Album Reviews 20/07/16

Jeff Cosgrove, History Gets Ahead of the Story (Grizzley Music)
This album is pretty niche indeed, combining a few things I tend to avoid (improvisational jazz, old-school classic organ, like, I mean right out of Lawrence Welk) with something I do appreciate regardless of setting, namely top-drawer musicianship. The story behind this (I assume) one-off is a bit convoluted; Cosgrove is a Washington, D.C.-based drummer leading a bass-free trio (himself along with organist John Medeski and sax player Jeff Lederer) in a tribute to bassist William Parker, who’s still alive. Got that? No bass playing in an album of tunes written by a jazz bassist (who, incidentally, played in a trio with Cosgrove until 2015). So, an odd duck indeed, but it gets odder; both Cosgrove and Parker love them some ad-libbing, so on the whole the record could be categorized as “skronk-coffeehouse,” if you will, a roller coaster ride of precision and spazzing. Some stellar organ-noodling on “Gospel Flowers”; adept modal sax things on “Moon”; even some noise on “Little Bird” (I had to double-check to see if a guitarist wasn’t messing around with pick-scraping in there or something; I still can’t guess what the sound is). Anyway, that; it is what it is. B — Eric W. Saeger

Skeleton, Skeleton (20 Buck Skin Records)
Debut LP from a crew of Austin, Texas-based guys who stalk a middle ground between old-time black metal and neo-street metal a la High On Fire. I have no idea why this isn’t more of a thing in the metal scene, but then again, any bunch of Air Max-wearing suburban dudes whose sole mission in life is impressing the barista girls at Starbucks knows that the quickest route to being able to brag that “we got a record contract” is to play some boring, pedestrian emo through a Mesa Boogie amplifier that’s been made wimpy and useless through too much processing. No, these guys have better riffing than any ’70s-revivalist band that I’ve heard lately (The Sword can sit down now), and it’s cut with Venom-style spazz-outs that keep listeners on their toes, or at least listening. I like everything about this one, but wait, there’s more, folks: the singer sounds like he ran out of enthusiasm for doing a scary-devil-guy Quorthon imitation the minute he got in the studio. A giant leap for mankind, in short. A+ — Eric W. Saeger

Retro Playlist

Erik W. Saeger recommends a couple of albums worth a second look.

With a new renaissance of thought and cultural realism dawning, I’m surprised that heavy metal hasn’t made a massive comeback. (Note that by “heavy metal,” I mean crazily angry music of a type that should, by all rights, be soundtracking the cultural transformations that are in the air everywhere, at least in an in vitro sense on social media.)

One of the things that may annoy you about me is the fact that I tend to ignore what’s happening in the area of “middle-of-the-road metal.” To clarify, that’s a pretty loose catchall I use to describe a wide range of bands, from mildly dangerous-sounding metalcore bands (Bullet For My Valentine, et al.) to nu-metal nonsense like Avenged Sevenfold. In contrast, my tastes gravitate to things that make Everymen feel their true power levels.

Your mileage may vary, of course. Like, for some, death metal peaked with Slayer (along with the 127,287,558 bands that sound like them) and it does the trick for them. Older folks just want some Black Sabbath. But for me it’s Ministry or bust. Their 1996 LP Filth Pig is an F5 tornado of rebellion; if you haven’t ever cranked that album’s “Dead Guy” to the point of permanent hearing loss, please do so now.

Zoomers, if you ever want to be as unstoppable as Greta Thunberg as a group, you need angry, uncompromising instrument-driven anthems, that is to say, riffs. Black Veil Brides is a cool band, but they’re literally too good in a politely melodic sense. Know what you really need, Gen Z? Sweaty fat guys with awesome, awesome guitar riffs, like Bachman Turner Overdrive. On their 1974 album Not Fragile, the title track may not have been the cleverest or most innovative use of a Marshall amp in history, but it’s perfectly conceived. The riff is exquisitely played; way past fed-up; boiling over with stubborn, overconfident resolve; and only really effective with the volume knob set to 11.

If you’re in a local band, now’s a great time to let me know about your EP, your single, whatever’s on your mind. Let me know how you’re holding yourself together without being able to play shows or jam with your homies. Send a recipe for keema matar. Email [email protected] for fastest response.

