more;
• Meyer Lemon Vodka • using two to three meyer lemons, being sure to peel them as much as possible to reduce the bitterness and then letting the whole thing sit for three weeks or more;
• Jalepeño Vodka • another one that's got a quick infusion time because of the potency of the peppers, of which we used three cut in half with seeds—this one makes some MEAN vegan Bloody Marys;
• Ginger Vodka • just peel the ginger and cut into three- or four-inch strips and steep for a month or so—great with soda water or some citrus syrups.
And we're hoping to try some new ones in the coming months.

So get yourself infusing. And somehow tip me over so I can wake up from this freaky, chilly world. 

Music Monday

Another band we kept hearing about during last month's South by Southwest festival was Chicago's Gypsyblood. The bandformed in 2009 and just released their debut full-length, Cold in the Guestway, which spans a range of sounds—all raw, all rough, and all undeniably appealing. One of our favorite tracks from the album, "In Our Blood," is this week's Song of the Week. Gypsyblood's Adam James took a few minutes recently to sit down and talk with us about their sound, why Chi-town's awesome, and getting crapped on at shows. 

Kindness of Ravens: So, alright, first thing's first: Really awesome record. Original sound too—very raw and rough but still surprisingly melodic and catchy. Though there are seemingly some definite nods to a few bands I adored in my high school years, Jesus and Mary Chain prime among them. Were you two looking for a particular sound or is it just something that was born organically?

Adam James: It's organic in terms of content for sure. We've never set out to sound like any particular kind of music. We just knew what we liked and went from there. We've played music together for so long that basically we don't have any expectations anymore. Before we could drive, Kyle (Victor) would get dropped off at my house and we would write music together. Ever since we've learned each others strengths, weaknesses, and breaking points. We agree on whether something sounds good or whether it sounds like shit and then move on.

It's funny to us because we had never really heard much of Jesus and Mary Chain until after we did the record and then those comparisons started coming up. But since being exposed to them, we've really embraced the comparisons. We were more influenced by bands like the Clean and the Fall going into it, where the catalogues were just all over the place with regards to the musical spectrum. We've personally always loved albums where all the songs uniquely lived together without sounding the same. So I guess you could say that that was the only thing we had hoped to accomplish.

KoR: A lofty enough goal. So is it just the two of you in the band?

AJ: It started out as the two of us recording, mixing, freezing, pissing each other off, and once the album was done we realized we needed more people to pull it off live. Luckily for us, Chris Alverez and Kyle's Brother, Ryan, stepped up to be a part of everything as musicians, friends, and brothers. Initially we knew it would be easy to pre-record instruments and be confined to measure rather then impulse, but there is a spontaneity to live performance that we've always loved and identified with. We've grown up on punk rock and these are aspects that have always been important to us—not the look of music, which is what the media's focused on most these days, but the aggression that comes with living in a society with one hand tied behind your back.

KoR: The recorded sound is really, really full for being pulled off by just two of you. I imagine the live show’s great. Being brand/designer types, we have to ask—the name. Does it have a story at all or is it just one of those things where two words sound cool together? Like REO and Speedwagon. 

AJ: To us, Gypsyblood was a flag lying on the ground that time and circumstance had brought us to. It has always existed, being carried and dropped over and over again by those who are stimulated by something that can't be bought or seen. It screams to wondering hearts throughout time in joy and celebration. We've all held it before, and after, as old souls, romantics, and vagabonds.

KoR: Damn. That’s deep. So bandnamemaker.com, right? What about Cold in the Guestway, the album title? That's odd enough to warrant some inquiry.

AJ: I've always loved the idea of words that don't exist in our current language and Guestway is something that certainly sounds welcoming. It's an awkward contradiction of sorts. And I think that's an essential part of what life has been about for our society—striving to exit our humanity when ultimately, that is all we are. 

It's the decision to get on an elevator when you know it's going to plummet into the basement. You can see something isn't right as the crowd stares and the beautiful woman donning pearls and bicycle red lipstick beckons you forward. So are you going to risk looking like a buffoon because of intuition or are you going to agree with social morays and step in? When reality has been proven to be the variable within society, we are here to tell you that your being is true and Cold in the Guestway.

KoR: That’s why I take the stairs, man. Okay, but, dudes, we have to say, your press shots—the mirror ones (above)—kinda spook us out. You look sort of appalachian-murder-spree-ish. But in a cool way, you know. Is that what you were going for?

