Lollapalooza 2012 Cover Medley

Finally, a new music video!  It's a big one - an 11-song medley of covers from Lollapalooza 2012!  I played "one-man band" covers of the songs (vocals, guitar, keys, synth bass & drums), and I arranged them all together.  And I filmed a fun video to go along with it.  You'll want to sit down to view this video - it's almost 13 minutes long!

To view a bigger version, you can click the "full screen" button in the video above.  Or you can open the video's YouTube page.

I love Lollapalooza.  If you aren't familiar, Lolla is a music festival held in Chicago every summer.  It's such a great venue, and so many great bands come to play.  Most of the music is considered Alternative/Indie or Electronic.  You get to see big famous bands, up-and-coming stars, as well as less-known artists.  I really wanted to see Metric, Florence + The Machine, and Justice.  On the other hand, I "discovered" bands like Temper Trap and Chairlift at the festival.

Here's the tracklist:

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers: "Under the Bridge"
2. Florence + The Machine: "No Light"
3. The Temper Trap: "Fader"
4. Metric: "Sweet Sympathy"
5. The Black Keys: "Howlin' For You"
6. Chairlift: "Amanaemonesia"
7. Franz Ferdinand: "Take Me Out"
8. Neon Indian: "Polish Girl"
9. Passion Pit: "Take a Walk"
10. M83: "Midnight City"
11. Justice: "D.A.N.C.E."

Making the Medley

I've never done a medley before.  Creating this medley was an ambitious project.  I started it in August 2012 and finished six months later!  Well most of the delay was from other distractions, but this project did involve a bit of work.  I'll talk about the challenges in several aspects: arranging, performing, and production.

Arranging. When you do a medley, you first need to figure out which songs could fit.  Good thing there were so many good songs from great bands to choose from.  You also need to arrange the songs in some reasonable order.   Finally, you also need to match the rhythms and key signatures/chords between the songs. 

• I had to throw a few songs out.  For example, I really wanted to play "Bruises" by Chairlift, but the song was way too fast to fit with the rest of the medley.
• "No Light" is a great song, but the slow, syncopated rhythm of the main part didn't fit anywhere (the medley was either fast rock or disco).  So I decided to perform only the song intro.
• As discussed in the video, I had to put all the rock songs in the first half, then transition to all the disco/dance songs.  The rock songs in the medley go much faster (~160-170 bpm) than the disco songs (~120-130 bpm, if I recall correctly).  Rock beats are different from disco too.  Rock beats are in pairs: down/up down/up, whereas disco is all even: down down down down (that's why disco is also known as "four-on-the-floor."  "Take Me Out" provided the perfect transition that accomplished exactly what I needed.
• Another cool transition was from "Howlin' For You" to "Amanaemonesia."  I couldn't stand to play "Howlin' For You" for too long, and I thought it would be cool to make a little fun of it by playing the riff on the keys.  So that's what I did.  It

Performing.  Although it's just one music video, I had to learn to sing and play 11 songs.  I performed vocals, guitar, and keys on all the songs.  The bass and drums were synthesized.  Lucikly, most of the guitar and key parts weren't too difficult for me.

• Guitar.  "Howlin' For You" required some blues lead play on the guitar, something I've never tried before (I HATE BLUES!!! hehe).  The fast tempo required some fast picking on some songs like "Take Me Out".  The one super difficult part was the intro to "Under the Bridge."  I learned it, but I realized my play wouldn't be good enough to record.  So I abandoned that idea.  
• Keys. About half the songs had significant keyboard parts.  There were a couple cool keyboard riffs in the medley, in "Amanaemonseia" and "Take a Walk."  My favorite keyboard thing was the keyboard part show on the bottom half of the "Amanaemonesia" video.  I improvised that entire part one day - you won't find it on the original Chairlift track! :)
• Vocals.  I'm terrible at remembering song lyrics.  I always forget the words of my favorite songs that I've been singing for decades.  I did many recording takes in this medley because I messed up the lyrics haha.  Singing is not my forte; a couple songs were a bit challenging for me.  I probably set the key of a couple songs too high ("Fader" and "Polish Girl" in particular).  But I needed them to be played at those keys so the medley would transition well.  I probably would have sounded better if I had tuned those songs down a step or two.  One nice thing about pushing myself was that I was able to sing some notes I was previous unable to hit :)

Production.  When you do a 13-minute video of yourself playing music, you MUST come up with something interesting.  Otherwise your viewers would fall asleep or click elsewhere hehe.  So I tried to spice up the video a bit.

