Beer and wine

From Vin de Pays xmas show

I have been wanting to blog about my new come obsession with beer and wine for a while now and well, i have a 03 Napa Merlot in my glass and the Elliot Smith channel on Pandora so i don't know how better it could get to write.
A little history
I grew up with parents that didn't really drink. I saw my dad with a beer only on occasion. My mom has never really liked anything with alcohol so i never saw her drink. I saw other adults drink here and there, but it never had an automatic appeal. All through high school i knew kids that drank, but i never really wanted to drink with them because they just did stupid things while that drank and I didn't want to do that. In college it wasn't until i was spending sometime overseas in Germany that i found a taste for wine. I was in a little restaurant in Monterroso, Italy. I ordered a carafe of the house wine because it was cheaper than ordering a glass of water. It was great! A white, but it just was great. I told the people around me at the time, "yeah i could get used to this." That summer i had a Guiness with a buddy and i thought, "ohh...now that is good" and thus starting me off toward the pursuit of the better tasting beer.

Over the next couple of years i started to find out what i liked and didn't like. In wine i started in liking whites more, chardonnays were good, but i was still learning the different names. In beer i like Heineken and Guinness (total opposites i know). I never liked anything of the big 3 American beer (Miller, Coors and Bud), they all tasted like someone had poured some beer in water and tried to pass it off as something good to drink. Then as i started to try more beer/wine i found my tastes changing but i still didn't know what i was tasting.
When i moved to China I basically let go of the idea of having anything good to drink. Chinese beer sucks and well.........really sucks. I found a place or two to get a bottle of wine, but i all but gave up hope of finding any beer that didn't look like yellow water or any wine that didn't taste like it had fermented with a nickel in the bottle.
Coming back to the states i started off right back where i left off, not knowing much but willing to try anything. One day my sis (who is really becoming a wine aficionado) and i decide to go wine tasting. We do a little search on the internet and find Vin de Pays. We take the metro and head down to Long Beach. It is a small place with a beer wall and a flight of 8 tastings for 13.99 (good deal). It was here that i started to learn about beer. I found out that there were beers beyond what they had in the super market and it absolutely thrilled me! They were unfiltered and non-pasteurized. They were not yellow, but caramel or deep golds. I could taste hops, chocolates or spices in them. The wine had feeling. It wasn't just red or white now, but Merlot and Chardonnay. In it was cherry, oak, vanilla or berry. The world of beer and wine was now something to explore, not just look at from afar.

Today
Now beer and wine are a regular part of my life, but not dependants in my life. I have always told people, that i like beer and wine in the same way that i like art. I taste and see what there is to offer me in that sip. What is being expressed in that glass. What did the brewer or vinter try to show you in the glass that you have in your hand? Its not just because there is alcohol in the glass that i like to drink it. I really don't like being drunk. I have been drunk once in my life and i really don't ever plan on that ever happening again. When i do drink, i drink because i like or love what i have drinking. I am drinking because i want to know more about beer or wine, not because i want to mask pain or get away from it all. I will admit, there is something about a Corona on a hot summers day, not because it taste amazing, but because it is cold and refreshing. At the same time, i am never going to finish off a six pack because it is a hot day.

Now I am working out details to start playing regularly at Vin de Pays and am looking forward to being the house musician at a wine bar. I am also making my own beer, and if i may, the batches i have made have turned out really well. But i will blog more on that later.

