Top Albums of 2015

What an amazing year for music. As you'll read below, there were several amazing albums released. But that's just the beginning. The continued resurgence of vinyl has proven that there is hope for the music business beyond the digital era. It's refreshing to know that folks are listening to a full album as opposed to a single track and appreciate the artistry that SHOULD go into making a record. Make no mistake, the digital age is still upon us. Look no further than Spotify and Apple's new "Apple Music" service for proof. Artists are still essentially being ripped off by all of these services, but kudos to Taylor Swift (2nd year in a row she's received kudos from me) for standing up to Apple Music and Spotify to fight for the artist. Here's my advice on streaming services: There's no shame in listening to a record for the first few times on a streaming service. The artist is getting a fraction of a cent off of each stream, so at least they're getting something. However, if you enjoy the album, PURCHASE IT. On vinyl, digitally, on a CD (what's that?). OR, go see the artist in concert. That's the only way they'll be able to make the next record. And speaking of live music, this year was exceptional. Without question, the best nationally broadcast performance was country artist Chris Stapleton and pop music icon Justin Timberlake collaborating for an amazing version of George Jones' "Tennessee Whiskey" and Timberlake's "Drink You Away" (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-chris-stapleton-and-justin-timberlakes-stunning-cma-awards-duet-20151104). If you're not impressed by this performance, you should stop reading this blog. Now, on with the list! THE BEST (in no particular order):

"The Pit - A Review"

Before I begin my extremely personal review of "The Pit," let me explain myself to you. I grew up in a small town in the foothills of Western North Carolina. Called "The Barbecue Capital of the World" by locals, and some not-so-locals, Lexington, NC is truly a BBQ Mecca. With that being said, please understand that I am a barbecue snob, from head to toe. Nothing will every compare to Lexington BBQ to me. However, I'm also an honest man with a good taste for good food. So, with that out of the way, let’s get to the review. For the record, I have ranked each item with a number of pig faces. A 5 is the maximum number of pig faces one can receive.

First off, let it be known that I've driven by "The Pit" at least half a dozen times and I've never seen it without a line out the door. By reputation alone, this place should rank among the best BBQ restaurants in North Carolina. The restaurant has been featured on "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" on the Food Network, in which Pit Master Ed Mitchell actually won a BBQ Rib throwdown. As I made my way through the meal, it became evident to me just how he won that competition, but we'll get to that in a few minutes.

The atmosphere at "The Pit" is not what you would expect from a typical North Carolina BBQ restaurant. The establishment is dimly lit, with first come, first serve seating in the front bar area and the outside area. It almost seems a little too fancy for a BBQ restaurant to an old fashioned BBQ purist like myself. In sharp contrast to the uppity atmosphere inside, the outside boasts typical wooden tables, which are leveled out by coasters underneath the legs nonetheless. "The Pit" is situated in what I would refer to as the swanky part of downtown Raleigh. Anchored on both sides by the tapas style "Humble Pie" (Entrees ranging from $13-20) to the rear and "Jibarra" (Entrees ranging from $17-$40) to the front, The Pit's entrees, ranging from $11.99 - $23.99 (for the triple combo) seem very reasonable and right in line with what the area has to offer. While I did not find the restaurant to be overpriced, those used to a $7.00 BBQ and Chicken Plate from Smithfield’s BBQ will be digging a little deeper in their pockets. But enough about the atmosphere. Let's get down to the meat and potatoes of this review (no pun intended): The food.

I think the easiest way to review the food offerings from The Pit will be to do it an item at a time, in the order that I sampled them.

Appetizers

Upon being seated at The Pit, each table is presented with a small basket of miniature biscuits and hush puppies, at no cost. While this is not customary for the majority of local BBQ restaurants, it was a nice feature to have at an upscale restaurant such as this.