PLAYLIST
A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases
• The next traditional date for new album releases is Friday, July 17, and, as seems to be common these days, I must eat a few stupid words I said before. The Chicks’ new album Gaslighter is out on that day; it wasn’t released on March 4 as I previously reported. That was just the title-track single. It is a great song; otherwise there’s no way on Earth I’d have ever copped to this oversight, like, as if, and I blame Metacritic.com anyway, so feel free to send hate mail to them, because it’s all their fault.

• I reviewed Gang of Four’s EP This Heaven Gives Me Migraine back in February, but guess what, there is another Gang of Four EP coming out, called Anti Hero, on the 17th. If you recall, and you probably don’t, I did like Heaven, even though it was just a bunch of reruns of past GoF tunes that Andy Gill wanted to get off his chest while he was dying of pneumonia. There’s a similar downer history to this EP, a short collection of the last songs Gill was working on from his hospice bed; the story is that he was working on new tuneage until the very last. The kickoff single, “Forever Starts Now,” is an above average post-punk song, with art-wave elements borrowed from Talking Heads. By now you’ve either made up your mind about the band or avoided them like the plague, so in honor of Gill’s memory I’ll just keep my wise mouth shut about this one.

• Like everyone else on Earth, The Pretenders have something to say about the unspeakable train wreck that is the current American sociopolitical environment, but since it’s Chrissie Hynde putting in her two cents, I’ll actually pay attention, because Chrissie is my rock ’n’ roll waifu, accept no substitutes. But wait, the band’s new LP, Hate For Sale, isn’t some sort of political statement, it’s actually a tribute to The Damned, because Chrissie thinks they’re awesome, which only means that Chrissie is even more awesome than ever before. HFS is their first release since 2016’s Alone, and guess what, the original release date was May 1, but then there was the coronavirus, and here we are, it’ll finally be out at Strawberries or Tower Records or whatever store’s open. Hey, wanna know something hilarious, of course you do, they were supposed to do a five-month tour this summer with — you’ll die, I swear — Journey, of all the bands in the world. To me, that’s the ’80s-rock equivalent of Imagine Dragons touring with Black Lips, but anyway the new single, “You Can’t Hurt a Fool,” isn’t a tribute to The Damned, it’s a ’60s-Motown-influenced chill song about being in a stupid relationship, or maybe a diss of J-Lo (listen to the words), I don’t know for sure.

• To close out the week, we have Florida band Surfer Blood, with a new album, Carefree Theatre! Like so many milquetoast-indie bands, despite their scary name, these guys specialize in, you know, milquetoast-indie, but the single “Karen” is kind of loud, a little bit, and would almost be art-rock if it didn’t sound like Death Cab For Cutie with their volume accidentally cranked. It would make a great closing song for a trite hipster movie about a bunch of hipsters who are on an endless quest for an unused pair of 1971 PF Flyer sneakers, and one of the hipsters smokes weed all the time, which hurts his chances for ever finding true love, except for maybe with the crazily shy girl who works at Whole Foods and likes Perry Como records, and then it thankfully ends. — Eric W. Saeger

Local bands seeking album or EP reviews can message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Savory, sips and sweets

Taste of the Region returns to Derry

EVENT UPDATE:
Just after going to press on Tuesday, July 14th, Taste of the Region organizers announced that they have made the event virtual. For updated details, visit http://derry-chamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/taste-of-the-region-gone-virtual-11796