• I tried to incorporate Visualizers into the video.  These are software programs that create cool graphics that adapts to the music that is played.  I use a few Visualizers: Aeon (used the most), a couple by Wowlabs, and the default iTunes Visualizer.  Oh yeah, I used the Desktop Aquarium screen saver too.
• I try to learn something new with video production every time I do a new video.  This time, the big thing was using keyers.  You may know this as "green screen" work.  This was super fun.  It allowed me to superimpose myself singing/playing over other videos and photos.

 I hope you enjoy the video!

Food Porn: 15 Great Dishes from Chicago

As you probably know, I love to eat!  Eating good food is a key to good life, in my opinion.  Living in Chicago offers all sorts of opportunities for eating great food.  There's a huge variety - places big and small, simple or fancy, cheap or expensive.  Here's a list of 15 excellent dishes from Chicago.  They are in no particular order, and they don't represent the "best" 15.  I probably have 50-100 dishes to rave about; I'll eventually get to them all...

1. Chorizo-stuffed Medjool Dates with Smoked Bacon - Avec Restaurant

Avec is an amazing restaurant, perhaps my favorite in all of Chicago.  I love its small-to-medium sized dishes to share and its European/American blend of food.  Avec's menu often changes.  But one dish is always on the menu: the chorizo-stuffed dates.  Dates are popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, but not too common in North America.  But when you stuff some tasty Spanish chorizo inside, then wrap it with smoked bacon, and serve it in a zesty tomato sauce, it's heaven on earth!  Everybody orders the dates at Avec, and rightly so.

 

2. Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings - Great Sea Chinese Restaurant

Unlike Avec, Great Sea is not a fancy or trendy restaurant.  It's a hole-in-the-wall, with bad decorations, located in a not-so-hot neighborhood far from downtown.  Great Sea won't score many points at all on its image, but its food is pretty good.  In particular, its Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings are to die for!  The wings are Korean flavored (it's a Korean/Chinese restaurant), and they are prepared "lollilop" style, with the meat pushed up the bone.  Just as it is at Avec, everyone orders the wings at Great Sea.  In fact, the wings are so famous that they sponsor a chicken wing eating contest!  Can you beat the guy who ate 90 wings in one sitting???

3. Truffle Fries - Fox & Obel

Fox & Obel is neither a fancy restaurant nor a hole-in-the wall mom and pop restaurant.  It's a cafe attached to an upscale grocery store.  It serves some tasty and inexpensive food.  My favorite is the Truffle Fries.  As you may know, I am a french fry connoisseur - even though I hate most potato dishes, especially fries that are fat and taste like potatoes.  But a good batch of crispy, skinny fries always as a place in my heart.  The fries at Fox & Obel are not normal fries; they are a bit over the top.  First of all, they are cooked in truffle oil!  Ooooh!  Then they are covered with Peccorino-Romano cheese.  And then, you dip them into a thick Bearnaise sauce.  Ahhhhhh....

4. Peppered Fatty Salmon - Ringo Sushi

Ringo Sushi is not the fanciest sushi bar.  I love it though - because it's tasty AND it's reasonably-priced.  The gem of their menu is the Peppered Fatty Salmon nigiri.  The salmon is fresh and tasty.  A few slices of jalapenos on top adds a little zing as you eat it.  And for you health nuts who may be scared off by the name, "fatty" fish is often the best fish, and it's actually good for you - lots of omega-3 fatty acids!  The mackerel nigiri is also served with jalapeno and also tastes great!

