The other day Jeanne and I stopped at Thai Orchid in Marlton for lunch. It’s on Route 73, just south of the 70-73 intersection and right behind Champps. I don’t consider myself an expert in Thai food (I’ve probably had it 7 or 8 times now), but this place was awesome. Their lemongrass soup was unreal and it tasted like they made that bowl just for me. The mushrooms and peppers were cooked, but crisp. If you’re ever around there I highly recommend it.
Update: Jeanne pointed out they have a website.
The other day Jeanne and I stopped at Thai Orchid in Marlton for lunch. It’s on Route 73, just south of the 70-73 intersection and right behind Champps. I don’t consider myself an expert in Thai food (I’ve probably had it 7 or 8 times now), but this place was awesome. Their lemongrass soup was unreal and it tasted like they made that bowl just for me. The mushrooms and peppers were cooked, but crisp. If you’re ever around there I highly recommend it.
Update: Jeanne pointed out they have a website.
This is the weirdest game ever. It’s a browser based RPG where you can choose between character classes like turtle tamer, disco bandit, and seal clubber. Here’s one of the battles I fought in the “Haunted Pantry.”
You’re fighting an undead elbow macaroni
Inside the Haunted Pantry, you encounter an undead elbow macaroni of unusual size. It rubs its hands together and prepares to assault you like a peanut.
Head here for a better description. I’m on there as Washizu, the Turtle Tamer.
This is the weirdest game ever. It’s a browser based RPG where you can choose between character classes like turtle tamer, disco bandit, and seal clubber. Here’s one of the battles I fought in the “Haunted Pantry.”
You’re fighting an undead elbow macaroni
Inside the Haunted Pantry, you encounter an undead elbow macaroni of unusual size. It rubs its hands together and prepares to assault you like a peanut.
Head here for a better description. I’m on there as Washizu, the Turtle Tamer.
A while back I wrote a script to calculate how many times people have played at the open mic. I ran the script again and here are the results! Note: It’s probably not 100% accurate.
A while back I wrote a script to calculate how many times people have played at the open mic. I ran the script again and here are the results! Note: It’s probably not 100% accurate.
If you look back through my archives you’ll find an article about what I would do if I were ever hosting an open mic and surprisingly I think I held true to those ideas (ok, the star idea was really lame).
- The sign up sheet should be available well before the show starts. Ideally the open mic has an Internet sign up, but I understand why venues want the people to come out in person.
- The host should always be on time (20-30 minutes before the advertised start time). This prevents anything from slowing down the start of the night.
- The host should play no more than the other performers and should either go on first, last, or not at all. When the host treats the open mic as a weekly gig, don’t be surprised if people don’t show up to do his sound check.
- The host should make sure performers know when they are going on. Many hosts do not do this enough and it creates a show where you hear a lot of tuning and stage preperation. This also includes the host asking what the performer needs (sitting or standing? Does his guitar plug in or need to be miked?).
- The host should make sure the performers know how long they can play. I have been to open mics where they would have limited Bob Dylan to two songs but let your average teenager playing Indigo Girls covers railroad the host into playing three.
- The host should encourage the crowd to support the performers. Jason Wheatley @ the Living Room does this better than any host I’ve ever seen.
1. Ben Garvey – I soundchecked with Beck’s “Jackass,” and then played “The Genius of it All,” “I Hope I Die on the Moon,” and finished the night with “99%”
2. Keenan – 7 year old Keenan followed up his hit song, I Have More Stuff Than You, with You Have More Stuff Than Me. He also sang an insane song called Pitter Pat. He’s one of the most adventurous performers at the open mic.
3. John & Nora Shaughnessy – Nora backed her dad up on the first song and then John played “Cigarettes Will Kill You (If I Don’t Kill You First),” which is a great title for a song.
4. Pat Hipp – Somehow Pat resisted the urge to play the Thong Song to a room full of teenage kids. Instead he played two good covers and I think one was by Bob Dylan, but I could be wrong. I like Pat’s music and I was glad he made it out.
5. Jeff Richie – A good songwriter and always seems to bring out new material when he comes by. Jeff is a really nice guy and I wish him the best of luck up in Boston.
6. Bob Michel – I’d like to thank Bob for coming out to the open mic a zillion times. He dedicated a song to June Carter Cash’s mother.
