Wyoming Adventure: Deadwood

We really didn't document much of our dining and drinking while in Lusk, but did get a bunch of nice pictures on the McLain ranch.  You can see them here and here.  The ranch was homesteaded by Alison's great grandfather in the 1920's and the actual structure of the homestead still stands.

We headed out to see Deadwood and Mount Rushmore National Park in South Dakota, but as we approached the border between Wyoming and South Dakota we had to stop in for our first pop at the Buck Horn.  The bar was a cool hunter's lodge right off the highway.  The only people in the bar were the bartender, a cat and what I presume was the owner of the joint.  The beer was cold and the bartender gave us some notes on good eats in Deadwood.

The Buckhorn

Our bartender at the Buckhorn recommended the Cantina on the first floor of Miss Kitty's.  Now before I go any further, let me explain downtown Deadwood.  Deadwood is a historical town.  Wild Bill and his cohorts used to run the streets of Deadwood back in the ol' days.  There are signs all over the place and along the street indicating the location of a famous gunfight, a death, or a famous brothel.  A lot of history, right?  Well, they also have a bunch of slot machines and themed bars as well, making the town somewhat of an adult Disneyland; a compact Vegas with an outlaw spin.

So we headed over to Miss Kitty's to hit the Cantina.  To say that their spin on Mexican food was unique is a statement.  To say that being from southern California and having eaten our fair share of authentic Mexican food is also a statement.  When you put both statements together, you not only get a run-on sentence, but an idea of what the chow was like at the Cantina.  Not bad, just not authentic.  You really can't blame the good folks at Miss Kitty's Cantina, maybe just the fact that being so far from the Mexican border should make any establishment question the notion of serving Mexican food.

The streets of Deadwood

The hot slots at Miss Kitty's

Alison's Sopes

Bob's Qusadilla Burger.  Now that's ingenuity.

The most interesting part of our trip to Deadwood was our visit to the Bullock Hotel.  Alison's mom was drawn to the hotel for some reason or another.  In the lobby, there was a picture of the Rough Riders that included Seth Bullock, the namesake of the hotel.  Alison's mom mentioned that Alison's great-great grandfather was a Rough Rider named Charlie Calhoun.  The big picture didn't have a key to the people in the picture, but there was a smaller picture on the side that contained the key to the folks in the picture.  Low and behold ...

The exterior of the Bullock Hotel

The picture of Seth Bullock and the Rough Riders

#16 in the center is one Charles Calhoun

Bob at Mount Rushmore

After we left Deadwood, we hit up Mount Rushmore National Park.  The park leading up to the monument was all pretty overdone with marble and pillars.  I just wanted to see the heads of famous people carved into the side of a mountain.  It was pretty surreal and ranks up there with the Grand Canyon as something you have to see in person to understand the power of it's being.

After leaving Rushmore, we hit a bit of weather.  Severe thunderstorms ... all in perfect timing since that was when Alison decided she would do some driving.  Usually she's not too clear behind the wheel, but she did a good job getting us back to Lusk.  Once back in Lusk, we hit a small bar called The Pub.  We didn't get any pictures because it was one of those places where everyone knew you were from out of town and we didn't want to exacerbate that fact.  We did get a few funny looks, but after we sat down and had a few beers, we started to blend into the bar.  We also ordered burgers, which were by far the best burger I've had in a long time.  Wyoming is beef country and this was a hell of a burger.  I would like to attribute it to the freshness of the beef, but it was also well seasoned and the size of my face.  From what I recall it was a spicy-style burger, so it had peppers and all that goodness.  I don't think I've ever had a burger of that caliber in such an unsuspecting place.  Someone should take note.

Tunesday: Cheap Girls

Cheap Girls are from Lansing, Michigan.  I've never been there, but it seems like a place where they make good music since Cheap Girls make good music.  How do you like that for logic?  Actually that's not good logic at all.

Cheap Girls have come up on my radar a few different times.  I had seen them once live at the Redwood in downtown L.A. when they opened for Drag the River and Mike Watt.  Trippy lineup, right?  I remember being impressed with the way they played live, clean and powerful.

I think I had seen their name a few times again after that and maybe a few tunes appeared on some of the podcasts I listen to.  The the blessed Spotify came down from the heavens and I was able to listen to all the albums from the bands I had been meaning to look into.  I played through the Cheap Girls discography quite a few times and then I sprung for it and bought all their records.  A purchase I was quite pleased with.

Recently Cheap Girls played the Satellite in Silverlake and they did not disappoint.  Alison dug them and I had their tunes echoing in my mind.  Since then Alison requests Cheap Girls albums when we are sitting on the porch enjoying the view and a brew.

It's hard to put a finger on what Cheap Girls sound like, but I would guess it's somewhere mixed in with Dinosaur Jr. and Gin Blossoms.  Don't quote me on that because it's always so subjective when trying to compare bands to each other in order to show some form of relative sound.  They have a driving drum and bass section with pretty varied and technical guitar melodies.  The whole while the vocals stay back and refrain from overpowering.  That's probably the most you'll get out of me on listening notes.