The Biscuits - The miniature biscuits were presented very well and had just the right consistency of doughy-ness that you would expect from a good southern biscuit. They were served with a side of what my table referred to as "sugar-butter." The butter did not have the typical sweetness of a table butter, but rather something very similar to a splenda taste. For those of you who despise splenda, this is not meant to be a deterrent, as the "sugar-butter" was quite delicious.

Hushpuppies - The hushpuppies were cooked exactly to my liking: Crispy and crunchy on the outside; soft and warm on the inside. As with the biscuits, the hushpuppies were sweet and had just the right hint of onion to give them a true North Carolina hushpuppy flavor. I would have to say that the hushpuppies served to me on that muggy June evening were some of the best I've ever had.

Vegetables/Sides

BBQ Baked Beans - The BBQ baked beans served at The Pit should actually be referred to as "The Mixed Bean Bowl." The small side consists of pinto, black, and baked beans. The only thing missing was the BBQ flavor. Now, when I say that the beans were bad, I'm not saying they tasted bad. I'm simply saying that they were not as advertised. Luckily, there was BBQ sauce readily available at the table, which was promptly dumped all over the suspect bean dish.

Macaroni & Cheese – I prefer my mac & cheese to be just that: Macaroni and Cheese. The latter part of the concoction, unfortunately, was all but lost on the dish at The Pit. While there was a hint of cheesiness, the main taste that I got was of a sweet buttery flavor, very reminiscent of the ‘sugar-butter’ previously mentioned. I would gladly take KFC’s mac & cheese over The Pit any day of the week.

Entrees

BBQ – “Authentic BBQ” is how they describe The Pit in all advertisements, and on the sign at the top of this review. Now, here’s the issue. Authentic BBQ is different to everyone. Where I grew up, authentic BBQ was slow cooked for 6-8 hours over a pit of hot coals. Ed Mitchell’s brand of BBQ is done the same way. The only difference is in what is being cooked. While we Lexingtonians are accustomed to the shoulders and butts alone, Mitchell’s hickory fired pits feature whole hog, a tradition steeped in Eastern North Carolina. Either way, we all agree that the BBQ must maintain a distinct smoky flavor, only available over true hickory coals. For my entrée, I ordered the chopped BBQ plate. The BBQ was served in very plentiful quantities; with enough on the plate that I was unable to finish it all (note the biscuits and hushpuppies earlier). To my dismay, the BBQ itself was way to finely chopped. Finely chopped, to the point where it became mushy. The issue with this is, when you chop the BBQ too finely, you actually chop the smoky flavor out of it. With that being said, I was left to savor the eastern style, vinegar based sauce instead of the smoky flavor that I was hoping for. The BBQ was served very lean without a hint of brown (sigh). The vinegar based sauce was very typical of an Eastern NC style sauce, and honestly didn’t taste all that different from the dip one would find at any local Smithfield’s BBQ. Another diner at the table, Brian, actually ordered the pulled BBQ, which he explained had a distinct smoky flavor. Point taken. I’ll stick with the pulled instead of chopped next time.

BBQ Ribs – Let’s not waste any time here. This is the bread and butter of the Pit. This is how Ed Mitchell defeated world renowned chef Bobby Flay. This is barbecuing at its finest. The baby back ribs are served wet, but not too wet. The amount of sauce on the meat is almost perfect, as it does not overpower the smoky flavor of the meat. A key to any good BBQ is to slow cook the meat. And I’ll be the first to tell you that Ed Mitchell knows a lot about this. The ribs were ‘fall-off-the-bone’ tender. Literally, they could have been eaten with a fork. However, what got my attention was the amount of ‘brown’ on the edge of the ribs. ‘Brown’ commonly refers to the outer edges of the meat, of the skin that browns while being slow cooked over hot coals on a true pit cooker. The ‘brown’ on these ribs was absolutely fantastic. Dry, smoky, tough, but not to the point of being difficult to eat. And if you like your ribs extra wet, just throw on some more of the sauce that you added to the baked beans. You’ll be in for a treat. While I did not order the ribs, I did sample them, and they were clearly the only choice to be made upon repeat visits.

