Just a heads up I’ll be going live this Friday (February 10th) at 10AM. The show will feature songs and stories from my high school years (1990-1994). Most all songs will be from that era, but I might play others if they are attached to certain memories. I hope you’re able to tune in either on the apps or here.
Author Archives: Str8ness
Apple App is Live!
You can download it HERE!
Android App Is Live!
You can download it HERE!
Updated Playlist
Was scoping all the tracks and found an embarrassingly low amount of of MJ and Van Halen, so I fixed that glitch. In the general rotation and a few to be featured on a future live DJ session I’m sure.
Weekend Food Round-Up
For personal reasons, this past Friday I had to be back home in Terre Haute. That always means, if I can fit it in, lunch at my favorite bar Charlie’s (A Foodie Hall of Fame founding member). The menu features the Tweety burger (named after the founder), and it is specifically offered with a monthly specialty version. This month’s version is named the Yellowstone, and it features the griddled half pound burger topped with melted provolone, pulled pork, onions rings, and Beezer’s hot BBQ sauce (a locally produced fantastic BBQ sauce). I ordered it medium with a side of onion straws because I thought they would compliment the flavors of the burgers, and I was not wrong. Frame of reference, 90% of the time I’m ordering tots.
To say this meal was anything but a 10/10 would be a grave injustice. It was superb. I order my burger medium, and it usually comes cooked close to that with a perfect sear. They nailed it this time! This was gooey, saucy, deliciousness as the flavors melded perfectly. Strongly recommend!
The only fault was on my end as I was traveling and driving, so I could not enjoy it with a pitcher of ice cold beer. It’s a tradition from my fraternity days that is often overlooked now at alumni gatherings, but back in the day it was a pitcher per dude at the table. However, we old now, so it might a good thing that is no longer the standard.
As said in an earlier post, we’ve been trying to get back to being adventurous when it comes to trying new places and getting out and about. I told my wife I wanted to take her to a new-to-us place I had heard rave reviews about in Indy foodie groups, so we headed to Indianapolis and the eastside of downtown to Futuro, a Detroit style pizza place.
The building is kind of weird, It looks as if it was assembled from two stories worth of shipping containers. You order at the counter on the ground floor, and wait for your food. Seating is available outside (too cold for that) with one table downstairs and the majority of tables upstairs. Cans of beer and soda, water, etc are available.
Normally in this situation I would order a basic pizza (pepperoni, sausage, maybe shrooms and peppers) just to try it out, but based on reviews both the wife and I decided to try something different. I went with the Meatball Garlic, and she ordered the Bacon Basil. We both wanted an order of breadsticks, so we added those as well – garlic butter dipping sauce for me and cheese sauce for her. Holy hell!
Yes, those breadsticks are the length of a pizza box. Yes, they normally come four to an order, but in my unbridled fatassery I was buttery cheesy fingers deep into one before thinking about a picture. Oops. Wife for the save on the picture. These are baked in a blend of garlic butter, Pecorino Romano cheese and Italian seasoning and are served having a softer but not doughy texture with a delectable flavor. We only had one each based on we were told to expect individual pizzas on the heftier side. Strongly recommend trying them unless you’re one of those “Ewww carbs” types, then you should just skip this whole joint.
Next came the pizza.
Meatball Garlic: Housemade Meatballs | Crushed Garlic | Pecorino Romano | Housemade Red Sauce
Bacon Basil: Spinach | Bacon | Red Onion | Ricotta | Fresh Basil | Hot Honey Drizzle | Pecorino Romano | Housemade Red Sauce
We each had a piece of each and ended up stuffed! Two completely different flavor profiles, but would have no problem ordering either one again. I loved both and so did the wife. But look at those dabs of Ricotta on the Bacon Basil! Are you kidding me?!? Those really added something as did the hot honey drizzle. Fantastic! As for my Garlic Meatball, the meatballs were delicious and everything blended well with the very good housemade red sauce. It tasted a little more like a traditional pizza, but in a good way. One of the things I really enjoyed is how carmelized or seared, if you will, they get the outer crust. This really adds something. It would be great with an ice cold frothy beer. Definitely doing that next time! Once again, I can’t recommend this place enough.
