Jeff Coffin Mu'tet

Last Thursday, I got the crazy idea to drive over to Black Mountain, NC for a concert. Granted, my presence at a musical performance is not all that extraordinary. But this time it was a 2 & 1/2 hour drive one way to the west to Black Mountain, a lengthy concert, the 2 & 1/2 hour drive one way back to Greensboro, then a little thing called "work"at 8am the following morning. Ah screw it...ROCK AND ROLL!!!

The performer? The Jeff Coffin Mu'tet. Who is Jeff Coffin you ask? His website is here. He plays horn for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and I was introduced to him via the two Dave Matthews Band concerts I attended this past spring where he filled in on horns.

The venue? Pisgah Brewing Co. A quirky brewery set inside an industrial park. The bar is no nonsense, cash only. Plenty of Pisgah taps along with a smattering of guest taps. L-shaped bar with seats for about 20 or so. Oktoberfest, Red Devil, Porter, Solstice all made their way down my gullet throughout the course of the evening's festivities. And at $3.00 for a pint (or $5 for a higher gravity offering) it was easy on the wallet too. All organic brewing here. Means they have to be creative in their concoctions as not all ingredients they might want to use are certified organic. But what they do have at their disposal for ingredients turn into some phenomenal beer...as the medals on the wall would suggest.

The performance was outstanding. The garage doors were open, a fire was roaring in the center of the picnic tables outside, the beer was flowing, the hippies were out, and some funky jazz was permeating your essence and making your feet tap and your head bob. A late, late night that offered me 3 & 1/2 hours of sleep before work, but that's what a barrel of coffee is for. FUN!!!

Sorry the videos are so dark, but I'm sure you can get the idea with the music...

Beer Y'All

Drove the 2 1/2 hours out to Asheville on Thursday night for a documentary premiere: Beer Y'All.  Original working title was Drunken State, but a more "positive" outlook was preferred, so Beer Y'All won out.  The story of 7 friends spending 9 days traveling the state visiting gobs and gobs (27 actually) of NC brewers.  Fascinating.

The trailer:


Asheville Pizza and Brewing was the spot for the premiere. And a wonderful spot to do so. An old movie theater made into a brewpub and pizza parlor. The theater removed every other row of seats and installed long tables, so you can sit and watch a movie while drinking your pitchers of beer and pans of pizza pie. Outstanding.

Fun to see a lot of NC brewer elite, beer geeks, and just a general Asheville-ian liberal commune lovefest concerning all things beery.  A lot of fun.  Pizza was good, the Houdini ESP beer kicked the Shiva IPA's ass for whatever reason, and the blood levels reduced to a manageable state to drive home.  2:30am and I got home and it was time for bed.  Good thing I was able to switch Friday's work schedule 8-4 for a 2-10 instead.

Nice flick.  A little heavy on the rock band music portion and not a lot of brewer airtime, but with 27 breweries I'm sure that was a challenge.  I understand it was a "rock 'n roll" road trip, but the title was "Beer Y'All".  MORE BEER!

$500 well spent.

Over on Facebook (yes I am indeed on Facebook, and actually one of the last of the ONU pharmacy group to sign up), regular HofG reader and commenter "Duke" wrote:

Come on Flash...hows about a picture of the $500 money shot from your concert a few days ago?

The Dresden Dolls tune Coin-Operated Boy is funked up and disco-fied to a bass-thumping rave beat while the $500 breasts appear. Hazy and fuzzy, but technically NSFW (that's "not safe for work" you n00bs!)

One to never disappoint the readers, here you go:

Asheville Q&A with Amanda Palmer

Article hits the paper before the show Friday night:

Amanda Palmer gets some unexpected help

Jedd Ferris • published November 14, 2008 12:15 am

Amanda Palmer wanted to make her debut solo album a personal bedroom-style affair - just her quietly banging out some songs at home on her piano.

But then the singer of the punk cabaret group the Dresden Dolls got an unexpected call from Ben Folds expressing admiration and offering his Nashville studio to make the record. As a result, “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?” - a reference to the ‘90s serial drama “Twin Peaks” - turned into a much more multi-faceted artistic expression than initially expected.

With Folds producing and lending his talents on a handful of instruments, the disc jumps from whimsical indie pop to mellow piano ballads to moments of orchestral bombast. Palmer is about to release a companion book to the album with the help of graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, and she is currently touring behind the disc with some visual enhancement from the Danger Ensemble theater group.

Palmer visits the Orange Peel on Friday night. She shared some thoughts on a variety of subjects.

On Ben Folds

“The disc evolved into more than I initially anticipated when Ben called me up and asked if he could produce my record. It was a blessing that came at the right time. As soon as he got involved, the project really took off. It was going to be short and simple and uncomplicated, but it blossomed into a full production monster. I just started saying ‘yes' to spontaneous randomness that Ben was suggesting. I was up for anything.”

