"Where Do You Wanna Eat?": Dan Eats Washington, DC

Washington, DC- U Street Neighborhood, March 15th, 2013

We’ve found ourselves in the clamoring, crowded party-central that is 9th and U streets in DC many times. Usually, we’re playing at the Velvet Lounge, which is an excellent room to see music in DC, and we always have a blast playing there. Up until our most recent trip, I was always a bit disappointed with eating around there. There were mostly Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants, and while I love both cuisines, they’re not my go-to choices for a pre or post gig meal. Usually, I end up eating from a trendy, slightly over priced food cart and am generally pretty unhappy with my eating choices. Blah blah blah, boo hoo hoo, yeah, I get it... First World Problems.

As it turns out, all I had to do was make a RIGHT out of Velvet Lounge instead of a left. THAT’S where everything is! Under (or to the right of) my nose the whole time! That right turn was a complete game changer.

It was after the set (which was excellent, by the way, our first set out of town in 2013 and it went like a well-oiled machine of rock) and I made my right turn out of the club. I start ambling past various Irish looking pubs, more Middle Eastern restaurants, a jerked chicken place (filed away in the brain as a ‘maybe’) and then I see it. Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, next to the Lincoln Theater. Problem solved.

I watch a lot of “No Reservations”, and my favorite ones are usually the ones where Anthony Bourdain is exploring deeper into American cities, showing us places that haven’t been flogged to death by Michelin or Zagat or any of the Food Network on-the-road shows (note: I do grasp the irony that "No Reservations" used to be a Food Network show). I remember his episode on DC, where he goes to Ben’s, and all I could think when I was watching was “I want to go to there.” So fast forward to 2013, and there I stand, in fact, about to go to there.

Based on its proximity to Howard University and the sheer number of bars on U street, Ben’s gets characterized (rather unfairly) as a late-night, drunk-food establishment by most of the people I’ve talked to. It’s true, when I walked in around 11pm, it was full of mostly students, and they were probably in the midst of the Friday night drink-fest that is standard in college. But as I sat at the counter, it felt like a neighborhood place, a place that probably looks almost exactly the same as when it first opened. True, there’s a Ben’s souvenir shop, as well as a Ben’s bar next door, but the place definitely has its neighborhood roots, back before U Street got itself all gentrified and fancy. There’s even a sign behind the counter that reads: “People Who Eat For Free: Bill Cosby. President Obama/Family. And No One Else.” In a town where everyone wants to rub elbows with “good, honest, hard-working American people”, Ben’s makes it clear that you still have to pay for lunch after your “keepin’ it real” photo-op is over.

I ordered a half-smoke (which is a half beef/half pork smoked sausage and) with chili sauce and onions (this item is known as “The Bill Cosby”), and a bowl of chili. They were both eaten in about 10 minutes. This place does not take long to accomplish what you need from it. It was a really solid, medium-heat bowl of chili. Nothing fancy about it, it reminded me of diner chili with a little something extra special about it. I can see why the place has stood the test of time: simplicity. They know how to make a few things, and how to make them really well. Go somewhere else for your organic, free-range, low fat whatever you want. Go to Ben’s for food that people have been eating forever, and will continue to eat forever.

Now here comes the unfortunate part about the whole trip: I did not have my phone with me. Imagine me, sitting at the counter at Ben’s, digging on my chili, listening to Parliament on the jukebox (it is a fantastic jukebox, by the way), and thinking “The rest of the guys need to be here RIGHT NOW.” And reaching into my back pocket and realizing that my phone, with all its calling and picture-taking and Facebooking abilities, is sitting on top of my bass amp back in the club. And that the club is a five minute walk away. And I am not getting up from this chili. So I decided to enjoy things the way people used to enjoy things they stumbled upon by themselves before the age of smart phones: I enjoyed it for the moment that it was and let it pass without anything to commemorate it. No phone pic of my meal, no tweet or check-in, and no call to the rest of the band telling them what they were missing. It was a moment for me, to enjoy something by myself, and to think about how I am lucky sometimes that I get to go to new places, explore them and have little moments like this.

-Dan

Poster from our 3.15 show in DC

Setlist, 3.29.13

The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA - 3.29.2013

Two Lanes
Inventing The Game*
The Thing About This
Boundary Blurring
Aida
Whatever
Good Times Roll**
To Reason Why***
Twelve
Vapors
My Father's Watch

E: Summer Feels Like Forever
The Weight****

* "Billie Jean" tease (Michael Jackson)
** Harry Nilsson cover
*** "Ask" tease (The Smiths)
**** The Band cover, with Jayson Verdibello (Venice Sunlight) on vocals

W/ Venice Sunlight, Rachel Schain, John & Brittany, Noelle Picara

Setlist, 3.15.13

Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC - 3.15.2013

Two Lanes*
The Thing About This
Boundary
Aida*
Whatever*
Halfdone+
Tomorrow's Clothes*+
To Reason Why**
Twelve
Vapors
My Father's Watch

* TWH debut
+ With Evan Polisar (Fujank) on Alto Sax
** "Ask" tease (The Smiths)

W/ Dot Dash, Black Checker

"Where Do You Wanna Eat?": Dan's History of Gigs Through Food

I love to eat as much (if not more) as I love to play music. There’s something immensely satisfying about the pre or post-gig meal, whether it’s from a dive bar’s kitchen or a swanky bistro down the block from the club. We strive to all eat together when we’re on the road, but I definitely strike out on my own pretty often, especially when we’re out of town. I was recently reading Jesse Jarnow’s book on Yo La Tengo (Big Day Coming), and there’s this recurring element of the band on the road in the 80s, seeking out these off-the-path barbecue joints that they found in this thumbed-through book about regional restaurants. I thought about how that is very much me, and that people interested in The Way Home might also get a kick out of my recollections of the various food-related adventures that we’ve had over they years. 