7. Kristin – When open mic poetry is good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s really bad. Kristin’s stuff was great. Her poems are interesting and thoughtful and she has a good grasp on how long her poems should be. None seemed to overstay their welcome and they all kept my interest.
8. Willie Tapps – If Bob has been to the open mic a zillion times, then Willie has been there 10 zillion times. He’s been coming nearly every week since I started hanging out there once and a while in 2001 and probably long before that. Willie’s a great musician and a nice guy. He played one of his best songs, one he wrote for his wife.
9. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd – The singer from this band, Colin, emailed me a few days before the open mic and asked if he could bring in drums. At first I was against the idea, because it’s usually a complete pain in the ass.
I eventually decided to let them go ahead because they said they’d setup and take down the drums quickly and bring about 50 people with them. I think every senior from Holy Cross high school was there. The place was packed and I’ve only seen it that crowded one other time. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd played a few emo-rockish songs to the crowd and they were pretty good. As musicians they were tighter than I expected. I probably could have done without the “King of Wishful Thinking” cover at the end, but the crowd loved it.
My absolute favorite thing about the band was that the drummer wore a pale blue tux he bought on eBay for $100. He told me he wore it to the prom and was going to wear it the first day of college. Iin high school my old band played in the Shawnee Battle of the Bands right before my Junior Prom, so I wore my tux to the gig. I think we sucked. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd didn’t.
10. Adrien Reju – Adrien is one of my favorite all time singer-songwriters and a great friend. I was a fan from the first time I heard her play at the Tree House (then the Living Room). I’ve seen her play so many times and she’s still getting better. She played Why while the band was still breaking down their equipment and probably kept a lot of people around. She then played an awesome cover of “Walk like an Egyptian” by the Bangles. Lastly, at my request she played Kaleidoscope.
11. The Forest Greens – I wasn’t there the week that Eric and Mike first came to the Tree House, but when I came back everyone was talking about the high school kids playing celt-rock or whatever you want to call their music. As good as they were, the recent addition of Ellen was made the band dramatically better with her playing and her dancing. They had some kind words for me, too, and I appreciate it!
12. Pat Rich – Pat used to come around once and a while and he stopped in to play some Dashboard covers (I think).
13. Steve Scovial – Steve’s guitar had a custom paint job that he did himself. He did a cover of Sour Girl by STP.
14. Wideman – The Wideman did some finger picking on my guitar.
15. John Corcoran – Did an extra long version of Piano Man and Roz helped a bit on the words. I like his cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.”
16. Roz King – Roz was a great help when I started hosting the open mic. He busted his ass to get the Tree House’s sound setup and probably didn’t get appreciated enough for it. His help has enabled the Tree House to keep their music scene going all this time, whether it be with sound, hosting the open mic, etc. He’s a great musician and that night he did his cover of “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”
17. Jason Wheatley – Jason was the open mic host before Roz and I hosted and it’s because of his work back then that a lot of people still hang out there. In my opinion he was the best host of any open mic I’ve been to, so I was glad he squeezed out of the Olive quick enough to stop by the Tree House. He played a new song titled something like “Won’t Go Gently.”
Some shots of Rob and the audience.
If you look back through my archives you’ll find an article about what I would do if I were ever hosting an open mic and surprisingly I think I held true to those ideas (ok, the star idea was really lame).
- The sign up sheet should be available well before the show starts. Ideally the open mic has an Internet sign up, but I understand why venues want the people to come out in person.
- The host should always be on time (20-30 minutes before the advertised start time). This prevents anything from slowing down the start of the night.
- The host should play no more than the other performers and should either go on first, last, or not at all. When the host treats the open mic as a weekly gig, don’t be surprised if people don’t show up to do his sound check.
- The host should make sure performers know when they are going on. Many hosts do not do this enough and it creates a show where you hear a lot of tuning and stage preperation. This also includes the host asking what the performer needs (sitting or standing? Does his guitar plug in or need to be miked?).
- The host should make sure the performers know how long they can play. I have been to open mics where they would have limited Bob Dylan to two songs but let your average teenager playing Indigo Girls covers railroad the host into playing three.
- The host should encourage the crowd to support the performers. Jason Wheatley @ the Living Room does this better than any host I’ve ever seen.
