Some Love for Lake Street Dive

Well, well, well what to talk about this week? Last week I tackled some current events and went on a tangent about racism. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm craving something a little lighter this weekend. I could talk about the recent Supreme Court ruling but I fear I don't have much more to contribute that hasn't been said by everyone else on the internet (but don't get me wrong, I'm very happy about it).

So I've decided to talk to you about one of my favorite music groups: Lake Street Dive.

Lake Street Dive is a quirky quartet that I first saw a while ago on The Mountain Stage in Morgantown, WV. Usually when I see a Mountain Stage show there is one act whose CD I have to buy after the show, and shortly after Lake Street came on I knew it was going to be them. A few months ago (March, I think) they came to Pittsburgh and I went to see them for a second time at Club Cafe. Let me just say that they never disappoint. [Inside joke to my friend, Jodi, who went with me: "Wow".]

I'm not the best at defining music by genre so I'm going to say that Lake Street is a fun mix of jazz, rock, and pop and leave it at that. Drummer Mike Calabrese keeps the group steady with an amazing energy; he's very fun to watch live. Bridget Kearney plays a mean bass while Mike "McDuck" Olson effortlessly plays guitar and trumpet, depending on the song. Rachael Price is the group vocalist who has a powerful voice that is suited perfectly to the songs.

The band's self-titled album isn't their first, they actually had some beforehand when they were still trying to figure out their sound. But Lake Street Dive is the definitive of who they are now and it was well worth the work they put into it. The songs are all sorts of fun, all of them penned by the band members. My personal favorites on that CD includes the fast-paced "Elijah", the cool "Hello? Goodbye!", and the sort-of ballad "Neighbor Song" (penned by bass player Bridget, which also features her sick bass skills).


Their latest album is an EP called Fun Machine which features six cover songs. I love a good cover and thankfully, Lake Street does some awesome covers. My favorites are George Micahel's "Faith", Hall and Oates' "Rich Girl" and Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It".

Their recordings are great, but nothing beats seeing them live. They just have such a fun, positive energy surrounding them. The love and friendship between the group is infectious, quickly making an entire room full of strangers feel like they're among old friends. Their songs are fun and clever without seeming stupid or cheesy. They don't get overly political or preachy with their tunes; it's simply great music.

Another awesome thing I can't quit is their youtube videos. Most of them feature the group in very intimate settings. There's a video of them singing "Elijah" on a front porch, while the above "Faith" video was filmed on a sidewalk. They have no problem performing with the bare minimum: a bass, a drum, and a trumpet is all the more they need to blow your mind. It's a refreshing change (at least for me) from music that features a lot of synthesizers and hullabaloo, like the musical guests you see on Saturday Night Live. I'd rather have ten Lake Street Dives than one Kanye West any day.

So what's next for LSD? And do you think their band name is a subtle drug reference? I guess it's possible, I don't know their lives. They don't seem like the kind of people that would be doing LSD but I guess you never know. I digress. At their Pittsburgh show they mentioned working on a third album and played a few songs from it (which, of course, sound great). In the meantime I keep looking for new videos of them breathing life into songs by ABBA or Fleetwood Mac. Such a terrific group.

I'll leave you the same way Lake Street Dive left Pittsburgh: with a balls-to-the-wall playing of their song "Got Me Fooled" that they like to use as an encore. Thanks for reading, I hope you guys will check out the fabulousness that is Lake Street Dive. And no, I don't work for them or anything. I'm just trying to spread some love.

One More Thing to Hate About Paula Deen

It's currently Wednesday evening. I just got home from my 2nd job of the day, and it's been a long one. For one thing, James Gandolfini died today. I've never watched The Sopranos, but from what little I've seen of him I know that he was a great actor and his death at such a young age (51) is truly tragic.

Also is the news today? Paula Deen is a racist.

I'll walk you through it.

Celebrity chef, restaurant owner, and butter enthusiast Paula Deen is currently involved in a lawsuit with a former manager from her restaurant. The plaintiff claims that Ms. Deen and her brother Bubba have used racial slurs numerous times while running the restaurant, along with some other really terrible offenses. Most of the claims go against Bubba (by the way, if your name is Bubba you're probably going to be involved in at least one lawsuit in your lifetime) but some other allegations towards Paula are her desire to dress her black servers in clean white jackets and shorts and have them dance around for a "true Southern wedding". (A summarized transcript of the case can be found here, which also includes a link to the full transcript).