5. Urban Belly Ramen - Urban Belly

Urban Belly's fusion philosophy comes alive with its signature dish.  The Urban Belly Ramen combines Japanese ramen noodles with a mighty fine Vietnamese Pho broth, with shiitake mushroom and pork belly to top it off.  Exquisite!  I have to admit, I'd rather eat dish than the Pho of my people!

6. Publican Bacon - The Publican

There's no denying it: Publican bacon is pure decadence.  It's a supreme cut of pork belly, braised in maple syrup.  It's salty, it's sweet, and it melts in your mouth.  You should definitely order this dish to share; a single person eating this may require a trip to the hospital.  Maybe it should be called "Pork Belly Steak" ???  Only available on the Saturday and Sunday brunch menus.

7. Frontera Guacamole - Frontera Grill

Guacamole is served at almost every Mexican restaurant on the planet, not to mention in most Mexican households too.  Yet Frontera Grill's guacamole stands in a class on its own.  I could talk about all the great things going on at this excellent upscale restaurant and its uber-cool superstar chef, Rick Bayless.  But Frontera got me sold, just with its guacamole.  I could gobble this stuff up all day, until my skin turned green. 

8. Special Banh Mi - Nhu Lan Saigon Subs

Banh Mi, the Vietnamese sandwich, is comfort food for me.  Nothing fancy, really.  And it's usually super cheap - even less than the price of a Big Mac!  Banh Mi an authentic Vietnamese dish, but it is heavily French-influenced from the colonial years.  It's served on a warm and toasty baguette.  There are different types of sandwiches, but the most typical one is served with a pate spread and lunch meats.  Pickled carrots and daikon are then placed on the sandwich, then it's topped with jalapenos and cilantro.  A surprisingly complex set of flavors for a simple sandwich, no?  That's what makes it great!  There are several places that serve Banh Mi in Chicago now (and the list is growing), but Nhu Lan - a little bakery in Lincoln Square - is by far the best.  I think Nhu Lan could compete with southern California Banh Mi places!

9. Tacos de Cochinita Pibil - Adobo Grill

These slow-cooked marinated pulled pork tacos originate from the Yucatan region of Mexico.  They are very rich and tasty (and a bit messy).  Adobo Grill serves an entree-sized portion of this meat (last I heard, it was only on the Sunday brunch menu).  But even better is the street food taco served at the Taste of Chicago festival.  When you've had a long day in the sun, these tacos really hit the spot!

10. Shrimp and Grits - Wishbone

If you're from the south, maybe this dish would be too "meh" for you.  But I still say it's pretty darn good!  These cheese grits are with a great white wine and cream sauce.  Throw in some yummy shrimp... and oh yeah - there's bacon inside too!  It's a great, hearty meal.

11. Lobster Spring Rolls - Japonais Restaurant & Lounge

Japonais is an excellent restaurant.  With its cavernous space and impeccable decorations, it may be one of the fanciest places in the city for dining.  There are a number of great dishes on the menu.  I don't think the Lobster Spring Rolls dish is among the most well-known of the dishes.  But it's a great dish - a hidden gem.  Egg rolls are pretty common everywhere.  But these rolls are perfectly deep fried, and unlike most egg rolls - there's lobster within!  The rolls are served with a mango relish and a blood orange glaze.  Yummy!

12. Lollipop Lamb Chops - Benchmark

Rack of lamb is commonly served as a dinner entree.  But have you ever seen it as bar food?  You can at Benchmark!  The lamb is well-seasoned and is grilled to your liking.  It is delivered in a simple way - in a basket with newspaper wrapping - with a chimichurri sauce on the side.  It's a great dish for spending the evening watching a sports game or enjoying the breeze of the retractable rooftop lounge.

13. Perry's Favorite - Perry's Deli

Perry's Deli is an old school treat, located in the Chicago Loop.  It's just a deli, no frills - no cell phones even allowed.  There is a large number of items on the menu.  My favorite is also Perry's favorite - a huge mound of pastrami, covered with jack cheese and coleslaw (yes, inside the sandwich) and Russian dressing.  It's rather hard to eat the entire sandwich in one sitting.  The scarier thing is that Perry sells triple-decker sandwiches too.....