AJ: Hahahaha! Now I understand why no one comes up to me after shows.

Like the music, we just throw ourselves into things. We hate photos and the cliché band pic thing, so we just go with the flow and alcohol in those situations. We know that the expectation for musicians these days is to be slick cute boy-toy types and we are just fine with looking like part of the cast from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Personally, I think beautiful people should stick to what they do best—fucking on the Internet. Not writing pop music.

KoR: Damn. What you got to say to THAT, pretty boys? Alright, enough etymology and porn talk—you guys just finished up some SXSW shows last month. How was that?

AJ: Overall it was a blast, as far as getting from point A to B to C to D to E to F and G for Gypsyblood. Next time around, a show a day to keep the doctor away.

KoR: Any crazy stories? Preferably ones that end in limb-loss, inter-dimensional travel, or panda bears?

AJ: Well we won't say who in the band, but one of us got shit on.... Literally.

KoR: See, this is just the kind of thing that does NOT make me miss the touring lifestyle. My thanks. Had you been down there for the fest before?

AJ: No, This was our first time. Our guitar player, Chris Alverez, hit it up last year while working merch for good friends/tight musicians, Maps and Atlases. So he became our Indian Guide throughout our journey.

KoR: Those guys are great. Plus they've got a lovely site. Did you guys see any bands that you didn't know before that got you jazzed, as they say?

AJ: Yes, I really dug the Mini Mansions set when they played with Queens of the Stone Age. We also played a few shows with Texas natives, Foe Destroyer and they put on a really great show as well.

KoR: Nice. You all are still based in Chicago, right? Are you both from there originally?

AJ: Yes, we are coming to you from our most beautiful, beloved Chic-a-go-go. For the most part, everyone is from here. Adam is a Catholic boy from Joliet though. We won't hold it against him.

KoR: Favorite thing about the windy city? 

AJ: It's an old soul’s paradise! It is always welcoming with out being over- or underwhelming. Food. Drink. Music. Good times. Year-round.

KoR: Psssssh. We’ve got that stuff. Though we're lacking in the Ferris Bueller parade realm. But okay, there's something in your bio about how the band formed after Kyle stormed off stage and hitchhiked home from a show ANOTHER band you all were in together was playing. What's that about? Should we expect similar on-stage antics at your Bowery show? I love a good on-stage band fight.

AJ: Anything worth a damn has been born out of that love/hate dynamic. It's a contradiction where all great art and science has been born. For us, it all comes out in the music completely. When you wear your emotions on your sleeve, you don't owe anyone anything. We weren't doing ourselves any favors playing music together when it took us over a year to get in the same room and disregard the past. So it's obvious that that comes out when we play. I suppose it's more reminiscent of Alan Vega and Suicide. When you have to do something to feel whole as a person, it's not always gonna be pretty.

KoR: I like that idea. 
So that’s a definite ‘yes’ to on-stage fist-fight?

Find out when Gypsyblood opens for Delicate Steve and pals, Maps and Atlases tomorrow night at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still available as of this post. And you can hear the rest of Gypsyblood's record and order it on their site. 

Journal of the Movement of the World

Reader, you need to understand something about us: We're planners. Understand, I'm not bragging, kind of the opposite, really. For instance, if there is a decision to be made, regardless of the weight or lack thereof of the consequences of that decision, we will TALK it out. Like, forever. To the extent that we sometimes feel like we never actually DO anything, we just talk about doing things. 

By way of example, we've got this gigantic green wall in our studio that we've been meaning to hang art on since we moved in. We talked out all kinds of options—stenciled birds flying up the wall, a cut out avian mobile of some sort, in-house climbing wall—and eventually settled on a poster project. Each of us would design anything we wanted whenever we wanted and we'd frame them and put 'em up on said giant wall. We decided that a while back....

Alas, one day Katie started printing up our first set—three designs themed in the realms of royalty and all things corvid. Check it out!

From the Nest

When I first heard about and saw pictures of Del Posto's 100-layer lasagna, I knew I had to have it. Er, you know, a vegan version of it, at least. 

The basic premise is that you're deconstructing the dish to its most basic, succulent elements—the 'cheese,' the sauce, the protein, and the pasta —and then just building it up as much as you can, until you've got a towering construction of Italian mastery that would be sure to tick off at least one of Garfield's nine lives upon mere sight. That cat....

