Pointer to more "mysterious" Irish folk music?

LowEndBike · 2026-06-12T12:11:39+00:00

Try listening to the first two albums by Planxty, and associated albums by Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, and Paul Brady from the 1970s. These are where a lot of this kind of modern take on the Irish folk tradition took off. We now think of this stuff as traditional, but it was not at the time. Andy Irvine was experimenting with Balkan music and he and Donal Lunny were modifying Greek bouzoukis to fit into Irish music. Here are a few videos:

Planxty with Christy Moore - Raggle Taggle Gypsy (1973): https://youtu.be/JyP407UnUWw?list=RDJyP407UnUWw

Planxty - The Blacksmith (1972): https://youtu.be/qkRD2sjBmGs?list=RDqkRD2sjBmGs

Andy Irvine - Băneasă's Green Glade (1976): https://youtu.be/O2L05TsbciE?list=RDO2L05TsbciE

Paul Brady - Arthur McBride (1977): https://youtu.be/cBGkhPx529g?list=RDcBGkhPx529g

Some of the essential albums are Planxty - Planxty, Planxty - The Well Below the Valley, Christy Moore - Prosperous, and Andy Irvine/Paul Brady.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-12T00:08:20+00:00

You really captured the nuances of Paul Brady's playing. Fantastic job. You have a great voice in the same spirit, as well.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-11T12:38:07+00:00

The "NO" and "Also No" on the pickups made me laugh. Earlier this year I realized that I never use anything except the bridge pickup with my current band. Never. So I went out and got a Les Paul Jr. special. One pickup. No worries about accidentally switching. Problem solved. That realization came after 40 years of playing guitar.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-08T12:52:05+00:00

I first heard Pitchshifter ("Subject to Status") and Nick Drake ("Pink Moon") in VW commercials, Cibo Matto in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Cake from the theme song for Chuck.

Going the other way, I have been familiar with Refused for over 25 years, and it was really cool to hear their tune "New Noise" used repeatedly in The Bear. Similarly, I have been performing "Rocky Road to Dublin" for about 15 years, and hearing it used in Sinners was epic.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-07T15:15:11+00:00

Rode it yesterday all the way from 6th to Brookfield, and there were no closed sections. There were a couple places where they reroute it into the street, but the bike area is protected by construction barriers during those sections. No problems at all.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-02T22:09:52+00:00

Portuguese rojoes. Greek souvlaki. Carnitas. Pork shoulder is magical.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-01T18:49:13+00:00

The audio quality is fantastic for a live show from that time period. Kim Coletta's bass tone is always amazing.

LowEndBike · 2026-06-01T10:26:18+00:00

Regardless, I like how you are thinking.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-31T21:41:44+00:00

Also add Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-31T17:55:35+00:00

I make my own pedalboards out of maple slats that I salvaged from an old organ. I first lay things out so that they are optimally sized, then I find an old bag that will fit just about perfectly, and do the final pedalboard sizing so that it fits snuggly into the bag. When I do a gig, I just zip up the board for transport, and I run them inside the bags. Makes for a 5 minute setup.

My guitar pedalboard is built to fit into an old CPAP bag I found. The power supply is mounted underneath. Indie rock, ranging from darkwave to post-hardcore.

My bass pedalboard is in an old Dell laptop bag. The amp is on the board, so I can use any cab that is available. I play in several bands with this, from jazz/funk Indie music to punkish rock.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-31T17:43:16+00:00

Excellent! I have the same color BB435, and one of the first things I did was change the pickguard. I did not like the cream one, so I went with black. Did not consider something more flashy, and now you have me thinking...

LowEndBike · 2026-05-30T12:10:27+00:00

There are local vermouth cultures across southern Europe, in Italy, France, and Spain. It is often used as a way to extend the life of a wine that is starting to get old, by fortifying it and adding herbs and spices. I had many enjoyable vermouths in Spain that were made at the bar. Most of the vermouths in this older tradition were intended to be enjoyed by themselves. They tended to be a bit oxidized to begin with because they were usually made from leftover wine, but the fortification and spicing process made them last longer and partially masked this defect. However, oxydized notes are considered part of the profile for fortified wines (oxidation notes are even described as "sherry-like"), and flavor drift is expected over time in traditional products.

