Lunch Report, Monday March 15, 2010

[shawn500]

Hola G&L Faithful.
Hope everyones week is off to a great start.

Well, this will be my first Lunch Report on the new site. First off, let me give a quick rundown for those that don't know me. My name is Shawn, I live in Baton Rouge, La. I've been playing guitar since I was 12. I discovered G&L back in 2001. I knew about the brand, but never really got to play one. I was looking at buying another Strat, and I happened to play a Legacy at a local dealer. Found this site, and started asking a million questions. I met members Cajun Boy and Jeff Richard, and they clued me in on a few things about G&L. A month or so later, I placed an order for a S500, and it's the best "S" type guitar that I have ever owned.

I play guitar and sing in a rockabilly band called the Bedlamville Triflers. My G&L's don't get much use these days, as my Gretsch is my primary instrument, but I can see an ASAT replacing my Telecaster at some point.

Now....on to the festivities.

First off...a poll about how your G&L(s) get used.

Secondly....Food.

As I'm sure ya'll all know, Louisiana is all about the food. We have some of the best grub in the country here....and that's a scientific fact!
Today, I think I'm going to eat at the Acme Oyster House. A New Orleans based restaurant, they opened a location here in Baton Rouge last year.
Probably get the sampler plate, which consists of jambalaya, red beans and rice, sausage, and either seafood or chicken and andouille gumbo. YUM!

So, my second question. What some of the regional food favorites in your town??


Ok...gotta run to a meeting. I look forward to your answers!

[MrRoundel]

I was really in a quandary about how to answer the poll. You see, while I was playing the guitar, w/vocals, down at a local park yesterday, a kid came up to me and tried to hand me a $5.00 bill. I, of course declined, as I didn't want to take what probably amounted to 1/10 of his daily allowance (Where there was an easy $5...). It may have because I had my guitar case opened. Of course it could also be that he was showing off for his buddies. He gave me a nice compliment and went on his way. I'd like to think he was sincere but you never know with early teens. Anyway, had I excepted his money I would have had a "paying gig". But alas, I'm still a bedroom/park rocker.

Your "Hola" opening could be a tip-off to the type of regional food we enjoy here in So. Cal. Lots of Mexican food around these parts. I love the stuff but haven't been eating quite as much of it as I used to, as I'm trying to keep my weight down so I can keep comfortably playing slab ASAT's .

We also have a lot of sushi bars around these parts. That's another cuisine I used to enjoy much more often when I was in my married phase. Truth be told, the stuff can be rather expensive, especially if you order a couple of tall Sapporo beers with dinner. I actually enjoyed my first sushi in months last week. There 's a local Korean store that stocks sashimi grade (sushi-worthy) fish. I bought a nice piece of salmon and made my own sashimi. It was worth the $15.00 lb charge as I ate 1/3 lb of very fresh salmon for under $6.00. $6.00 of sushi in a restaurant could be weighed by the gram. Taste and quality-wise, it was comparable.

I dig cajun food. I've been sorely tempted to buy some crayfish from an online supplier called "The Cajun Grocer" and make some cool dish out of it. So far though, I've just bought easier shipped things such as seasonings, habanero hot, sauce, etc.

[shawn500]

We have our share of Mexican restaurants here in Baton Rouge. There's a large Mexican population in Louisiana, partly because of our proximity to Texas, and also there was a huge influx post Katrina. It seems like the number of Mexican restaurants tripled overnight.

One of my favorites is a little taqeria called "El Sol Guerrero" (The Sun Warror) I dig the more authentic mexican dishes, and not the "tex mex" style that most Mexican restaurants offer.

We also have some really great Sushi places, but probably nothing like you get in So. Cal.

[bassman]

I played a gig on Saturday night with my band RAGs and made a little money.

The Winter has been brutal around here, we got 5 feet of snow over 6 weeks and we lost gigs as a result of clubs closing early on the day of the gigs.

No one would have been able to make it if we had played those nights so I under stand ,but it still sucks to lose that much work.

We have some great resturaunts in the D.C. area.

I have a few favorite Mexican and Chinese places.

I am not a big fan of sushi, but it is certainly available at various restaurants.

I really like cooking at home on the grill. Its better food and yousave lots of money cooking for your own family.

-bassman

[shawn500]

Myself....I'm in the semi pro category.

Our band plays a couple of gigs a month. We get paid fairly well, and usually get a great turnout. We've been playing more and more out of town gigs, as the music scene here in Baton Rouge is not all that great. We're doing a mini tour over Memorial Day weekend. We're playing a couple of dates in Alabama and one in Ft. Walton. Should be fun, and hopefully will pay well!

[Deuce]

Gang:
I need a "judges ruling" on my status. I play for money when we can. We have a band that plays out. We play several gigs a year for community and school and do those for free. But, and that's a BIG BUT, we do get paid sometimes.

Does that elevate my status from Occasional Player to Semi-Pro. Does the lack of quality in my playing offset the fact that someone is dumb enough to occasionally give me money to exhibit those lack of skills?

What say you Mr. Judge, your honor, sir?????

Take care.
Deuce

[shawn500]

Does that elevate my status from Occasional Player to Semi-Pro. Does the lack of quality in my playing offset the fact that someone is dumb enough to occasionally give me money to exhibit those lack of skills?

What say you Mr. Judge, your honor, sir?????

Take care.
Deuce

I grant you Semi-Pro status!