Now I should explain: before today I had no real problem with Paula Deen. I was actually quite the fan. I know a lot of people hated her before all this stuff came out. She has a ridiculous accent, a fake-like cheeriness, and she makes really unnecessarily bad health choices.

But I was a fan; I found her charming in an old Southern way (apparently I was right). I've made my share of her recipes and even have a cookbook of hers (a gift from my Nana, who cannot stand Paula Deen). [Correction: book was gift from my aunt not my nana. Credit where credit is due.] But what I've always known about Paula is that you can't eat her food everyday because it's horribly bad for you. That's what comfort food is: food you make once in a while when you want to sacrifice health for taste. We're supposed to try to find a balance between health, taste, and time in our meal. But occasionally it's okay to sacrifice one for the other**. Just not all the time.

**I'm clearly not a doctor. This is just my view on eating. If you want to know how to eat right I suggest you google something from a professional. Or hit up Pinterest.

My reaction to Paula Deen being racist was the same as mine to Paula Deen having diabetes: "Yep, I believe that." I mean of course she's racist: she's an old white woman from Georgia. The odds were kind of in her favor, weren't they? But I don't condone it: racism is disgusting and anyone who uses slurs is also disgusting. Even if they do make a mean apple pie.

I actually kind of hope some of these claims are false. A little piece of me hopes that this cheery persona Deen has worked so hard to create has some tiny shred of honesty in it. But this is a celebrity chef we're talking about, so anything is possible. Paula Deen could be a huge racist asshole and Gordon Ramsay could actually be the sweetest man on the planet. It's hard to say what's real these days.
 
Reaction to all of this has been terrific, at least as far as comedy goes. As soon as this case was made aware to the public, people went nuts on Twitter. The hashtag #Paulasbestdishes instantly became a punchline for people to create "racist" food dishes, like Okra Winfrey or Trayvon Martinis. If you have a Twitter, I suggest you check out that tag. Because things like that are one of the best reasons to have a Twitter. Also, you should follow me. I'm fun. 

I grew up in West Virginia (recently celebrating it's 150th year) and throughout my school years I saw a ton of racist attitudes. I do not use the n-word in my own home (or any other time) because I don't want to associate myself with some of the kids I went to high school with. I remember one horrible redneck kid in my homeroom in high school who told his friends that "being gay was about as bad as being black." He was trying to sound tough in front of his buds, I'm sure, but damn that's always stuck with me. How terrifying that some kids are still brought up with this mindset.

But if you happen to be like Paula Deen (racist) just try this out: keep it inside. I mean seriously. I get that "it's your opinion" but let's be honest: your opinion is the wrong one. It is a backwoods opinion and a thing of the past. If you have an issue with someone for being a different race, it's on you. You are the one who has to get over it. The world is trying to become a progressive, friendly place and if you like to throw the n-word around, then you aren't helping anything.

Also, racists? Stop with this whole "why can't I say it if they can say it?" argument. It's stupid and makes you look ignorant. I won't go into a huge rant about it, but I went to an open mic night this week and another comedian (I forget his name, damn) summed it up perfectly:

"Gay people can say f****t, black people can say n****r, everyone's got a word. Except white people. Sorry white people. That's just the cost of privilege." Yep, he nailed it. White people get everything else, just accept that there are a few words you're actually not allowed to have.

Alright I didn't quite mean to get on a tangent about racism. Perhaps I'm just upset that someone I was fond of is probably going to screw up her career by saying things like "of course I use the n-word". But Independence Day is coming up and I just want to remind all the bigots that it's for everybody. But I'm sure my lovely readers aren't bigots. If you were, you probably wouldn't have made it this far down the page.

And if the baked beans you serve at the July 4th picnic happen to be Paula Deen's recipe, don't bring it up. Just make it with lots of love and offer it to anybody who wants some. That's the sign of a good cook/human being.

Job Hunting, and the Dread That Follows

Well it's the time of year again. Summer! Waterslides and picnics, right?

Wrong. It's Summer. One of your part-time jobs is ending for 3 months. You need to replace it. Actually you need to replace both of your part-time jobs. Actually you need a career, not just a job, aren't you listening to your mother? How are you going to afford things?

It's job hunting time.

Looking for a new job has always been something that gives me a great feeling of dread. I have two jobs currently, and I like them both well enough, but I know I could be doing better. So how does one go about that?

For starters, it'd be easier if I had any sense of direction. I'm not using my Theater degree so I'm literally looking for any new path. In my own little game of Life, I'll pick up any career card that comes my way. I'm also working on inventing a new ice cream flavor.

