He Holds You Closely Inside These Walls

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

Hold on to your hat, Dear Reader!  For today, I present you with, an indie rock tune from <gasp!> a Canadian band. The band: Handsome Furs—one of the 230949802934802394 offshoots of Wolf Parade. The album is titled Plague Park, and it was a real creeper for me. It took several rotations before I truly began to 'like' the album, and several more before I could begin to pick up on the subtleties and nuance that led me to actually recognize and appreciate individual songs. Check it.

A Cabinet of Curiosities Indeed

Friday is for Favorite Things

A few weeks ago, I found myself in midtown with a few extra minutes of time on my hands. As I stood on 53rd Street, facing east, those big chunky letters, turned vertically, reading: MoMA were staring me down. I'd been wanting to make my way to the Dalí exhibit for quite a while now, and well, I never scoff at the idea of a glass of prosecco at Cafe 2. 

While making my way up to Dalí on Floor 6, I was sidetracked by a dark, quiet little corner gallery. The walls were painted dark grey, the ceiling was low, and the gallery was lit up by nothing but a few strips of track lighting.  I had stumbled upon the Wunderkammer exhibit. I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous logo for the exhibit painted on the wall:

Wunderkammer is a German word literally meaning cabinet of wonder. It is defined as "a place where a collection of curiosities is exhibited." This exhibit is wonderful! The art varies in medium from pen and ink sketches to cut out collages. Little intricate paintings and sculptures. They all offer tiny bits of imagination, ideas and brainstorms. The entire collection somehow seemed like organized chaos—like you're in the strategically cluttered office of an old professor . . . or maybe Edward Scissorhands.  This is turning out to be more difficult to describe than I thought. Perhaps, Dear Reader, you should take your own curiosities to this Cabinet of Wonder and see for yourself.

On a somewhat related side note, I can't help but wonder if I was drawn to the Wunderkammer logo because it reminded me of another logo that I happen to hold quite dear:

All the Old Showstoppers

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

No frills or backstories on this song today, Dear Listener(s).  This is just a good old fashioned jam from the New Pornographers.  I guess it feels like a good Autumnal Bar Tune, to me.  That must mean it's time to bust out the tall boots, the scarves and the pumpkin ale.  I'm so ready. Bring it. 

Come for the Tea, Stay for Everything Else

Wednesday: What I've Been Eating, Drinking, Craving, Etc.

The Charm School Graduate has spent five of the last seven nights dining out for dinner.  At this point, I can calculate a tip and divide the total bill by 3, 4, or 7 in the blink of an eye.  I can indicate to the wait staff that I prefer tap over bottled water with the blink of an eye. I've sampled fried green tomatoes, truffled mac-n-cheese, summer succotash, and a myriad of meats.

The one dining experience that has stood above the rest, was the dinner I took at the Roebling Tea Room last Friday night. Situated on the corner of Roebling and Metropolitan in Williamsburg, this unassuming brick warehouse does nothing to draw the average pedestrian in. That's the wonder of the place. Once you do climb the steps, you're transported to this big open space that somehow feels old-fashioned and remarkably cozy. Dim lighting, tons of candles, vintage wallpaper, and cozy chairs back near the bar. The menus are designed to look like they were just churned out of a turn-of-the-century typewriter, and even the shape of the water glasses have a quirky charm. Enough about the details, if that's not enough to get you in the door, the food certainly should be. The menu is modest in size, though clever. There were plenty of options for my large dining party to indulge in. I think I  managed to stick my fork in two different cuts of steak, beet salad, mussels with fresh corn, sauteed greens and bacon wrapped figs.  And this was just what was going on at my end of the table.

No doubt, this is a terrific date spot, but certainly doesn't need to be limited to that.  Grab a friend, a parent, a secret lover, or a perfect stranger and check it for yourself.

Yours in Food,

CSG

The Envelope Folds Smelledof Her Ancient Perfume

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

Today, Dear Reader, I share with you an old Ryan Adams tune from deep in the archives. Before Parker Posey, before "New York, New York", before rehab, and before the notoriety of being . . . umm . . . not so pleasant on stage, there was: Whiskeytown.  Whiskeytown was Ryan Adams's last band before going solo.  They released three albums in the late nineties into 2001.  While a number of the band members changed from album to album, I think this is probably RA's most consistent work. In this song, he tells such a vivid story with just a handful of poignant lyrics.

This is my all-time favorite photo of Ryan Adams. It just seems like he belongs in this room. And this is exactly what I picture that inside of the "House on the Hill" looks like.

Photo taken by: Chris Buck.

Ran Through'em All But I'm Just Not Sure

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M is for Monday is for Mp3

An avid Charm School Graduate reader once suggested that I devote this blog entirely to hip-hop. If I were to do that, I think I'd run out of material by next week—at the latest.

So, while I'm not making a full-fledged Hip-Hop Commitment here, today I share with you a song that I have probably listened to over 500 times in the last 3-4 months.  This is not an exaggeration.  Do the math: That's like, listening to it three or four times a day, everyday, since late May.  But that's just how good this tune is.  It's from the Sheek Louch album, Silverback Gorilla, which came out in March of this year. I don't know much about him except that evidently, he's pretty hard core—meaning this song is a huge departure from his regular style. I'm yet to come across a stellar review of the album, and frankly, that doesn't matter to me.  Sellout(ish) as it may be to only give an album attention for one song, I ask you to sit back with me, Dear Reader, and dig this for what it is: Perfection.

Just Because You Lose, Don't Mean That I Have Won

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T is for Tuesday is for Mp3? (Late Edition)

It is no secret that when the Charm School Graduate adopts a new band as her "favorite" that she exhausts the album tirelessly. This week's "favorite" band is a guy/girl duo, aptly named: The Dutchess and The Duke. They gained a lot of exposure whilst on tour with the Fleet Foxes this spring. Over the weekend they played at Mercury Lounge then Union Hall.  Unfortunately, enjoying a myriad of grilled meats and cold libations al fresco impeded me from making it to either of the shows, which is too bad—I get the sense that this is one of those bands that is 10 times better live.  If their album (She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke) continues to pick up speed and acclaim, no doubt they'll be back in town . . . and I will definitely get in line to see'em.