If you read my post last Friday, then you’ll understand what this post is about. If not, you can read it here: Giving Up to Gain: When giving up isn’t a bad idea.
As a photographer, I would much rather use different forms of multimedia to post so I decided to do a video blog today.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeFlgA6egVU
I had sent The Rural Alberta Advantage some questions in hopes of an interview before their new album Departing dropped this month. Well, I got my hands on the album last week and it would be impossible to contain myself while waiting for a response. I had to sing their praises – now. Departing became available in Canada on Tuesday and it has been on repeat ever since. I know it’s still February, but this will be one of my tops of 2011 – hands down.
2 years ago The RAA played a Christmas show in Hamilton at The Casbah. It was the first time I was able to see them live and I was mesmerized to say the least. Watching this trio is like making a volcano in elementary school science class. You have all these separate ingredients, but once combined, you end up with something explosive. The amazing part about this band is that it’s not always the same member who is the driving force. That is what I call teamwork – being able to stand-out and support other members all at the same time. On some songs it’s Nils’ strong voice that gets me – when he gets loud, he becomes legend. Amy’s gentle voice enters songs at just at the right time, adding a haunting melody and their songs wouldn’t be the same without her piano. And there is Paul. Watching Paul on the drums is awe inspiring. It’s like when your VCR used to eat your tape and it would start to go really fast, except he’s the only one that was affected and everyone else is going at a normal speed. Incredible.
I was a huge fan of their first release Hometowns and was a fan of Nils’ ability to write so honestly about his time in Alberta and his new found appreciation for a place he once took for granted. Songs like “Edmontonâ€, “Frank , AB†and “The Deathbridge in Lethbridge†pay homage to this province and there was a Twitter rumour about a song called “Vulcanâ€, but I don’t see it on the album. What happened RAA?
The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Deathbridge in Lethbridge (Hometowns)
[audio:http://www.monstersvsme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/03-The-Deathbridge-In-Lethbridge.mp3|titles=The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Deathbridge In Lethbridge]
Well just like Hometowns, I can’t contain myself again. Like a 50 yr old virgin that has just be propositioned for sex – I just want to give it to ya fast. A Cole’s Notes of Departing – a quickie of highlights until I can wrap my head around all the amazingness that The RAA has to offer. Some parts slap you in the face and others are in the subtleties – something this band has perfected. In its simplest form, here is a list of some of my highlights from this album:
Two Lovers – Keeps the haunting imagery found on Hometowns with lyrics like “Your face it haunts me more than most. If I ever hold you again, I’ll hold you tight enough to crush our veins and you will die become a ghost, and haunt me till my pulse is so low.”
Under The Knife – the drum mixed with the xylophone in the middle of this track is amazing. The snare and right into cascading drum beats. Muuah!
North Star – They played this tune at the Christmas show they played in Hamilton this year and it stuck out. It’s even better on the album.
Barnes’ Yard – Possibly favourite track on the album. “Your brothers in the basement doin’ hot knives†perfect.
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Barnes’ Yard (Departing)
[audio:http://www.monstersvsme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/08-Barnes-Yard.mp3|titles=The Rural Alberta Advantage – Barnes’ Yard]
Coldest Days – the opening guitar and then the addition of the piano is just what I was looking for. “ I held you in the coldest days, I held you in the coldest waysâ€
Good Night – I love when the bass drum comes in and pounds on this song. It’s such a gentle song and then this band does what it does best – builds up in all the right spots to leave you with goosebumps. I love Nils’ pronunciation in this song too. When he emphasizes his g’s on lines like “…get it together in your heart maybe we might get back togetherâ€
Then there is “Stampâ€. The band’s single which was released last month and accompanied by a video that is like looking in the mirror for every listener who went to concerts as a kid – or teen or adult for that matter. Simple and perfect.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarg-PdGRUI
The Rural Alberta Advantage did not disappoint on this record. A review by Jim Scott said “While it’s hard to imagine The Rural Alberta Advantage dropping a classic album, it’s even harder to envision them making a bad one. The world could use a lot more bands like that.†I know this album just dropped, but I am confident in my “Tops of 2011†claim.
If you are a fan of The Rural Alberta Advantage or even if you have never heard of them, grab this album – you won’t regret it. Not only does this trio make music that will amaze you ever time you hear it, but they are humble and appreciative of all the praise they have gained. They still work their own merch table and take the time to listen to every fan say “Your album changed my life” or “I love your music, are you coming back to my town any time soon?”. They are playing a show April 29th at The Phoenix Concert Theatre and I already have my tickets, do you?
If The RAA is reading this, I do have one request. Your Christmas show in Hamilton has become a welcomed tradition here and we would love if you could keep us in mind every Holiday Season. And maybe release a version of “Little Drummer Boyâ€, it was the best I’d ever heard.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Happy Listening.
* If you are a member or manager of the above band and you would like your track removed, please contact us and we will swiftly oblige. Fans – new or old – please support these bands by using your coffee money to buy their records.
Did I say “ale�
Silly me. I meant “kaleâ€. I must have forgotten the “kâ€.