Here's a few videos from the boys in Cheap Girls, take a gander then listen over and over because their tunes will get stuck in your head.

Tunesday: The Replacements

Every once in a while I'll come across a band and become obsessed.  The kind of obsessed where I have to purchase all the band's records, learn all I can about their history, watch every live performance on YouTube, that kind of thing.

All that recently happened to me when I started digging into the Replacements.  I had always heard of them and had one of their records, but never really paid much attention.  Then I got my hands on their discography and threw a bunch of their songs on my iPod that I would use at the gym or when I went running.  The more I listened, the more I started enjoying their songwriting, Paul Westerberg's vocals, Bob Stinson's guitar playing ... all the layers started becoming apparent to me.  I guess that's the breaking point as to when I became infected with the bug.

I was clearly obsessed.  I had to tell my friends about them, read books on their history, have them on the stereo when drinking at the apartment on a Friday or Saturday night.  I would imagine it started to drive people nuts, Alison included.  I think I had her on board, but it was probably more because every time a certain song would come on I would talk over the whole song and go into detail about what I liked about the lyrics and the delivery and the desperation in the sound of the song and the message and how you can't say goodnight to an answering machine ... who even leaves messages on an answering machine anymore?

I then realized that The Replacements were one of those bands that someone has to experience for themselves and find their own reasons for enjoying them.  Almost the way in which people end up loving Minutemen or Hüsker Dü or Dinosaur Jr..  Especially for people who weren't of age when those bands existed.  Although when you dig in to them, you are able to hear the timelessness to those bands and their personality.  I guess it's one of those things that is an isolated discovery, unlike hearing something that is broadly accepted as good by the masses.  Not to say that one has an elite ear or understanding of good taste to like the aforementioned bands, but that when you do fall into it like the rest of the people that are into it, you are head over heels.

Enough posturing and waxing poetic for me.  Check out some videos!

Tunesday: Lee Fields and The Expressions

I've recently started delving into soul music.  Now, as far as it goes as a genre and the gobs of artists that have molded soul music as well as the different regions that are hotbeds of soul that have distinct styles, I am still learning and absorbing information and sounds.  I'm totally new to this.  Tabla Raza.

That being said, I recently stumbled on Lee Fields and the Expressions.  I can't remember if I was just fishing around on Spotify or saw an article on him or what, but he came my way and I immediately had to get my hands on his records.  Needless to say, they are all gems.

Then add to that, he just so happened to be playing the Echoplex in Echo Park ...  what timing!

Lee Fields is a hell of a performer.  The guy came out in a 2-tone white and beige satin suit.  He kept hyping the audience, then he would belt out some really powerful and emotion-filled vocals.  Dude can do it. 

Not only can the guy sing, but The Expressions, his backing band, totally set the table for Mr. Fields to serve up a delicious vocal entree.  I don't think I really need to write much about Mr. Fields and his band, you should just watch the below videos and then go get your hands on his music.

Wyoming Adventure: Cody and Meeteetse

Cody, Wyoming ... where everyone's favorite cowboy, Buffalo Bill Cody, called home.

When we pulled into Cody after a long day wandering around Yellowstone, we drove right past this huge rodeo ground.  I guess it was the beginning of their Rodeo Days or something of that nature.  It looked pretty interesting, but we were pretty beat and opted to order a pizza and relax at our hotel.  Very exciting, right?

The next morning, we rolled into town.  Cody had the feel of an old town that had been gussied up a bit; given a new coat of paint and a shoe shining.  Not so much a tourist trap, but welcoming to the occasional out-of-towner.  A place where you could buy leather gun holsters, cowboy boots, lasso's and a Davey Crockett coon skin cap.  You could also go to the Buffalo Bill museum.

We did none of the above, but we did see a giant rifle and ate at the Irma Hotel, which was built by Buffalo Bill and named for his daughter.  The dining room is a large hall with an old fashioned tin metal roof that truly conjures up a picture in your mind of the real old west.  I debated ordering the Rocky Mountain Oysters, but I began to conjure up in my mind a bull sans his sack.  Instead we went with a few of their sandwiches.  Alison rolled with the BLT and I opted for a fried chicken sandwich.  Both excellent and both served with their delicious home-style potatoes.

This photo is very patriotic.

The front of the Irma.

There were lots of cool neon signs throughout town, this was the one outside the Irma.

The dining hall at the Irma.

Alison's BLT and A.

Bob's fried chicken sandwich.

After hanging out in Cody, it was time to head toward Worland where we were going to meet some of Alison's family.  Along the highway, there is a little town we came across called Meeteetse.  Calling it a 'little town' is quite an understatement.  I think the entire town consists of an old auto repair shop, the cowboy chocolatier shop (which we later found out is famous) and two bars.  Of course, we had to wet our whistles after a fifteen minute drive in no traffic at the Cowboy Bar and Cafe.

