Today would have been John Bonham’s 60th Birthday

John Bonham 5/31/48 – 9/25/80

R.I.P. Bonzo

John Bonham – Moby Dick

John Bonham – Kashmir

Plant/Bonham – Interview 1970

Friday Food-Interview with dB of Foodcandy.com

For this week’s Friday Food we got together with dB, the man behind the foodie social networking website FoodCandy. If you consider yourself a foodie and have yet to visit FoodCandy or become a member, I highly suggest you make your way over to the site. FoodCandy has something for everyone; the social networking aspect (being able to connect with other foodies), insightful articles & interviews, feeds from some of the best food blogs out there and more.

RD: Why did you decide to build a social networking site for foodies?

dB: I was walking through Chelsea Market whistling a Vladimir Vysotski (a Russian music legend) song about drinking. The girl and I were chatting about how an article in Daily Candy made one of those little market stores an instant success, assaulted by thousands of New Yorkers after a tiny write-up. We brainstormed website names that sounded alike and she told me how I never materialized any of the grand ideas and that, by the way, I knew nothing about food. I was working for a business social networking company back then though, so I was no newbie in the internet social space. The next day, and to my greatest surprise, I found out that FoodCandy.com was available, registered it and set firmly on developing a new concept of a social network for foodies.

RD: How long did it take you to get the site up and running and when was FoodCandy launched live online?

dB: Eventually, as many startups, the company I worked for went out of business. I decided not to look for work and spent about a month using Lotus on the Lower East-Side as my daily office destination, eating sandwiches (the place is now, sadly, a bar), drinking lots of coffee and coding for FoodCandy. I had something up by March 2006 where people could register and invited a dozen close friends to help me work the bugs out. In May I opened the site to the public with a beta password and printed invitation cards. I only allowed hardcore foodies and pretty people, which immediately got noticed in NY Mag Grub Street. Yes Jon, you were amongst those first members 🙂 By end of 2006 FoodCandy was open to everyone.

RD: Being a longtime FoodCandy member myself (and a lifelong foodie) I am impressed with the amount of food industry professionals that are members, were you surprised that so many food bloggers, food writers, chefs, top chef “cheftestants”, wine professionals etc… bought into your concept?

dB: My original concept was to develop MySpace for Foodies. Since MySpace has every music band out there, it’s not surprising that foodie celebrities and professionals create a profile on FoodCandy. The site gives them the closest online social identity to what they are in real life and lets them network within the exclusive realm of the food business. Several famous chefs and TV personalities have also told me that they find themselves on a little vacation from media overrun when corresponding with fans through the website. The vast majority of the known food names on FoodCandy are what they claim to be and not their publicist or agent.

RD: You have a feature on your site that is very unique, there is a food porn link that shows images from a long list of food blogs. What made you decide to add this feature which you definitely don’t see on a lot of other sites?

dB: I can’t claim the term “food porn”. FoodPornWatch has been out there for years.

I am one of those people who can browse through food magazines and blogs for hours, salivating over good-looking dishes that I can’t touch or smell. There’re many food blog directories on the Internet, but my attention span for blog posts about the next new restaurant, its chef and menu evaporates within the first half hour. I just had to do something better. I wanted visual stimulation with no distractions. With FoodCandy’s food porn I am looking at two dozen photos at a time and I am a click away from the whole story and a subway ride from the actual dish.

RD: How many cities & countries are represented on the site?

dB: FoodCandy has over two thousand members in 32 countries and 346 cities.

A quarter of the members are from New York. The amount of good food in the city is overwhelming, so you need a lot of people to eat it. You must also divide the eating forces to make sure not to miss the little hole-in-the-wall Vasconcellos on 37^th street. Even if you did eat out three times a day, restaurants close and open faster than you can eat. I wonder whether there’re more cooks than music bands?

RD: What is the interview or feature that you personally have posted that you are the most proud of?

dB: I try to do as many interviews as possible. I find talking to people fascinating. The process gives me the opportunity to know the face behind the label, the dish or the restaurant. My favorite interviews are with those who don’t take themselves too seriously, including the Interview with Lead Burrito Analyst Jonah Field, The Famous Fat Dave Freedenberg: the Hungry Cabbie or Interview the Gals, Top Chef: They Cook. We Dish. I try to alternate with more serious conversations with cook book authors or chefs such as Myra Kornfeld or Daisy Martinez.

RD: On the flipside of the previous question, what is your wish list of interviews or features that you have not yet done or seen on FoodCandy that you would like to have happen?

dB: We’ve heard enough banalities about food and sex – just recently I attended a talk on this subject with David Bouley, Dr. Ruth and Cai Guo-Quiang at the Guggenheim – so that’s out. My friend Darek Mazzone, host of Planet Beat on KEXP always tells me how music and food are intimately tied together. This is a chapter that I have not opened on FoodCandy at all and that, in my opinion, deserves a whole set of interviews with the music makers. Wouldn’t you want to know what Madonna cooks for her kids?

