MUSIC/FOOD+DRINK: FRED EAGLESMITH BAND

FRED EAGLESMITH BAND

With the Fabulous Ginn Sisters – Beachland Tavern Cleveland, Ohio April 8, 2010

By Randall McCaslin

Photos by Heidi Allyn

It is always a mystery as to what incarnation Fred Eaglesmith will manifest at a particular show – what the image will be, what songs will he perform, what jokes will he be telling, will he be in a good mood, etc. Well, last nights little boogie at the Beachland Tavern was exceptional to say the least. Gearing up for the release of his new CD “Cha Cha Cha” which he quipped would be on his headstone – as well as a date on David Letterman in mid June- the Fred Eaglesmith Band began their 59 date tour beginning in Cleveland and meandering through the heartland to Texas – back up through the east coast on to Canada starting east going to the western provinces and ending up in Nova Scotia in September. Such is the Fred Eaglesmith story. But before I get in too deep – a little overture.

We planned to meet our friends Dan and Pokey for supper. Dan my bestest music friend for decades and Pokey the Cleveland chapter president of the Fred Eaglesmith appreciation society. We met at Superior Pho – a quaint Vietnamese place on – what else Superior Avenue, a gritty industrial section of town – very working class. I can usually trust Dan’s selection of great places to eat and this was no exception. The place was a simple – no frills establishment – inexpensive – but focusing on the quality in the food, PERFECT! Dan, Poke and I had the Pho which is a BIG noodle soup with brisket and round steak with a side Vietnamese sandwich called Bahn Mi Thit a delicious combination of roasted pork, vegetables, fresh herbs and special ingredients on a french roll that was simply fabulous. The Pho was served with fresh bean sprouts, cilantro and Thai basil , strong herbs that give the cuisine the distinctive flavor. Fish sauce and garlic chili, and fresh jalapenos were condiments. This place was worth the trip to Cleveland alone. Heidi had the Com Bo Xao Xa Ot – a spicy beef curry that made me regret – but for a moment – that I had ordered Pho. It too was excellent. Vietnamese food is generally spicy and bursting with strong and unusual flavors. I love it and this place makes it very authentic. I also had a Durian Bubble Tea for desert, a cool refreshing desert like drink with large tapioca beads in a frozen mixture with the exotic fruit. Having satisfied the taste and smell senses it was off to the sight and sound pavilion.

