Monday, January 9, 2012

This Charming Man

Bringing it back for another week of music and beer.  I have been spending much of the evening watching what might be the world BCS title game of all time.  Luckily I was entertained enough by my dog and Coors Light I was able to stick it out to see a touchdown.  I would have much rather seen an Oklahoma State-LSU match up.

For dessert I am having a very very nice IPA from Feral Brewing Company called Hop Hog India Pale Ale.  This also was a part of my Christmas gift this year from my sister-in-law Emily and her boyfriend Marcus.  I think Christmas should come once a week because I am getting some really nice IPAs.  This beer, like last week, comes from Australia and it is very good.  Great hops, and very smooth citrus flavors.  I am thinking a trip is in store to Australia to try all of their IPAs!

I am having trouble finding new music to listen to so far for the blog because it is early and the year and there are very few CDs being released in the month of January.  This morning on my way to work I was rifling through my iPod and came across a song I really like by Stars called "This Charming Man."  This song is actually a cover originally sang by The Smiths (Morrissey) who were indie way before indie was cool.  I also came to find out that Death Cab for Cutie has covered the song as well, and it makes since because the song is very good.  All three versions are very different, which is fun and interesting to me.  My favorite rendition is by Stars though, but I have added all versions this week so you can compare and contrast.  I hope you like it, and look forward to next week.  Happy times!

Stars-
Death Cab for Cutie -


The Smiths -

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year!

Tis the season for New Year's resolutions.  I have decided that my resolution is to keep up with my blog.   As you know there were many times during the life of the blog that I fell off of the wagon.  I am hoping to maintain the blog, not only for you readers but I need any excuse I can get to listen to music and drink great beer.  I am hoping that this post will be a great kick start to my resolution as well as a start to some great music throughout 2011.  Since my last post I had the Best of 2011 CD Release Party/Beer Pong tournament at Brownies Watering Hole in lovely Papillion, NE.  I must say it was quite the success.  We were able to raise $510 to donate to cancer research.  Great job to everyone that attended, and to everyone that did not, maybe next year!

This weeks IPA is special to me.  It comes all the way from Australia and was part of my Christmas gift.  Thank you Marcus and Emily (BTW Marcus, "Somebody That I Used to Know" is by far everyone's favorite song on Best of 2011, so from everyone here, thank you)!  It is brewed a Murray's Craft Brewing Co.  It hails on it's website as on of the hoppiest beers in the southern hemisphere, and I would agree that it may be one of the hoppiest in the northern hemisphere as well!  It is absolutely delicious.  Here is a link to Murray's Craft Brewing Co..  Check it out, there are several good looking beers on the site.  Check out the label for the ICON 2IPA...very nice!  For this I give Icon 2IPA






This weeks picks are some of my favorite "new years" themed songs since, well, today is New Year's Eve.  Not much to say about them.  Maybe you can listen to them tonight while you get ready to go out with you friends and family.  Hope everyone has a great night and I look forward to spending 2012 with you through my blog.  Be safe and have a good night!

Death Cab for Cutie - "The New Year"

The Walkmen - "New Year's Eve"

The Heartless Bastards - "New Resolution"

Saturday, November 5, 2011

A Classic Education, it was somewhere in between...

Sup.  It's another knowledgeable, innovative, and exciting week here on my blog.  This weekend Jamie left me for Omaha to welcome in our new niece Amelia Leone Sivertson, so I want to congratulate my sister-in-law and brother-in-law on their new daughter.  Very exciting.  Jamie left me here alone to feast on cold chicken, cold beer, and oatmeal cookies.  Very nice. 

This weeks IPA is brewed in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  It's from the Tommyknocker Brewery and is called Pick Axe IPA.  The label is pretty neat, and drew me in immediately.  Good hop flavor, and a fruit after taste makes me give this IPA:



The song of the week comes from the band A Classic Education.  The song "Forever Boy" is from their October release Call is Blazing.  The band is from Italy, and I really enjoy their sound.  The whole album is definitely work a listen so if you have time pick it up and give it a listen.  Until then here is A Classic Education with the song "Forever Boy."


My dad is going to be very disappointed that I did not pick the song by Crystal Fighters - Plage.  This is a song he heard the other night, and really liked it.  He liked it so much he wanted it on my blog.  It's actually a fun song.  So without further adieu, Ed Cutler's pick of the week:

Crystal Fighters - "Plage"

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Phantogram of the Opera!

Boo! It's the spookiest post of the year!  Happy Halloween to everyone.  I am sure if everyone is like my wife, you are making your final preparations to hand out candy tomorrow for the trick-or-treaters.  Tonight was spent carving pumpkins (see picture above...Jamie and I carved that baby together).  We cracked a bottle of one of my dad's favorite wine, Garnacha de Fuego, which is from Spain.  In the spirit of ranking the wine by eyebrows, definitely two eyebrows up.  It's an easy go to for parties and gifts.  Check it out.

This week I also tried a new IPA.  This IPA is brewed and bottled by Widmer Brothers Brewing from Portland, Oregon.  Its part of the Rotator IPA Series and is called X-114 IPA.  This beer packs good flavor and hops.  The hops are more suttle in this IPA than most, but it really does have a good citrus finish, much like a Pale Ale.  It's a good beer for carving pumpkins!  For that I give X-114 IPA:

ONE EYEBROW UP!