The aftermath is we both brought home half a pizza and a breadstick. I couldn’t wait, so we were back at it late Sunday morning for an early lunch. Even reheated, both pizzas were still very good – as were the breadsticks. I will have no problem bringing home leftovers in the future. And since I tried several items and adored them all, Futuro is a first ballot Foodie Hall of Famer!
Updates
Just a few notes on updated items. I successfully tested the live interface, and will be able to go live soon. I am usually done with work for the week by Friday morning, so expect a Friday afternoon time slot, 1pm (Indiana time, so EST?). No guaranteed show length. Guessing at least a minimum of an hour. Debut show will be announced here. I am still learning the software, so there’s that. Debut show will be within a week or two at most.
Apps for Android and Apple for the radio station are under way. No clue on when these will be ready (3rd party development), but my guess is weeks and not months. Links will be posted. These should strictly allow quick access to the radio station, and not the blog. Quick free music with nothing but bangers and clappers!
Food & Booze
This blog will feature posts about food and booze, because I tend to enjoy both. Everything from home cooked meals to dining out, and when dining out, an amateur review.
When it comes to food, I’m not one of those look at food as fuel types. I look at it as pleasure. Honestly, I love to eat – everything from expensive eateries (fine dining) down to breakfast at the Waffle House (also fine dining from a certain point of view). One of my old coworkers once told a story about me that sums it up. Nate rolls in about 8 am with coffee, and is hitting up everyone by about 8:30 to plan lunch. Truth. I look forward to every meal.
I also like to cook, but so does my wife, and she’s territorial, so I took it outside. If I am sharing something I made, it will probably be from the grill or smoker. I love to cook and/or experiment with both, and am not bad at either.
Booze. I’m a known bourbon guy, but I don’t discriminate. Honestly, at this age, I like to have just one or two good pours, beers, glass of wine, or mixed drinks at home as opposed to going out. Having a bourbon on the back porch, maybe with a cigar, while working the grill is so relaxing (radio-n8 playing of course – shameless plug noted). Expect posts that maybe highlight when I do this – with notes and pictures on how everything turned out.
We live in a place that is pretty much inconvenient for all family and friends. That being said when we invite people over I want them to know when they show to expect great food and drink. It will be worth their trip. Hence, we are experimenting more with cocktails. We always have decent bourbon, beer wine, and other liquor, but sometimes a buddy might want to try a smoked maple old fashioned and his wife a martini. We’re both getting better at being able to provide and maximize this experience. I really believe in hospitality and being able to provide my friends and family with a good time. So… when they get the invite, it’s worth their time to accept and come out to the lake.
One of the other things I will be doing is traveling to try new restaurants and food. Being a shut-in through the cancer and covid has reignited my sense of adventure (and gluttony) a little bit. Also, being a member of various social media foodie groups has added fuel to the fire. We’ll be taking road trips to try new, and perhaps, out of the way places. For example, there’s a place in Evansville that serves a two pound taco. Just knowing that means I have to go down there eventually and fuck that thing up. I mean… it’s a moral imperative. Traveling to try new places on the weekends will be a good break, and getting out of the house to have a little fun is overdue. Might as well share those experiences.
That brings us to the “Foodie Hall of Fame” sidebar (see left side of blog). These are places I just love. Great food that I crave. Probably no little to real value to any of you rather than you might take note, and maybe try the places for yourself. I would recommend trying some of them, and the list will grow. This accolade will cover all price ranges and/or perceived quality and will be updated as necessary with accompanying blog post explaining reason for the selection. Current listed members will be explained when I make a return trip. Enjoy!
On DJing…
When I am finally able to do my live show, you’ll notice my philosophy on DJing is nothing like DJing you might hear on terrestrial radio. No wackiness, zaniness, or shock jock bullshit. Also, no prescribed format other than music I want to play.
