Stumbleupon in Sacramento

John Cardiel List of Links - Get Familiar

2009-10-23T03:46:46Z

John Cardiel is a Nevada City/Grass Valley/SF/Sacto staple. I could write 1400 words about what an amazing human-skateboarder-pioneer John is, but why do that when you can click a SacPressList of links? Stumbleupon here and get a great taste of this living legend (in no particular order). If you see him around Sac, say hi. Jah!

insane Video Part

Great Juice mag interview

Vans Shoes promo

1994 Heckler Interview

2008 Skateboarder Mag Interview

Juice Magazine Intvw with Jake Phelps, Joey Tershay

Wikipedia entry

VBS video

Good google search

George Riedel of The Riedel Wine Glass Company Comes To Saramento

2009-06-04T00:34:40Z

If you were a carpenter and you heard that Jesus was giving a hands-on lecture on dovetails, gables, and miter cuts, you would be excited. That’s how I felt when I heard that the guru of wine glasses would be in Sacramento. For carpenters, it’s a hammer. For winos, it’s the glass.

Have you ever had a nice glass of wine and looked down at the base and seen that smoke-colored name that every pronounces “ry-dell”? It’s Riedel (pronounced “re-dul”) as in George Riedel. All the way from Austria, I found out he was going to be at Sacramento’s Sheraton Grand Hotel doing a tasting. In Sacramento! Cancel all meetings.

With his Austrian accent and sharp wit, George guided us through a series of tastings in six different glasses, including the ubiquitous plastic cup you get at most park festivals. As the pinot noir went from the pinot glass to the chardonnay glass, George Riedel pointed out the green, hardness in taste and dramatic change in nose and taste. Pour the cabernet into the plastic cup then out again, and notice there is no nose. Plastic doesn’t hold aroma. The shape and size of the molecules change with the shape and size of the vessel. Outstanding.

“Think about French Oak vs. American Oak. French is slower growing creating a more grainy wood and that creates more oxidation in the barrel. These things in the glass all affect taste,” George told us. “The complication in glassware is noticeable. Functionality never ages.”

The room was filled with invited restaurant and hotel impresarios. Owners and operators from The Sterling Hotel, de Vere’s Irish Pub, Lemon Grass, L Wine Lounge & Urban Restaurant, Shady Lady Saloon, and David Berkley were just a handful of the restauratti in attendance. The historical event was hosted by Wine Warehouse, a wine and spirits distributor.

As we tasted and spit, Mr. Riedel gave us bits of history, stories of winemakers, and some science. You can find more amazing depth at www.riedel.com. But off the cuff, we were treated to George Riedel’s Top 3 ways to enjoy wine, so here it is, the gospel, straight from George Riedel, wine glass royalty.

George Riedel’s Top 3 Ways To Enjoy Wine (as told at the Sheraton Grand Hotel Sacramento on Tuesday, June 2, 2009)

#3 Control Temperature
Gently chill red. It has an effect on the alcohol. Temperature and wine is an art. Want perfectly chilled white? Take a bucket of water and a handful of ice cubes, just a handful. You will have wine at 60 degrees. Overall, don’t over-chill the white.

#2 Decant
Decanting to aerate makes wine gain in quality.

#1 If a restaurant doesn’t have a Pinot Noir glass, don’t drink Pinot Noir!

Left Coast Capitol Cities: Standing in the Shadows of Giants?

2009-01-05T07:55:24Z

I need answers.

There has been something that's plagued me for many years and I need your help in getting some insight. Why is it that the three states that make the west coast of the United States are all known for cities other than their capitols?

That's my question. It's simple. Understand, I'm a native Sacramentan. I'm a braggart when it comes to Sacramento and it always boggled me when people dissed our city, laughing in my face, saying, "Isn't LA the capitol?" But traveling around, I discovered this odd trend (three makes a trend!): All the cities people find magnificent on the west coast are not the capitol. Why?! Starting from the north, here's my very scientific study:

WASHINGTON -- Is it Seattle with it's Puget Sound, thriving music scene, and famous Pike Place Market? Nope, it's Olympia.

OREGON -- Is it Portland with it's many bridges, Willamette River, and lovely Powell's Books? Nope, it's Salem.

CALIFORNIA -- Is it LA with its Hollywood stars, music business, and Kobe Bryant? Nope. Oh, oh, waiit, then it must be San Francisco with it's Golden Gate Bridge, thriving art scene, and hunky Gavin Newsom? Nope, it's Sacramento.

What's the deal?

Happy Xmas Sacramento. A story about music, war, and the best of friends.