RD: What are some of your suggestions for “Under the Radar” places here in New York City that you have been to that our readers should check out?

dB: I find the fascination for the “underground” restaurants almost overwhelming. You have to have an “under the radar” edge in order to be really exciting for the real hardcore foodie that seeks adventure in eating. It has to either be in an elevator shaft (El Sabroso) or “the best kept secret (that everybody knows about) of the Garment District” (Nick’s Place). It’s only a matter of time till Macaron becomes a fixture in Manhattan, so hurry up. I really enjoyed a quick lunch at Mazi’s too and regularly go back to Zucco’s Le French Diner, especially on the nights when the owner is there to complain about the world going all wrong – the standard French fare.

Don’t forget about the many fancier New York restaurants that are known for their food and not for their marketing. My favorites include Five on Ninth and Town and last week I went to Park Avenue Spring and left very impressed (and I don’t get easily impressed by food).

RD: What are some of your favorite places to go “foodie” shopping in New York City?

dB: Essex Market will be your most surprising discovery on L.E.S. It has fresh fish, meat, groceries and two cheese shops. Basically, if you shop at Whole Foods, then you’re just missing it all.

I have been living in Brooklyn for the past six months, so let me recommend that you explore a bit, put on your beach clothes and head out of Manhattan to Brighton Beach. The long strip under the subway has over a dozen groceries and specialized Russian food shops – you are guaranteed to come back with bags of cured meats and caviar. The produce is at least a third cheaper than in Manhattan here and a lot of it comes from New York state. With the money you save you can buy a frozen cold bottle of Vodka in any liquor store and bring it to the BYOB Glechik for the “real thing”. Don’t forget your towel.

RD: What your 5 favorite food blogs are at the moment?

dB: This is going to be easy 🙂

Rachel Ray Sucks Community

Eating Asia

Gothamist Food

Desperate ChefsWives of NYC

Around Britain with a Paunch

RD: What is in the future for FoodCandy (that you can tell us without having to kill us that is)?

dB: First and foremost, there’s a new member, you. If you’re a foodie and don’t have an identity on FoodCandy, you’re missing out. Plus picture how cool it would have been to tell your friends that you were amongst the first five thousand users on MySpace or Facebook. The time is now, click here to join.

There’re some very fun interviews coming up, including one with a rather odd character playing with all kinds of meats and another making fun of several notorious food TV personalities. FoodCandy is also going to give more exposure to the interesting foodies and their blogs via front-page features and become more local. As a New Yorker you’re already reading New York food blogs by default and seeing other New Yorkers. There’re more similar features in the pipeline.

RD: What music have you been listening to lately?

dB: As everyone else, I went through many music phases. I knew all Beatles songs by heart when I was ten and living in Moscow. I moved onto Scorpions before “The Wind of Change”. I still have every single one of Iron Maiden albums and occasionally play Pink Floyd’s “The More”, very loudly. That’s all old stuff. More recently I got hung up on Nightwish and I’ll remain a fan of Brooklyn Bounce.

As any Russian I hear way too much “popsa” around me. Think “Tatu” – two underage girls making out on national television. If you explore this genre, you’ll notice an unhealthy pattern combining Britney Spears, Madonna and DJ Energy that blasts subliminal voices repeating: “you cannot get this tune out of your head, ever”.

RD: Seen any good live shows that our readers should know about? (we are music blog…)

dB: I just went to see “Hercules and Love Affair” at Studio B in Greenpoint and discovered Antony and the Johnsons, which has been playing in a loop now on my MP3 player. I often go to Rockwood Music Hall, a tiny venue on L.E.S. with tremendous acoustics, where in the past year I saw Madison, Edison Woods and even Bobby Steele (Misfits). I actually document all shows I see on my blog. And I have tickets to “The Faint” under a magnet on my fridge!

Thanks for taking the time to meet with us dB,
we hope to see you at some live shows in the near future….

See the Music XII – Euro Ween

See the Music Vol. XII – EuroWeen 2008
Photos and Story by Beana Bern

It’s not often that I find myself at a loss for words but, if I’m being honest, I have to admit that when it comes to recapping my 4 city adventure with Ween I’m not sure what to say. Out of 7 booked dates, I managed to hit four of them as well as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in London and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss in Amsterdam. Rock and roll fantasy would be the most concise way to put it, but if concise isn’t you’re preferred method of re-cap and you’re up for the scenic route, you can read about each leg over at 2beanornot2bean (Part I – London, Part II – Paris, Part III – Amsterdam and Part IV – Dublin).

