Month: November 2023

Album Reviews 23/11/23

Gale Forces, Highlights Of Existence (self-released)

Well, I don’t mind this at all. As often as I’ve been disappointed by the last few months’ worth of Los Angeles bands darkening my door, there’s a lot of cred here, starting with the roster, which includes ex-members of Engine Kid and This White Light, along with a guy who’s still in AWOLNATION. The raucous music that’s on this LP isn’t hard to describe; there’s a lot of Aughts-era stoner rock to it, buoyed by a “brown” sort of guitar sound that typifies Trail Of Dead, and frontman Jade Devitt’s voice (he collaborated with someone from (((Sunn O))), by the way) evokes U2’s Bono on Nick Cave juice; that is to say it’s energetic but not hopelessly commercially shrinkwrapped. The end result is a bunch of tunes that are too cool for sports-bar rock but still quite accessible; SST Records would have loved this stuff as a companion product to Redd Kross and bands like that. A

dreamTX, Living In Memory Of Something Sweet (self-released)

Dallas, Texas,-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Nick Das is looking into techno reinvention after spending a few years chasing Drag City Records cred the way his fellow Texans do. He hatted out for Woodstock, New York, to inhale the spiritual air, promptly finding himself roasting in July without air conditioning, so this collection obviously has some trippy life stories behind it. “Get Around” has a tribal bend to it, evoking sunburnt neo-hippies jumping and dancing crook-legged; it’s celebratory, yes, but it’s also pretty gothic in its way, and I definitely like the muzzled no-wave guitar sound. “Elated” aims for the same sort of emotional bliss; like a sort of shoegaze 2.0, it’s sexless but rave-y, with multi-tracked faraway chant-like vocals begging the listener just to let go and be elated over something, whatever it might be. I’m sure a lot of writers will file this under dream-pop for the convenience of it, but it’s more than that, a very listenable mystery-meat I found particularly blissful really. A+

Playlist

A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• Nov. 24 is the day after Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday, and wouldn’t you know it, as always, even though Black Friday is the holiest of shopping days, very few albums will be released, assumedly because all the bands and artists and record company Men In Black know that people won’t be buying albums, they’ll be trapped at the mall, in the Apple and T-Mobile stores, trying to buy just the right glorified Tamagotchi for their ungrateful little Jacobs and Marissas, waiting around for some store clerk (who knows even less stuff about smartphones than they do, if that’s even possible) to take pity on them and answer their technical questions, like “Where’s the ‘on’ button?” (By now I’ve probably given away the fact that I hate smartphones; being an OG software engineer I see them as nothing more than walkie-talkies that tell you the weather). But anyway, Friday is a day that ends in ‘y’ and that means incorrigible songwriting addict Robert Pollard has written enough sort-of-songs to release a new Guided by Voices album whether I want him to or not! When last we left Pollard, federal agents were unable to confiscate his recording equipment owing to an obscure constitutional clause called “artistic freedom,” and so, for what, the 10th time this year, I’m again tasked with peering through an electron microscope at his latest songwriting outburst, an LP titled Nowhere To Go But Up, in an effort to find something to like about it. When last we left this nonsense, it was July and our intrepid hero had just released Welshpool Frillies, which had a song that I said was OK, not that I can remember anything about it, so I’ll have to take my word for it. OK, aaaand I’m riffing, let’s listen to the new single, “For The Home,” there it is, on YouTube. It starts out with some unplugged Led Zeppelin III weirdness, which would have been fine if Pollard had simply left it at that and maybe yodeled over it, but no, here we go, he rips off Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in The Sky,” hoping that there are three people left on the planet who’ve never heard that song and they’re Guided By Voices fans. It’s cool enough but pointless.

• British indie band Spector enjoy making borderline pub-rock for sports bars, you know, that goop that sounds important and edgy even though it’s not, and suddenly you’re saying to the waitress, “Sure, I’ll try the extra-hot wings,” and then you regret it. Their bandleader, Fred Macpherson, is influenced by ’80s/90s swill like OMD, Spandau Ballet and Ultravox, but I’m going to listen to the new single “Driving Home for Halloween,” from their fast-approaching new album Here Come The Early Nights, nevertheless. Oh lol, this is so gross, the tune’s faux-punk AOR hook is something you want to get out of your head as soon as it catches hold, it’s like a gothy version of the worst Kaiser Chiefs song you’ve ever heard, and there’s no escaping it. Absolutely terrible.

• Take That is a British dance-pop band that’s won zillions of British music awards, meaning that no American has ever heard of them except for me, just now. This Life is their ninth studio album, and the title track is — aw, I can’t snark at this, it’s nice and dancey, a dumb piano-pop thing, sort of like Andy Grammer or Billy Joel, and at least the video doesn’t have a runway model in it pretending to be a normal person.

