Beer Review: Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

It's almost curtains on October, so it would be only fitting to review some pumpkin beers. Up until last month I had never tried this behemoth of a beer.  Just bringing the bottle to your nose tells you this is not messing around, and probably not for everyone.  It is very smooth to drink and has a rich malty flavour followed by a pumpkin spice kick.  You do taste the alcohol as it checks in at 8.8% - but it works, it really works.  It's definitely one of my favorite pumpkin beers to date.  Rating A

407ETR - Highway Robbery

Yesterday I made the mistake of looking at my bill from the resident evil over at the offices of Highway 407ETR.  Up until that point, I was actually in a pretty decent mood.  I came to the realization that I am paying these greedy pricks almost $9.00 per day if I decide to use their precious road.  I am now thinking twice, or dare I say, thrice about using the 407.  It is true - the highway is very convenient - but... really?  They are charging me an average of $.021 a kilometer and I travel 40km per day if I take it to and from work. 

Here is a quick math breakdown of my 407 expenses:

40km X $0.21 = $8.40

Approximately 19 work days per month = $159.60

12 months per year = $1,915.20

What's that?  There should be some kind of reward for traveling the highway this frequently?  Well, here it is.  I usually qualify for Tier 3 of their rewards program, which is the equivalent of a giant middle finger gouging out one of my eyes.  I qualify for 55km of FREE highway use on Sundays as well as $0.03 per litre off on gasoline (up to 120 litres), but only if I want to use Petro Canada (which I don't).  The other problem with this is I don't work on Sundays and I rarely have the occasion to "take advantage" of my FREE kilometers.

Now that I have actually broken this down monetarily, I see a lot of back roads and side streets in my future. 

Movie review: After.Life (2009)

Without spoiling the movie, here is a brief summary.  Paul (Justin Long) and Anna (Christina Ricci) are dating; one of them dies and wakes up on a funeral home prep table.  The funeral director/mortician Eliot (Liam Neeson) proceeds to interact with the 'deceased' to help them transition into their afterlife.  Several suspense movie clichés ensue as the plot progresses. What's that?  Every suspense thriller needs a socially inept kid who seems to relate to the plot?  Don't worry, this movie has one... his name is Jack.

The carefully constructed  plot draws you in and keeps you guessing throughout the duration.  Even when the credits rolled, I am not entirely convinced of what really happened.  Was Neeson really the bad guy or was it a play on some sort of dreamscape of the afterlife?  I know what conclusions I've drawn, but I'm curious what others got from it.

The suspense generated on screen was convincing; you are always on the edge of your seat.  The acting was decent and there was plenty of gratuitous Christina Ricci nudity - not a bad thing.  Justin Long in a dramatic role?  Not sure about that one - but he was adequate enough.  If you're looking for a decent suspense thriller, check this one out.

Rating C+

It's Fried, eh? + YGTBFKM | Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers

That's right, this image depicts a plethora of Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers.  My arteries are congesting just looking at them! I can't help but think of the time Homer encourages Bart to "butter up that bacon" and "bacon up that sausage"... "but Dad, my heart hurts".  Have a good weekend!

Concert Review: Rootstock 2010 - Joel Plaskett, Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Steven Page - Jackson Triggs Amphitheatre - Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON - August 27, 2010

On Friday morning, these plans developed rather quickly with a couple of phone calls.  I had no idea this show was even happening until the morning of, when I happened to catch a blurb about it online.  On a whim, I phoned up the Jackson Triggs box office and actually scored a couple of tickets.  With this development, I quickly phoned a couple of local hotels - because who wants to go to an event at a winery and have to drive home? Not I. With some good fortune, I managed to find vacancy at the nearby Charles Inn.  My girlfriend and I enjoyed this quaint little Inn and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the region.

As for the show, it was amazing.  I had no idea what to expect, but I couldn't have asked for anything more.  It was a very casual setting, with all four artists sharing the stage for the entire evening.  They took turns playing songs and helped each other out from time to time - and there was a lot of talent on stage.  Sarah Slean's voice was haunting, Joel Plaskett's confidence and quirky nature was prevalent, Hawksley Workman owned the stage and Steven Page, well, was Steven Page.