So, in conclusion, I would have to say that “The Pit” is simply a BBQ restaurant searching for its true self. While the BBQ leaves little to be desired, and the sides range from mediocre to decent, the ribs truly will win over anyone with a craving for slow cooked meat. Please take this review for what its worth. If you disagree, I completely understand. This is just one humble BBQ fans opinion. Feel free to comment.

So This is Christmas......

December 25, 2005. Christmas has officially arrived and will continue to hang around for about 4 more hours. This Christmas, however, was not as typical as one would have expected. Anyway....so Christmas brought a lot of interesting revelations, but it also brought some really good times. Staying up till 5:00 am with the home town crowd, buying decent Christmas presents for my family, and just seeing my family for a while are things I wouldn't trade for the world. But enough about the holidays, I'm really backed up on my music reviews.....

Bo Bice, "The Real Thing"

~A self-proclaimed southern rocker of American Idol fame, Bo Bice enters the world of music with one of the more anticipated albums of winter 2005. And while it was debatedly one of the most anticipated of 2005, it was without a doubt, the biggest dissapointment of the year. Let me put it to you this way: If Ronnie Van Zant, the long time king of Southern Rock, shit into a porcelain toilet, it would come out sounding more like Southern Rock than what this overproduced, under-written, pop influenced piece of music waste. Now don't get me wrong. Bice did a great job on Idol. If he began a cover band, I would pay as much as $2.50 to see him perform (as long as that included at least 1 beer). Sorry Mr. Bice, but you sold out.

0 Stars

Neil Young, "Prarie Wind"

~Neil Young? Isn't he dead? To those of you who were asking yourself this question, I would like to answer it very simply. No, he is not dead. Nor is his music. Nor is his passion for making it. For many of the younger generation of Rock and Roll fans, Young falls into that group of artists that are known by name, but not by their musical accomplishments. Perhaps you've hummed 'Southern Man' or 'Heart of Gold' in the shower as it came on the radio, not knowing the words, but recognizing the tune. Or perhaps you've sang along with your favorite band in concert as they churn out the classic 'Keep on Rockin' In The Free World.' Yes, that is a Neil Young song as well. With "Prarie Wind," Young returns to the world of music with a soulfoul collection of acoustic, electric, and even some big band rock and roll. The most appealing thing about this album is that it is not an attempt, of any kind, to impress anyone. Young wrote this album for himself, and it speaks to everyone. The first single from the album, 'The Painter,' is an acoustic narrative, lyrically and musically simple, yet brilliant. This track serves not only as the first single, but also as the opening track on the album. Rarely does one find an album that can be anticipated by the first track, but here we find just that.

"It's a long road Behind me

It's a long road Ahead

If you follow every dream

You might get lost

If you follow every dream

You might Get Lost."

The chorus of this ballad serves as a warning to all of the young dreamers in the world, but it also serves as a chronicle of Young's life. For Young, the road ahead of him looks just as promising as the road behind, yet his shaky, un-nerving voice begs both the listener, as well as Young himself to take life as it comes, and to beware of dreams that will lead you nowhere. Further into the album, we find Young's tribute to the guitar. On 'This Old Guitar,' he likens the guitar to a figure that has led him throughout his life, almost to the point of making it a Christ figure. He notes that

"This old guitar ain't mine to keepI

t's mine to play for a while

This old guitar ain't mine to keep

It's only mine for a while"

The deep language Young uses on the track, create a hopefullness in the listener. Perhaps he is begging us to respect life as he has respected the guitar, understanding that it will not be ours forever, and that we should respect what we have, and appreciate the time that we have. This album should be in your collection. If you're too cheap to purchase this album, then you're too cheap to appreciate music. God help you.

5 Stars

Busy weekend? Not so much.