The building that houses the bar looks like a movie set at Knott's Berry Farm. Except for there are salty locals inside taking shots of Fireball instead of kids hopped up on funnel cake.  In addition to the interesting patrons, the inside of the bar also consists of an array of decorations that appear as if they haven't been moved in years. The beer was cold and we had a couple before heading on down the road to Worland where we saw some real cowboys.

The Cowboy Bar and the highway.

Looks like something from a movie set, right?

Pretty awesome signage.

Guns double as doorhandles.

I wish I was there right now.

I plan on taking interior design notes from this place.

This was the bar next door.  They had a drive-up window.

Alison wound up in jail, we couldn't afford bail.

Next stop was Worland where we met the family for a reunion.  There were a lot of people and I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but by the end of my three days hanging out with the family I think I had a handle on all of the names and relationships.

To say we drank a bits is an understatement.  The beer (American) flowed freely and everyone had a grand ol' time.  Highlights included a Roping exhibition, hanging out a bar called Gooses', driving ATV's in the middle of nowhere, fishin', porch sittin', happy hour by the crick (how you pronounce creek in Wyoming) and just being awesome.

Here's a few pictures from the mini-rodeo put on by the Bower family.

Eddie Spaghetti enjoying some rodeo snacks.

Cowboy Bob looking like he knows a thing or two about horsing around.

This is the skull of a bull that gored one of Alison's relatives.

Supposedly we ate the meat from that very bull one evening.

If you're into checking out more pictures from our trip, you can go here.

Next stop - Lusk, Wyoming.

Wyoming Adventures: Jackson Hole

Last month we embarked on an epic journey to the least populated state in the Union: beautiful and untamed Wyoming.  Alison's mom was born there and still has family there on both sides. One side of her family was having a family reunion.  We started our journey by flying into Utah and then heading up into Wyoming by way of Idaho.  First official stop in Wyoming was Jackson Hole.

A lot of elk were sacrificed to build this archway.

A few moose too.

Our first stop in the touristy town of Jackson Hole was the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.  It was quiet since it was the middle of the day, but by the looks of it this joint has the potential to get pretty wild when in full swing.  They have bars along both walls and a bar in the back near a rather large stage.  The Cowboy Bar also makes the term 'saddle up to the bar' a reality by having actual saddles in place of bar stools.  Clever (but kind of uncomfortable) indeed.

Dig the signage!

Sitting in these was an odd feeling, but I don't really ride horses.

They had silver dollars built into the bar and their own brew.

After a cold one, we headed on over to the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill.  For whatever reason, many of the drinking and dining establishments in Wyoming either incorporate 'Silver Dollar', or 'Cowboy' into their names.

The Silver Dollar Bar and Grill is your usual hotel bar / restaurant, but does have a nice wrap around bar and a stage for live performances.  Since we were there for lunch the place was pretty quiet.  The beer was cold and the food was great, so no complaints here.  Alison ordered the most California thing on the menu and had a chicken wrap of some sort.  I, on the other hand, immediately got into the Wyoming spirit and had an Elk rib tip flat bread-style wrap.  I can't say that I'd ever had elk before, but this was pretty darn tasty.  Although I wonder if it would be considered cannibalism since I am an Elk's Lodge Member.  That was a stupid joke! 
 

  Alison's boring wrap.

Bob's awesome adventure Elk-meat wrap.

After lunch, we journeyed to Yellowstone National Forest where we saw Old Faithful, big, bad boy bison and other wildlife, as well as all kinds of exciting and beautiful scenery.  I don't think our food, drink and music blog is a place to write about all that, but if you'd like to check out some of the photos from that portion of the trip and the rest of our journey click here.

Next stop - Cody!

Tunesday: Alabama Shakes

Recently we went to see Alabama Shakes at the Fonda / Music Box in Hollywood.  We did dine at Cleo beforehand, but we've been doing a terrible job documenting our drinking, dining and music adventures, so we'll just make note and move on.

Ok, back to Alabama Shakes.  They are going to be big.  No ... huge.  I try and stay away from superlatives or excessive praise but these guys definitely deserve it.  Their performance was clean and precise as far as their musicianship.  The real deal is the vocals from the lead singer, Brittany Howard.  She can really belt it out and with gallons of soul to boot.

As I was watching them play, I noticed that the crowd was completely absorbed in the music.  None of those annoying people standing around trying to have a conversation over the performance.  Who are those people anyways, and why are they wasting the price of admission to try and talk over the headliner?  I digress.  At the risk of sounding cliché, which is a cliché itself, they were magical.

They are a new act and only have 1 record in the can with hopefully plenty more to come.  Here are some videos since they can do more justice than I can in trying to write about them.  Show me, not tell me, right?

Steak Jamz!

Remember those goofy compilation CD's that showcased a bunch of songs for jocks, rockers, etc?  Well, recently a friend of Bob's asked him to lend a hand with some GFX / Title animation for a compilation CD they are putting out called 'Steak Jamz!'.  You better get cookin' and get yourself a copy before it sells out!