Go here to get your synthesis on: http://www.google.com.au/

More on celebrating Moog:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/05/bob-moogs-birthday-videos-benefit-swag-apps-and-a-playable-google-doodle/

I had the pleasure last Friday night of attending a house party (a “Sweet and Greet,” if you will) in honor of Brooklyn’s singer/songwriter sweetheart Risa Binder. Risa, whose debut album ‘Paper Heart‘ came out this past February, has an impressive catalog of self-penned narrative country-pop gems that she shared with a packed apartment of friends and acquaintances.

Risa led a beautiful understated sing-along of one of my favorite songs of all time, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”:

And watch Risa perform “You Made It Rain,” the autobiographical lead single from her debut album:

And it wasn’t only Risa’s voice that was sweet as sugar; the incredible Baked By Melissa also supplied the party guests with some complimentary bite-size cupcakes that defy words. My favorite? The peanut butter & jelly cupcake, of course.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the first of many “Sweet and Greet”s I attend in my lifetime, because Music + Desserts = nothing better.

Thanks Baked By Melissa for the treats! Definitely made a sweet night even sweeter!

(And Risa’s right, the peanut butter cup is to die for.)

Simple. Sleek. Don’t care. Just love that there’s a professional basketball on my way to biking to Shore Fire.

There are more logos associated with the Brooklyn Nets, all designed by Brooklyn’s own/Nets Owner Jay-Z (see here), but the whole logo unveiling got me thinking about logo’s that bands attach to themselves.

There are all-time iconic, easy to recognize logos:

There’s the non-creative non-image iconic font logo:

And of course, the unreadable metal band logo:

Adding all these 3 elements together, we come up with the perfect band logo:

Umlauts be damned!

Hope you enjoyed your dessert of choice, Chris! And hopefully your birthday was even more enjoyable!

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Kurt’s pine-top single-cutaway is made from a 35-year old wood body, custom order Musikraft neck, Joe Barden humbucker in the bridge, neck with a series/ parallel switch, and pick ups screwed straight into the body.

Kurt’s “American Star” is made from an old double-cutaway body, a mystery neck from eBay, a Wilkinson bridge, a Barden two tone in the bridge, a Seymour Duncan stack in the middle sunk way down low, a Seymour Duncan lil’ 59 in the neck with series/ parallel switch, and pick ups screwed straight into the body.

Kurt’s blue Korina is made from a Korina body, a Joe Barden two tone, DiMarzio singles, and pick ups screwed straight into the body.

Kurt’s purple guitar is made from scratch, we and a friend tried to get a Chet Atkins sound in a solid body. “The mids in this Bastard will rip your face off,” Kurt says. “It was once described as sounding like a chainsaw.”

Kurt’s rig is made from a hand-wired Fulton/Webb 17 watt head, a 3/4-inch pine speaker cab, a 12-inch Celestion lead 80, a 12-inch Celestion alnico blue and a custom cabinet.

Check out the clip here:

What music would you want to hear if you were an Alzheimer’s patient?

And after an afternoon of gorging ourselves on delicious local foods and ogling expensive antiques we could never possibly afford, we had worn ourselves out and were in need of a drink. So of course I had to take JT to the legendary New Hope bar John & Peter’s.

John & Peter's basking in all its (blurry iPhone photo at midnight) glory.

“The oldest continually owned music club in the country” was always a hotspot for me and my friends in college and I’ve seen a good number of bands and even comedians there. The club was also one of the stomping grounds of current Shore Fire client (and Ween member) Aaron Freeman! J&P even has a commemorative poster hanging up in their establishment:

Ween + JT

So if you ever find yourself down in central Jersey (edging towards PA) or are looking for a nice weekend away from NYC life, I highly recommend swinging through New Hope for some light shopping, people watching and of course a beer or six at John & Peter’s.

NPR Morning Edition recently talked to some of the staff at Enoteca Maria, a wonderful and quirky restaurant on the north shore of Staten Island. I’ve had some great meals there and was happy to hear them on the radio, pots and pans clanging in the background.

The kitchen is staffed by a rotating cast of “nonnas,” Italian grandmother’s who turn out everything from sweetbreads, stewed pigs feet, whole roasted fish and rabbits to pillowy lasagna. My favorite part is the gratis antipasti tray of tiny dishes to snack on – sauteed zucchini, chick peas, pickled veggies, caponata, olives, sardines…different every time you go. Every restaurant should do this. And it’s well worth a ferry ride or Verrazano bridge toll.

Listen to the story here: NPR

Let’s just leave it to the professionals, aka KIDS (from NBA all-star weekend earlier this year):

I’ve lived in Brooklyn for more than two years now and the novelty still hasn’t worn off of Pies ‘n’ Thighs. The week I moved to South Williamsburg, the reopening of Pies ‘n’ Thighs in a new location right down the street was the talk of the neighborhood, so I had to pop my head in and check it out.

Biscuits and gravy, chicken biscuit, chicken and waffles, catfish, mac ‘n cheese, black eyed peas – I was overwhelmed with delicious. (Yes, there are some tasty non-meat alternatives as well, like the “Hippie Banjo” egg sandwich on a biscuit, with avocado, sprouts, tomato, and mayo.) Post-meal, there was a variety of some of the richest pies I’ve ever tasted, along with donuts and cake. For a warm summer brunch, their Shandy (lemonade and beer mix) is tough to beat.

Two years later, and rarely a few weeks go by when I don’t venture back to my first and favorite Brooklyn dining spot – which I’m sure my body hates me for. I haven’t spent a great deal of time down south, but the consensus in my circle was that this as legitimate as NYC southern cooking can get. They don’t need my blog post either, having been featured on TODAY Show, The Martha Stewart Show, in The New York Times and a variety of other outlets since re-opening.

Fun fact – the joint was founded by Stephen Tanner, Georgia native and bassist of amazing sludge-rockers Harvey Milk.

http://piesnthighs.com