The event was hosted by Page, who doubled as an MC and performer.  He was quite verbose and his jokes were hit and miss; his music reminded me of why I don't like the Barenaked Ladies.  That being said, there were a couple of times he broke away from his jumpy guitar riffs and up-tempo strumming patterns that did impress me.

Sarah Slean's voice echoed through the vineyards as she belted out a few of her songs.  A very talented songwriter, her performances were very strong.  In particular, her song "Pilgrim" stood above the rest as she pounded it out on the fake ivory.

Joel Plaskett seemed to have the audience at his mercy. His stage presence was electric as he delivered his acoustic set.  Well, mostly acoustic.  He plugged in his Casio and engaged the crowd in a clever version of "Rewind, Rewind, Rewind".  Other highlights were "Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'" and "Nowhere with You".

Looking dapper in his black suit and Pork Pie hat, Hawksley Workman stole the spotlight.  Every time it was his turn to shine, he took full advantage.  I still have the refrain of "Warhol's portrait of Gretzky: Pretty f*ckin' sexy" engrained in my brain. His voice was bang on, accented by some delicate (and at times crunchy) riffs on his Les Paul.

This was a fantastic night of music in a trendy venue, with some great wine and killer gourmet sausages!

Rating A

CD Review: Joel Plaskett - Three

Good things do come in threes, and I don't even need to think twice (or thrice) about recommending this one.  Three is probably the album I have listed to the most this past year.  The album is extremely well written, produced and performed and there is a little something for everyone on this disc.  It jumps around from folk, to rock, to rockabilly-blues and back to rock again - all with a bit of east coast flavour.  Plaskett's writing style is distinct and he really hits his stride with Three.

My three stars on the album are as follows, but there could easily be twelve stars:
3.     "Beyond, Beyond, Beyond"
2.     "New Scotland Blues" 
1.    "Rollin', Rollin' Rollin'"

You can buy it here:  Amazon

It's Fried, eh?

Google Images uncovered this little diagram for me.  I can't remember what I was actually searching for, but I came across this little gem and had to lift it.  It's probably just my twisted sense, but I found this quite amusing.

Enjoy the weekend!

Concert Review: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON

Like a fine wine, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers seem to get better with age.  Last night at the ACC, Mr. Petty and his ensemble brought their Floridian brand of Rock N' Roll north of the border and did not disappoint the sold out crowd on hand.  Opening the show with a blast from the past, "Listen to Her Heart", they quickly set the hook and jumped right back to the 90's with a few timeless classics - not to mention a great rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".  A nice surprise was a trip back 'into the great wide open', in the form of "King's Highway".

The band dedicated a small block of the show to their new album, "Mojo" - notables were the bluesy "Good Enough" and "I Should Have Known It", which (especially live) has a Zeppelin feel to it.  The balance of the show was filled with more Petty classics, highlighted by the always popular "Don't Come Around Here No More".

On a personal note, I have seen Petty eight or nine times over the years, beginning with the Strange Behavior (Full Moon Fever) tour at Kingswood Music Theater in 1989.  I must say that each time I see him; the bar seems to be set higher.  He knows what his fans want and delivers every time, on point. I enjoyed last night's show thoroughly.

Honorable mention goes to Crosby, Stills & Nash who opened up the show.  I was glad I got a chance to see them.  They were very entertaining and Stephen Stills was in fine form on the lead guitar, but there were some off-key harmonies and missed notes when it came to the vocals.  The energy they generated made up for the errors and the crowd was definitely on their side.

Rating A

Tom Petty - Toronto Set List

Listen to Her Heart
You Don't Know How It Feels
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Kings Highway
Breakdown
Jefferson Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Man's Bible
I Should Have Known It
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
ENCORE:
Runnin' Down a Dream
You Wreck Me