• We’ll end with all y’all putting on cowboy hats, because country dude Chris Stapleton releases his new one, Higher, this week! He’ll be at the Bank of NH Pavilion for three days next August, tickets are going fast, and in the torchy new single “I Think I’m In Love With You” he sounds like a cross between Bon Scott and Peabo Bryson! Yee-haw, you have to love it!

Spice cookies

Things you probably didn’t know about your spices:

(1) They probably taste like sawdust. Did you know you’re supposed to replace them? Whole spices like whole nutmeg or cinnamon sticks can probably last a year or two, but ground spices have a shelf life of about six months. Baking powder and baking soda should be replaced twice a year, too. Date all these when you buy them, so you remember how old they are.

(2) Most spices are way better when you grind them yourself. Buy a very cheap coffee grinder and set it aside for things like cumin, cloves, coriander and allspice. Use a micro- plane grater or the tiny-hole side of your box grater for nutmeg. (Seriously, grate some fresh nutmeg and smell it. It will be a revelation.)

(3) Some spices would probably be better if you ground them yourself, but are too much trouble: cinnamon, cardamom seeds, dried ginger and cayenne pepper.

(4) Small containers of spices at the supermarket are startlingly expensive, but if you buy them from an Indian market, a two-pound bag will cost less than the coffee you bought on your drive there. But then you end up with way more cumin or poppy seeds than you can possibly use before they hit that one-year mark.

(5) If at all possible, store your spices on their sides in a drawer, instead of a cabinet. They have a way of migrating to the back of a cabinet, and if you’ve put them on a high shelf, you will forget that you ever bought them. They’ll hang out with that bottle of vegan Worcestershire sauce and the dip mix you bought at that gift shop that time, having sad conversations in a sort of all-spice production of The Velveteen Rabbit.

(6) Every once in a while, bake something that uses a lot of different spices.

  • 2 cups (212 grams) rye flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper – ½ teaspoon if you are stout of heart
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¾ cup (149 grams) white sugar
  • ½ cup (99 grams) vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup (85 grams) molasses
  • About 1/3 cup of sugar to coat the cookies

Heat the oven to 325º.

Combine all the dry ingredients — the rye flour, salt, spices and baking soda. I don’t know why sugar is treated as a wet ingredient, but it is. It’s just one of those unanswerable mysteries.

Whisk the oil and sugar together, then add the egg. It should pull together into a rough batter.

Mix in the molasses, then the dry ingredients.

Using a tiny ice cream scoop or a spoon, roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, then roll them around in the sugar.

Place them on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper, about 2 inches apart. This will probably take two baking sheets.

Bake for about 15 minutes. If your oven runs hot, it might take a little less time, and longer if it runs a little cool. If it’s like mine, you can never be certain what it will do, so you should probably start checking on the cookies at 12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the tray.

Not only do these spice cookies taste good; they are a confidence-booster. They come out very round and crinkly. These might be the most professional-looking cookies you bake this year. The rye flour and the molasses deepen the flavor and provide a bass note to the spices.

Could you play around and replace some of the spices? Probably. I’ve made these with smoked cinnamon and they were pretty good. Ground cloves might be another way to add some zing.

You’d be rolling the dust by grinding caraway seeds and using them, but now that I just thought of it, I’m going to try it.

This is a good dress rehearsal for the holidays and makes you inventory your spice drawer.

Featured photo: Spice cookies. Photo by John Fladd.

Which wines?

Experts recommend Thanksgiving wine pairings

By Renee Merchant

Looking for wines for your Thanksgiving meal? Three local wine experts have pairing recommendations.

Hors d’oeuvres

Beth Waite is the co-owner and general manager of Averill House Vineyard, a family-owned winery in Brookline. She advised serving a mulled wine with your Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres.

“Mulled wine is one of our favorite things to introduce during these cooler months and into the winter season,” she said. “It’s pretty much like a snuggle in a glass.”

You can easily make mulled wine in a slow cooker, she said, by adding red wine, particularly a cabernet or a fruity wine, with apple cider, cranberry juice and a mulling mix that has cinnamon and nutmeg in it.

“I personally enjoy a pinot noir that has some blackberry to it,” she said. “That fruit note really adds to the body of the mulling mix.”

Mike Appolo is the owner and winegrower at Appolo Vineyards, a boutique winery in Derry. He said his pick for a pairing with Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres is a sparkling white wine.

“You want something that would cleanse your palate,” he said.

He mentioned Appolo Vineyards’ sparkling wine called Bee Wild as a good option.

“It’s a brut,” he said, “which means it’s a little bit sweet.”

Al Fulchino is the owner and winegrower at Fulchino Vineyard in Hollis. He said he likes to “start off real simple” in a pairing with a rosé or a blush.