Allan

Last nights gig

So last night I played a little gig at Vin de Pays, it is a wine bar in Long Beach. I love playing there because it is such a relaxed atmosphere, the staff is really friendly and well, when I play there they give me a free beer. (mind you this ain't no Bud either) While the atmosphere may be relaxed, the task of playing for 2+ hours can be a bit daunting. I have a set of songs that I can do off the top of my head and play, atleast i think, well. On the other hand that takes all of 45mins, the rest i have to practice and practice and practice. I have started to try new things with tap guitar, which is a blast, but there is the danger of losing the auidence with songs that have no words. So I have a stack of tabs that I rely on to help me out. All those years of playing guitar at camp has really paid off. (please note the link)
Another great things about playing there is that I am background music. The best thing about being background music is the fact that you are exactly that.....background. It is a a great feeling, at least for me, to know that I am helping the make someones night out a little better. I look at the crowd and see people lightly wording the lyrics as they sip their wine and talk with their friends, its good.
Well, at the end of the night, i am cleaning up and counting my tips ($8 yahoo!) when i started talking to some of the staff. They said they wanted to know if i wanted to start playing there regularly. I was taken back! It was something that I have wanted to do, and here was my chance. They asked for me to play once a week! I wanted to say yes right away, but I knew i couldn't. Having a girlfriend in Thousand Oaks I spend everyother week or so over there and I am involved with my church. So I have yet to work out the details, but i think I am going to start playing at Vin de Pays on a fairly regular basis, hopefully once a month. If this works out it will really be a kinda small dream come true, so we will see.

Alright that is it for now, i will post details as they come.

In Christ,
Allan

Listening

When i was in high school and even most of college, i was always the group leader. In high school this was mainly because i was the only kid willing to speak in front of the class or willing to ask the group a question. It was during this time that i found out that i actually liked being the leader. This would show as i would do all of the big "leader" things with my youth group and later on, small groups in college. I wasn't the most talkative nor did i always have something to say, but i usually lead, asked questions and then waited for a response. The SoCal retreat was especially good for me as it allowed me to direct a group of my own peers in a group discussion on the various topics of the weekend retreat. Then in college i started being part of different small groups on campus. My freshman year, prior to the wheelchair, i was involved in way too many. Service group, Groovy Guys and a few others. It was in college i started to learn about leadership through service. It changed my perspective on what it meant to be a leader. Rather than telling a group what to do, it is being the guide and more importantly, a servant to those who are in the group you are trying to lead. The Spiritual Life Advisor program at Pepperdine really shaped this idea in me.
Graduating and getting into missions and full time ministry as a new lesson. I had to learn how to speak up in my beliefs, but also i had to re-learn how to listen. I was having to listen with more intent on not only what some one was saying as in words, but what they were really trying to convey in idea and emotion. I knew about this through practice in other times in my life, but now it was a daily part of my life, almost survival, especially when someone doesn't event speak the same language. (yeah i am really good at charades now)
Now, in my life i am finding that i am listening more in group settings. I am part of a weekly Bible study and I noticed that I don't say much during the discussion. I don't know fully why this is. I mean, i love the conversation, and have things running in my head, but i don't say them. I am not ashamed or scared to say them, rather i am finding that i love to listen to other peoples thoughts so much more than my own. I am not a loner in the group (atleast i don't think so) and i have kept up with the reading, but as soon as i sit down with my cup of coffee, my ears turn on and tune in to what is going on around me with intent and I love it.

Allan

"You get an A+ in boyfriend"

So I have given my review of the G1 phone (<----- this is a link to my review) that I got about a month or so ago, but I have yet to mention the story of how I got it.

Well, I had been following this phone for about a year (yes i am that much of a nerd) because I heard that it was going to have an open source operating system. (if i lost you i am sorry, please keep reading) Anyways, the price tag was about $179 in the commercials, but when i went to a few T-Mobile stores and they quoted me $370 before taxes as the offer was for new customers. So i decided to give T-Mobile a call.
A young lady about my age picked up and I told her that I wanted to know when my contract expires, she asked why and I said I wanted the G1 at the sale price, not the $370 i had been quoted before. Well, she tried and saw that she could take off $20 for me at the moment. I wasn't exactly thrilled but it got us talking about my plan. I have 400 texts a month and i said i use those to send a compliment to my girlfriend every morning before work. There was a pause on the phone and she said, "That is just the sweetest thing". We keep talking about my plan and she notices that i talk mainly at night, i reply, "Yeah, my girlfriend and I talk every night to unwind and to see how each others day went. I mean, I want to take care of my girlfriend. I make sure flowers are a somewhat regular part of her life, give her compliments and what not" The young lady then says, "You need to talk to my boyfriend, you get an A+ in boyfriend!" a minute later I am on hold when i hear, "Ok, sir? I got you the maximum discount, how about $170 and just $20 extra a month for unlimited internet?" I was speech less. "Ok, lets do that"
2 days later i had my new G1 in my hands.