On this first attempt, and given that taste was more a focus than attention-grabbing pasta-related statistics, I stopped at 23 alternating layers of sauce/filling and pasta (note that Del Posto's original is 50 layers of sauce/filling and 50 layers of pasta, not 100 layers of EVERYTHING). But it was. So. Good.

This is less of a straight recipe, more of a cooking road map. 

Frist, the pasta. Fresh pasta is kind of a must with this as you need it to be really thin to get a lot of layers in there. Fret not, though! We've been making World Foodie Guide's fresh eggless pasta recipe for years now, and it's honestly hard for me to buy boxed dried pasta now. It's seriously so so good. And she's got a great write up of the whole process for the uninitiated. Go by her recipe and then set the resulting ball of dough aside, covered in a bowl. 

On to the protein! We've been loving making our own seitan lately, using Terry Hope Romero's recipe in her cookbook, Viva Vegan!, but Post Punk Kitchen has a great recipe for it too. You can also buy about 16 ounces of the pre-packaged stuff at your local grocer's. Once we had the seitan made, we simply chopped it to a fine, ground-beef-like texture, and browned it with a little olive oil in a skillet. Then set aside.

To the sauce! This is important. You can use store-bought sauce, but it's highly recommended that you make your own. Especially if you're talking to any of my very Italian in-laws. We actually ADORE the marinara my father-in-law, Joe, makes. Luck would have it, he passed the recipe on to me. It is as follows:

Joe's Marinara 
• 1 Large Sweet Onion, peeled and diced
• 4 Large Carrots, un-peeled and diced
• 3 Stalks Celery, leaves removed and diced
• 9 Cloves of Garlic, peeled, smashed, and diced
• 1 Large Green Bell Pepper, cored and diced
• 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 6 oz. cans of Tomato Paste
• 2 tsp. of Crushed Pepper
• 2 tbsp. Dried Basil
• 1.5 tbsp. Dried Oregano 
• 1 tbsp. Dried Parsley
• .5 tbsp. Dried Thyme
• .5 tbsp. Dried Sage
• pinch of Ground Cinnamon  
• pinch of Ground or Shaved Nutmeg
• 3 Bay Leaves
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt, to taste
• Red Wine (optional)

So, basically, add all of your vegetables to a large pot with 2 tablespoons or so of warmed olive oil, tossing to coat. Throw in your crushed pepper and about a half-teaspoon of salt and simmer covered for about five minutes. Now add your crushed tomatoes and your tomato paste. Fill the tomato paste cans with water or broth, adding a total of 6 of those cans worth of liquid to the pot. Bring the heat up to medium, add all of the spices, and stir. If you like, you can add a cup or half-cup of red wine to mix at this point. Cook everything covered on medium-low heat, stirring and checking the taste after an hour, at which point you can add more spices if needed. Cook for another three or so hours covered, stirring from time to time. Store whatever you don't use frozen forevs. 

Now, the 'cheese'! For this, we lean on the mozzarella-style Daiya, but, rather than layer it in straight, we simmered some almond milk stovetop, adding in a generous portion (nearly the whole bag) along with some ground white pepper, nutritional yeats, salt, and some smoked paprika, tasting as we went until we had a nice-tasting 'cheese' and letting it reduce down it's not too liquidy. 

Once you've got all that ready to go, you just start rolling out sheets of pasta as thin as you can get them, laying your first sheet on a baking dish with a spoonful of sauce underneath it. Rolling sheets out as you go, just start stacking it all up, alternating with pasta, meat, sauce, 'cheese,' and repeat. Until you feel you can go on no longer, friend. Carefully bake at 350ºF covered for 45 minutes or so, then uncovered to crisp the top for 15 minutes or so. 

Now Garfield out, man!

Music Monday

The Spinanes • Hawaiian Baby 

One of my hands-down, all-time favorite bands ever in the world is the Spinanes. I still remember staying up late one Sunday night in 1993, watching 120 Minutes and totally falling in love with this song—"Noel, Jonah and Me"—outta nowhere. Next day, after school, I high-tailed it to our local indie record store, the Record Exchange (RIP) and picked up a copy of the album, Manos. Years later, their songs—crafted by singer-songwriter, Rebecca Gates, and punctuated artfully by the hard-hitting drummer, Scott Plouf—remained some of my favorite, and the band took a significant role in my mind of sculpting what, to me, was artful, beautiful independent pop music. 