On recording in Nashville

“Nashville treated me just fine. I was living in a straight line between Ben's studio on Music Row and a yoga studio. I was planning on recording at home, but Ben's studio had a really inspirational vibe. It was old school and storied. It felt like walking into a church. I felt honored to be there.”

On the Danger Ensemble

“I'm bringing a crazy theater circus with me. It's been hard to try to describe to people what exactly it is. It's like a weird Madonna show meets 'The Wall' in three dimensions. There are definitely moments of solo piano in the show, but interspersed between every other song there are four actors on stage doing beautiful choreographed theater. It feels like a live music video. Some of it is very slow and reflective, and some is fast and furious. Every show feels like we're really putting something on.”

On the companion book

“It came about just as randomly as everything else. I had a collection of photos I wanted to use for the album artwork, but the record label cut the packaging budget. In typical Amanda Palmer style, I decided to do it myself and put out a book. I asked Neil to write some text, and miraculously he said yes. I wanted a touchable piece of art to go along with the music. It's exciting, especially in these times of trying to figure out where the income is going to come from, now that the chances of selling a CD, even to one of your fans, is slim.”

On enhancing music with art

“I was brought up in the early MTV days, when every artist was a multimedia artist and wore cool costumes. I was also started doing music theater when I was a little kid. I put music and theater in the same box, and I think they enhance each other naturally. I'm excited about things that add to the atmosphere of a band. I'd be bored just writing songs and delivering them.”

Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

Friday was a busy night. I worked 8-4, raced home to let the dogs out, feed and water them, then hit the road for the 2 & 1/2 hour drive over to Asheville for a concert.

Amanda Palmer live at The Orange Peel - Social Aid and Pleasure Club. The lead singer of the duo The Dresden Dolls out on a solo tour for her CD Who Killed Amanda Palmer?.

Show starts at 9:00pm, doors open at 8:00. Got to downtown Asheville by 7:00. Time for dinner! But where? Hmmmm....I vote Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria. A good choice. 55 taps of good beer, great pizza, and walking distance to The Orange Peel. Big win. Huge score. Catawba Valley Brewing's Uber Pale Ale and Hyper Monkey Coffee Stout were consumed. Tasty wares from a western NC brewery.

Then it was off to the show. The Orange Peel was a warm and personal arena. Standing room only, outside of some tall tables with swiveling bar stools in the back. Bar stools because The Orange Peel had a full bar....open throughout the entire show. Western NC's Wedge Brewing's Porter and Pisgah Brewing's Pale Ale, plus Sweetwater (GA) Brewing's 420 Pale Ale all quenched the thirst just fine in the venue.

Two bands opened with 30-minute sets each: the sister cabaret act Vermillion Lies and then The Builders and the Butchers. Vermillion Lies was kitschy and intriguing, but just odd enough to not want to buy anything off iTunes to add to the collection. One of the sisters (Zoe) was just pretty enough to gawk at, and became even prettier when she worked the crowd and hugged me. (I am a starfucker.) The Builders and the Butchers was rocking and hippie enough to warrant a $9.99 purchase online for the iPod. Thunderous percussion as a backdrop for banjo and ukulele. Enjoyable.

Then at 10:00pm, the beautiful Amanda Palmer took the stage with the "Danger Ensemble". Four performance artists from Australia who would, appropriately enough, perform during some numbers. Solo works from Who Killed Amanda Palmer? plus older works from The Dresden Dolls were played for 2 hours and 45 minutes. One of the encores was Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer, which was interrupted for an onstage deconstruction of the lyrics: "It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not" followed by "take my hand and we'll make it I swear". Well, which is it Jon?

The Danger Ensemble is unabashedly a "street performance troupe", coming on tour with Amanda for no pay. This is no big budget tour. There may have been 800 people total at the show. 800. So the troupe made their way through the crowd with their boots off soliciting donations for the tour. Amanda made the proclamation that if someone gave $500 she would show the audience (her words) "[my] tits".

Someone gave $500.

The final encore was a mini-rave onstage which ended with Amanda doing a burlesque routine and removing her top. She is a woman of her word. There was thunderous approval.

An intimate performance. Great sound coming from just a piano (plus the occasional accompaniment by a violinist).

Then, it was the 2 & 1/2 hour drive back home to Greensboro. 3:30am and I fall into bed with the dogs. Kimberly is out of town in Florida for yet another healthcare PAC conference so she missed out. When we saw The Dresden Dolls open for Nine Inch Nails on a small club tour in Chicago a few years ago, Kimberly wasn't that impressed. Chris was. So it worked out well for seeing Amanda perform once again for those who enjoy her.

A great time in, according to Amanda, "this blue oasis in a red sea".