Jolly Pumpkin Ann Arbor

I had the privilege of tasting some great beer at the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery in Ann Arbor to celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding this Saturday.  We got to enjoy the evening air on their upper deck outdoor terrace. They seemed to specialize in "sour beers" have a consistency between wine and beer and a unique taste.  I tried one and am not a fan and went against our waitresses recommendation.  I had the Bam Biere, a cloudy farmhouse ale.  The beer was good, not great, a little too much like a belgian blonde for me.  I did not have a chance to sample the food there as the kitchen was closed but I have heard only good things.  I will definitely go back to try some more of their beers and to sample some of their new menu.

Old Crow Show recap and Lez Zeppelin preview

OLD CROW SHOW!

Thanks to my wife for getting some tickets to the Old Crow Medicine Show in Ann Arbor two weeks ago!  Awesome time, although I was hoping for a Wagon Wheel encore.  They played a bunch of stuff from "Tennessee Pusher" that I expected.  What I did not expect was special guest Ed Helms from "The Office" and The Hangover movie.  He came up on stage about halfway through the second set and joined the band on banjo.  You can read the concert review at www.annarbor.com.

LEZ ZEPPELIN w/ Broadzilla 

Tonight only at the Magic Bag in Ferndale "All girl. All Zeppelin" cover band, Lez Zepplin, will be playing a show for $15 starting at 8pm.  I have never witnessed this band play before but I am a Zeppelin fan so I may venture out to the experience.  They have been getting rave reviews since they formed in 2004 and have headlined some of the major national musical festivals, including Bonnaroo.  Visit their blog here.

Joining Lez Zeppelin will be Broadzilla, the motor city's own answer to all female hard rock.  This Detroit trio "jam out.." with fast guitar, blazing drums and the sultry scream of their lead vocalist.  I could not find member names on their website www.broadzilla.net.  From the looks of it they have done some touring nationally and even some in London, so they better be good.  You can get a taste of Broadzilla's "Hellbound" on their myspace page (linked above).

Rad shows this weekend and Lazy Boy DUI

I like to find out about new music in the Detroit area as much as I can.  I also love going to see live music of all kinds.  That's why I have checked out concerts that are happening this weekend in the Detroit metro area and am making my recommendations.  

First up, Emmy Lou Harris will be playing at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor tonight starting at 8pm.  Harris is of course a world famous country music/Americana singer/songwriter.  With her she will be featuring the Red Dirt Road Boys and Buddy Miller.  I could not find anything on the Red Dirt Road Boys but I did, fortunately find Buddy Miller's myspace page.  Although he is from Nashville he does not have the polished glitzy sound to go with.  His sound is stripped down and more raw than most Nashville contemporaries.  Kind of like the White Stripes of Country/Blues.  He does have some slower songs, but even those seem more genuine due to the "lack" of production.  My favorite is "Gasoline and Matches" a duet with his wife Julie.  So if you are in the Ann Arbor area tonight check out Buddy Miller, a guy Steve Earl calls, "the best country singer working today."  Also check out the website www.buddyandjulie.com

Just to prove to you all that I'm not only a country music fan and that I like all types of music I have to mention Tigersapien.  Tigersapien is an electronic/dance foursome that hails from the cities of Philadelphia and New York City.  I think what is rad about this band is that they perform live with more than a laptop or a synthesizer.  There are live drums, guitar, etc.  They will be playing the Magic Stick in Detroit on Saturday (tomorrow) the 24th.  They report on their myspace page that they are currently unsigned to a major label, but they sound pretty polished.  Their music is pretty danceable but I like their name and band mascot the most.  The tigersapien is a human with a tiger head, pretty hilarious.

Lazy Boy DUI

Add your reclining chair to things you may not operate when you are having a beer or nine. 

In the small Northern Minnesota town of Proctor comes this story about a man who has pled guilty to crashing into a parked vehicle while driving his motorized recliner home from a local bar.  The man is 62 year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson and authorities report that his blood alcohol level was 0.29 at the time of his August 2008 crash.  According to the AP article, the motorized chair was equipped with a stereo and cup holders and powered by a converted lawnmower.  The judge has ordered 2 years of probation for Anderson.  

This is just proof that genius inventors also like to go out for a few beers too.  We are glad you're ok Dennis.  Don't let this keep you down.  We can't wait for the motorized ice fishing shack!