I first got introduced to Austin-based band Cotton Mather when 1994’s superb debut, Cotton Is King, hit the streets. Genuine hook-filled opener “Lost My Motto” sounded like ‘80s pop kingpins Squeeze, riding along a nifty guitar beat emulating Matthew Sweet. And leader Robert Harrison’s wonderful pop sensibility guided the…
Beer Trails: Manhattan’s 404 Hosts Triumphant Beer Bar Fest NYC
Hundreds of beer geeks joined ranks Saturday, Dec. 10, for the first Beer Bar Fest. Hosted by prospering New York City Homebrewers Guild bellwethers Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett at a hot new venue, this merry two-session gathering culled eight new-sprung Big Apple beer bars serving ‘the choicest small plates’…
Beer Trails: Nine-Day Thanksgiving Feast
November 19: Enjoyed 381 Main’s November Winter Fest in Little Falls, NJ, this Saturday, featuring Jersey brewers’ elixirs tapped or bottled. Owner Steve Baskinger’s made this lounge-y hangout the perfect sports bar for craft beer enthusiasts. Alongside New Jersey Beer Co’s Matt Steinberg and Carton co-owner Augie Carton, I…
Interview with Andy Shernoff: Masterplan From The Dictators
Queens-born Andy Shernoff grew up yearning to be a rock star just like fellow Kings County natives Johnny Thunders, Gene Simmons, Joey Ramone, the Fleshtones, and New York Dolls’ Syl Sylvain must’ve done. Founding the Dictators in the early ‘70s, he gradually became a key figure in the rudimentary…
Beer Trails: Little Falls 381 Main Celebrates Jersey Craft Brewers
An exquisite upscale sports bar, 381 Main sure knows how to throw a great autumnal Saturday beer bash. Inviting every Jersey microbrewery to bring sixtels, kegs or bottles of their finest offerings for a sunny October afternoon shindig proved to be quite successful, as local patrons, eager beer geeks…
Beer Trails: Successful First Annual Asbury Park Beerfest
While various Octoberfests celebrate Germany’s greatest bohemian tradition and the Great American Beer festival boasts enormous participation amongst thousands of beer geeks and hundreds of brewers, the smaller Asbury Park Beerfest took a few steps towards significance in its first annual event. Held at Asbury Park’s Convention Center on…
Interview with Jared Swilley from The Black Lips: Climbing To The Summit
Hailing from the expanding northerly Atlanta suburb of agricultural metropolis Dunwoody, GA, the Black Lips steadily ransack rock and roll’s past to reenergize the here and now. While attending grade school together, the three original members precipitously discovered the joy of music and have since embarked on an enduringly…
Beer Trails: Freaktoberfest Kicks Serious Ass
An eclectic array of hardened beer enthusiasts converged at popular Park Slope, Brooklyn, music club Southpaw to try some of the best offerings ever available under one roof. From the righteously stylized to the diligently experimental, Freaktoberfest 2011 had something for everyone this breezy Friday evening. Trendy Black IPA’s…
Asbury Park Beer Festival: Drink Up!
The inaugural Asbury Park Beer Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 8 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. Two sessions will be open to brew hounds—the first from noon to 4 p.m. and the second from 6 to 10 p.m. Redevelopers Madison Marquette, who have sponsored the Asbury Park boardwalk…
Beer Trails: Hoboken’s Pilsener Haus & Biergarten Takes Off
Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. Cutting through red tape and getting local politicians onboard for a new venture could cost many young entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime.
It may’ve taken three motivated European immigrants two-and-a-half years to finally get clearance for Hoboken’s first ever biergarten but…