1. Ben Garvey – I soundchecked with Beck’s “Jackass,” and then played “The Genius of it All,” “I Hope I Die on the Moon,” and finished the night with “99%”
2. Keenan – 7 year old Keenan followed up his hit song, I Have More Stuff Than You, with You Have More Stuff Than Me. He also sang an insane song called Pitter Pat. He’s one of the most adventurous performers at the open mic.
3. John & Nora Shaughnessy – Nora backed her dad up on the first song and then John played “Cigarettes Will Kill You (If I Don’t Kill You First),” which is a great title for a song.
4. Pat Hipp – Somehow Pat resisted the urge to play the Thong Song to a room full of teenage kids. Instead he played two good covers and I think one was by Bob Dylan, but I could be wrong. I like Pat’s music and I was glad he made it out.
5. Jeff Richie – A good songwriter and always seems to bring out new material when he comes by. Jeff is a really nice guy and I wish him the best of luck up in Boston.
6. Bob Michel – I’d like to thank Bob for coming out to the open mic a zillion times. He dedicated a song to June Carter Cash’s mother.
7. Kristin – When open mic poetry is good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s really bad. Kristin’s stuff was great. Her poems are interesting and thoughtful and she has a good grasp on how long her poems should be. None seemed to overstay their welcome and they all kept my interest.
8. Willie Tapps – If Bob has been to the open mic a zillion times, then Willie has been there 10 zillion times. He’s been coming nearly every week since I started hanging out there once and a while in 2001 and probably long before that. Willie’s a great musician and a nice guy. He played one of his best songs, one he wrote for his wife.
9. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd – The singer from this band, Colin, emailed me a few days before the open mic and asked if he could bring in drums. At first I was against the idea, because it’s usually a complete pain in the ass.
I eventually decided to let them go ahead because they said they’d setup and take down the drums quickly and bring about 50 people with them. I think every senior from Holy Cross high school was there. The place was packed and I’ve only seen it that crowded one other time. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd played a few emo-rockish songs to the crowd and they were pretty good. As musicians they were tighter than I expected. I probably could have done without the “King of Wishful Thinking” cover at the end, but the crowd loved it.
My absolute favorite thing about the band was that the drummer wore a pale blue tux he bought on eBay for $100. He told me he wore it to the prom and was going to wear it the first day of college. Iin high school my old band played in the Shawnee Battle of the Bands right before my Junior Prom, so I wore my tux to the gig. I think we sucked. Ted Novak, Brother of Todd didn’t.
10. Adrien Reju – Adrien is one of my favorite all time singer-songwriters and a great friend. I was a fan from the first time I heard her play at the Tree House (then the Living Room). I’ve seen her play so many times and she’s still getting better. She played Why while the band was still breaking down their equipment and probably kept a lot of people around. She then played an awesome cover of “Walk like an Egyptian” by the Bangles. Lastly, at my request she played Kaleidoscope.
11. The Forest Greens – I wasn’t there the week that Eric and Mike first came to the Tree House, but when I came back everyone was talking about the high school kids playing celt-rock or whatever you want to call their music. As good as they were, the recent addition of Ellen was made the band dramatically better with her playing and her dancing. They had some kind words for me, too, and I appreciate it!
12. Pat Rich – Pat used to come around once and a while and he stopped in to play some Dashboard covers (I think).
13. Steve Scovial – Steve’s guitar had a custom paint job that he did himself. He did a cover of Sour Girl by STP.
14. Wideman – The Wideman did some finger picking on my guitar.
15. John Corcoran – Did an extra long version of Piano Man and Roz helped a bit on the words. I like his cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.”
16. Roz King – Roz was a great help when I started hosting the open mic. He busted his ass to get the Tree House’s sound setup and probably didn’t get appreciated enough for it. His help has enabled the Tree House to keep their music scene going all this time, whether it be with sound, hosting the open mic, etc. He’s a great musician and that night he did his cover of “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”
17. Jason Wheatley – Jason was the open mic host before Roz and I hosted and it’s because of his work back then that a lot of people still hang out there. In my opinion he was the best host of any open mic I’ve been to, so I was glad he squeezed out of the Olive quick enough to stop by the Tree House. He played a new song titled something like “Won’t Go Gently.”
Some shots of Rob and the audience.
An electronic, indie-rock, hip-hop duo? I saw RATATAT when I was out in San Francisco and they were amazing. Here’s a quote from the Pitchfork review of their self-titled album.