So, another week has come to a close, and I must say its been rather uneventful. Things at work are really picking up lately. Leasing season has officially begun, and that means its officially time to get our asses in gear in the office. Not much to report on the going out factor last week. I went out on Monday night with Craig to get some wings and watch some football, but that about summed it up. I also was able to catch a great show in Chapel Hill on Thursday night, but I'll save all of the info for my concert review later. Anyways, nothing went on this weekend. I slept a lot, watched a lot of football, and worked out a couple times. I'm really diggin this whole working out thing lately. It just feels good to get back in decent shape. But enough about me. Lets talk music.



The Avett Brothers, Live in Chapel Hill


There's a certain feeling that can't be described when you go to a show expecting nothing, and come away with everything you didn't even dream of hoping for. Such is the case with the Avett Brothers. On Thursday, December 8, 2005, the band, in all of their three-piece glory, descended upon the Great Hall on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. The band itself consists of the Avett brothers, Seth and Scott Avett, and longtime friend Bob Crawford. The three took the stage around 9:30, after a mind-numbingly awful set by an unknown group named 'Bombadil,' and made a believer out of this country boy in the blink of an eye. Seth took the microphone first, belting out a slow moving, soulful ballad that would send chills down any music lover's spine. And for the next two hours, the chills wouldn't be ignored. During the set, Seth stuck to the acoustic guitar, and Bob to the stand up bass, while Scott picked his way through the banjo and the acoustic guitar. While watching this band perform, three things should really stand out.
1) This band loves what they do. From the first chord to the last, it was obvious that these three men truly love what they do. Call them hillbiliies. Call them rednecks. Hell, call their music outdated. But whatever you do, don't say that these men aren't true musicians. A true musician leaves it all on the stage, and loves putting it all on the line for the love of the music. These men are true musicians.
2) This band is talented. Three instruments, all stringed. Three men, all masters of their instrument. Think back for a moment on how many truely great three piece bands you've ever heard. Pretty hard isn't it? ZZ Top is one, can you think of another? Didn't think so. Add this band to your list. Never in my life have I heard as much music come out of a three piece acoustic group. Simply amazing.
3) This band is varied. Through constant tempo changes and vocal varieties, this band mixes it up with the best of 'em. From melodic ballads, to punk-like screams, Seth and Scott Avett provide an amazing blend of the harsh realities of life, love, and just getting by.

On the whole, this band is excellent. They do what they love, and they love what they do. If you get a chance, please, for your own sake, see this band live. If you don't, the only person you are cheating is yourself.

5 Stars

Another weekend, Another empty Wallet

So another weekend is slowly coming to a close. But I must say, this is one of the better weekends in a while. I guess you could say that my weekends start on Thursdays now, since I'm evidently living and partying like a madman, according to all of my friends. So Thursday night we made our weekly run to City Limits. The regular crew was there, which consists of Mike, Craig, Dustin, and I, but we also had a couple newbies with us. For the second time, Bradley met us out there, and I actually brought Lindsey to the club. In case you didn't know, they're my leasing agents at University House. Technically, I'm really not supposed to go out with them after work. And technically, I'm not supposed to hang out with Craig either. But the fact that a mere 5 years divides us all in age, and only 2 years divides me from Lindsey and Bradley, and me and Craig, I think its a safe bet that the partying has only begun for the staff of University House. Anyways, enough about the dynamics, and enough about work. So City Limits wasn't the greatest on Thursday. The crowd just didn't seem as into it as usual, and the fact that we only brought one girl with our group made for a major sausage party. Add to that the fact that the music was decent at best, and you have a recipe for disaster. To give you an idea, here's a few songs they DID play: "my humps, my humps, my humps," "baby got back," "the dont ya wish your girlfriend was a lot like me song." And here's a list of artists that didn't make the cut on Thursday night: Cross Canadien Ragweed (one of my new obsessions), Alabama, Kid Rock, Garth Brooks, Hank Jr., Skynyrd, AC/DC, etc. Let me quickly explain these two lists to you. The first includes a bunch of no talent, boring, typical, generic, shallow, shitty artists. List two includes music that the artists actually give two shits about. All I have to say is that all you hip hop fans better be glad people like Ronnie Van Zant (original Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman), Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix are dead, because if they were alive, they would kick the shit out of the no-talent assclowns that are at the top of the music industry nowadays, and then kick the shit out of you for supporting them. So back to City Limits. We stayed there till about 1 and then jetted. A good night, but definitely not a great night.