Allan

Friends you should listen to......

Hello Everyone,

This is a fun one! I am showing off some of my friends that you NEED to listen to. They are beyond cool and i love talking music to any of these talented folk when ever i have the chance. All of their names are attached to links, so please click on a link, support an Independent artist. In no particular order here we go........

Michael Ocean
This guy is awesome. he is a true lover of music, all types, and puts anything which i consider to be music knowledge to shame. He is also in a Weezer video. (yes i am jealous) His album, The Manuel, is great. For sure, check it out.

Happiest Lion
Caleb, the man behind the music, is so creative. I wish i could be as into music as he is, just a plain out great musician.


Nate Highfeild and The Good Cheer
I have been following these guys since i was in high school. Nate and Aaron, are great guys and have made (along with the band) a great album. They are great to watch, Aaron (the drummer) is the most intense guy I have seen on stage. If he is playing for a few people or a packed room, he puts everything into that drum.


Brandon Louis Jones
Classical guitarist who makes me want to give up on anything guitar and just stick to listening to it being played much better than i could ever do. He has 2 albums out and i suggest that you buy both. His style is so smooth and well, i love any chance i get to hear him play.

Jonathan D. Roth
Another classical guitarist extraordinaire. He has written more than a few pieces of music that are complex yet, very welcoming to the ears. He too has a few albums out which you too should buy.

Long Beach Caravan Trio
Gypsy Jazz is a little nitch in jazz that is very overlooked by the main populous but is admired many musicians. These guys are good and i are just great guys to hang around. I saw them play at a restaurant in Long Beach and was so impressed by their style and talent. Please check out their site and give a listen if you have never heard gypsy jazz.

The Monochromes
These guys are just too much fun to listen to. I have known a few of the band members, Josh and Jordan, for a long time and well, it was very easy to for me to add them to my list. Josh is a great guitarist (far better than I) and I love to catch their shows.

Swing the Lead
While i don't know this band, i do know one of the guys - stephen - in the band, and well, he is cool so i just had to add him to this list.


Well have fun checking out the talent. New blogs will be coming.

In Christ,
Allan

My G1 (for Brady)

Well, if any of you have Facebook, you have probably see my updates about my G1. Its a smart phone from HTC. I have been waiting to get this phone (which is a story in its self) for about a year and well, i am glad that i finally have it. So my review........



Ok, so G1......It is a good phone, not an iPhone killer, but for a first version it is really good.

Bad stuff....
battery - drains fast with the use of the browser or anything involving the GPS
Limited Apps - I just heard that the iphone kit 100k aps, seems to have only a few hundred at max.
No head phone jack! - you have to get a converter for a USB 2.0 connection.
Price - unless you are signing up for a new plan, the cost of the phone straight up is around $370

Good Stuff
So easy to use - the interface is so clean and so fun to use
Speed - browser has great speed.
Open Source - anybody can make ANYTHING for this phone. The possibilities for the applications is endless.
Feel - it is just a cool phone. Really, the feel and weight let you know this is a cool phone.

Ok, that last one may have been a little bias but really, its a good phone. I would recommend it, but for someone that doesn't already have a smart phone or wants to upgrade. If you already have a smart phone you like, hold out till the next version.

Guitar heros and muscial influences 2

So this is the follow up to my last post about my guitar/musician heros. This is not meant to be a best of the best guitarists list, but my own personal list of musical influences. Some of these have links attached to videos of the artist and others have actual videos of the artists themselves.

So who to start with? Umm...in no particular order.....

Django Reinhardt - He is my definition of a guitar hero! His left hand was badly disfigured in a fire and he had to re-learn how to play with, basically, 2 fingers. But what he did was invent a new genre of music and a style of guitar which most people have a hard time playing with all their fingers. His music inspires me and i listen to him in many times when i have hit a musical wall. Please watch the vid




Jimmy page...YES! Who doesn't love this guy! I mean, now everyone wants a double neck guitar or how to use a bow.