Ratatat is a collaboration between lead guitarist Mike Stroud and bedroom producer Evan Mast, with piercing sheets of guitar and synthesizer yoked to a bass-heavy metronomic grid. The project marks a new direction for both musicians: Evan Mast’s 2001 debut as E*vax, Parking Lot Music, was a stroll through a collection of debris both sleek and gritty, while Mike was known for ripping it up on stage with Ben Kweller and Dashboard Confessional. With Ratatat, however, the pair establishes a plush, crisp sonic space, and then holds court there for a good three quarters of an hour.
Check out this free song, Seventeen Years.
An electronic, indie-rock, hip-hop duo? I saw RATATAT when I was out in San Francisco and they were amazing. Here’s a quote from the Pitchfork review of their self-titled album.
Ratatat is a collaboration between lead guitarist Mike Stroud and bedroom producer Evan Mast, with piercing sheets of guitar and synthesizer yoked to a bass-heavy metronomic grid. The project marks a new direction for both musicians: Evan Mast’s 2001 debut as E*vax, Parking Lot Music, was a stroll through a collection of debris both sleek and gritty, while Mike was known for ripping it up on stage with Ben Kweller and Dashboard Confessional. With Ratatat, however, the pair establishes a plush, crisp sonic space, and then holds court there for a good three quarters of an hour.
Check out this free song, Seventeen Years.
I can’t wait for the new Black Keys album, Rubber Factory. You can download a few tracks from the Fat Possum website. My favorite of the released tracks is definitely All Hands Against His Own.
here.
I can’t wait for the new Black Keys album, Rubber Factory. You can download a few tracks from the Fat Possum website. My favorite of the released tracks is definitely All Hands Against His Own.
here.
Tonight I finally checked out the all new Grape Street Pub in Manayunk. The new location is on Main Street in Manayunk in the old Chemistry building. At first you walk in and think, “Wow this looks totally different from Chemistry,” but once you walk around for a bit you remember where the pool tables were, the seating area, etc. The difference between the old GSP and the new one is unbelievable. Here’s a little comparison between the two locations.
Old GSP: Acoustic acts hidden upstairs, tiny stage, audience sits in folding chairs
New GSP: Side stage is larger, out in the open, audience sits in comfortable seats or leather wall seats.
Old GSP: Odd, 3 dimensional, semi-pornographic artwork
New GSP: Odd, metal, industrial sculptures (they kept one of the devil chick paintings, though)
Old GSP: Worst bathroom within 50 miles of Philly
New GSP: Has a bathroom attendant!
The place looks amazing. I took a few pictures, but they all came out like crap. You really have to see it in person and if you’ve spent any amount of time in the old place you’ll really appreciate it. I put no sentimental value on the old building because every good time I’ve had there is because of the music and the new place seems to be designed with music in mind. I just hope they can keep things going well.
Wow, I haven’t even talked about Adrien’s great set. She, Jaron, and their drummer played a few songs I never heard before, which was nice. She also played a bunch of older songs like Why, Floating, and Gang of Cool. The sound was very good although the bass seemed to vibrate the whole room.
Julia Othmer sounded very good as well. I’ve heard her a few times at the GSP open mic, but this was the first time I heard her with a full band. The band played well enough, but I usually like piano chicks when they go solo. The accompaniment can sometimes be distracting, but I doubt I’m in the majority on that one. Othmer’s band sounded pretty tight and they even had a banjo player.
Tonight I finally checked out the all new Grape Street Pub in Manayunk. The new location is on Main Street in Manayunk in the old Chemistry building. At first you walk in and think, “Wow this looks totally different from Chemistry,” but once you walk around for a bit you remember where the pool tables were, the seating area, etc. The difference between the old GSP and the new one is unbelievable. Here’s a little comparison between the two locations.
Old GSP: Acoustic acts hidden upstairs, tiny stage, audience sits in folding chairs
New GSP: Side stage is larger, out in the open, audience sits in comfortable seats or leather wall seats.
Old GSP: Odd, 3 dimensional, semi-pornographic artwork
New GSP: Odd, metal, industrial sculptures (they kept one of the devil chick paintings, though)
Old GSP: Worst bathroom within 50 miles of Philly
New GSP: Has a bathroom attendant!