Friday night............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz So I got home from work around 6:30, which is an amazing feat, and decided that if i planned on going out at all, a major nap was in order. So I crashed on the couch in the living room. At 12:45 in the morning I finally woke up. Normally, waking up after an extended nap is great, but when you wake up with your throat closing up and your eyes gushing water, its just not the same. The moral of the story here: I am allergic to cats. Mike and I had a cat for a couple days this week, before we realized that cats just aren't as cool as dogs and we suck at having an animal in the house. So, needless to say, I didn't do much after that on Saturday night. I did, however, watch The Goonies for the first time in my life. I must say, it was pretty awesome. Add to that the fact that it was remastered for HDTV, and you've got quite an amazing experience. Saturday....... Lots of Laundry. Laundry sucks. I hate doing it. After spending the day doing laundry, getting a haircut, going to the dry cleaners, I made it to Brian, Dan, and Jonathans. Let me just say that we are a group of damn good cooks. Dan prepared a pork shoulder and a pork butt, lexington style which is always awesome. Sizemore made his award winning baked beans, and I was able to supply the mini hot dogs in bbq sauce and pigs in a blanket. We topped off the evening with Bad Santa, a christmas film made just for us. The original plan was for everybody to go to Longbranch after we ate to see Chris Cagle in concert. Unfortunately, the majority of the group decided against it. So it ended up being myself, mike, and lj heading out to Longbranch. Mike had had a steady string of Jack & cokes so he was feeling pretty good, and the two Jager bombs i had were absolutely delicious. Chris Cagle was pretty good i must say, although i only knew one of his songs. So after a few drinks and some good music, it was time to swing by the 24 hr mcdonalds and hit the sack.

Sunday.... So now its sunday morning at 10 am. I'm watching Anchorman, and updating my fantasy team for this week. As usual, i'm having a hard time deciding on my starting qb's. Hopefully I'll make the right picks this week. Fantasy, however, takes a back seat this week to the Carolina Panthers. As you all know, this week the panthers take on the Atlanta Falcons. Vick and company will be coming into town this week to fight for sole possession of first place in the division. In a perfect world, Vick would suffer a career ending injury today from Julius Peppers. But i'll settle for a win. I'll probably hit up Carolina Ale House here in a little bit, just like every other Sunday, and order more chicken fingers than any human should consume. Oh well. GO PANTHERS!

And now for the best part of the blog:
~This week in Bailey's purchased music~

As everyone who knows me well will tell you, I've got a pretty bad musical addiction. So in this part of the blog, I'm gonna update everyone on my most recent music purchases (mostly itunes), and possibly a review of a classic album every now and then. All albums are given a rating of 0-5 stars, 5 being the best. So here goes nothin...


The Darkness, "One Way Ticket To Hell....And Back"

