UBLF's Chilldown Period

19 February 2009

It is finally here! UBLF'S Chilldown Period - Episode One

It's been a while since I've dropped all of y'all a line. I hope to have up a post about the adventures of making BACON EXPLOSION!

Why, yes, I ate 3 years off of my life, but I'm not worried.

That's right, I've found a place to host my podcast and things are rolling! It is a forty-nine minute mix of downtempo, trip hop, dubstep, and ambient to help your day wind on down!

Here comes a list of the obligatory: place to subscribe to the podcast, names of artists and where to get samples of their music.

02 February 2009

Polka and Cooking

I've recently found that while I am cooking, polka music is a splendid "must" for me to have on.

The fun, bouncy melodies, catchy tunes, and lively humor help me keep up the pace of the play-by-play nature of recipes. My dealer to keep my Jonesin' for polka is found here at www.247polkaheaven.com.

My friends decided to throw a Super Bowl party and invited a troop of friends over to participate in the festivities. Each of us had to bring some sort of edible concoction or two liters of a favorite liquid refreshment.

I decided on this little honey of a recipe: BACON EXPLOSION!

I got up around 10 am thinking I would have enough time to both cook the two-and-a-half hour delight and still make it to church. *shhhh* I didn't make it on time for our first meeting. Man, was I off on my mental timing.

I sacrificed for the good of the group! The kitchen became a stir as I started the groundwork for this porkulent treat. In the background, the 2/4 goodness was sounding, and my feet were moving to the beat.

The first step is to take a pound of thick-sliced bacon and create a lattice for your outer "shell." My wife laughed playfully while photographing the progress as I both enjoyed my handy work and danced to the beat. The first "IJ" up was a gentleman from St. Louis, I believe. He and his wife had this down-home back-and-forth going on making their show all the more enjoyable. They shared songs about drinking, meeting the love of your life, drinking, good food, drinking and... drinking!

All the while, my lattice work was finished, with a layer of barbecue rub on top, and it was time to spread on two pounds of Italian sausage. By now, my wife was getting ready for church as my polka/cooking neurosis ensued.

A new show with a more "traditional" radio host came on showcasing the versatility and international flavor of the genre. Polka songs came mixed with Zydeco, Latin and Caribbean rhythms (I believe) keeping the traditional "Oom-Pah-Pah" line going. On the stove the last bit to add, a pound of cooked bacon, was being prepared for the finishing touch.

(One bad thing about cooking bacon in a small apartment: the smell lasts for DAYS!)

After I had smoothed the sausage out, and the bacon had finished, it was time to put the last layer on. Spicing up this final step before it was all rolled up were double-shots of polka songs: English versions alongside their foreign counterparts. Diverse variations ranging from French to Polish to Czech. There was one song, the IJ informed his listeners, which had a version coming from Zimbabwe that he did not play. SHUCKS!

The next-to-last layer of barbecue sauce (with a touch of Chipotle Tobasco(TM)) was finally on and it was time to wrap this bad boy up.

Into the oven it went to be cooked at 250 degrees for two-and-a-half hours. The smells wafting in from the kitchen were divine. (Only highlighted by POLKA! You think I'd forget about that?) I had to open the door several times to get a look; the anticipation was KILLING ME.

My lovely spouse reminded me that I probably shouldn't open the door so often.

But, but, but... it's BACON EXPLOSION!

Time was finally up and I took this beauty out of the oven. I wish I could have closed in the sides, like the innovators of this beast did, but you gotta go with what you have. I then added the final slathering of barbecue and VOILA!

The hit of the Super Bowl Party.

Too bad the Cardinals lost, but we all won with good food, good conversation, and good times. On a side note, my friend's husband decided to come just for this tasty delight.

Polka and cooking; what a great combination!

29 January 2009

Artist of the Week - 25 January 2009

Let's cut the small talk and get on with my Artist of the Week!

Here they are: Edison Gem

I discovered Edison Gem on one of my safaris through the artists on myspace.com.

How did I get hooked on their sound?

Easy! The song "Things Change" did me in.

The wonderful starting synths are just loud enough to let the atmospheric drum-n-bass sneak in. When the big beat drops, your ears are hit with a symbiosis of downtempo vocals and Bristol-light (the rough bass line alongside of the drums reminds me of a softer version of Breakbeat Era's "Ultraobscene"). The lyrics are captivating and are able to be applied to so many situations: a break-up after a relationship that lasted many-a-year, losing touch with reality, a huge change in your normal routine (loss of a job, loss of a loved one, etc), even just trying to go on with life! The words are so soft, comforting, and reassuring. Great inspirational/reflectional song!

"Should've done better" is another keeper which caught me unawares. The hook is just so catchy, the chorus - catchy, the throbbing synth sample - catchy, the "second movement(?)" - suprising (see, you thought I'd say catchy! Man, oh man. GOTCHA!) Trance-inducing head-bobbing at its best.

"Holdback" is a song that's perfect for dealing with situations where you are meant to be "seen not heard," like that pill of conformity which helps you toe the line of sanity and sanitarium. They use reverse pyschology (i.e. sarcastic snipe at certain sections of society) allowing you to take in the words, think about it, then realize, "Hey, I've been in a situation like this before... I know how that feels!"

These are just a few of the "gems" (I know, har har... must have taken me what, 5 DAYS to come up with that one) from their track listing.

While listening to their music I get a sense that Orion definitely knows how to twiddle the knobs well enough to keep you wanting more of his d-n-b vibes without getting too down and dirty. Jadis's lovely vocals seem to keep Orion grounded and focused on the errand they've been destined to see through.

She gives an adept description of the subject matter they cover in their songs:

"You never know how things are going to end up - you can just feel them beginning. You move blindly searching for what matters, and until it smacks you in the face, you won't know what it is." (an excerpt from their myspace page)

Just lovely, lovely stuff!

Head to their myspace page to find out what I'm talking about.

Also, Amazon.com has their EP "Things Change - EP 1" available as an mp3 album download. Om records has their song "Lullabye" on their "Om Chilled: Vol. 2" compilation.