More than two dozen local restaurants, breweries and other businesses will be vying for your vote during the annual Taste of the Region. After its initial cancellation in April, the festival will return to Derry’s Tupelo Music Hall on Tuesday, July 21.
Normally held inside the venue, the Taste of the Region is moving outdoors this year to accommodate social distancing regulations.
“Exhibitors will be set up in the parking lot similar to guests at a show at the Tupelo, so people can pass by in both directions without being too close to each other,” said Ashley Haseltine, president of the Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.
Whenever possible, all foods will be packaged individually grab-and-go style, while beverages will be offered in single-use sample cups. Each sample falls under one of three categories — “savory,” “sips” or “sweets” — and vendors can opt to participate in one, two or all three. “‘Savory’ is more of an entree-type food option,” Haseltine said. “‘Sips’ can be any beverage, alcoholic or non-alcoholic … and then ‘sweets’ is any type of dessert. It’s always a great variety. … The fun thing with this event is that sometimes restaurants bring something that people didn’t even realize they offered, and then for the breweries it’s usually whatever kind of specialty brew they have at the moment.”
If you’ve attended the event in the past, you’ll see some returning vendors and a few new faces. Kiss the Cook Macaroni & Cheese, a Derry-based business offering homemade macaroni and cheese; The Nutrition Corner, a Derry shop offering protein smoothies and teas that opened late last year; and the Daydreaming Brewing Co. of Derry, which was launched earlier this year by Andy Day and Alana Wentworth of Cask & Vine, are all among this year’s newcomers.
Casa Java Cafe of Derry, which has participated in the event previously, will be returning this year, offering multiple flavors of crepes. They’ll have their warm cinnamon apple crepe, their fruity Nutella crepe with strawberry banana, and their house Casa Java crepe with blackberry and arequipe (Colombian caramel sauce).
The Grind Rail Trail Cafe, also of Derry, will be serving a savory option and an entry into the “sips” category, most likely a cold brew or other coffee offering. Rig A’ Tony’s Italian Takeout, another returning participant, has in the past featured a display of desserts like whoopie pies and coconut macaroons.
All exhibitors and tasters are asked to wear a mask or face-covering while in the event area in the parking lot. Instead of stopping in front of each booth to try their samples, Haseltine said, everyone is asked to use one of two designated tents with tables to sit down and eat at. Members of Servpro of Derry and Londonderry, one of the event’s sponsors, will be regularly sanitizing tables and chairs throughout the evening.
Each taster will be given a paper ballot on which to write their votes for each category. Haseltine said winners will be announced on social media within a week.

Taste of the Region
When: Tuesday, July 21, 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Tupelo Music Hall parking lot, 10 A St., Derry
Cost: $35 admittance per person (includes full access to food and drink tastings; purchasing tickets in advance is encouraged, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Kyle B. Ross Memorial Scholarship Fund)
Visit: gdlchamber.org

Participating food and beverage vendors
• 603 Brewery (Londonderry, 603brewery.com)
• Amphora Restaurant (Derry, amphoranh.com)
• Aroma Joe’s Cafe (Derry, aromajoes.com)
• Casa Java Cafe (Derry, casajavacafe.com)
• Clam Haven (Derry, clamhaven.com)
• Daydreaming Brewing Co. (Derry, daydreaming.beer)
• Doire Distilling (Derry, doiredistilling.com)
• Fody’s Tavern (Derry, fodystavern.com)
• From the Barrel (Derry, drinkftb.com)
• Gabi’s Smoke Shack (Londonderry, gabissmokeshack.com)
• The Grind Rail Trail Cafe (Derry, thegrindnh.com)
• Halligan Tavern (Derry, thehalligantavern.com)
• Kiss the Cook Macaroni & Cheese (Derry, kissthecookllc.com)
• Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. (Londonderry, longbluecat.com)
• Moonlight Meadery (Londonderry, moonlightmeadery.com)
• The Nutrition Corner (Derry, thenutritioncorner.business.site)
• Pasta Loft Restaurant (East Hampstead, pastalofthampstead.com)
• Pipe Dream Brewing (Londonderry, pipedreambrewingnh.com)
• Prime Source Foods (Londonderry, primesourcefoods.biz)
• The Red Arrow Diner (Londonderry, redarrowdiner.com)
• The Residence at Salem Woods (lcbseniorliving.com)
• Rig A’ Tony’s Italian Takeout (Derry, find them on Facebook)
• Rockingham Brewing Co. (Derry, rockinghambrewing.com)
• Talia’s Eatery (Londonderry, taliaseatery.com)
• Troy’s Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar (Londonderry, troysfreshkitchen.com)
• Zorvino Vineyards (Sandown, zorvino.com)

In the kitchen with Doug Loranger

Doug Loranger of Nashua is the owner of Ranger’s BBQ (rangers-bbq.com, find them on Facebook @rangersbbq17), a food trailer specializing in a variety of styles of barbecue, including North Carolina-style pulled pork and slow cooked Memphis-style ribs. He also offers smoked brisket, pulled chicken and several sides, like homemade macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, cornbread and his smoked baked beans with bacon, which won first place in last year’s New Hampshire Bacon & Beer Festival. A Nashua native, Loranger lived in Texas for more than a decade, working in capital equipment sales, before returning to New Hampshire. After cooking barbecue for a Super Bowl party in 2017, Loranger said the feedback was so positive that it prompted him to begin seeking out potential trailers the following day. Currently you can find Ranger’s BBQ at 324 Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua (near the Tyngsboro, Mass., state line) most Saturdays or Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless Loranger is catering for a private event that weekend. Follow him on social media for the most up-to-date information.

What is your must-have kitchen item?
A big spatula to get the brisket out of the smoker easily. I have some custom spatulas from Humphrey’s Smokers out of Maine.

