Folklife and new bands!

More new bands at Folklife! I saw a couple of excellent groups, both local, both blue-grassy.

The first was a tight hippy-bluegrass group from Portland called Cross-eyed Rosie. You can sample their wares at tapers.org.

The second was self labeled "world-grass" band Spoonshine from Anacortes. The have some clips on their site where you can hear their newgrass style played along with a nice African-style acoustic guitar.

Asylum Street Spankers

I've been a fan of Bloodshot Records for a while, even though I didn't know it. Anyway, I just found out about this awesome band on Bloodshot, the Asylum Street Spankers. This Austin group is raucous, funny, irreverant and kick ass. Kind of a country-punk, bluesy, swing sound. Check them out.

The Motorcycle Diaries

Great movie. It has fantastic cinematography and a compelling story. The film moved me to actually read about Ernesto Guevarra, a man about whom I previously knew nothing. Highly recommended.

LingNet Area Studies

Interested in world cultures and religions? Check out the LingNet Area Studies Page. It's run by the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, so keep that in mind regarding possible bias. So far, I've found my reading to be fairly balanced and very informative. Another resource for you to increase your knowledge.

FWIW, the DLI also has some excellent online learning resources for your language studies.

I... love... this... sandwich, yeah!

In the 90's, I enjoyed Cuban sandwiches from a little restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. Since leaving New York, I've longed for a similar experience.

Thankfully, I've discovered banh mi thit nuong, a delicious Vietnamese baguette sandwich. My first exposure was in Outside Magazine, which mentioned "a crusty baguette piled with roasted port, pickled daikon radish, cliantro, hot peppers, cucumbers, and spiced mayonnaise...."

Ah, what a great sandwich, and at such a great price! I won't mention where I get mine, but hit your local Vietnamese deli and try this baby out!