“We have a pinot noir rosé, called Amoré, wonderful for the first light appetizers like, let’s say, shrimp or scallops,” he said.

Then, for the heavier appetizers, you could serve “something a bit more serious,” he said, like a pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc. A red wine would work too, he said.

“[Try] a sangria wine or a montepulciano, a nice red with not a lot of tannins, but [that] has some body to it,” he said.

A tip for serving red wine, Waite said, is to open it 30 minutes before serving to give it time to breathe.

“That will open up a lot more of the body of the wine,” she said.

Main course

Fulchino said a chardonnay or a pinot grigio will go well with a variety of Thanksgiving meals. If you prefer a red wine, he said, try a cabernet, sangiovese or pinot noir. He suggested Fulchino Vineyard’s pinot noir called 603.

If you’re having turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy for the main course, Waite recommended a pinot noir.

“It’s a classic wine to go with the Thanksgiving dinner,” she said.

She said Averill House Vineyard’s blackberry pinot noir, called Truly Cinematic, is a must-try.

“It has a lighter body and kind of like a fruit-forward profile, and it’s very versatile,” she said.

According to Appolo, a white wine pairs best with a turkey dinner. He said that if you prefer a wine that is less dry, you might want to try Appolo Vineyards’ wine, Sonrisa.

“[It] has a little bit of an orange muscat and seyval blend, so that one’s a little bit sweet, and it tends to go with a great variety of foods,” he said.

To finish the feast

For dessert, Appolo suggested a mulled wine, like a glühwein.

“It’s a German word that means smoldering wine. It’s made to be served warm … with [a] mulling syrup,” he said, “That would go great with dessert because it’s got spices, orange zest and cinnamon.”

If you are serving pumpkin pie, Waite said she has two recommendations: an earthy red wine, like a nebbiolo, or a sweeter wine, like a port.

With an apple pie, she said, she enjoys a dry or semi-dry white wine, like a riesling or a sauvignon blanc.

“It just has a really nice acidity that complements the apple in that dessert,” she said.

Fulchino recommends a small glass of dry wine to balance the sweetness of your dessert.

“It doesn’t have to be over-the-top sweet for a dessert wine,” he said, “[it] could be lightly sweet, and that’s just enough, and sometimes that’s the dessert by itself.”

Appolo said not to be afraid to explore new types of wine.

“Don’t treat wine like it’s a big mystery thing that you have to be an expert in to enjoy,” he said. “Just be adventurous.”

Featured photo: Averill House Vineyard Truly Cinematic. Courtesy photo

Jingle all the way

Tour of New Hampshire’s wineries

Tour wineries throughout New Hampshire this holiday season during the New Hampshire Jingle Bells Winery Tour running on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 17.

“It’s a self-guided tour through … 12 different wineries in the state of New Hampshire … [ranging] all the way from the Seacoast area up to the North Country, all the way out to the western country in Westmoreland, so it basically encompasses the whole state,” said Lewis Eaton, former president of the New Hampshire Winery Association and owner of Sweet Baby Vineyard in Hampstead, one of the participating wineries. “You get a whole month to do it and each winery provides wine samples. You also get a food component to go with it and you get an individual ornament from each one of the wineries.”

Sweet Baby Vineyard will offer four one-ounce pours of any of the 20 wines on their tasting board with lots of fruity options such as blueberry, peach, apple, raspberry and strawberry, and freshly baked cookies and brownies made by a local baker. You will be able to pick from two ornaments, a logoed glass ball or a compostable seed packet shaped like a snowflake that you can toss in your garden in the spring to plant wildflowers.

Other participating wineries are Appolo Vineyard, Averill House Vineyard, Black Bear Vineyard, Cabana Falls Winery, Crazy Cat Winery, Flag Hill Distillery & Winery, Hermit Woods Winery, both LaBelle Winery locations in Amherst and Derry, Seven Birches Winery, Squamscott Vineyard & Winery and The Summit Winery.

“We encourage you to do it as your Christmas shopping, so if you’re going up to the North Country … to shop at the outlets or anything like that you can hit a couple of wineries up there, [or] when you’re on the Seacoast shopping,” Eaton said. “The weekend after Thanksgiving is generally the most busy time for the Jingle Bell Tour because people are out Christmas shopping and just burning time.”

At LaBelle Winery participants will be able to sample whatever wine they choose and enjoy a citrus, ginger and thyme crisp or a double chocolate crunch shortbread to have with their samples or take home. For those with food allergies or sensitivities, dark chocolate-covered cranberries will also be offered.

Each winery will be competing in the Holiday Spirit contest, so after you’ve gone to each one, make sure to go to the New Hampshire Jingle Bells Winery Tour and follow the guidelines to vote for which winery was best decked for the holidays for the chance to win a gift basket filled by the wineries.