What would you have for your last meal?
Probably a good rib-eye or duck breast.

What is your favorite local restaurant?
Giant of Siam [in Nashua]. I just love how fresh their food is, and their service is excellent.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from your trailer?
Aaron Franklin, because I’d like his take on my food. He owns Franklin Barbecue down in Austin, Texas. People wait in line for hours to eat at his place. They come from all over the world just to have his barbecue, so it would be neat to get a little bit of feedback from him.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?
My ribs. Both the ribs and the brisket tend to sell out very fast.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?
I don’t know that this is a recent trend, but New England is getting more ethnically diverse in its foods. It’s nice to see more … diverse [options] than when I was growing up.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
Prime rib, or duck.

Homemade macaroni and cheese
From the kitchen of Doug Loranger of Ranger’s BBQ in Nashua

1 pound macaroni or pasta of choice
½ cup (or one stick) butter
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons pepper
1 quart milk
1 quart shredded cheese of choice (Loranger likes to use a mix of provolone, cheddar, mozzarella and sometimes Gouda)

Melt the butter and mix in the flour to make a roux. Slowly add the milk so it gets warm as you add it. Mix in the salt and pepper. Add the cheese and stir until the mixture achieves a creamy consistency. Boil the pasta to al dente and add the mix to it.

Beer for the beach or pool

Go for a crisp, refreshing Pilsner

It’s beach time and it’s pool time — and if you’re relaxing in the hot sun at the beach or beside a pool, you’re going to need a beer to wash down that salty air.

While the brand doesn’t matter as much, the style of beer you want is a Pilsner. Crisp, refreshing, easy to drink, bright and best served ice cold (if you ask me), Pilsners are beers you just don’t need to think too much about. When you’re poolside or better yet floating in a pool, that’s the perfect time to drink a beer you don’t need to spend time considering.

That’s not to say that Pilsners aren’t interesting — many certainly are — but the point is, Pilsners taste like beer. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a few Pilsners from the big names in the industry, such as Budweiser or Coors, but craft breweries have caught on that beer enthusiasts often want an alternative to IPAs and hefty stouts and porters. That means you have a plethora of craft Pilsners available, each offering subtle nuances, and generally all quenching the “I just need a beer” thirst on a hot, summer day.

Separate point, but there is no reason Pilsners can’t be the gateway beer for beer drinkers first diving into the sometimes overwhelming world of craft beer. They are not intimidating and they taste good pretty much universally.

Final point, Pilsners are low in alcohol — as in typically less than 5 percent ABV — meaning I give you permission to have more than one. And because they are lighter and have less alcohol, they don’t bog you down.

Here are six easy-drinking New Hampshire-made Pilsners to cool you down by the beach or by the pool or maybe after you’ve mowed the lawn:

Carry On by Great Rhythm Brewing Co. (Portsmouth)
This is a Bohemian-style Pilsner and I’m not going to pretend that I know what that means. This is a classic Pilsner in my book: super crisp, super refreshing and super easy-to-drink. Perfect after you’ve worked up a thirst catching a Frisbee at the beach exactly two times.

Northbound by Great North Aleworks (Manchester)
This is technically a summer seasonal, but I think Great North Aleworks should offer this year-round. There I said it. You get a little more citrus flavor on this then you might on other Pilsners, which helps set it apart.

Alexandr 10˚ by Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton)
This has a little more complexity than you might expect as the hop character is a little more pronounced and there is a little more going on with the aroma, and I mean all of this in a good way. This is delicious.

PJ Pilsner by Concord Craft Brewing (Concord)
OK, I haven’t had this one but I am sort of a sucker for dry-hopped beers — I just think it adds a little excitement, complexity and energy to a beer, if that makes any sense. According to the brewery, this is light and refreshing and finishes crisp and clean. Perfect.

Lost River Light Ale by Woodstock Inn Brewery (North Woodstock)
I respect when breweries aren’t afraid to call a beer a light beer. Let’s be honest, that’s sort of what Pilsners are. The brewery says this is “perfect for lazy days at the local swimming hole.” I’m in.

Post Shift Pilsner by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers (Framingham, Mass.)
I know this isn’t a New Hampshire brew but this is, to me, the perfect Pilsner. It’s light and refreshing and easy to drink, but it has plenty of flavor too. It’s a beer that tastes like a beer. And sometimes, that’s all you need.

