Indulgence in the Lowcountry: Exclusive Photots from the Southern Ground Music and Food Festival

Last weekend, Charleston, South Carolina became, if only for three days, the ultimate live music locale. The inaugural Southern Ground Music & Food Festival, curated by Zac Brown Band, descended on the Lowcountry for a weekend of sensory overload, from the southern six-piece’s own buttery harmonies to the melt-in-your-mouth pork tenderloin being sold from their mobile kitchen on-site.

ZBB reached a new level of super-serving here, over-delivering for the thousands lucky enough to be on-site.  Here are some shots I captured of ZBB, My Morning Jacket, and Sonia Leigh from the raucous scene at Blackbaud Stadium. Plans are already in place for next year’s festival – I think I’ll start fasting now.


Zac Brown Band Fills Stomachs, Stadiums

It was only a matter of time before it was time for my first Eat & Greet as a member of the ZBB team – it’s a rite of passage.

Cookie, the band’s enormous, glistening trailer/mobile kitchen was parked last Saturday outside the Meadowlands, back doors flayed open, with the aromas of Chef Rusty’s beef tenderloin, fresh baked bread, and chocolate peanut butter biscuit pudding wafting outwards.

Cookie

What struck me most, though, was not the smorgasbord of southern grub, but the casual interaction between the band and the select group of lucky fans. Had I not known what they looked like, I could never have picked the band out of the crowd chowing down at one of the long tables.

Zac, Clay, Chris, Coy, John, and Jimmy completely blended in with their fans, carrying on conversations over savory mouthfuls as if they were just a group of mostly-bearded guys who like country music.

ZBB thinks about touring differently. It’s not just important to them that they put on a killer show (though, indeed, they do), but that every fan feels like they’re getting the ultimate experience… because they are. From taking the time to shake every single fan’s hand to the belt-busting array of home cooking, to the hardest-hitting set this side of arena rock, ZBB created a space where nothing was as important as their fans.

And it was delicious.

The Menu:

Heirloom tomato salad with smoked corn, edamame, pickled cucumbers and moonshine vinaigrette
Fresh bread with agave fig butter
Braised Brussels sprouts with country ham and red-eye gravy
Wild mushroom and snap pea spoon polenta with smoked gouda
Grilled cauliflower, broccoli and okra with a saffron chardonnay butter
Beef tenderloin with Zac’s Georgia clay rub
Pork tenderloin with “Zac’s Love Sauce”
Chocolate peanut butter biscuit pudding
Zac’s famous cole slaw

ZBB rocking the Meadowlands

Go To Tuesday

Aside from all the great music this week, my personal highlight will be dining on the Southern Ground Grub of Zac Brown & Chef Rusty in Camden – Come say hi and let me know if you’re hungry for some Chicken Fried.

Tuesday, August 10
Angel Band- Rockwood Music Hall
Gov’t Mule- P.C. Richards & Sons

Wednesday, August 11
JJ Grey & Mofro- City Winery
Gov’t Mule – Central Park SummerStage

Friday, August 13
Mumiy Troll- Irving Plaza
Zac Brown Band- Susquehanna Bank Center

Get your tap on

Shore Fire Media has broken into the video game world! Well, one of our clients has. Two tracks by Zac Brown Band have been included in Tap Tap Revenge 3 for the iPhone. If you don’t know what all this Tap Tap is, think Dance Dance Revolution for your fingers. If you still don’t get it, just watch the video!

Their #1 hit “Chicken Fried,” as well as my personal favorite, “Where the Boat Leaves From,” have been included in the game as playable tracks! Check out the live game footage below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSeW1aLDFLM]

Kudos to ZBB for their gaming crossover!

Get your tap-tapping fingers into shape, folks!  Download the game HERE.

The Best Recipe from a Magazine EVER

At Shore Fire, I’m tasked with keeping an eye on many of the women’s magazines that offer delicious recipes every month: Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Woman’s World, Redbook, etc. I also have the joy of working with the restaurateur-turned-GRAMMY-winning artist Zac Brown who also just released a gorgeous cookbook of his own (Southern Ground – avail at: http://bit.ly/SGCookbook1) and has revived my interest in food magazines as well.
What I’m getting at is I have my finger on the pulse of kitchens across the country – which I LOVE. In fact, when not at Shore Fire or at a show I’m cooking my heart out at home.

So, as the summer season near (and the grill is almost ready to be fired up), I wanted to share one of the best recipes I’ve come across in a magazine in quite some time. Thanks to the Deen Bros. and their first issue for bringing what my fiance calls “MexiFish Salad” to the table.

This photo came from The Mom Chef but mine looked very similar.

Fresh Corn Salad with Pan-Seared Mexican-Style Red Snapper and the Creamy Lime-Cumin Dressing (Deen Bros.)Makes 2 servings

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 red snapper fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped tomato
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
Creamy Lime-Cumin Dressing (recipe follows)

1 In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and pepper; sprinkle over corn, onion, and fish.

2 In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion to skillet; cook for 1 minute. Add corn; cook for 1 minute. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add fish; cook for 3 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from pan; cut into 1-inch pieces. Divide onion, corn, fish, tomato, and lettuce between 2 plates. Serve with Creamy Lime-Cumin Dressing.

Creamy Lime-Cumin Dressing

Makes about 11⁄2 cups
**Note: I made half this amount and there was still twice more than an human could possibly need.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 In a small bowl, combine sour cream, milk, lime zest, lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, and sugar. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Behind the Scenes w/ ZBB at GRAMMYs

The excitement (and anxiety) was high from the moment I stepped foot in LA – and it only got better as the days went on.

From rehearsals, to walking the 400 ft. red carpet, to winning Best New Artist, to a mad dash through the media room, to celebrating with family and friends, Darren Doane (director of ZBB’s “Toes” and “Highway 20 Ride” videos) was there with his camcorder capturing every moment.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60yzE8sqgbA]They’ve already thanked us in front of 26 Million viewers so here’s my chance to hit them back:

Congratulations to the Zac Brown Band for all their hard work and here’s to another exciting year in 2010.

Shore Fire is a Fan of the GRAMMYS – Are You?

My excitement can’t be contained – I love the interactive GRAMMY site and the ability to make a portrait from all our favorite nominees – www.wereallfans.com

Here’s a Shore Fire Media portrait I created in seconds with the following Artist DNA. It looks cool as a picture, but click on the image to see a full motion multimedia show:


Zac Brown Band, Maxwell, Ledisi, Bruce Springsteen, Neko Case, Elvis Costello, Booker T. Jones, John Fogerty, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Levon Helm, Mavis Staples, Susan Tedeschi, Diana Krall, Smithsonian Folkways and Loudon Wainwright III

Don’t miss Maxwell and Zac Brown Band when they perform on the 52nd GRAMMYs Sunday January 31st at 8pm/7pm Central on CBS.

Your turn – please share your pages in the comments – I’d love to see them!!