The Steep Canyon Rangers are worth a road trip

by Meg Massie on

My 200-mile list is a collection of musicians for whose concerts I am willing to travel up to 200 miles (and often farther, really). Traveling for music is a great way to discover small towns, eclectic venues, and meet cool people who share your interests.

I’m not talking about stadium headliners — nothing against these concerts or musicians, but with many of these shows, you might as well be watching on television at home. You’re so much more present when you’re part of a smaller group, which is why I especially love the folk scene, hosted by all the best coffee houses in America. All members of my 200-mile list are folk musicians. Of course, “folk” covers a lot of ground.

Near the top of my list is the Steep Canyon Rangers, a young bluegrass band from North Carolina. Winners of the 2006 International Bluegrass Music Awards’ Emerging Artist of the Year title, the Rangers are up for Album of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year at this year’s IBMA’s. Their sound is a solid mix of instrumentals, traditional and original bluegrass, and gospel, with lots of humor and fun thrown in.My favorite part of each Rangers show is a toss-up between their a capella gospel performance of Wade Mainer’s “I Can’t Sit Down” and their fan-favorite Nascar tune “Feelin’ Just a Little Like Dale.” Though I couldn’t care less about Nascar, I love how much fun the band has with this one — especially Nicky Sanders’ creative use of his fiddle to impersonate cars on the raceway and police sirens. In this song and all their others, the band has so much fun on stage, it spills into the audience and you can’t help but enjoy yourself (even if you hate Nascar).

In addition to great music, witty banter is a part of every show, and bass player Charles Humphrey will have you busting a gut. Check the Steep Canyon Rangers’ tour schedule to see if they’ll be coming within 200 miles of your hometown. If you want to say hi, you can find me at the Third Annual Mountain Song Festival, hosted by the Rangers themselves in Brevard, NC.

Below is a video of the Steep Canyon Rangers performing the title track from their latest album, Lovin’ Pretty Women.

Gadling Take FIVE – August 9–August 15

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday afternoon I was on a WiFi quest with no luck, so here’s the
Take FIVE a day later.

While I was on my WiFi quest with no luck, Gadling welcomed a new blogger. Meg Massie has an interesting way to get around the world. Her husband is a professional bridge player. Meg travels for other reasons too. Bridge is just one of them.

Along with the welcome addition of Meg, there have been a mix of culture related posts from entertainment to food, plus, there is a new feature thread called Gadling Covers the Olympics.

From the humor angle: If you missed Jerry’s post on Stephen Colbert’s tour of the Cantons of America, here it is. Along with poking fun at Canton, Ohio (on the list of the top five cities that are dying in the United States), Colbert also pokes fun at other towns called Canton.

  • From the gastronomic angle:Jefferey lamented the absence of his beloved döner, Turkish kebabs from Concierge.com’s list of the world’s best street foods
  • From the cinematical angle: Josh pointed out the popularity of Indian musical movies in Africa and wonders how much Bollywood will take over Hollywood’s place here.
  • From the musical angle: Aaron pointed us in the direction of Asian music that has gained a following
  • And, from a capturing an aspect of culture yourself angle: Scott posted on great price on a Fuji camera.

Drink at Barcelona’s “secret” bars

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Barcelona is a nightlife-lover’s paradise. Between the city’s thriving music scene, liberal drinking laws and the generally hedonistic social attitudes of many Spaniards, you’re almost assured a good time when you go out. I have spent many a night wandering the narrow streets of the Barrio Gotico neighborhood, hopping from one tiny bar to the next while enjoying a few mojitos with friends.

If that’s not convincing enough, an article in today’s Guardian points out that nightlife-lovers have yet another reason to visit Barcelona – a growing trend of “hidden” bars. In recent years an estimated 40-some-odd illegal drinking establishments have sprung up, thanks largely to the okupas, Spanish squatters who occupy the city’s many empty buildings.

Spiraling housing costs have put buying or renting apartments out of reach for many Spaniards, who have taken to occupying empty buildings as a last resort. Some of the more enterprising squatters have created bars with their space, earning themselves some extra cash. A few spots to check out include:

  • El Mariachi – a favorite hangout for the city’s musicians, this quirky spot is nothing more than a few mismatched pieces of furniture. The real highlight is the cocktails, which include the Hydro-Miel, the house specialty mixed with honey. (Corner of Carrer dels Codols and Carrer d’en Rull, Barrio Gotico)
  • El Armario – another tiny spot in the El Raval neighborhood. The name in Spanish means “wardrobe,” which is accurate: you literally walk past the owner’s clothing collection to get inside. (Carrer de la Riereta, El Raval)
  • The Front Room – this bar, which does not seem to have an “official” name, occupies a small front room behind a tiny metal door on the Carrer d’en Carabassa. (Metal door opposite 5 Carrer d’en Carabassa, Barrio Gotico)

If you want to visit these places, be prepared and be patient. Most don’t have signs or set hours of operation, usually opening after 2am when Barcelona’s other bars are shutting down. Furthermore, their illegal status makes them targets for closure by police. In other words, have some back-up drinking options. But if you’re headed out with an open mind and little bit of persistence, Barcelona’s hidden bars look ready to offer a uniquely Spanish “night on the town.”

Out of the country? Try the Havana Club

by Grant Martin on

One of the best parts about travel is testing out the gastronomic culture. Eating pan seared duck at Comptoir De La Gastronomie in Paris, horse sashimi in back alleys of Tokyo or terrible borscht on the streets of St. Petersburg is a great way to get in touch with a culture and society by way of your stomach instead of normal visual saturation.

Similarly drinking the popular destination beverage can bring the same experience. Caparinhia’s, a sweet lime cocktail are very popular in Brazil and can be made at home by tracking down some cashaca. Thousands of varieties of sake are available in Japan and many can be found at your local liquor store.

What’s most fun about being out of the country, however, is enjoying the forbidden beverages — those that can’t even be consumed in the United States.

Which brings us to the Cuba Libre with Havana Club rum. Though the Cuba Libre is quite similar to a standard “rum and coke” and can be made with any rum, the real flavor and purpose of the beverage is best brought out when consumed with Havana Club, a Cuban rum illegal to import into the States. Downing a Cuba Libre gives you that touch of rebellion and that flavor of foreign places that few other drinks can, which is why I often order it when I’m out of the country.

Next time you’re outside of our borders, give it a try. Both Canadian and Mexican bars are usually stocked with Havana Club rum and you’ll definitely taste a difference between that and Americanized liquors. Maybe someday (soon?) when the trade embargo falls we’ll be able to enjoy a little bit of Cuba Libre at home.

World’s first ecological nightclub opens in London

by Abha Malpani on

Just opened in Pentonville Road, Islington (Greater London) is Surya (Hindi for “Sun” and Sanskrit for “Sun God”), the world’s first green nightclub.

It will generate its own electricity when people move on its floors, will operate on solar and wind energy, has air-flush waterless urinals and low-flush toilets, and free entry for cyclists and walkers. Otherwise club entry is £10 and customers must sign a pledge towards helping combat climate change.

Brainchild of Mr.Charalambous, head of Club4Climate, the club’s dance floor is made of crystal and ceramic, which when trodden on generates electricity under the concept of “piezoelectricity”. This current is fed into nearby batteries, which in turn fuel the club. It is estimated that if a large group of clubbers danced vigorously, they could generate 60% of the club’s energy needs.

With aim of inspiring the youth to get involved in tackling the issue of global warming, Charalambous said in the Times of India: “Unless we stop preaching to people and use an inclusive philosophy we’re never going to create the revolution to combat climate change.” I couldn’t agree more.