You see this is where I think modern radio has it wrong. Most major markets have stations dedicated to a genre and/or time period; and even certain time slots have a dedicated format. Take for example a lot of morning DJs. A lot of them come off as and are being paid to be obnoxious idiots who appear not to know much about music.
I remember about twenty or so years ago Tom Petty came out with “The Last DJ.” Now it was a fine song, and that was back when Tom Petty would still get some top 40 consideration. A corporate DJ in the market I was in at that time played it, talked over it, and then proceeded to talk about how it reminded him of… you guessed it, him. Like dude, you fucking poser. You’re a corporate DJ who barely plays music let alone plays “what you want to play.” I would gamble that every other major market had some corporate jock playing it that morning too and saying the same shit… Jackasses.
That philosophy is just lost on me. I think most modern radio has it wrong. The best concerts I have ever been to play out like an episode of VH1 Storytellers. I want to hear stories behind the music. I really enjoy it, and in my opinion, it helps develop a bond with the music. I think that should be applicable to radio. A real connection.
With me, I DJ with my head and my heart. You’re either going to learn something (e.g., a back story or facts) about every song I play, or I am going to tell you a personal story. Some stories will probably get emotional. That’s just who I am. It could be what the music means to me, or the first time I heard it, or of who it reminds me. I love having that connection, and I don’t mind sharing it. I think listeners (mostly friends who might be bored at work) will too. We’ll see.
Looking at a weekly Friday after lunch show, hour or two live format. Will post more details to follow.
Coming Soon
App in development that should be available in both Apple and Google Play stores. Easy access to the free music offered at Radio-N8.
Me live DJing (thoughts on DJ philosophy coming soon). Eyeing a weekly Friday afternoon (EST) time slot. Should be easy to listen to from the app.
I’m an old guy that hasn’t stayed up to date on the software, so I have to relearn some stuff – but both the app and the live DJing will occur by February.
Expectations for the Station
If you have tuned in, or if you haven’t, please do, and you might find the music is dated. Ok, that’s my bad. The music comes from about the last time I updated my 80GB iPod classic – say 2010ish? That used to be my everything. What I would listen to at work, what connected to my car, my workout jams, etc. Some newer songs might have snuck in there, but a very few would be about it, since I haven’t used iTunes regularly for years.
That being said… I will be continually updating the playlist, and what you will hear on the station. A basic expectation is all genres of rock from soft to hard, ’50s to eventually current time frame, with some crossover country, pop, and hip-hop songs in the rotation too. I really want every song to be ear candy. No unnecessarily long jam band shit or b-sides. I’m the type of listener who can recognize the talent that goes into the music production, but still doesn’t want to hear 90+ % of what that artist puts out when I’m tuning in for my enjoyment. And I’m not going to be fake deep into bullshit to act as if I’m hipper than anyone else.
Since this was basically an iPod dump, I am searching for artists to get rid of their lesser known works or songs I don’t want to hear. I want to hear bangers and clappers. I think people tuning in to this station want the same. It’s a process with thousands of songs.
Album art… I know some of it that pops up is blatantly wrong. This has happened the several times I have converted my catalog to mp3. For whatever reason, the album art of someone else’s “greatest hits” or the like will appear perhaps due to the commonality of that name. Or just some weird compilation album art appears that is sometimes proper, and sometimes not. I make a note when I see improper album art and take care of it.
The last time out this station got pretty popular – something like top five for its associated genres. I mistakenly had contact info listed. That resulted in self-produced artists contacting me trying to get radio play. There was a reason they were self-produced (e.g., 95% crap). No thank you. Too exhausting.
Like I said, it’s a process, and I fully hope to get the station refined to where every song is a banger or clapper. Even if it isn’t necessarily in your preferred genre, you won’t mind listening because its a great AND ear friendly song. Or it just makes you smile or speaks to your heart.
I must note I pay extra to be ad-free, so you don’t have to listen to anything but music. I might make some station IDs, but I think that’s a little vain. So please, just tune in and enjoy the station when you can.