2008-12-24T19:13:54Z

It was 9:00 am when I got the call.

“Sonny, it’s Abe. Hey, you want to play guitar for a session with Brian Wheat and me? The session is around noon today. We’re doing a Lennon song and it would be great if you could do it. I’d really appreciate it.”
Hmmm, let me think for a second. Play guitar at a fancy recording studio with multi-platinum Grammy-winning rock star Gods or sit in front of a computer at work. Hmmmmm, tough choice.
“I’d be honored,” I told Abe.
That was how I came to be a part of creating this rendition of John Lennon’s classic reaction to the Vietnam war, Happy Xmas (War Is Over).

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

Originally recorded in fall of 1971, it’s striking how John Lennon’s lyrics, sentiment and timely relevance stand up today. At that time, Richard Nixon was President, the slip was showing on the war in Vietnam, and technology was developed in many ways, infantile in many more. Sound familiar? There are many holiday songs that could be covered. The fact that they chose this one was no accident.

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

I’ve been playing guitar for about as long as Ben Ilfeld has been alive. I fancy myself a shoe-in when it comes to covering a song, but I thought it smart to run through this radio staple once before heading to the studio. (Insert metaphoric slap in the face sound and reddening skin.) This chord progression is much tougher than I thought. (Download tablature, call off all meetings, cancel all appointments, cram like there’s no tomorrow.) I can’t go in there looking like a hack. While the song sounds simple, the chords and finger movements are anything but. “Oh yeah,“ I thought. “John Lennon was in the Beatles. He's pretty good.”

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

The session is at the Pus Cavern, a Sacramento iconic studio run by owners Joe & Lesa Johnston. We kick off with Abe Cunningham on drums, Tesla’s Brian Wheat on bass, and me on guitar. Instantly, the vibe is great. Rather than drilling the song, Wheat kicks into loops of classic riffs like Queen’s Dragon Attack. This light-hearted jamming literally and figuratively loosens us up, gets us all in the groove. Ex-Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner is producing this song, and he’s a natural leader. Things are coming along well, so well that we plan on laying down two or three songs, all of which will be sold with all of the proceeds going toward much-needed scholorships for the The Sacramento Children’s Choir.

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

But rock and roll is never predictable. As we’re about to press ‘record’, Tesla’s lead guitar hero Frank Hannon arrives, a surprise to us all. In tow, mad genius and Tesla singer Jeff Keith appears like a genie that was finally let out of his lamp. His energy and storytelling had the entire studio captivated and entranced, and the session stops. Then the phone rings. Michael Grant, singer/guitarist for LA’s EndeverafteR made a flight north and is in Sacramento on his way to the studio. Add in entourage and the surprise visit of a Tesla tribute band who got wind they guys were at the studio and you can see that what started as a 3-man basic track jam has turned into a rock stallion stew…with pizza and beer.

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

The session went smoother than anyone could have imagined. Laughing, talking, celebrating, these are things rarely done in a recording studio, especially among guys who have never played together. It was a special day and I am proud to be a part of it. Best of all, the tracks from that day came together nicely and a host of great musicians added their sprinkles of talent to the cake. Jonah Matranga from Far, The Snobs’ Jason Boggs on saxophone, Larisa Bryski, and special to me, my wifey, Lynn sang some vocals. (see the entire list of credits here)
So in this déjà vu of turmoil and transition for our great nation, community activists and we musicians came together to celebrate each other, Lennon’s great music, and help some kids find their voice. Bless you all this holiday 2008, and I wish you the very best in 2009. Cheers.

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

LINKS and CREDITS:
Photos by Nicolas Walsh and Lesa Johnston

Lyrics from Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the The Plastic Ono Band

View a video of the session here

Buy the song on Amazon or iTunes (search "Pus Cavern All Stars")

Rally Denies Proposition 8

2008-11-06T22:10:53Z

You could hear the chants to the front door of The Waterboy. You could see the glow of the candlelight from The Embassy. The intensity could be felt for miles around.

While most were swimming in the honeymoon of an Obama ratification, many were feeling left out of the party. But hundreds of those still fighting for equality decided to exercise their constitutional rights by staging a rally in front of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center at 20th & L streets. Hoisting signs that read, "America = Equality 4 Some" and "Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual priviledge (sic)," these protesters swore to continue the fight. Their beef is with the passing of Proposition 8; a contemptible ballot measure that bans same-sex couples from marrying. Some at the evening rally looked stunned. Some looked furious. Regardless of their reaction to how people voted, they agree that this battle is far from over.