You'd think that would make it easier for me when I search for work; I literally have all options available to me. Well that's not totally true. I have to siphon through jobs that are too far away, ones I don't have enough experience for, ones that only offer 12 hours a week, etc. It's a frustrating process finding jobs I could consider doing and would still be able to do. Perhaps I'm too picky/neurotic, but right now I can kind of afford to be (this is what I tell myself).

So I look for jobs asking myself two questions: "What can I do?" and "What do I want to do?". The two rarely have the same answer. Because the things I want to do tend to be silly. I want to make people laugh, either in person or through a popular Twitter page, but seriously shut up Isaac. What do you want to do for real.

Well I'm not sure yet. I'm just looking for something to do in the meantime. 

And I'll say I'm thankful that I'm still not looking for theater work. If one of my friends who are looking would like to write a piece about looking for theater work, I'll happily post it. But I am far too neurotic to look for work all over the country that pays $100 a week for maybe 3 months and then having NO IDEA what to do when that's over. And also, you know, I wouldn't enjoy the work and aren't terribly good at it (that's how I started my theater cover letters).

But on those rare instances I find something and the people actually bother to answer me back, we create a whole new level of awkwardness: the interview.

I have had a fair share of bad interviews. In one, I completely forgot how to talk. In another, my interviewer said goodbye by saying "Good luck to you." which of course means I won't be hearing from them. What does one say back to that? "Thanks. Good luck to you too. Sorry neither of us will get that 15 minutes back."

The last interview I had was quite a doozy. For one thing, I was in no way qualified for it and couldn't imagine being a good fit. But whatever, I need experience in interviews so I went. It was winter so I bundled up in my gigantic coat because I had to take two buses to get there. I arrived at the building where I was one of probably at least 30 people they were seeing that day. The waiting room was full of youngish guys in nice suits and pea coats. Pea coats, by the way, are what you where when you have a car during the winter.

These guys also had those leather binder things that looked full of papers. And I kept thinking "what's in those? I have one piece of paper that represents who I am, and it basically says "RETAIL" in bold red letters.". If I had one of those leather binders it would be full of Spartacus fan fiction and blog posts like this one.

I should mention that at this interview I did forget to bring my resume. Stupid mistake on my part, I know. But give me a break, this was my first interview for a job that didn't involve wearing a t-shirt or a name tag in a long time.

So I give my name to the receptionist who is not much older than me. I sit down and fill out their little paper. One of the last questions was "who do you look to as a leader?" and DAMN do I wish I'd written something funny like "The Red Power Ranger" or "Cyclops". It's a stupid question right? What's the point of asking that?

Anyway while I'm filling out this form the receptionist is making small-talk with the other candidates, "where are you from" and the like. She then starts talking to me. I forget what she first asked because she pronounced my name wrong. She said at least 3 times "I-zack." If you've ever met anyone named Isaac before in your life, you know that that's weird and wrong.

So she asked "I-zack" where I was from. And I said (because I'm an asshole): "It's Isaac (pronounced right)". She said "What?" and I repeated myself. "I-zack?" she tried again. "No," I said, "Isaac. You don't have to hit the second part quite so hard."

This took literally thirty seconds and at the end of it, she looked like an idiot and I looked like a dick. At least one other person was sniggering in the waiting room. I thought "well if the decision is up to her, you probably won't get the job."

So the guy who's going to interview me comes out. And he goes to the receptionist "I wanna make this next one quick, I wanna be out of here by 10:30." It was 10:20 at the time. And I thought "Great. Taco Bell opens at 10:30 so this should work out well for everyone."

So we interview. To his credit, this man was very nice for someone who wanted to get out of there. I'll spare you the details of the job (ok, I forgot them) but it went fine. I'm much more comfortable when I know I'm not going to get the job. At the end he said "alright so part 2 of the interview is a group work shadow, where we bring a lot of candidates in and they see the job for a day. If we were to call you would you be free for [this weekend]?"

I said I would, which was kind of a lie. I wanted to say, "Sure. But you won't call me. I look like hell, I don't have a resume, and I embarrassed your receptionist. I wouldn't call myself right now, that's how badly I think this went."

But we just shook hands and both left. And I got a Doritos Locos Taco that day. They didn't call me back.

So I just had to share that story, in the middle of all my job searching and freaking out. Hopefully I'm not alone in this. If I have any advice it's this: 1) Bring a resume. 2) Buy a pea coat. 3) If the receptionist pronounces your name wrong, just let it slide. 4) The Doritos Locos Taco is kind of overrated.