To quote the promotional material – “For over 3 decades Fred Eaglesmith has written, sung and performed songs that tell the tales of rural life. These songs are about the people he knows. the farmers, the truckers, the girls, all those folks that make up the landscape of his southern Ontario home”. These songs have earned him Canadian music awards as well as gold records here in the states. His music is covered by huge Nashville stars such as Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and most recently the new album by Alan Jackson is titled “Freight Train” written by Fred and a song he performed at the show. Others have also covered his songs – mostly the Austin alt country crowd like Gurf Morlix, Slaid Cleves, Casey and Bill Chambers, Audrey Auld, even the Cowboy Junkies the 90’s folk punk outfit has covered him. I guess what I am saying is that Fred has game.
The opening set was performed by the Ginn Sisters, a duet hailing from Shulenburg, Texas. A kinda post feminist – alt country punk band with an Elvis sneer. TL and Brit had a wonderful blend of vocals and good songwriting. The performed some old and newer compositions including “Watching Fireworks in Black and White” their signature tune. Matty Simson, Luke Stackhouse and Kori Heppner – Fred’s Band members backed them up and then when Fred’s show began – the Ginn Sisters were Freds backing vocals.
Fred took the stage at about 9 pm. The audience were mostly folks in their 50’s – not the typical Beachland demographic – but Fred’s fans are mostly gray. His songs are about things in life folks my age have lived, and experienced. He told a story once about people coming up to him after the show and talking about a parent passing away or a divorce or kids having trouble and he said – its what happens at our age! It’s not just you! What I like most about Fred’s show is that he mixes music, comedy, and philosophy into a hour and 45 minutes which blaze by and you just want him to hang out for a long time.
So Fred takes the stage in a circus ringmaster outfit. Top hat, blue tuxedo tails with 100 gold buttons, and black baggy jeans with ripstop nylon knee patches, and a white tuxedo shirt. Now mind you Fred has worn his signature 10 gallon cowboy hat at every show I have ever seen – it was quite a shock. He usually has a pair of jeans, sleeveless cut off shirt and cowboy boots. Matty the guitar/keyboard player looked like Emmit Kelly on acid, Kori had blueish purple hair and zebra clogs with glitter sparkles everywhere. Luke looked like the truck driver and the Ginn’s kinda looked like bad girls you couldn’t take home. I believe the image of the band has taken a big turn since the death of Willie P. Bennett the virtuoso mandolin playin sidekick that had been with Fred for decades. This is the new Fred Eaglsmith Band and they played like it. With the exception of 2 songs at the end Fred cranked though 11 songs with his Orange Gretch Electromatic with the tremelo intense and slow. Three songs off of the new album were featured – “Careless With My Love” – which started the show “I Would” and “If I Want In So Deep”. The rest of the show were really really good versions of the hits – 49 Tons, 18 Wheels, Freight Train, Alcohol and Pills, Time to Get a Gun, Cumberland County, Wilder Than Her, Spookin the Horses and for the encores Fred came back and did Drive in Movie and Bleary Eyed Boys acoustically. Interspersed throughout the show was Fred’s take on the US health care debate, jokes, one liners, zen philosophy, getting old, and the question of the night – ” after all folks what is Socialism? Socialism is SHARING “.
So Fred starts the next tour – 50 some dates this summer and an appearance on Letterman in Mid – June. He will be at The Thunderbird in Pittsburgh Sunday May 9. If you have a chance to see the latest incarnation of the Fred Eaglesmith traveling circus country lounge rock and roll extravaganza – take the opportunity.

FOOD+DRINK: THE LUTHER BURGER

THE LUTHER BURGER

How I learned to stop worrying and love trans fat.

By Randall McCaslin

Photos by Heidi Allyn

Foody shows are my favorite. I watch Bourdain religiously.  And Andrew Zimmern.  Yes, and even Adam Richman defeating food like George Patton defeated Germans.  Gimme a food show that talks about regional delicacies and I’m on it like bees on a flower.  I watch repeats over and over – trying to bang home dishes that I can try in MY kitchen.  Lately I was watching the Travel Channel and caught the “Top Places to Chowdown”.  A countdown show revealing the most decadent and grease intensive foods and food purveyors in all the land.  One particular sandwich piqued a naughty interest.  Apparently some minor league baseball team in the midwest caught on that Luther Vandross, a popular soul singer from the 80’s, invented a hamburger using Krispy Kreme doughnuts as buns.  I found this to be Pavlovian.  I soon was off to the doughnut shop for the main ingredient.  Here is how I did it.

Slice the doughnuts in half.

Grill the hamburger as you like – pan – broil- char-etc.

Fry 2-3 strips of bacon.

Slice 3 slices of cheddar cheese for each burger.

Create a chipoltle mayo with canned chipoltle peppers and your favorite mayonnaise.  Blend in blender or food processor.

Lightly butter the inner side of the sliced doughnut and grill gently.  Use low heat as they caramelize very fast.

To Assemble place the melted cheese burger on the grilled doughnut topped with bacon and the chipoltle mayo.  Serve with French Fries fried in rendered duck fat for that special touch.  As a side note Luther Vandross was a diabetic that died of a heart attack in his 40’s.  One should be careful with this recipe. Perhaps for desert a nice angioplasty or shunt???