[jazzrat]

Well.... guess my status as a player has evovled the last couple years. I used to play three or four jazz gigs a month. It was from 2K to 5K a year or so.
Now I'm lucky if I play two gigs a year. I do play for a pretty rowdy church service every week but thats not for $.
Occassional gigger seems to fit the best right now.
I am out for a couple weeks after carpal tunnel surgery... after I heal up I intend to see if I can scare up some jazz work as my archtop is getting dusty.

[Boogie Bill]

I put myself down as a semi-pro, but health issues have really slowed me down over the last few years. Don and Sandy are not as interested in doing gigs these days, so I may have to find another band. We have some summer festivals coming up.

Here in the Pacific NW we have lots of good food. Seattle and Portland are international cities with seaports, and well known for their seafood, especially Dungeness crab, Quillicene oysters and Pacific salmon. Salmon cooked Indian style over an open, alder-wood flame is delicious.

Another popular style is Pan-Asian, using a little of this and a little of that to flavor American food with hints from Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, or Japan.

There are some great Mexican restaurants, too.

Bill

[shawn500]

Salmon cooked Indian style over an open, alder-wood flame is delicious.


Bill

I think that'd taste better cooked over ash.

Seriously though, sounds great!

[darwinohm]

Our group, all retired, likes to do 6-8 gigs a year. Most of them retired professional musicians. I have another interest that is very rewarding and that is recording. I have just started a project recording my daughter doing vocals and acoustic guitar, I will do bass and guitar work and will get other guys from the band to do what's needed. She started playing a couple of years ago and has become quite good. Am I lucky or what? A couple of years ago she was kidding about my habit (guitars). She now has more than a dozen on the walls at her house. Her husband is very supportive of all this. The grand daughters are also playing so this grandpa is pretty darn pleased!! Minneapolis is know for good food in general but you can always find a great steak. There are those who think we have good Lutefisk, but is there such a thing?????? -- Darwin

[pico peachy]

Occasional Gigger here. Just joined a new band, they were a trio playing all originals, they wanted to add a lead guitar to fill out their sound, that's where I came in. Have been enjoying the freedom and challenge of writing licks, riffs, parts to the established songs. Have ten songs that I am working on and have decent parts for about half of them.

Looking forward to gigs this summer.

I am in Boogie Bill's neighborhood. Pan-Asian is the theme at my wedding this fall.

[shawn500]

Darwin....I love recording as much as performing. There's such a feeling of satisfaction that comes from procuding a song.
You have the added bonus of working with your daughter. Lucky man.
Man, I am envious of that wall of guitars. Some beautiful instruments you have there.

[yowhatsshakin]

Put myself in the occasional gigs category, but they sure are not for money! Just to entertain people, most of them friends and acquaintances.

As far as food goes in the Pacific NW, Boogie bill has given quite a complete list with maybe the omission of Penn Cove mussels. Also lots of fresh produce around such that even locavores can survive in this neck of the woods. But the thing that is not 'native' here and I like a lot is food with a kick: cajun, Indian, Thai, Mexican. But if you visit a restaurant, you never know to what extend it has lost its authenticity versus tailoring it to the local palette. The restaurant business is extremely hard to succeed in and you have to make those kind of choices.

As far as cajun food is concerned, a couple of years ago we lost Burke's Cafe in Ballard leaving a big hole. Love me some gumbo ...

[darwinohm]

Thank you so kindly Shawn, You have some fine G&Ls yourself. I saw the photos from Sunday. The Return Edition F100 does not have a control plate. My next G&L will probably be the S-500. This last purchase (F-100 Return) was in close running with the S-500 that I looked at.

[zapcosongs]

Hey Shawn. Nice start.

I'm in Bassman's area of the country - near DC. He rocks, btw!

Blueclaw crabs and crabcakes are my local fare of choice.

Man, I'm a little jealous that you got to meet the one and only CB. I'm looking forward to doing that myself someday.

Regarding playing guitar, I pretty much suck and play mostly by myself in my basement after the kids are asleep. My wife will come down sometimes to tell me to turn it down, that I've woken one of the little buggers. Bitch! ;+)

I've never earned a dime playing, but when I was in college, my brother and I would get frequent invitations to play a set of original tunes at "Coffeehouse" kind of events. It feels real good when an original song is appreciated by strangers - especially when you didn't play it so damn well in the first place.

Anyhow, I like to cook and made a nice meal this evening: Grilled teriyaki salmon, whipped potatoes, steamed broccoli, and roasted butternut squash. I have found my wife is more apt to give up the goodies if I feed her well beforehand. Ha! - ed

[shawn500]

Hey Shawn. Nice start.

Blueclaw crabs and crabcakes are my local fare of choice.

Thanks man!

I was up in Baltimore about 5 years ago, and I think we had crabcakes for the entire week we were there. Man, that's making me want to run and get some crawfish! One of the best things about living in the south.....fresh gulf seafood. Yumm!

[Jim P]

I currently have about a dozen G&Ls, but only my '86 ASAT sees much action these days, and I primarily use it for playing slide. I played professionally for about 20 years before becoming an architect, but with the economy as it's been the last two years or so, I've definitely pumped up the playing schedule. My primary band I play with is called Otis & the Alligators, and we mostly play blues at festivals and special events during the summer months while adding a few club gigs and private parties in the winter months. Lately I've also been playing with sort of a jazz fusion band that's been around the state for many years as well.

Food: well, food in WI is pretty generic.....lots of meat and potato stuff on a local level here, but we also have what most US cities have in Mexican, Chinese, etc. There are a few very good locally-owned restaurants that certainly reach outside the box, so-to-speak. If beer is considered food, I would also put some of the micro-breweries that exist here up against any in the world.....seriously. I've become kind of a beer snob over the last few years, and there are some folks here that make some of the best.