This weeks pick didn't come til late in the week.  I ended up selecting a song on inderockcafe.com website, from their new music page.  It is from the band Phantogram, which I had never heard of.  The song is called,"Don't Move," and it is off of their currently unreleased CD "Nightlife."  I know the song starts off like a CD played in a Sony 1996 10 second ESP Discman, but the song progresses really quickly with the beat, and much of the lyrics, my favorite being,"I'm not your drinking problem."  It's not typically a song I would listen to a lot, but for some reason I find it catchy, so you are just gonna have to give it a listen and see how it makes you feel inside.  If you feel like dancing...join the club.  If you hate it...tune in next week!  So here you go:

Phantogram - "Don't Move"

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Gotye

Welcome back to another exciting week of music and beer.  We have reach a milestone on the blog of 800 page views, so go ahead and take a minute to pat yourselves on the back for all of the support of my blog.  For about a month I thought the blog was just going to go away, but the tides have changed, and I am now writing back to back weeks!  This week is exciting in the fact that I have both a fun new song and a great beer to go with it, so buckle in, grab your IPA, put in your headphones and let's listen to some musics!

This weeks beer is actually not an IPA.  I walked Gorda across the street yesterday to Berbiglia (the neighborhood liquor store) and pick up a Dubbel from the Boulevard Brewing Company's Smokestack Series.  Boulevard as we all know is brewed right here in Kansas City.  The beer is called Nommo Dubbel and is more of a malt beer than a hoppy IPA.  I was excited because it was more of a fall beer brewed with molasses and spices, so I figure tis the season.  It has a darker color and is very rich in flavor.  It is 8.1% alcohol as well, which as always a plus in my book.  Well worth a try! Here's to not remembering!  For that I give Nommo Dubbel

ONE EYEBROW UP!

Now that you are nice and buzzed up...music time!  This week's pick was also an easy one.  It came recommended from my sister-in-law's boyfriend Marcus.  Marcus hails all the way from New Zealand and told me about this song.  Gotye is an Aussie, and Kimbra is from New Zealand, and apparently this song is very popular "down under" right now.  I can see why, because it gets stuck in my head all of the time!  Gotye reminds me a lot of Peter Gabriel, which might scare you off at first, but as when you hear the song, you will like it!  The Peter Gabriel sound comes across a lot in the song "I Feel Better." So without further adeau...

Gotye - "Somebody That I Used to Know"


Gotye - "I Feel Better"


I also added this song from Kimbra (who is featured in Somebody that I Used to Know).  Jamie really likes it.  Not to bad...

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Creature From the Black Youth Lagoon

Welcome to another week of musics!  A few side notes before we get to the music.  Saturday (Oct. 15) was my one year anniversary.  One year ago yesterday I was standing in a gazebo in Mexico getting married to my best friend.  I love you Jamie.  I would also like to congratulate my friend Nofel because on Friday he was getting married in a gazebo in Mexico!  Wish we were there!  There are no new followers this week so we can probably just cut right to the chase. 

This week's IPA comes from a stones throw from my house.  It was brewed at 75th Street Brewery in Waldo (which is a small area of Kansas City.)  I stopped in today on my way home from costume shopping, which was horribly unsuccessful because both stores were closed, and picked up a 1/2 gallon growler of Good Hope IPA.  I was really excited to try this one because it is so local.  They had a choice of two IPAs, and I unfortunately I think I chose wrong!  The Good Hope IPA tastes a little bit watered down, and lacks that big hop taste that I really enjoy.  So for that I give Good Hope IPA


One eyebrow down.  I hope there is good hope for 75th St. Brews other IPA.

Now buckle up folks because it's pick of the week time!  This week was about an easy a pick as they come.  This pick comes from the band Youth Lagoon.  It is there first LP, and I am not sure if there is a single song on the album that I dislike.  Every song is excellent.  I highly recommend giving it a listen.  You will not be let down.  I have chosen two songs off of the album, because I couldn't choose just one.  So here you go.  I hope you like!

Youth Lagoon - 17


Youth Lagoon - Cannons


See you suckers next week (or month)

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Crushed Red Pepper Rabbit

I know, I know, I said weekly blog, but it's starting to look more like a monthly thing.  I have been so mad at myself for not writing my blog lately, but I think I am gonna get back on the wagon.  These past few weeks have been so crazy, I just haven't made time to sit down and write this thing.  Terrible excuse, I agree.  I gotta give the people what they want, and that it IPAs and musics.  So on that note I am just going to continue business as usual.

This weeks IPA comes from North County San Diego, called Stone IPA and I likey.  It has the hops kick that I know and love.  There is something that I love about a bitter, hoppy beer, and this IPA doesn't lack in either category, and for that Stone IPA...I give you...

TWO EYEBROWS UP!
And now to the music (the Nebraska-Wisconsin game is about to start, so this is not gonna be that deep).  This weeks (months) pick comes from the band Pepper Rabbit.  Pepper Rabbit is a band from Los Angeles, CA.  I just started to listening to the CD this week, and have been hooked since the first listen.  My favorite song so far is called,"Rose Mary Stretch."  Without further adeau...

Pepper Rabbit!