The place looks amazing. I took a few pictures, but they all came out like crap. You really have to see it in person and if you’ve spent any amount of time in the old place you’ll really appreciate it. I put no sentimental value on the old building because every good time I’ve had there is because of the music and the new place seems to be designed with music in mind. I just hope they can keep things going well.
Wow, I haven’t even talked about Adrien’s great set. She, Jaron, and their drummer played a few songs I never heard before, which was nice. She also played a bunch of older songs like Why, Floating, and Gang of Cool. The sound was very good although the bass seemed to vibrate the whole room.
Julia Othmer sounded very good as well. I’ve heard her a few times at the GSP open mic, but this was the first time I heard her with a full band. The band played well enough, but I usually like piano chicks when they go solo. The accompaniment can sometimes be distracting, but I doubt I’m in the majority on that one. Othmer’s band sounded pretty tight and they even had a banjo player.
Last week when we were returning from San Francisco I left a certain item on my keychain that I usually take off when I fly. Here’s a photo of it.
Yes. I had a knife with me on the 2500 mile flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I completely forgot it was on my keychain and I didn’t realize it until I used it to open a box the night I got home. When going through security I put the knife in the plastic bin with the rest of my keys and ran it through the xray machine. No one said a word to me.
But at least they made me take my shoes off.
Last week when we were returning from San Francisco I left a certain item on my keychain that I usually take off when I fly. Here’s a photo of it.
Yes. I had a knife with me on the 2500 mile flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I completely forgot it was on my keychain and I didn’t realize it until I used it to open a box the night I got home. When going through security I put the knife in the plastic bin with the rest of my keys and ran it through the xray machine. No one said a word to me.
But at least they made me take my shoes off.
For our honeymoon, Jeanne and I took a trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley. I just posted a bunch of pictures from the trip, so check them out.
For our honeymoon, Jeanne and I took a trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley. I just posted a bunch of pictures from the trip, so check them out.
I hoped she wouldn’t leave before I got back, but Treehouse favorite Sarah Allen and her family have finally moved down to North Carolina. She made an impression on me the first time I heard her at the open mic, which I wrote about on February 20th, 2003.
15 year old Sarah (something, don’t remember the last name) played 3 covers including an awesome version of the Cure’s “You” and some Pink Floyd song that has to be the shortest one they ever wrote. I’ll go on record and say she had the best cover selections of any 15 year old I’ve ever heard play at an open mic, not to mention her great voice and surprisingly good guitar work. I hope she comes out again.
She came back at least a few dozen times and was consistently the biggest draw every week during my 15 month stint as the open mic host. Sarah is filled with talent and her shy demeanor evaporates as soon as her songs begin. Her only weakness is that she hides behind too many covers. She gets begged constantly to write more music and according to her blog it’s a source of frustration for her, but what better time to work on new music then when living in a new town without the distractions of friends? I’ve always written my best stuff when stuck somewhere for a few days without Internet access and without anyone around. It gives you the time and the freedom to try anything. One of the reasons people write songs is because that’s the only way they can sound their best.
Good luck Sarah and don’t ever stop playing.
I hoped she wouldn’t leave before I got back, but Treehouse favorite Sarah Allen and her family have finally moved down to North Carolina. She made an impression on me the first time I heard her at the open mic, which I wrote about on February 20th, 2003.
15 year old Sarah (something, don’t remember the last name) played 3 covers including an awesome version of the Cure’s “You” and some Pink Floyd song that has to be the shortest one they ever wrote. I’ll go on record and say she had the best cover selections of any 15 year old I’ve ever heard play at an open mic, not to mention her great voice and surprisingly good guitar work. I hope she comes out again.
She came back at least a few dozen times and was consistently the biggest draw every week during my 15 month stint as the open mic host. Sarah is filled with talent and her shy demeanor evaporates as soon as her songs begin. Her only weakness is that she hides behind too many covers. She gets begged constantly to write more music and according to her blog it’s a source of frustration for her, but what better time to work on new music then when living in a new town without the distractions of friends? I’ve always written my best stuff when stuck somewhere for a few days without Internet access and without anyone around. It gives you the time and the freedom to try anything. One of the reasons people write songs is because that’s the only way they can sound their best.
Good luck Sarah and don’t ever stop playing.