14. Sauteed Maine Scallops, Soba Gnocchi, and Parmesan Foam - Takashi Restaurant

Uh, what is this dish???  I have no idea.  It's a concoction by master chef Takashi.  First of all, he takes soba (as in the Japanese noodle) and makes a gnocchi out of it.  Then he serves it with sauteed scallops.  Then he puts parmesan cheese into some kind of spray can to serve it as a foam on top.  Crazy!  But genius!  This dish is da bomb!  The photo doesn't do it justice.

15. Zeppele - Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar

I will end this list with a tasty dessert.  Quartino is my favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago.  Unlike many American Italian restaurants, Quartino doesn't go overboard with large services and heavy food.  Most everything is on the lighter side, and it's mostly served on smaller plates for sharing.  Zeppele - Italian doughnuts - are a great way to end a meal.  Served right out of the oven, they just melt in your mouth.  They come with chocolate and honey sauces for dipping, for even more taste!

Well there you have it - 15 great dishes!  I'll probably follow this article up someday with another list of great dishes.  But for now, enjoy the reading, and go eat something yummy!

Ana's Chicago Photo Shoot

Ana visited Chicago from Mexico this last August. It was her first time in the Windy City. She asked me to take a few photos of her around town.  Ana was very excited to have nice photos as a souvenir from Chicago.  I said ok, but more than that - we made it full a photo shoot!

We spent two afternoons (between rain storms!) shooting in various locations.  I think the photos turned out great!  Ana was a most lovely model - muy bonita :)  Here are a few of the highlights.  You can also view these photos as a slideshow from my Flickr site.  Those of you who are my friends (or hers) on Facebook can get to the full album (~30 pics) through our profile pages.

And here's one with Ana and friend Cristina:

Related links:

• Slideshow of Ana's photo shoot (from my Flickr site)
• Photography at my website, discopalace.com

Justine and Nick's photoshoot

 

Last weekend, I did a photo shoot for my friends Justine and Nick. They are celebrating an anniversary and wanted some pictures of themselves together. They also wanted the photos to be highlighted by scenic Chicago as a backdrop. Aren’t they just a lovely couple? :)

Click the photo above for the slideshow, or here for the pics on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/discopalace/sets/72157622008873093/

Top Chicago dishes: Guacamole at Frontera Grill

Today's top ten dish has been high on my list for a long time: the Guacamole at Frontera Grill (website). Frontera Grill is one of Chicago's top restaurants, owned by superstar chef Rick Bayless. There's no surprise that a dish from this restaurant would make it to a top ten list. Yet I bet you may have been surprised that a simple dish such as guacamole (and not the other wondrous items on Frontera's menu) would be the one.

If you talk to someone from Mexico, he/she would tell you that guacamole is everywhere, and everyone can make it. But Frontera's guacamole is special. After you eat it, no guacamole is the same. I'm sure part of the secret is the use of top quality avocados (how do you get good ones all year long??). And perhaps it's their blend of ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes. Whatever it is, you're in heaven when you eat it. And to top it off, it's just an appetizer to one of the best quality (and not terribly expensive) meals you can get in Chicago.

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Top Chicago dishes: Zeppole at Quartino

Chicago is a wonderful place to eat. It has food from every nation, every style, and every price. For a long time, I have thought about having a Top 10 dishes list. It's quite a challenge, since there's so much food! I'm going to have a series of blog posts to share some candidates for the list. One of these days, I will complete the list and share with you all!

Today's Top 10 candidate dish is the Zeppole at Quartino. Quartino is an Italian restaurant in River North (website). It's a nice blend of family style, pizzeria, wine bar, tapas bar, and upscale River North. The Zeppole is a dessert dish - hot Italian doughnuts sprinkled with powdered sugar and dipped in honey. The dough is amazingly fresh and comes right out of the oven. And how can you go wrong with honey? It's a great way to end a meal at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants.

(Sorry for the bad pic - I only had my cell phone on hand to take a pic).

Reviews of Quartino:

• Yelp
• Metromix