FOOD+DRINK: HOOK’S CATFISH KITCHEN

HOOK’S CATFISH KITCHEN
38 S Park Row, Erie PA

By: Randall McCaslin
Photos: Heidi Allyn

For those who know me – its no secret that I admire Anthony Bourdain. I watch his show “No Reservations”, have his cook books, read his other work,  and I wish I had his job – traveling the world and understanding the culture of his destinations via its cuisine. Whether its fresh tacos at a stand in Mexico or a “dirty water” hotdog in Times Square – it’s the food the average every day guy eats – the special little lunch counters, stands, shops and delis that really illustrate how the folks live and work and exist in a particular place. Erie has these places too – I have watched them come and go over the 40 some odd years that I have eaten in restaurants in Erie. Places we all know and love. I hope to revisit these places and find some new ones and talk about them.

First on the list is a place that instantly intrigued me. I was walking about Perry Square probably last summer and saw on the corner of Peach and North Park Row – a new restaurant had opened – Hooks Catfish Kitchen. I was not looking for food but thought a catfish place in Erie would be gone in about a month or two. Well time has its way of fleeting and I found myself again in the Perry Square area around lunch time and lo – the place was still there. It was lunch time and I decided to give it a shot. Im glad I did. I liked it so much that I started telling people about it, encouraging people to try the place. I decided after the great lunch I had to take Heidi to check it out. We went on a Friday night and got there by 7. Unfortunately there is not much seating space – only 2 or 3 tables as the majority of the business is take out. We had to eat in as we live in Edinboro and I wanted to eat the food fresh. We arrived and there were 1 or 2 folks ordering in front of us, but soon after we placed our order folks started lining up to order the goodness we were about to receive.

The menu is not extensive – its pretty much fish. It’s a good thing to do one thing and do it well and this is the case here. There are several types of fish available, of course catfish but also whiting, ocean perch, walleye and tilapia. Chicken is also available. You order by the piece and each meal includes a side of fries or onion rings and two slices of white bread. Additional sides are available such as fried okra, hush puppies, mac and cheese wedges, slaw etc. I ordered the 2 piece catfish dinner and Heidi ordered the catfish nuggets – mine with fries and hers with rings. I wanted a side of fried okra but they were out so we got the slaw. I was hoping for some good fresh homemade coleslaw but was disappointed when the order came with prefab slaw in a peel off plastic tub – the only disappointment of the evening. As we waited for our meals – we sat down and I picked up some of the reading material and gleaned through “The Final Call” the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. This is the Minister Louis Farrahakan’s order based on the teaching of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. The edition I picked up featured the visit of Libyan President Mohammar Qaddafi to the United States. Now this is pretty interesting stuff for me. I usually spend my time cutting firewood and playing Appalachian folk music so I was quite out of my element but was really enjoying myself. Heidi and I struck up conversations with some folks waiting for their orders and were having a wonderful time.

Our orders came served in Styrofoam boxes and plastic forks. No fine china and Cabernet here – it’s a fish joint. Don’t look for the tartar sauce either – its available but you have to ask ( a humiliation). The condiments are Louisiana hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, and malt vinegar. I couldn’t figure out what the mustard was for though. The fish is unmistakably the BEST fried fish I have ever had. It is hot, and crispy on the outside and moist and flakey on the inside. It is breaded not battered – like most fried fish around Erie. I think it is a corn meal base with assorted spices. Eating methodology includes tearing fish with bare hands into chunk, dip in hot sauce, eat,  eat french fry with malt vinegar sprinkled generously about and dipped  in ketchup to mitigate the heat of the hot sauce. Take bite of bread to further put out the fire of the hot sauce if necessary. Repeat.  There is no alcohol available – only soft drinks and this may have something to do with the religious belief of the owners. The Manager – Shawn Jones was so nice to us and knew how to cook! The portions are very ample and the value is outstanding. We decided that we needed to try the homemade sweet potato pie for desert and it too was delicious. Please Please try this place. Go out of your way – avoid the chain fish place for a night- try something new- different. Get to know your neighbors – support local Erie establishments.

TRY HOOKS CATFISH KITCHEN! You will not be disappointed.