~The band solely responsible for the rebirth of glam rock returns from the depths of Europe with their Sophomore effort, "One Way Ticket to Hell....and Back." First of all, if you're a fan of The Darkness, you know it. On the same note, if you don't like The Darkness, you definitely know it. I, myself, am a fan. In a world where radio is dominated by Black Eyed Peas and Half Dollars (thats 50 Cent in case you didn't get the joke), The Darkness are a breath of fresh air. On their original debut, they let loose and showed exactly what they were about: Incredible guitar riffs and solos, high pitched, exotic vocals, and straight forward, real lyrics. On their second effort, not much has changed. The only difference is a slight toning down of frontman Justin Hawkins. On "Permission to Land" his vocals were almost too much to handle, even sounding comical at times. With "One Way Ticket" he brings it down just enough to harness that incredible glam rock sound that defined the late 1970s. The album kicks off with the sounds of someone undoubtedly snorting a line of blow, which should really come as no surprise if you've ever seen what the band looks like. Let's just say that a coke diet would not be out of the question for these guys. The album's instrumentals are on key, just as with the previous effort. So far, the stand out track that will make you pump your fist in the air is track 2 on the album, "Knockers." The chorus consists of "I just love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah".....I know it sounds strange, but trust me, you'll be rocking out the same way I was the first time I listened to it. The album teeters back and forth between straight ahead incredible rock and borderline absurdity, never slowing down to let the listener catch up, at least not on the first listen. This album begs to be played over and over again. If you really want to experience what The Darkness is, give this album a try, but give it more than one try.

3.5 Stars

The Presidents of the United States of America, "The Presidents of the United States of America"

~Perhaps you will recall these lyrics: "Lump Set alone in a boggy marsh Totally motionless except for her heart Mud flowed up into Lump's pajama's She totally confused all the passing Pirahnas." These lyrics are from the all too-famous 'Lump' off of PUSA's debut album from 1995. In a world full of mid-nineties grunge rock, PUSA emerged with an album full of tongue in cheek humor and rediculous subject matter. Peaches anyone? They recently re-issued the 1995 hit, now a 26 track journey through the original album, with a ton of demos and rarities. Everything that we originally loved about PUSA is there: hit singles "Lump," "Peaches," and "Kick out the Jams" are all there, plus the fan favorites "Feather Pluckn," "Dune Buggy," and "Naked and Famous." The demos on the disc include "Kitty," "Boll Weavil," and two versions of "Naked and Famous." There's really nothing special here as far as the demos go. However, bonus tracks such as "F**k California" are welcome additions. If nothing else, this is a great mid-nineties album that you can crank up in the car and have a great time with. Just don't forget to reminesce about those crazy ninjas from the Peaches video. Nnow that was awesome.

4 Stars

Garth Brooks, "The Collectors Series Box Set"

~Garth Brooks returns from his life as a father to bring us a $25.00, 6 disc, walmart exclusive box set. Walmart exclusive country music? Mmmm how deliciously white trash. Included in the box set are past albums "Sevens," "Scarecrow," the two disc smash hit "Double Live," a new disc of unreleased tracks called "The Lost Sessions," and a dvd of concert and behind the scenes footage. Because I don't have time to review 5 albums by the same artist, I'll stick with "Lost Sessions" for this review. Let me start by saying this: Garth Brooks changed country music. He made country music what it is today. But enough about that, on to the album. Garth returns from retirement with a collection of mostly older unreleased cuts, and a couple of new gems. Vocally, Garth sounds just as good as he always has, with a crisp southern sound. The album opens with Garth's rendition of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark." While I was initially very excited to see this cover on the album, Garth leaves little to be appreciated with this unspirited cover. Without a doubt, this is the biggest letdown on the entire album. Garth comes back on track two, with "This Girl Is A Cowboy." Clever, catchy, great sounding. Its tracks like these that made Garth what he is today. Track three, Garth's tribute to the late Chris Ledoux, "Good Ride Cowboy" might as well have been a track on 1993's "Ropin' The Wind." It fits that Garth Brooks mold that we've all grown so accustomed to. "Please Operator (Could you trace this call)" reminds one of the desparation that we found in "Shameless," but at the same time has the same bite to it as "Callin' Baton Rouge." This track could stand alone as a single, but unfortunately its one of the few on the disc. "American Dream" lasts only 2:00 minutes and feels like it never even begins to take off. On the whole, this album doesn't dissapoint, but it just isn't what we Garth Brooks fans have waited five years for. There are definitely some stand out tracks here. But it still begs the question: With a 15+ year career, is this the best stuff that Garth didn't let us hear? I think Not.

3 Stars