“It’s such a nice program because it introduces the public and wine lovers to a good number of New Hampshire wineries,” said Michelle Thornton, the marketing and business development director at LaBelle Winery. “A lot of people may have not ever been to all of them and this gives them the opportunity to go.”

2023 Jingle Bells Winery Tour
Where: at participating wineries
When: Saturday and Sunday through Sunday, Dec. 17, from noon to 4 p.m.
Cost: Tickets are $55 for single admission and $100 for couple admission. Purchase via eventbrite.
More info: Visit their Facebook page @NHJingleBellsWineryTour

Appolo Vineyards
49 Lawrence Road, Derry
Averill House Vineyard
21 Averill Road, Brookline
Black Bear Vineyard
289 New Road, Salisbury
Cabana Falls Winery
80 Peterborough St., Jaffrey
Crazy Cat Winery
365 Lake St., Bristol
Flag Hill Distillery & Winery
297 N. River Road, Lee
Hermit Woods Winery
72 Main St., Meredith
LaBelle Winery
345 Route 101, Amherst
14 Route 111, Derry
Seven Birches Winery
22 South Mountain Road, Lincoln
Squamscott Vineyard & Winery
70 Route 108, Newfields
Sweet Baby Vineyard
260 Stage Road, Hampstead
The Summit Winery
719 Highway 12, Westmoreland

Featured photo: LaBelle Winery. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 23/11/23

News from the local food scene

• Breakfast and dinner with Santa: Have breakfast with Santa at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford) on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 8 to 11 a.m. and dinner on Sunday, Dec. 10, or Monday, Dec. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. The breakfast buffet includes options such as French toast sticks, muffins, fresh fruit and avocado toast. Tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for children under 12. The dinner buffet offers fried chicken, barbecue short ribs, broccolini and cheese, mac and cheese and a dessert bar. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Visit hampshirehills.com.

• Calumet bourbon dinner: Enjoy a five-course dinner with five bourbon expressions on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Ya Mas Greek Taverna & Bar (275 Rockingham Park Blvd., Salem). On the menu are charred heirloom beets, blackened pan-seared salmon, chicken tiki masala and a berry tart. Tickets start at $125 and can be purchased via eventbrite.

• Holiday recipes: On Wednesday, Dec. 13, LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst) hosts a cooking with wine class featuring holiday recipes including a greeting eggnog cocktail, candied kielbasa, deviled eggs with LaBelle Seyval Blanc filling, LaBelle red wine caramelized onion dip, baked brie with LaBelle red wine fruit compote and LaBelle wine pairings (riesling, cranberry riesling and malbec). Chefs will make the meals in front of you and you’ll be sent home with a recipe card. Tickets start at $43.40 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com.

On The Job – Allison Clarke

Photographer

Allison Clarke, from Bedford, owns Allison Clarke Photography.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I am a senior portrait and wedding photographer. So I’m either there on someone’s wedding day to capture everything as it unfolds, or when you’re a senior in high school and you get your photos done, I’m the person that does those.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been doing this for eight years.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I actually started my business when I was in high school. It was a passion and a hobby that turned into a job.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I went to school for photography for my freshman year of college, [but] then I realized that what I had left to learn to run a successful photography business wasn’t so much on the photo side; it was on the business and marketing side. So I finished my degree at Southern New Hampshire University in marketing.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

If I’m editing photos, I’m just on my couch in comfy clothes. If I’m at a senior session, I just wear basic everyday clothes. And then, for weddings … I want to blend in with the guests … so I try to wear something that is professional but also looks like formal wedding guest attire.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

Time management and being your own boss can be difficult. … I like to set daily goals for myself. … I try to use calendars and to-do lists … to stay on top of things.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

In a career field that is very artistic, it’s really easy to compare yourself to others. … You’ll always be growing and changing your style and adapting and learning. There’s no use in comparing yourself to people around you. The only person you should compare yourself to is your past self.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I wish people knew it was more than just clicking a button. Running a photography business is a full-time thing, and we do way more work behind the scenes than people realize.

What was the first job you ever had?

It was actually this. I started my business in high school, and it was my first job.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

If you want something, grab it by the horns and go full force into it. … It’s very difficult to … start something from the ground up, but as long as you put your absolute all into it, have confidence and lead with passion, it’ll all work out in the end.

Five favorites
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Favorite movie: Any classic comedy
Favorite music: Indie folk, like Noah Kahan
Favorite food: Pancakes
Favorite thing about NH: It’s an hour to the White Mountains, an hour to the beach and an hour to Boston. There’s a lot to do in a short distance.

Featured photo: Allison Clarke. Courtesy photo.

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