Plouf and Gates eventually parted ways, each continuing to make music on their own, though we haven't heard much from Rebecca in the past couple years. So, suffice it to say, I was overjoyed when I heard that she would be releasing new music and supporting it with live shows this year—one tomorrow in our area at Maxwell's and then another Thursday at Brooklyn's Rock Shop. More exciting still—she agreed to take some time to talk with us about her music, what she's been doing over the years, and the best song ever.

Kindness of Ravens: First off, let me speak for the masses and say that it's astoundingly awesomely exciting to see you playing live shows again. It's been far too long. Last time I think we saw you play was in support of Ruby Series back in 2001. I think some of us were afraid you'd left the song-write-y/play-y scene altogether. What have you been up to for the past...er...ten years?

Rebecca Gates: Thank you for the encouragement. I've been involved in a lot of different endeavors over the years, most of them related to the contemporary arts world. I've curated art exhibitions, made art and been in shows, worked in the production side of art, worked as a photo stylist, wrote music for film and spent a lot of time thinking about sound and listening.

KoR: Right, and I know you've done a LOT of guest vocals on people's albums over the years—the late, great Elliot Smith, the Decemberists, Willie Nelson(?!). Was there a desire to sort of step out of the spotlight, so to speak or is it just totally fun to do guest spots?

RG: I love singing. I love playing guitar, writing songs and performing, but singing is my top love. All of the guest appearances were at the invitation of the artists. It wasn't anything I was actively pursuing, but would do at the drop of a hat. There's something really relaxing about showing up, executing what someone needs to the best of your ability, maybe offering something they wouldn't have thought of and then leaving, job done.

KoR: Like a choral gun for hire. Can you tell us about Sonoset Magazine?

RG: Sonoset is an audiomagazine—a serial release, a celebration of voice, whether it’s the voice of a single person, or the voice of a community. It features a variety of content and isn’t themed, though there will be a sub-issue called Sonoset Cycling.

KoR: And that’s launching this year, right?

RG: Indeed, Sonoset will finally make its appearance this year. Along with two albums. Hope the world can take it!

KoR: Bring it! So, with the work you’ve been doing in the fine arts world, are you focusing primarily on sound installations?

RG: Mostly sound, but also photography. I've a couple proposals I'm putting together that are more installations inclusive of sound. The list of possible projects is long!

KoR: Very cool. How are the albums of new material coming along? How does the new stuff compare to your other solo work or that of the Spinanes?

RG: I think the new work sounds like a nice mix of all my albums. I spent a long time after the last Spinanes record thinking about how little noise I could make while still working in a pop context. That stillness is on the new record, as is a song that, to me, is as rocking as anything on Manos, if not more so.

KoR: We do like the rock. Okay, so, I don't know if this is poor form or not, but one of my favorite songs ever is “Hawaiian Baby” (above) and it has been ever since I played it on that 'lil 7" in 1990-whatever. Can I ask what led to writing that? Or what it's about? Or why it speaks to my soul and says, "Hey man, everything's gonna to be alright, and even if it isn't, at least this song exists?...unless it's about, like, ordering breadsticks at Little Caesar's and not getting the dipping sauces you wanted…which would kind of ruin it for me.

RG: I'm not sure why that song has so much resonance for so many people, just thankful it does. I'll not say what spurred the writing; there is no one right answer.

KoR: Fair enough. So you're playing these coming shows as Rebecca Gates + the Consortium. Is that just out of a desire to have people to play off of on-stage? Is there any collaborative writing with the new songs as well?

RG: I like the tradition of sometimes solo, sometimes band. The Consortium is the umbrella term for all the folks I'm lucky enough to play with regardless of who's able to join in at what time. Given how many bands people are in these days, it's a way to play with a consistent group of people who know the songs already and play well together.

To find out more about what Rebecca's up to and sign up for updates and such, check her out over at Parcematone.

Rebecca has yet to release any of her new material, but we were lucky enough to get in touch with Bird of Youth, the exceptional Brooklyn-based band opening for Rebecca on Thursday at Rock Shop, and they sent us a song for this week's Song of the Week. "Bombs Away, She is Here to Stay"—is a specimen of excellent song-writing and is driven by catchy, driving guitar and strong, smooth vocals that pull you in. Check it out. The band's debut full-length—Defender—is due out May 24. You can hear more on the MySpace page. And get last-minute tickets to Thursday's show here!

Bird of Youth photo by Nick Bischoff.

