RIP Augustus Owsley Stanley III

From Phil Lesh on the Furthur.net boards on the passing of Owsley “Bear” Stanley:

A Beautiful Mind

I received a text in the middle of last night that Bear Stanley has died in a car accident in Australia. Bear, for me, was a true kindred spirit; when we first met, it was as if I had met a long-lost brother from another lifetime. I am heartbroken and devastated at his passing.

He was a friend, a brother, an inspiration, and our patron at the very beginning of our creative lives. We owe him more than what can be counted or added up — his was a mind that refused to accept limits, and he reinforced in us that striving for the infinite, the refusal to accept the status quo, that has informed so much of our work.
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Tapas at Ceviche

Ceviche de las Casa

Shrimp, scallops, squid and fish marinated in lime juice, tossed with fresh tomatoes, scallions, peppers and cilantro

Had a fabulous dinner tonight at Ceviche including the signature tapas pictured at left.

Ceviche de la Casa
Shrimp, scallops, squid and fish marinated in lime juice, tossed with fresh tomatoes, scallions, peppers and cilantro

Pulpo a la Gallega
Sliced octopus in extra virgin olive oil and paprika, served over potatoes

Almejas y Merluza
Little neck clams and Mahi-Mahi simmered in a saffron tomato sauce with peppers, onions, garlic and a splash of white wine

Gambas Romesco
Sautéed jumbo shrimp with roasted tomato, garlic, almonds and sweet red peppers

Vegetales a la Parrilla
Squash, eggplant, mushrooms and asparagus grilled and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil

Codorniz Rellenos

Stuffed quail with sautéed spinach, mushrooms and chorizo served over Lyonnais potatoes

Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown

Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown Music Hall

Taj Mahal and Los Lobos at Tarrytown Music Hall

Feels like we got two shows for the price of one Friday night! Kudos to the folks doing the booking at Tarrytown Music Hall — what a treat to see Taj Mahal and Los Lobos on the same bill. Each did a set solo, with the Taj Mahal Trio opening the show and performing material from an impressive catalog developed over his 40-plus years performing, including classics such as “Fishin’ Blues.”

Los Lobos came on about ten and mixed in covers like “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (and a “Turn on Your Lovelight” tease) along with their original material, including tunes from their latest “Tin Can Trust.” Just a little after 11 p.m., Taj Mahal joined them for a two-song encore of “Guantanamera” and a favorite of Deadheads everywhere, the Hunter/Garcia “Bertha,” that had the whole music hall crowd up and dancing.

The Music of Neil Young: Live Rehearsal at City Winery

Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield with Larry Campbell's house band at City Winery

So sorry that we are booked, but so excited that we were able to make the live rehearsal show at City Winery (fabulous Manhattan venue, by the way) for the Carnegie Hall benefit that’s happening Thursday night. From having attended the concerts showcasing the music of Bob Dylan (at Lincoln Center) and Bruce Springsteen (at Carnegie Hall with an appearance by Bruce himself), there was no doubt that it would be a great evening of music and this show did not disappoint (showcasing Neil Young, how could it).
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Gotta Go to Mo’s

Mo's New York Grill

Enjoyed a great steak dinner here in what has become an off-season tradition for us.


In what has become an off-season tradition for us, Dan and I braved the snow flurries to head in to New Rochelle for dinner at Mo’s New York Grill with fellow Yankee fans Sharon and Bob. We’ve been scheduling up a dinner at Mo’s with them between the end of the season and an annual trek down to Tampa for spring training for a couple years now.
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Let’s Go Crazy…

Prince at Madison Square Garden on December 29When I first saw the stage setup diagram on Ticketmaster for last night’s Prince show at Madison Square Garden when buying tickets, I was having trouble imagining how the glyph was going to translate into a stage environment. There was no need to have spent a moment thinking about it — it was fabulous! As was his purpleness, breaking out many of the tunes we all not-so-secretly wanted to hear from his catalog.
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