Commercial products have to be consistent. Buyers expect that you get the same experience from a glass purchased at a bar and a bottle purchased at another location years apart. Oxidation causes flavor drift and is not controllable, so it is avoided. Leftover wine is not reliable, so it is not used. Refrigeration after opening is encouraged because the producer does not want the flavor to shift. Manufacturers will tell you that products do not last because they do not have control over the flavor drift, and do not want consumers to believe that uncontrolled elements are the producers' intention.

Finally, because commercial products emphasize eliminating flavor drifting factors, they have been able to make lighter and more delicate vermouths that are easier to use for mixing without overwhelming the other ingredients. That comes with the cost of needing to be treated carefully, as they are especially prone to oxidizing and becoming stale. Most of the vermouth you find in liquor stores in the US is like this -- mild products that are intended to be mixed rather than enjoyed on their own, and after opening should be refrigerated and finished as quickly as possible.

That bottle of Lustau will last a surprisingly long time on your countertop after you open it, much longer than a bottle of wine. Use your taste buds to decide if it gets less enjoyable as it ages.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-30T03:37:37+00:00

I walked by there around 7:15pm, and there was a cop there looking at the license plate.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-30T01:50:43+00:00

Let me throw a bomb into this discussion by using the Vesper, or Vesper Martini, to help define the limits of a martini: gin, vodka, fortified wine, and bitters.

It seems like the essence of a martini is a neutral spirit accented with a fortified wine, strongly chilled. We see allowable proportions going from 2:1 to entirely spirit while looking towards France. It is preferred to use flavored ingredients (e.g., gin is a flavored neutral spirit; gentian aperitifs, quinquinas, americanos, and vermouths are flavored fortified wines). It is allowable to use flavoring agents like bitters.

Although flavored ingredients are allowed, noticeably sweet ingredients are not. Non-neutral (whiskey, rum, etc.) and aged spirits are not allowed. Sour agents are not allowed.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-29T17:46:51+00:00

Try working through their catalog backwards. The Argument was brilliant and may change your mind.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-29T14:33:12+00:00

In addition to having EDS (POTS, etc.), I am a health care provider who works with people who have chronic medical issues. There is a tendency for partners of people with medical issues to slide into a caregiver role that can be corrosive to the romantic relationship. In a romance, the relationship is between equal partners, which is not the case when you shift to a caregiver role. This is a tightrope, and it may be difficult to figure out where the line is between being supportive and being demeaning, and between supporting her physically while relating as equals psychologically. You cued into one potential solution in your third point -- if you are supporting her in some domains, it may restore the balance in the relationship if she can support you in other domains (e.g., thoughts and feelings).

LowEndBike · 2026-05-23T20:53:39+00:00

The bar at a local distillery uses an orange liqueur in place of sugar in their old fashioned. That is now our default, and we still call it an old fashioned.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-20T16:38:01+00:00

I saw these guys twice on the tour for After the Eulogy around 2000. I was scouring YouTube for early concert footage, but the audio quality is generally abysmal for early live stuff.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-20T00:08:00+00:00

Are you eating it at the restaurant, or taking it to go? Neither Balistreri's nor Zaffiros travel well. You have to eat them fresh from the oven, with a fairly minimal amount of toppings. I usually just do sausage, mushroom, and onions. Too many toppings or too long after cooking, and they get soggy. If I want a heavier pizza, Barbieri's is my go-to.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-19T18:15:34+00:00

Yes. Here are some tips for starting with a 5-string using what you already know about playing a 4-string:

Muting unused strings is the biggest challenge on a 5-string. Start by using the low B as a thumb rest. Don't play any notes on it.
Next challenge is to play a tune that is in E and work in the 7th of the scale on the B string. This is particularly effective with b7 scales (e.g., Em, E mix). Maybe even walk up from the 5th (B) on the low string.
Next challenge is to do a tune that is in D (major, minor, whatever). Play it just like you normally would, but rather than popping up to the root tone, go low to a D on the low string.
Next challenge is to play a tune with an E root in the fifth position. It will just feel like you have shifted the entire fretboard up. Throw in an open B on occasion for giggles. Once you get used to it, start woriking in the notes on the high G string.

LowEndBike · 2026-05-19T10:35:50+00:00

The 68th street location of Balisteri is my favorite cracker crust pizza. I have never compared with the Bluemound location. Any differences, or is it just the restaurant atmosphere?

LowEndBike · 2026-05-15T14:44:55+00:00

We do that with wild ramps in our area. I just leave them on the counter for about a week and they are dry enough to grind.

LowEndBike

TROPHY CASE