Getting things started off at Shepherds Bush Empire was perfect. Good friends, a great space for shooting the show and a happy band playing the music that I love.

Next up was the City of Light, beautiful, beautiful Paris. After hearing about Mickey’s leap of faith in Camber Sands and his subsequent broken heel I had some fear that the tour may mot have come to fruition. Fortunately, Deaner is the kind of rock star that rock stars wish they were and, with his silly euro crutches he hobbled out onto the stage and made it work. Perhaps it was his perseverance or maybe the conquering of the fear that I had when I thought the tour was over, I don’t know. What I do know is that this was my favorite show of the 4 I rock and photographed. The room was like a little French convection oven but the heat seemed to warm up the crowd and the band.

Next up was Amsterdam. Compared to the backwards traffic mayhem of London and the dreamy, glowing bliss that was Paris, Amsterdam felt like an old quilt that I could just relax into and catch my breath. This was the second show I shot at the Paradiso so I was comfortable there and managed to get all my running around done during the first 3 songs so I could camp out in a cool spot and enjoy the show.

The last leg to Dublin was exhausting and, without a doubt, the cherry on top. When I first considered what shows to catch the thought of a Blarney Stone in Dublin was too tempting to ignore. Turns out that was a good call. I found a perch up above the stage and it was lucky that I was up high since there was as much beer and whiskey getting tossed as consumed…

Here is a youtube clip from the show:

This is just a taste of what went down but you can see more by clicking on Part I – London, Part II – Paris, Part III – Amsterdam and Part IV – Dublin

Don’t forget to see the music…

Beana Bern

Rock Art Wednesday-Todd Slater Sale Thurs & Fri

Message from Todd Slater……

Hey there, I hope you’re all doing well this summer. I have four new prints going on sale this week (two on Thursday and two on Friday). You can see all of them along with two new previews on my site: www.toddslater.net

– On Thursday, May 29, at 2PM CST my THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS and FOO FIGHTERS posters go on sale. The price is $30 a piece. I’ve received way more emails than I thought and I expect them to go fast. The idea for the TMBG print came from my good friend and poster artist, Rob Jones (White Stripes/Raconteurs), and has to do with the idea that no one uses the card catalog at libraries anymore… I wonder how long libraries will hold onto them? The Foo Fighters image has to do with a song from the Foo’s first album called, For All The Cows.

– On Friday, May 30, at 2PM CST my WEEN Florida and PLANET OF THE APES posters goes on sale. The price is $40 a piece. The Ween poster relates to a song from La Cucaracha called The Party. The Planet of the Apes poster features an image of Dr. Zaius made out letters that I remade on the lawgivers chest: http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/Planet_Apes-lawgiver-statue.jpg
These quickly sold out on Alamo Drafthouse’s site, and unfortunately I am down to limited numbers.

All of these new posters are in the subscriptions and the first tube will be packed this week and hopefully go out early next week, so be looking for em. If you haven’t paid them off yet, now is the time.

I will be putting the Cat Power and Feist posters on sale shortly, and please look for upcoming posters for Radiohead, The Cure, Tom Petty, Ladytron, Ween and many others.

Talk to ya’ll soon.

-Todd.
Currently listening to: Black Mountain, Ladytron, Ghostland Observatory, old Meat Puppets, Built to Spill and Stereolab

Stay tuned for Beana’s long awaited Ween’s European Tour See the Music coming later today!!!

Rockin the Sneaks-Bob Marley Custom Painted Nike AF1 Kicks

Get up, Stand up in these colorfully hand painted AF1’s giving tribute to best Jamican singer none other than Bob Marley.

Pimp My Kicks just put these custom kicks on their site today for sale at $280

Here is what they had to say:

Enjoy the detail we have put into these Bob Marley Custom Nike AF1 Kicks. Send us a picture of someone influential in your life and we’ll make them come to life on your kicks. There is no limit to the portraits we can do!

We agree, they do some amazing custom sneaks!

Here are some pix of the kicks from their site

Friday Food-Beermenus.com Launch Party is Tomorrow Night at Blind Tiger Ale House

If anyone who lives in New York City is going to be around tomorrow night, Beermenus.com is throwing their launch party.

Here is info from Will & Eric regarding the event:

Help us celebrate a successful launch at The Blind Tiger Ale House. Since the beginning, The Blind Tiger Ale House has been one of our biggest supporters and they’ve generously offered happy hour prices until 10pm.

We’ll be there starting at 5pm and we hope to see you there!

We’re excited to meet people who’ve been using BeerMenus, get feedback, and enjoy some great beer.

