A bit o' the craic at Tractor Tavern triple bill

Sunday, 10/22, went without so much as an arm-twist to the Tractor Tavern with the gang to hear Damien Dempsey. Who? Exactly what I said. But it turned out to be a great evening of ballads that protest the hard life and high times of life lived in the gritty Irish urban experience. Dempsey is renowned as a singer of such ballads, having lived the harsh life and lived to tell the tales that he sought to escape through the bottom of a pint or two or three. His set was a great blend of angry young man with guitar, hand drum and penny whistle.

Sharing the bill were two local musicians that provided two very different styles of folkie, indie, accoustic songs. Erin MacNamee sang pretty songs with a voice that I hope will become much appreciated after she release her first album. Her sonorous yet sweet sound should be heard as much as any other young diva topping today's charts. And then out of Bellingham came Robert Blake singing his quirky songs, a mixture of humor and pathos cut straight from the heart with a kind of Tom Waits-ish growl.

Trolling for tolls

I was reading the Seattle P-I today and was puzzled by Gov. Chris
Gregoire's proposal to require drivers to pay for trolls to replace the Alaskan Way viaduct. What kind of trolls? Where do they come from? Where are we going to put them once we paid for them? Seattle already has a troll in Fremont, how many does this city need?

'Found' a few laughs and traveling minstrels

On the last day of June I found myself in a crowd of assorted biblio- and zine-ophiles at the University Bookstore on The Ave awaiting the arrival of FOUND Magazine's Cavalcade of Thrills Tour "2006." In other words, Davy Rothbart, the magazine's founder, and his singing brother, Peter, were on the 32nd leg of a 33-city tour since the debut of FOUND II, the second anthology of the magazine's cataloguing of bits and pieces of peoples' lives. At the end of the evening's performance, I couldn't get out of my head one of the most famous phrases out of the FOUND miscellania, THE BOOTY DON'T STOP!

Between swigs from a bottle of Corona beer, Davy regaled the crowd with his performance of his favorite notes, letters, lists and flyers found on streets and alleys around the country and sent to him at his Ann Arbor office. Despite all the hi-tech tools and toys, often the most effective method of getting your particular message across to others is the invective note stuck beneath the windshield wiper blade or perhaps a note-to-self checklist to cross off and actually accomplish something. A journalist, short-story writer, and frequent contributor to public radio's "This American Life" show, Davy also threw in a couple of his true stories about life on the road as an itinerant observer.

As a bonus, Davy introduced his brother Peter who picked up an acoustic guitar and performed three songs he had written based on letters published in FOUND. It's amazing how a really good voice can make a song about a guy wanting to buy beer without being late for the last bus home sound like an indie-pop hit. His original song, "The Booty Don't Stop," is based on what was found on a cassette tape abandoned on a sidewalk. The tape contained homemade hardcore raps that paid homage to the booty. Try to imagine taking a rap from Fifty Cent and tweaking it so that Damien Jurado or Five for Fighting would sing it. Or, listen to a live recording at The Poem Adept site.

Cuckoo for cacao nibs and other choco-delicacies

As one who considers a daily serving of chocolate essential to life, you can imagine my anticipation of attending a tasting presented by Scharffen Berger Chocolate's co-founder Robert Steinberg. Sponsored by the Slow Food Seattle chapter, a small group of chocophiles gathered at Cook's World to listen in rapt attention as Steinberg discussed the process of going from bean to bar. Along the way we sampled cacao nibs from Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Madagascar to discover how incredibly varied the taste of cacao can be. Then, to kick it up another notch, (okay, bad food tv reference!) he said, "Before we get to the variety of bars, I want you to know that cacao can also be a great savory food." Out came slices of crusty baguette topped with a smooth spread that combined crushed cacao nibs and a fruity olive oil paired with paper-thin slices of proscuitto. It was hog heaven.

Next, we sampled the various percentages, going from the earthy extra dark 82% to the winey bittersweet 70%, to the caramelly 41% milk chocolate. Also added for comparison was a sample of Lindt 70%. I do like Lindt but the Scharffen Berger is much more complex and it's no wonder since the SB 70% is a blend of eight different varieties.

The exquisite end of the tasting came as Steinberg whipped up a quick ganache using SB bittersweet and dark chocolate and cream served over vanilla ice cream topped with a sprinkling of Madagascar nibs. A chocolate sundae never tasted so good.

Choi=Chai + Soy

The Other Coast Cafe opened its downtown Seattle location in the Two Union Square tower lobby on Monday, June 19. All gawkers, passers-by and sundry cubicle denizens were enticed that morning to come on in for a free cuppa Caffe Vita coffee. I was going for the free coffee but then spied on the menu board that they also serve Morning Glory chai. "You said free coffee, could I get the chai free?" I asked the cute counter girl. "Sure!" she replied. "What kinda milk would you like?" "Soy, please," I said. "Oh, I call that a choi! One choi coming up!"

Velella Velella rocks High Dive for Fare Start

KEXP Audioasis goes live the first Saturday of the month for a good cause. Each month features a cool showcase of local bands in a benefit for a non-profit of the month. June's spotlight focused on the good folks at Fare Start. Pint in hand at the High Dive, I enjoyed the high energy and musical multi-tasking of the three guys and a girl band Velella Velella. Props for playing all original stuff and especially for their playing a dozen different instruments between the four of them along with vocals that delivered hip-swaying hooks. Definitely worth seeing live around town including Bumbershoot.

Penny University Alive and Well at Town Hall

The "penny university" began in 18th century London coffeehouses where, for a penny, whether you were a clerk or a captain of industry, you tuned into the latest news, conducted business negotiations, or discussed Henry Fielding's latest piece of picaresque. The tradition continues today, although that penny has inflated to a couple o' bucks for just a decent cuppa joe. But, at Town Hall, you can often get your education for free or nearly so.

For example, for free, this Friday, May 12, Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi discusses her peace and justice work and her experiences as the first Muslim woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

For the cost of one of those frilly frappamachiaberlusconi coffee drinks, on Friday, May 19 , 7:30 PM, Columbia U. prof and PBS/BBC fave Simon Schama discusses the little-known story of a mass emancipation of slaves in the Americas during the War of Independence as told in his history Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution.

Get warped and wrapped up in string theory on Tuesday, May 30 , 7:30 PM. (We're coming up on an enormous space-time anomaly, Cap'n!) Harvard U. Professor of Theoretical Physics Lisa Randall explains it all for you as she discusses her findings in Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions.

Belated Poem-a-Day Tribute

Okay, so National Poetry Month, with its Poem-a-Day is so over, but I'm gonna post one anyway, as it is apropos for kicking off my repository of ramblings around Seattle.

You Reading This, Be Ready by William Stafford

Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?

When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life--

What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?