Nickel Creek - So creative, especially 'Why should the Fire die'. Its not a country album nor a bluegrass album, it is a Nickel Creek album. They have their own style almost created their own genre. They know their instruments and seem to be draw every so much emotion and life out of them it makes me so jealous, yet i love them.


Chile Thile - AMAZING! let me say that again AMAZING!! His solo work, Punch Brothers and random recordings with other amazing artists, he makes me want to give up and try harder all at the same time.


The Edge - I know he is very "pop" and simplistic, but he just makes good music.

Jars of Clay - I call these guys the Weezer of the Christian music world. 1st album was great, then second album...well....not so well (at least at first for me). Then with time, i got to know the 2nd album better and now really like it. (note - Pinkerton is still my favorite weezer album)

Kaki King <- (please click on link if you have never seen her play) She rocks....this girl can play. I am still trying to learn playing with pink noise. i have been working with this song on and off for almost a year, and well, am no where near close to being able to perform this song.

Andy McKee - His attack is intense! He has no problem in what seems like he is beating the crap out of he guitar, but knows exactly what he is doing. He is one of the reasons i started to play in the "tapping" style.

Antone Duifor - This is what i would love to sound like one of these days. He is clear, complex and very good. It seems like he has poured over his songs over and over, not just practiced.


Jon Brion - I have seen him play live and his ability to improv is out of this world. Really, when you watch him play it brings you into the music. He can also play every single instrument under the sun. What makes him an influence on me is that he has such mastery over the guitar, he can pick up and play anything and i do mean ANYTHING he hears.


Jim Croche - My mom and dad introduced me to Croche. At first i thought of him as 'old people music' along with John Denver, and well, now he is one of my favorite song writers. I think about his lyrical style and ability to tell a story through song.

Robert Johnson - So eerie yet so captivating. One of my first CD's was his collection. The first song, Crossroads, grabs you, or it grabbed me. It was the first time i made the distinction in how finger picking can add so much to a song. I know more appreciate this skill as i have my own feeble attempts at this craft. He made me see this skill stand out.


Stevie Wonder - I love the musically and arrangement of his music. There is just something about the songs, "Superstition" and "I wish" that makes me want to better my skill at arranging my own work.

Elton John - He has probably one of my favorite rock voices. When i have tried to learn his songs, not only do i learn some new chord progression, but i have to learn some new vocal skill. i love it.

Christopher Parkening - A craftsman of the guitar. He has a great story too. I love his arrangements of several classical pieces, especially, Romanza. Every time i hear that song, i have to pause and take it in for at least a little while.


Andres Segovia - He is the 'Grandfather' of the guitar. Without him the guitar probably would have had a hard time getting out of the bars italy and spain. He drew the guitar into the spot light and made it a respectable instrument for study.

Modest Mouse - Listening to these guys makes you question what is really going on in their music. They have a great hand on their effects and bring out quirks and subtleties that bring a song to a new level. Listening to these guys have made me think so much more about what else is going on in my songs besides the melody and chord prgression.

Resse Roper - The singer for Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn, while not my favorite singer, there are a few songs that he has written that are probably some of my favorite worship songs. There is no way you could play them at church, but that is what is good about them. He has helped me find out that there can be worship songs beyond the set church/acoustic guitar.

George Harrison - When i heard that he didn't play the solo to While my guitar gently weeps, i almost cried. But then i started to really listen to the Beatles and have found out, that it is ok....he is still a great guitarist.

Wes Montgomery - The man can play! He doesn't use a pick, everything is done with his thumb and that makes it all the more amazing. I know there is no way i could explain his music with any authority, but for me personally, his music moves me. I makes me think about how i play, what i am putting (as in way of emotions or skill) into my music.


Well that is it for now. I mean, there are way more than this, but i thought this would do for now. In an upcoming blog, i would love to show off some of my on friends who are musicians. In the mean time, please comment and enjoy the music.

In Christ,
Allan