Cheers, The BeerMenus Team

Blind Tiger Ale House

281 Bleeker St (At Jones)
NYC
212.462.4682

Happy 58th Birthday to a Songwriting Legend-Bernie Taupin

There are very few songwriting pairs in music history that deserve the status of icons. Of course there is Lennon & McCartney but right behind them is the unique partnership of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

Today we celebrate the life, lyrics and legacy of Bernie Taupin who has written the words to countless songs that the entire world knows by heart and have etched in a wonderful place in our memories. Bernie was born Bernard John Taupin on May 22, 1950.

Bernie’s whole life changed when at the age of 17, he answered an advertisement that led to his collaboration with Elton John and as they say….The Rest is History

How many of Bernie’s songs do we know and love?

Here is a listing of some of the songs that Bernie Taupin has written the lyrics for:

Bennie and the Jets
Border Song
Burn Down the Mission
Candle in the Wind
Country Comfort
Daniel
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Harmony
Honky Cat
Levon
Madman Across the Water
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Philadelphia Freedom
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
The Bitch Is Back
Tiny Dancer
Your Song

I don’t know about you but I can pretty much recite every lyric from the songs listed above. The world would be a very empty place without the magical words that Bernie Taupin has given us over the last 40 years.

Watch the videos below and LISTEN to the lyrics, they are truly moving and the work of a legend.

Elton John – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (1976)

Elton John – Levon (1971)

Elton John – Border Song (1970)

Elton John – Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters (2007)

Elton John – Empty Garden (2007)

Foodie-NYC Now has Its 1st Premium Sake Store…Sakaya

(The image above is sake in Japanese Calligraphy)

On my way home from the office today (which is actually the office for a bar) I was walking on 9th Street in the East Village on my way to the 6 train. When I walked the stretch between 1st and 2nd avenues (The 300 block), I came across a new store that I had not seen before… Sakaya (which means sake shop in Japanese).

The store is relatively small but well stocked with premium sakes. The owners of Sakaya introduce themselves on their website in a very friendly and welcoming way:

Hi! We’re Rick and Hiroko and we’re sake enthusiasts with a dream…

You can find their story full story here.

If you live in NYC and love sake, you should definitley check this store out. You can see the passion, hospitality and desire to inform and educate that both Rick & Hiroko have for their product, their concept and their customers.

Sakaya
324 E. 9th Street
New York, NY 10009
212.505.SAKE
www.sakayanyc.com

Rock Art Wednesday-Christopher Lands

This week’s artist I found by posting on the Gigposters forums. There are so many amazing artists out there it’s been great discovering all the different ways of finding them and then trying each week to make the deadline to share with everyone all the great rock artwork being made. Welcome this week Christopher Lands of Surrender Art to Rock Art Wednesday.

You can see all his work here…..
http://www.gigposters.com/designer/23901_Christopher_Lands.html

RD-Tell us a little bit about yourself.

CL-I have been doing screenprinted rock posters for about three years now. I am heavily influenced by old movie posters and WWII era signage. In my posters I try to convey a sense of emotion or story the band gives. I prefer to use bold graphics with big headlines…usually color palette of big contrast. I prefer to work with bands I do not know a lot about as it requires a lot of research and work into “getting” the band. I’ve done everything from indie rock to punk to electronic and all over the place. Starting this year and moving forward I’m hoping to heavily bring in my influence of 50s era art into my works and hopefully try a lot of new things.

RD-What bands are you currently listening too?

CL- In pretty constant rotation are the bouncing souls, replacements, old Apringsteen, pixies, toadies, face to face, new order, big star

RD- What are the top 3 concerts you’ve been to?

CL-Quite a hard one……
The NIN Self-Destruct Tour in ’94 in NYC (i think) with Marilyn Manson and the Jim Rose circus. that was my first huge rock show, quite an experience.
I saw the Bouncing Souls in New York City on the night Johnny Cash died. that was quite a moving night.
I cant really think, my teen years and early twenties were a blur. all I did was go to or play shows…now, iI hardly ever go to shows. I always enjoyed seeing Clutch. I’ve seen some good bad religion and social distortion shows. Quicksand in like 95 or so in Asbury Park stands out- it was the first warped tour- Sublime played and were terrible. No one was there and that guys dog was running around, it puked on my foot. then Quicksand came on and I got the crap kicked out of me- that was fun.

Thanks Christopher!

!

Ticketbastard Starts Saving Trees

Ticketmaster debuts paperless ticketing service

Ticketmaster on Tuesday announced the launch of a new paperless ticketing service, wherein customers will no longer carry any paper tickets, and instead present their credit card and photo ID to gain entry at a venue. The new Paperless Ticket will first be utilized on Tom Waits’ “Glitter and Doom” tour this summer, and the company says it plans to begin installing capabilities to offer the service at major venues in the U.S. over the next year and a half.