When Dave Matthews walks into a room, he does so smoothly and calmly. He’s not bothered by eyeballs – and if he was, he’d just as easily leave through the front door. Matthews, when he meets you, offers to buy you a coffee. Then he sits and begins to open up as you ask questions about politics, naturopathy and his upcoming tour with guitarist, Tim Reynolds.
Read MoreAdmiral Maltings, California’s first small-batch malthouse of commercially available malted barley, is slated to begin production in May or June in the San Francisco Bay Area.
One of about 30 other micro-malthouses in the US, Admiral Maltings will offer locally sourced malted barley to California’s regional breweries which, until now, have had to source their malted grains from out of state (Montana, North Dakota) or internationally (Canada, Germany, England).
Read MoreWhich candidate would you most like to have a beer with?
Every four years, when America chooses a new president, that question gets asked. On Solo-ish, we would like to update that tradition and posit what it would be like to go on a first date with each of the 2016 candidates.
Read MoreLos Angeles-based rock group Dawes is one of the rare acts to observe and learn from musical legend Bob Dylan. The band recently toured with the Nobel Prize winner for about six weeks. And now Dawes will take the lessons learned and use them on its own 50-date tour, which includes a stop in Seattle on Friday, Feb. 24.
Read MoreAlong with being the 49th state in the American union, Alaska is known for its harsh winters, wild animals, mining and the Alaskan Brewing Co. And the brewery’s flagship beer, Alaskan Amber, was born out of all the traditional elements normal to the country’s largest state.
Sipping the brew, one notices its candy-like under- and overtones. While the malt doesn’t overpower the palate, it is certainly present. But the beer, born in Juno in 1986, also drinks softly even when chilled close to ice cold. The recipe’s original brewer, Geoff Larson, a co-founder at Alaskan Brewing, says he practically stumbled upon the recipe when his brewery was just beginning.
Read MoreSeattle-based violinist/composer Andrew Joslyn has toured the world on the strength of his playing. He is most definitely a musician. But the prolific artist could easily have been the world’s most accomplished juggler.
Sitting across a table from him in West Seattle’s cozy Uptown Espresso, plans, words, and ideas tumble out of his mouth at an amazing rate—objectives he seems to keep afloat, bouncing in midair—but they aren’t just wishes, they’re descriptions of the many actual projects he has his hands on.
Read MoreAnthony Ray — aka Sir Mix-A-Lot — still loves an intimate rap show, which is why the man who made the big butt immortal will perform at Seattle’s 475-person-capacity Nectar Lounge on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 2 and 3.
Read MoreWhen A Tribe Called Quest, inimitable elder statesmen of hip hop, released their final record We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service, they gathered a who’s who of hip hop old and new. The political and social implications of that album aside, it should be little doubt why that would include Talib Kweli.
Read MoreOn a bright Sunday afternoon, Jamil Suleman walks through the doors of Columbia City’s Royal Room and people instantly turn toward him and exclaim, “Hey! Jesus!”
Read MoreWeed is expensive. But even more than that, life is expensive. When was the last time you didn’t have a car payment or a ridiculous tech boom rent hike (our sympathies, west coasters!)? This inevitably sharpens your gaze in the grocery store: you keenly notice which items are on sale, which are bargains, which will taste good while stoned — all while lamenting a bottomed-out bank account. It’s the new year, which means, at least for the month of January, most of us are trying to stick to our resolution to be more budget conscious. With that, we present five easy “meals” that cost less than $3 to buy and prepare and will totally hit the spot.
Read MoreIn the world of beer, one word is growing in popular recognition. And, perhaps surprisingly, it’s not a style or a brewery. It is, rather, the title of beer expert: a cicerone.
It’s the beer equivalent of sommelier, or wine expert. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, perhaps you haven’t. But what is a cicerone, exactly? How does a person become one, and what happens after that?
Read MoreDeck the Hall Ball, the eight-hour set of live shows hosted by Seattle radio station 107.7 The End at KeyArena Tuesday, featured dozens of short, bursting rock tunes that relived past radio glory days and celebrated the contemporary.
Read More“It’s one thing to say to folks, ‘Go and do the work,’ ” says Seattle activist and writer Marissa Jenae Johnson. “I certainly understand that sentiment, but it can be hard for some people to grasp.”
The work she’s referencing, of course, is visible, tangible efforts made by everyday citizens to dismantle oppressive systems like racism, ableism, and the patriarchy. Johnson, world-renowned for her work with Black Lives Matter, is a staunch advocate for sacrifice, especially when it comes to privileged white people giving up their comforts to people of color and the marginalized, who have suffered at the hands of an abusive system for hundreds of years.
Read MoreWhen Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready walks into a KEXP music fair wearing your record label’s T-shirt, you know you’ve officially made it.
That’s what happened for Freakout Records, a new Seattle-based venture started by four locals — Ian Cunningham, Skyler Locatelli, Guy Keltner and Nathan Casey — who, in addition to running the label, are putting on a loud, two-day music festival Thursday and Friday (Dec. 8-9).
Read MoreBefore the Industrial Revolution, women ruled the beer-brewing world. It’s true. The act, associated with the kitchen primarily, was handled mostly by women, who first brewed beer for their families, then for their communities, and later, when a little money was available, for paying customers in tap houses.
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