Uncorked: Al Stewart Live with Dave Nachmanoff

In 1992 Al Stewart and his then-guitar accompanist Peter White recorded a live acoustic CD called Rhymes in Rooms. On the disc, Stewart and White performed eleven songs including “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages”, which were top ten hits in the late 1970s.

Fast forward to 2009: Much to the delight of their fans (and those who might be about to become fans) Al and his current touring guitarist, Dave Nachmanoff, have just released their own unique collection of live acoustic songs that richly draw from Stewart’s vast breadth of work, called Uncorked (a nod to both wine – Stewart is a wine expert - and being “unplugged”).

The first thing I noticed upon reading the track listing is that it’s a set of music longtime fans can truly enjoy. The live versions of these songs consist of material originally recorded from 1967 (“Bedsitter Images”) through 1988 (“Last Days of the Century”). There’s also a rarity thrown in for good measure (“Coldest Winter”). No hits or anything that came close to a hit appears on the disc. And I’m more than good with that.

Lyrically, Uncorked plays to Al Stewart’s strengths. Intelligently written, historically based songs such as “Palace of Versailles”, “Warren Harding” and “Old Admirals” are solid choices. I remember them as examples of songs that sent me scurrying to the library to learn what they were about, in days well before the internet reduced exponentially the time required to do such a thing.

As for the music side of things, Stewart’s voice may have a few more rough edges compared to the “smooth as glass” sound from twenty years ago, but he’s still easy to listen to. Nachmanoff’s nifty guitar work sails through the set adding texture as though he’s been playing Al's songs his entire life. Well, actually that's because he has.

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He handled parts that were once done with a piano decades ago (“The News from Spain”) with his acoustic guitar and didn’t miss a step. On other songs, I wondered how he could get his instrument to make such varied and unique notes (“Midas Shadow”).

Recorded at three different venues during a Northeastern U.S. tour in 2008, the production is clear and crisp, as good as or better than being there in person.

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One of the pleasures of experiencing an Al Stewart/Dave Nachmanoff concert is the witty repartee in between songs. There’s a sampling of that on this disc called “Auctioning Dave”. Having heard a large number of Al’s stories over the years (many of them several times, in fact), I did enjoy the quirkiness of this segment but also wondered whether there may have been another choice that would connect with the listener to a greater degree. (Although there just might be a hidden dialogue track at the end of the last song on the disk, wink wink).

Ultimately, Uncorked is a solid and timely effort both in terms of Al Stewart’s long career and as a showcase of Dave Nachmanoff’s talent as a guitarist. The disc is well worth owning whether you’re an Al Stewart completist or someone who wants a good representation of what it’s like to be in the audience at an Al Stewart/Dave Nachmanoff concert.

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Uncorked can be purchased at www.davenach.com/products.html. Audio samples are available.

Crab Safari 2009

There’s nothing in the world quite like eating Dungeness Crab, conveniently found a short distance from pretty much anywhere in Western Washington. I’ve been going crabbing for years on Guemes Island and fondly remember the days in which one could walk along the shore during a low tide and garner a limit of six within an hour.
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Preparing the Crab Traps
Those days are sadly gone as the season doesn’t start until late July, long after the crab have moved to deeper parts of the water. Also, the size of what’s considered a legal catch has slowly crept larger and you’re now allowed to keep five instead of six.

Still, we make at least an annual crustacean gathering trek, and this time we were joined by our good friends The Johnsons and their kids.

We started things out by baiting the six crab traps that we were to toss into the water. One can use lots of different smelly and disgusting things to do this, from dog food through fish heads. My father in law likes to use cockles whose shells are smashed. It must be the natural way to attract crab.

Our group of four dropped the pots and came back to shore to give the shelled diners a chance to partake in their last meal before they found themselves in the business end of a bucket. We left the traps out for a couple of hours and then headed back out to reap the rewards of a bountiful harvest.
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Michael and Matthew: Anxious to Get Going

Or so we thought. The first trap looked promising as we lifted five keepers out, sending them to their holding cell. Unfortunately, the remaining traps weren’t as generous and we ended up with a total of ten to split between two families. Not bad, but far from the best we’ve seen and about half of what we would have had if we were to hit our limit.

We hauled the critters back to the boiling whirlpool bath that awaited them where they spent 15 minutes cooking. Then came my least favorite part. Removing the big shell and cleaning the lungs, guts and whatever other vile non-white-meat things exist in crab. I know that many parts of the world eat the WHOLE crab but that’s where I get off the train.
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The Crab in Various Stages of Processing

Finally, they were give a last rinse and put in Ziploc bags, ready to be put in the cooler and taken home. Crab Safari 2009 is history.

The Best Tacos In Marysville

You know, the older I get, the more I appreciate the simple things in life. Distractions? They’re a younger person’s game. I believe it was Edie Brickell who once said “throw me in the shallow water before I get too deep." I've always liked her, especially because her dad (Eddie Brickell) is in the Texas State Bowling Hall of Fame. Yeah, I know, he's a lefty but I'm willing to look past that.

Going to eat at a taco truck is probably the most simple of all dining experiences possible and it’s something that BowlingWidow, Joe (the creator of Captain ILL) and I have been doing nearly every Monday night after our yoga session for the last couple of months. And I do say that it’s a tradition I hope will continue for many more Mondays to come.

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BowlingJoe demonstrates proper taco-eating technique
Spicy, authentic Mexican food has always been a part of my life. And it probably will be until that inevitable day when the x-ray machine reveals that my intestines resemble something that looks like Swiss cheese. But for now, there isn’t anything better than two chicken tacos and an order of refried beans smothered in plenty of red and/or green homemade salsa.

The tacos each consist of two small corn tortillas topped with seasoned meat (options include beef, chicken, tongue, brain, and more….I’ll pass on the brain, thank you), onion and cilantro, with optional garnishes of radish, lime and jalapeno on the side. And at a buck twenty-five each, they’re the best value in town, period.

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The El Rey Taco Truck in Marysville
The El Rey taco truck is located (for now anyway) just west of I-5 off exit 199, on the left shortly after you enter the Tulalip Reservation. I think it’s at the third stoplight after you make the left turn at the end of the I-5 off-ramp. But don’t blink, you could miss it.