Journal of the Movement of the World

A six-month, 2200-mile journey along the Appalachian Trail condensed into a five-minute stop-motion video. By Richmond, Virginia's Kevin Gallagher.

From the Nest

The [Cashew] Cheese Stands Alone

Recipe for: Baked Cashew Cheese Wheels

I've found that many of the homemade nut-based vegan cheese recipes I've come across in the past have been kinda "meh" and I realized it wasn't so much the flavor of the cheese as it was the texture.

Often simple ingredients, including, but not limited to, various nuts, lemon juice, tahini, agar and spices, are blended together and then refrigerated for several hours until it forms a solid jelly-esque blob o' cheeeeze. That's exactly the kind of cheese you want to slice and serve on a cracker! Or... not.

So when I came across this recipe on Healthy. Happy. Life. for a Baked Vegan Cashew Cheese, I knew I had to make it. Everything is better baked, just ask Charlie Sheen. (high five!)

Armed with a jar of raw cashews, I quickly realized I had a problem. Two, actually. (1) I didn't have a cheese cloth and (2) I didn't have the appropriate sized baking dish. It seems our kitchen's glassware to bakeware ratio is way off balance. Do you and your 12 friends need to double-fist martinis RIGHT NOW? We've got you covered. Need to borrow a small oven-safe serving dish? Who do you think we are, the royal family?

Too cheap to buy a small baking dish and too lazy to venture out in search of cheese cloth, I decided to use the recipe as a guide. Using a cupcake/muffin pan, I was able to make mini wheels of cashew cheese and experiment with flavors. Win-win! There's a lot of down time with this recipe, which is great, but, since you need to soak the cashews for at least 8 hours, it does require you to plan ahead.

The following is a list of ingredients you need to make Baked Cashew Cheese (makes approximately 5 wheels):

• 2 cups of Raw, Unsalted Cashews

• Approximately 1- 1.5 cups of Vegetable Broth (preferred) or Lightly Salted Water

• 1 tsp Salt (or less, if you prefer)

• Cupcake Pan

• Olive Oil (for lightly greasing the pan)

The classic cashew cheese is great, but because I used a muffin pan to make 5 small wheels, I decided to add ingredients to create different flavors. This experimentation has been an ongoing process, but so far I've made the following cheeses:

Smoked Guava Sea Salt (I highly recommend checking out the West Village salt shop, The Meadow, for all your salty needs)

Black Truffle + Sea Salt (using a few dashes of black truffle oil)

Black Salt + Black Pepper (goth/not goth: black salt? answer: totally goth)

Double Smoke (using a pinch of smoked paprika + a dash of liquid smoke)

Crushed Red Pepper (I prefer some heat, so I put in approximately 1 tablespoon. It was awesome and, as the french say, trés spicy)

Roasted Garlic (2-3 cloves)

Directions:

1. Soak the raw cashews in the vegetable broth (or water) for at least 8 hours.

2. Drain the cashews, but reserve about 1/2 cup of broth, maybe more.

3. Combine cashews, salt, and 1/2 cup of broth in a blender or food processor. Blend until very, very smooth. You can add a little more broth if necessary but avoid adding too much. The final mixture should be thick and creamy, not watery or thin.

4. Place the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. This allows the cashew cream to firm up.

5. Lightly oil a muffin pan and preheat the oven to 220ºF.

6. If you are making the classic version, go ahead and spoon the cashew cream into the muffin pan. I usually make 5 wheels per recipe. If you want to play with flavors, then spoon some of the cream into a separate bowl, add your specialty ingredients to taste and then scoop into the muffin pan. Bake for 2 hours at 220ºF. You should be able to gently loosen each wheel from the pan. If they are sticking or tearing, then you can continue baking for 20 minute increments. Just keep your eye on them.

7. Allow the wheels to cool slightly before serving or refrigerate them for several hours and serve cold.

The cheeses pair well with assorted crackers and toasted bread. Hello, cheese board!

Please note: If you do have cheese cloth and a small baking dish (such a fancy, glamorous life you lead!), then I encourage you to make the recipe on Healthy. Happy. Life. I skipped the draining part of her recipe, so I'm guessing that the consistency of the cashew cheese I made is a bit different than hers. She was the smarty-pants who decided to bake the cheese in the first place, so I'd trust her culinary skills over mine, especially considering that, until recently, the only thing I knew how to prepare in the kitchen was cereal.