And I must have accidentally used a sexy beer ad for my feature image this week. Forgive me. It was an accident.
Unfortunately, kale needs all the “accidents†it can get because it is not the most appetizing-looking thing in the produce section, but after this week’s recipes, kale won’t need beer or bikinis to spark your interest. Your taste buds will be screaming at you to hook it up with that sexy, seductive kale.
So let’s get physical. Kale looks like a giant head of romaine lettuce, but greener and meaner. Greener because it has more iron than romaine, and meaner because it has a hard spine and is usually too large to fit in those little, clear produce bags, which is a deterrent for most shoppers. Its leaves look prickly and, eaten as they are, they have a very bitter taste. You can see why I reverted to the sexy beer picture now. Once you get kale home though, you’ll be happy you were able to see past kale’s bad hairdo.
This is what kale will give you after you get to know her:
– improved eyesight Vitamin A and, especially, cartenoids, which will help you wean yourself off of the Sunglass Hut for your UV protection fix
– manganese and iron (amazing!!!)
– Vitamin C (yes, the Tropicana kind)
– fiber (do I need to elaborate?)
– assistance for your liver to cleanse your body of carcinogenic icky stuff (ie. cancer-causing agents)
Sold yet? Not quite? Let’s focus on her flavour then because that’s the best part of this week’s recipes. Starting simple, we are going to turn this green goddess into something familiar…chips. Healthy, low-fat, actually-good-for-you kale chips. I test ran some kale chip flavours last night in the Monsters vs. Me test kitchen. Read below to find out which flavour reigned supreme.
RECIPE #1
KALE CHIPS
1 bunch of kale
1 tsp of Sea salt
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F.
De-vein the kale, which means cut the hard stem out of the middle of each piece. I use scissors to speed up the process. My sister (Toe Jam Monday’s Monica) swears by ripping it with her hands.
Cut the leafy pieces into 1-2 inch squares and rinse. I will repeat that last instruction: rinse. After the age of five, our palates are usually sophisticated enough to not want to eat dirt. A salad spinner is helpful, but not necessary (1).
Select your desired toppings (2). Transfer kale pieces straight to a cookie sheet (3). Coat with olive oil and salt (or see below for two of my favourite toppings). Use your hands to mix up the kale.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them or until the leaves start to brown on the edge (4). The less oil you use, the crispier they will be. It’s like the opposite of tanning. I find crundhy to taste more burnt, while olive oil helps retain the flavours, but you can experiment.
Monsters Vs Me test flavours:
Lime Tostito
3 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of parmesan cheese
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp of sea salt
Sweet and Savoury
3 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of local honey
2 tsp of sea salt
(mix together before coating kale)
The verdict in the Monster Vs. Me test kitchen is 3 out of 4 people choose the Sweet and Savoury, but I’m the 1 out of 4 who prefers the Lime Tostito flavour and my vote counts for three, so you can be the tie breaker. Comment and let me know what you think or if you come up with any new flavours to share.
RECIPE #2
If you already have your toes wet with this superfood, you are ready for a full springboard dive into the deep end with an amazing recipe that must be made to truly be appreciated. Braised Cider Kale turns kale into an a soft spinach-like texture that has hints of japanese-fusion flavour.
BRAISED CIDER KALE
1 head of kale
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 large shallots ( or 1 large onion) finely chopped
3 large gloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (divided)
De-vein the kale. Again, I like to just use scissors to cut the hard stems out of the kale. Roughly chop kale leaves, rinse and drain. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic, until onion is translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
Add kale and toss in onion and garlic. Add red pepper flakes, soup stock and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Stir and serve.
Braised cider kale makes an excellent side dish or throw over brown rice for a fuller meal. You can add sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, sausage, tofu, whatever you crave.
Kale comes in many forms. The one usually sold in most grocery stores is green, but there are varieties of red and purple kale as well. Be creative and experiment with colours.
Didn’t I tell you you wouldn’t need beer and babes in bikinis to get hyped for kale? What’s that, you always need beer and babes in bikinis? Okay, here is a compromise:
Outspoken vegan Ellen DeGeneres gives Lady Gaga a kale bikini after seeing her wear a dress made of meat to the MTV Video Music Awards show last year.
Now you have proof that kale is in fashion right now. Oh yes, I did just say that.
Over the last couple weeks I have bugging a friend of mine to give me permission to share their story in one of my posts as I believe it has the possibility to open your eyes and even change your life if needed. Be warned that this post is an extremely sad story but it’s my hope that you take a positive message from it and don’t let it happen to you.
The article isn’t about my friend, but it’s about their mother. I have met her numerous times and she is an amazing lady and one of the nicest people I have ever met. A hard worker, caring and would do anything for her three kids when they were in need. Three years ago her oldest child gave birth to a set of twins and she was blessed and absolutely loved being a grandmother. Her life was amazing……….. kinda…
Two ice cubes, a shot of vodka, top it off with pineapple juice and a quick stir. The “Train Station” as she called it. A drink she had stumbled upon one day while experimenting with different alcohols. Sounds like fun, but not if you stumbled upon it 30 years ago and have been consuming at least 20+ a week since then. She was a heavy drinker. Having at least four to five drinks, six nights a week. She never thought it was a problem nor did anyone see it as a HUGE problem because her drinking never presented any issues on the surface. She never drove drunk, she never went into work drunk and wasn’t an abusive drunk in any way. So what was the problem?
