Tuesday's Fortune: 31 January 2012

MEAL: 2 Shrimp Egg Rolls + 1 small order Moo Goo Gai Pan = $6.55 + $1.45 tip

Hotcha! Hank

Tuesday's Fortune: 24 January 2012

MEAL: 1 order (8) Crab Rangoon + 1 small order Chicken Lo Mein = $7.58 + $1.42 tip

Hotcha! Hank

Something 4 The Weekend # 233

Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours: "What Is This Thing Called Love?" [mp3]

What is art?

It starts with a Cole Porter tune, and somewhere along the way Ava Gardner leaves Frank Sinatra, and Frank goes into the studio, broken-hearted and probably out of his mind, and just unravels in slow motion over the course of sixteen sad ballads. Nelson Riddle figures into it somewhere, as does the dude playing clarinet, but they're not the reason Sinatra's phrasing is so peculiar, nearly pathetic. He's a broken man, and he breaks us too.

So sublime.

Hotcha! Hank

Tuesday's Fortune: 17 January 2012

MEAL: 2 Vegetable Spring Rolls + 1 small order Sweet & Sour Chicken = $6.85 + $1.15 tip

Hotcha! Hank

Something 4 The Weekend # 232

fIREHOSE: Ragin', Full-On: "Choose Any Memory" [mp3]

At The Drive-In is reuniting - news that caused some fairly major waves on the internet this past week if only because (this is only my opinion) 20-somethings rule the web, at least when it comes to popular culture and music blogs.

Making a lesser ripple is the news that fIREHOSE are also reuniting for a few gigs on the west coast leading up to this year's Coachella, where they will be playing for crowds that probably, mostly, don't give a shit. I'm guessing this is mostly because there will be alot more 20 and 30-something folks attending the hippest of all hipster festivals, while those of seated firmly in middle-age tend not to be interested in surviving the ungodly heat of Coachella and all those fucking "kids" who will be there.

Now, I love fIREHOSE enough to type out their name this way. I love them because I'm old enough to care, because I miss the fuck outta d. Boon and Minutemen, and because having 2/3rds of that band with a guitarist/singer taking Boon's place is better than nothing at all, but I'm not so sure I would go see fIREHOSE if they were playing Madison or anywhere else nearby. Nostalgia is fine, and I cherish my memory of having an engaging and meaningful conversation with Mike Watt at Shank Hall while waiting for the Meat Puppets to hit the stage, but that's all in the past, you know? Best left rattling around in my skull and perhaps escaping briefly in a blog post like this.

Reunions don't seem to serve much purpose beyond enforcing that nostalgia, making some easy money for the reunited bands, and making all involved feel young, if only for an hour or two. When the show ends, reality returns, and for me, at least, I'm once again reminded that my knees simply cannot handle standing in place for a couple of hours in order to watch musical acts that accomplish little more than fooling my brain into believing I'm 22 again.

Hotcha! Hank

Tuesday's Fortune: 10 January 2012

MEAL: 2 Roast Pork Egg Rolls + 1 small order Pork Chow Mein = $6.55 + $1.45 tip

Hotcha! Hank

Something 4 The Weekend # 231

SBTRKT: SBTRKT: "Hold On" [mp3]

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Hotcha! Hank

Tuesday's Fortune: 03 January 2012

MEAL: 2 Vegetable Spring Rolls + 1 small order Pork With Chinese Vegetables = $6.55 + $1.45 tip

Hotcha! Hank