Featured Photo: The pilsner is perfect for summer. Courtesy photo.

What’s in My Fridge
Pulp Daddy by Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. (Worcester, Mass.) As you might expect from the name, this is extremely hazy, extremely juicy and also extremely delicious. This is a dialed-up version of a brew called Pulp. Find both and drink both. Cheers!

The Weekly Dish 20/07/16

• Common Man Roadside opens in Manchester: A new Common Man Roadside Market and Deli opened at 1805 S. Willow St. in Manchester on July 13. The combination takeout restaurant and convenience store features an open kitchen concept, offering fresh baked goods daily, as well as pizzas, deli and grilled sandwiches, homemade soups, burgers and salads. There is also a barista bar with fresh coffees and a walk-in cooler with domestic and local craft beers. Irving fuel pumps are outside as well. The Common Man Roadside is part of the Granite State Hospitality family, which also opens similar markets in Hooksett and Plymouth. The new Manchester location is open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Visit thecmanroadside.com or call 210-2801.

• Flights for the navigator: A new website designed to help local breweries in New Hampshire connect with craft beer lovers during the pandemic recently went live, according to a press release. DraughtPick.com strives to give visitors the most up-to-date and easily accessible information on their favorite breweries in the state, as well as details on new breweries and beers as they become available. New users who create a free login account with their email address and a password are prompted to fill out a short profile page, which includes a figure for “brewery distance,” or the number of miles within their location where craft breweries are located. They can then access a search page, with the ability to filter by type, location, events (including virtual) and those that offer delivery, curbside pickup or outdoor seating. Visit draughtpick.com.

• Kettles and candies: Manchester’s Van Otis Chocolates now has its own line of candied popcorn products, after the company recently purchased Hutchinson’s Candy, according to a press release. Known as Evangeline’s Popcorn, the brand is named after Van Otis founder Evangeline Hasiotis, featuring original caramel corn, maple caramel corn and seaside kettle corn with cane sugar. All of the flavors are gluten-free and non-GMO, made in small batches by hand at Van Otis’s factory. They come in either 5-ounce or 8-ounce bags, and you can get them at the shop (341 Elm St., Manchester) or order them online at vanotis.com/evangelines-popcorn.

• Eats by the slopes: A new eatery opened at the base of the McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way, Manchester) on July 1. The Hill Bar & Grille features a menu of appetizers, salads, burgers and entrees, along with opportunities to play games like cornhole, horseshoes or giant Jenga out on the lawn in front of the lodge, as well as fire pits and live light music. Only outdoor seating with table service for food and drinks is available this summer. No reservations are required. To view the menu, visit mcintyreskiarea.com/the-hill-bar-and-grille.

Kiddie Pool 20/07/16

At the Audubon
The New Hampshire Audubon is offering an in-person event at the Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org, 668-2045) on Saturday, July 18, from 10 to 11 a.m. Learn to “Be a Nature Detective,” a program geared toward families and featuring outdoor exploration (families will have their own investigation area), according to an email from the Audubon. Masks will be required and the center (and restrooms) will remain closed, the email said. Advance registration is required. The cost is $30 per family.

At the drive-ins
Teens and up might want to check outFootloose (1984, PG but Common Sense Media pegs it at 13 and up). The movie will screen Friday, July 17, at 8:50 p.m. (or so, depending on when it gets dark) at Fieldhouse Sports Drive In (12 Tallwood Drive in Bow; fieldhousesports.com). Tickets can be purchased online for $20 per car (for up to four people, each additional person is $5).

On Monday, July 20, head to Portsmouth (the Pease campus of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital) for The Lost Summer Drive-In Movie Series, presented by the Prescott Park Arts Festival (which canceled its summer programming) and sponsored by Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Drive-in movie-experiences have been created in two locations — Pease on Monday nights and Blue Mermaid/Tributary Brewing in Kittery, Maine, on Friday and Saturday nights (on July 17 and July 18, the movie is The Princess Bride) — with programming scheduled to run through Sept. 5. See the movies and reserve a spot (suggested donations are $25 per car; pre-bagged popcorn is available for $6.24) at prescottpark.org/event/seacoastnh-drive-in-movies.

Or head to Hampton Beach on Monday, July 20, for a free screening of Toy Story 4 (G, 2019). “Movie Night Mondays at the Beach” are scheduled to run through Aug. 31; movies begin at dusk, about 8 p.m., according to hamptonbeach.org, where you can find a list of upcoming movies and an explanation of procedures. Admission is free.

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