International Talk Like A Pirate Day Music: Alestorm

Arr, matey! In a never ending quest to give recognition to anything and everything, National Talk Like A Pirate Day has become something of an addictive oddity. Basically, it all started in 1995 and involved a few guys and a racquetball sports injury. Curious? Read up on the origin here.

Being that it is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, who better to listen to than a pirate rock group. Yes you heard me. Pirate Rock. Check out the band, Alestorm. The first time I listened, I laughed. The second time, I started to sing along. By the third listen, I was ready to pillage and plunder! Remember, it's only music and should not be used as a soundtrack to making people walk the plank.

Check out the Alestorm video for "Keelhauled."

Buy the song or album on iTunes.

Love it or Hate it: "Fu-Gee-La" by Fugees

Fugees
"Fu-Gee-La"
The Score
1996

Buy the song or album on iTunes.

Watch the video.

"Ooh la la la. It's the way that we rock when we doin' our thing!" This was the first song I ever ruined stereo speakers with. Thank goodness blowing the speakers was covered under the warranty. This song and the album bring back some great memories. I love it.

Here are the thoughts from music loving colleagues:

Darrell Alston: Love it. It has to be one of the top 10 albums of all time.

Yvonne Lucado: I like it. It reminds me of Caron Wheeler in the group Soul II Soul. They sang "Keep On Movin'" and "Back To Life."

Malika Comfort: I like it. That was my first introduction to Lauryn Hill. Wish she never left the industry.

So that's 4-0 for Fugees' "Fu-Gee-La." Tell us what you think about it.

Love it or Hate it: "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite

Dee-Lite
"Groove Is In The Heart"
World Clique
1990

Buy the song or album on iTunes.

Watch the video.

Some would argue that Deee-Lite is not a one hit wonder however, I can't seem to find another person who remembers another song by her. My first introduction to this song was at a skating rink. I remember hearing it at least 3 times in the 2 hours I was there. I still love the song.

Here are the thoughts from music loving colleagues:

Andrew Bonner: I love it. It hit me at that time in my life where it was OK!

Gwen Jones: I guess I'd have to say I kinda like it.

Darrell Alston: It's alright. I used to love it when I was a kid.

Jason Burns: I hate it. It's all because of the video. If I had never seen the video, I'd like the song.

So that's 4-1 in favor of Dee-Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart." Tell us what you think about it.

All music mattered after 9/11.

In 2001, I ran an open mic night at a local music club. Sept. 13 was the usual night and the owners debated having the open mic night at all that week. I told them to go ahead. That night we had more people come in and sign up to play music than to sit and listen. One person came in and sang "Imagine" by John Lenon acapella.

2 days before, I was the classic stereotype of a musician. Asleep face down in the pillow with guitar beside me on the bed. My girlfriend ran into the bedroom and woke me up yelling that the world trade center had been hit. With the rest of the world, I watched as the second tower was hit, the pentagon was hit and Flight 93 went down. For the first time that I know of, cable tv stations were going dark. QVC went off the air, MTV and various other music stations switched to the newscasts of their parent companies.

When the announcement that all flights were grounded and U.S. airspace was locked down, I went in to work at the local newspaper. It was my day off, but I knew we were going to be putting something out about it. I would've worked for free that day.

10 years later, some things fade from memory... What I was wearing, what I did when I got off work. One thing I do remember is not playing any music for two days.

I had nothing to say through music. At the open mic night, I can't remember what I played. I do remember letting other musicians borrow my guitars for a few songs. I remember one large jam at the end of the night for one reason. No one said anything. Drums were beat, guitars and bass were strummed, piano, flute, harmonica and sax got in on the action. The music was upbeat and normally a spoken word poet or a freestyle rapper would jump on the mic, but not that night.

Maybe for that brief time, everything that needed to be said could be done by a note or a chord. A minor, F, C, G. On Sept. 13, that was how a bunch of musicians talked to each other. That was a great conversation.

*image from CNN

Why Jay-Z's music still mattered on 9/11

Labor Day weekend menu!

I'm thinking more "surf and turf" this year. T-bone, lobster tails, potato salad, baked beans, fresh corn chips, pico de gallo and spinach salad. This year, the garlic butter and pico de gallo will be a hit.

Garlic Butter
1 room temp stick of butter unsalted
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of Italian seasoning

Toss the 4 cloves of garlic in the food processor along with the butter and Italian seasoning. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove garlic butter from processor and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover and mold into a round log formation. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

The longer you wait, the more the flavors blend. I usually let it sit for a day or two. The garlic butter can now be sliced into medallions for placement on a hot steak or melted for dipping lobster.

Pico de Gallo
12 Roma tomatoes
1 med onion (red, white, yellow... your preference. Red for less sharpness)
4 sprigs of cilantro
1 jalapeno (optional for hot)
1 zest of lime (optional for citrus essence)
pinch of sea salt (optional)

Slice tomatoes in half length wise and use a spoon to clean out the seeds. Dice tomatoes and place in metal or plastic mixing bowl. Dice onion and place in mixing bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and toss it in with the tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle some sea salt on top and mix. Place bowl in fridge to let flavors mingle for at least an hour before serving. Goes great with corn chips and can be used as it's own side dish or garnish.

A citrus tea will add a little something extra to the party.

Citrus Tea
1 lime
1 lemon
1 orange
2 cups of sugar
1 gallon pitcher
2-4 tea bags (depending on your preference)

Let tea bags steep in boiled water for 30 minutes. Slice the lime, lemon and orange and place in bottom of pitcher. Pour sugar on top. Remove tea bags and pour tea into pitcher stirring as you go. Fill the rest of the pitcher with water while stirring.

Add an ounce or two of Flor de Cana rum to individual drinks to give guests of legal age a kick.

Any food or drink recipes you are willing to share for this holiday weekend? Let's hear them!

*Image from Fotosearch