Depending on what your definition of ‘binge drinking’ is, some say that she would fall into this category.
Taken from Wikipedia:
Binge drinking is associated with a profound social harm, economic costs as well as increased disease burden. Binge drinking is more common in males, during adolescence and young adulthood. Most binge drinkers are not familiar with the risks associated with binge drinking. Heavy regular binge drinking is associated with adverse effects on neurologic, cardiac, gastrointestinal, hematologic, immune, musculoskeletal organ systems as well as increasing the risk of alcohol induced psychiatric disorders.
There is a time and place for everything and when done in moderation, alcohol isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She would drink pretty much every night alone. And we all know what happens when we drink……. we get hungry. Consuming four to five ‘Train Stations’ a night and ingesting large quantities of bad food almost every night for years. I’m not a doctor so I can’t really start spitting out the scientific health effects of alcohol, but from the little that I do know, I can tell you that drinking alone every night isn’t good for anyone.
Some of her kids didn’t like it but never knew what to say because it wasn’t really effecting them negatively…….
A couple months ago……. it caught up with her.
While on her way home from grocery shopping she started having massive headaches. She got home, put away all the groceries, and the headaches put her to the floor. She was rushed to the hospital and it turned out she had a massive stroke. Her brain was bleeding and wouldn’t stop. The doctors rushed her into surgery but nothing could help her. The stoke had taken her life. There was never a distinct answer but the three doctors who were trying to save her life, all said that years of constant drinking was most likely the cause of her stroke.
Taken from strokesignsandsymptoms.com
In a study done in 2005, it was discovered that people who drink at least 3 alcoholic beverages daily stand a greater risk of suffering from a stroke, by almost 45%.
It’s weird that she had called her favorite drink, ‘The Train Station”, which basically was the cause of her death. She took the train straight to her grave. So why write about this and share her story? Well this is the part of ‘Giving Up for Gain’. Although her years of solo drinking had little to no negative effects on her current situation, it had no positive effects and would lead to sadness. Some might say its a selfish act. Yes, she passed away, but she left a world of hurt. She left a husband to live alone, she left children to live without a mother and she left grandchildren that didn’t even get a chance to really know who their grandmother was. I had a Grandfather pass away when I was really young and although we lost him to cancer and it wasn’t something preventable, I still know what its like to have never really got to know him well and I wish I would have. As sad as I feel for my friend losing her mother, I can’t help but have a bit of built up frustration and anger towards her mother. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that drinking daily isn’t a good idea and a big risk to your health. She could have stopped. You think the birth of her children would have made her think twice, or even more so, her grandchildren. We all have problems and sometimes it takes a positive situation to help us notice that we need to change so we can experience that positive situation for years to come. She was given all the reason and more to realize that she needed to control her drinking but never did. Very selfish in my eyes.
It’s never too late to start over and giving up alcohol was a way she could of gained years of life. Time spent with her family, time getting to know her grandchildren and a happier life was all the reward and incentive she should have needed.
Again, I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. I don’t understand the disease of addiction and some cases can be more severe than I know. My hope with this article is to hopefully open your eyes to the idea that giving something up can gain so much in the end. I challenge you to do this. Even if its not health related. There is nothing wrong with setting a reward for yourself. Incentive is good. It’s the sign of a goal reached. In January of this year, I decided to take part in this because of my friends situation. I gave up alcohol for the entire month. I titled it “No Juice January”. For 31 days I didn’t touch a drop of alcohol. I told myself that if I accomplished it, I would buy myself a new lens for my camera. I can say that I’m the proud owner of that new lens and it was well worth it. I did it for personal reasons too. It made me more focused and it’s amazing the amount of work you can do when you aren’t spending it hung over on a couch. My body felt better, my sleep patterns were better and when you work for yourself, the success of your business is solely on your will and productivity.
On Monday, I am going to post a video talking about this idea. I will give up something different every month and reward myself for it. The video will be posted on the last day before the next month.
So I hope you took some positivity out of this post. If you are someone who might be in the same situation as my friends mother, then I hope this opens your eyes and you take the necessary steps to fix your problem. Don’t let your friends lose a friend, your kids lose a parent and most importantly don’t let your grandkids not have enough memories to even remember you.
Never give up unless its for gain.
Thank you Hamilton. We did it. We hit capacity before 11pm. Our 9th consecutive MvM Invades Motown sell-out.
I want to apologize for everyone that didn’t get in. Hopefully you can make it out next time.
It was such a fun night. MC Uncle Buck killed it upstairs and Andy Inglis had the Motown room going nuts. Thanks to both of them for DJing and doing an amazing job. And again, a giant thanks to Marko, Billy and everyone at Club Absinthe for continually allowing me to host a MvM Party at Club Absinthe. You guys rule!
Below is Part 1 of the photos from last night. Click here to view Part 2