So I hope you enjoy my culinary stroll down memory lane. It will be fraught with all the trappings of human memory: names and dates mixed up, misremembered details, completely inaccurate reconstructions of events, etc. We have a great time on the road, playing for everyone that we can. And the first thing I always want to tell people about when I get home is where I ate, what I ate, how much of it I ate and what I’m going to eat when I go back.

PS: If you’re familiar with a city or region we’ve visited, feel free to comment with suggestions for new places to eat. I’ll try my best to check them out, and probably end up writing about them. Also, if you cook really well and we’re in your town, feel free to invite us over to eat. Some of the best food we’ve had on the road has come from someone’s home. We’ll even do the dishes.

Philadelphia, PA- Triumph Brewery, Dec 16th 2011

I thought I’d start with somewhere close to home. Triumph Brewery is first and foremost a brew pub and restaurant that someone decided to put a stage in the back and “get into the whole having bands thing”. They’ve gotten away from a regular music schedule as of late, but back in 2010-2011, I played a ton of gigs in various groups there. We played one of the first gigs as The Way Home there in December of 2011.

The cool thing about Triumph, aside from their dedication to good live music, is that it’s one of the few places in Old City where you can get a good beer and a good meal and a) not pay most of your weekly earnings for it and b) not be overwhelmed by gaggles of drunken college kids. Old City has plenty of places where both those things can be and are easily accomplished. Triumph offers one of the best “people watching” spots in all of Philadelphia. On a warm night (or even a cold one), one of our favorite post-gig rituals was to sit at one of the patio tables and just watch the chaos that is the weekend unfold in front of you. Let me offer some advice to people visiting the neighborhood: high heels plus cobblestones plus alcohol will usually end with you on the ground.

As for the food, Triumph has some of the best wings in town, and speaking as a Western New Yorker, that’s pretty high praise. I’ve eaten some really creative dishes here, from braised short ribs to sauerbraten to a smoked duck sandwich. Their house brewed beer is also some of the best you’ll find. James loves their bar so much, he wrote our song “Aida” about one of the regular bartenders there. He still has to pay for his drinks, as do all of us. So don’t think that a well-crafted pop song with bouncy piano and harmonies will get you free run of the place. 

It is, in all seriousness, one of the most relaxed places on that particular stretch of Chestnut Street. I’ve been hearing rumors since the fall that it’s going to get sold and that’s why they’ve been booking less music lately. I hope whoever buys it keeps the stage and the attitude that they’ve always had. It’s one of the better small rooms in Philly, and one of the only spots with live original music in Old City that’s open to walk-in traffic. Because that’s who we want to play to: the people who walk in, take a chance and pay the cover. Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen have been shows I didn’t know I was attending until I was there. And if you can get a tasty pint and some very good grub, so much the better.

Dec 11, 2011 at Triumph Brewery
Photo by Bill Cassidy

Dan's 2012 Year-End List and Musical Musings

Anyone out there who knows even a little bit about me knows I listen to a copious amount of music. I get super excited about it like a kid on Pop Rocks. I subject the band to record after record in the van. They try and escape, but I've engaged the child locks (safety first).

Here are some of the highlights of the roiling mass of music this year (according solely to me, of course). I am a junkie for music lists. I don’t know what it is about them, I’m just always excited at the end of ever year to read everyone’s lists. And then compare them to mine. And then discuss/argue/ostracize. Feel free to read my list, judge it harshly, and then engage me in good-spirited debate and discussion next time you see us on the road.

First off, let’s put the cards on the table. My list for 2012 (in no particular order):

Divine Fits- A Thing Called Divine Fits

Tame Impala- Lonerism

Heartless Bastards- Arrow

Flying Lotus- Until The Quiet Comes

Grizzly Bear- Shields

Aesop Rock- Skelethon

First Aid Kit- The Lion’s Roar

Kathleen Edwards- Voyageur

Nude Beach- II

Tragically Hip- Now For Plan A

The Highlights:

I can say with no reservations that Divine Fits “A Thing Called Divine Fits” was my favorite album of 2012. How could I possibly resist? It had members of Spoon, Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs and New Bomb Turks. It had that steady, four-on-the-floor, powerful drumming that was simple and direct and just the way I like it. It had unique synthesizers that were used so tastefully, never distracting, to add a different flavor to simple song structures and great hooks. It had Britt Daniel. Sold. The album’s songs were so simple in their writing that everything had a place, and everything that happened on the record happened for a reason. The filler and bullshit and overindulgence were not present, everything unnecessary had been removed to give you the very best and nothing else.  It was straight ahead and sleek, like good graphic design or a perfectly crafted chef’s knife. And it’s one of the best driving records I’ve put on in quite some time.

Divine Fits- Would That Not Be Nice

Amidst my list, another stand-out was Aesop Rock’s “Skelethon”. If you’ve chatted with me before or after a show and shown any interest in hip-hop, than I’ve undoubtedly bent your ear about Aesop Rock. My apologies if it got a little too intense and long-winded. That said, he is a hip-hop artist that makes almost everyone else look like they’re fumbling blindly in the dark. His rhymes are profoundly intelligent, wrenchingly sincere and autobiographical, and full of twists and turns like an Escher painting. He is the only hip-hop artist of whom I own everything he’s ever released. He is one of the only hip-hop artist that inspires me and makes delve deeper into the material. As hip-hop becomes more and more flashy and surface-obsessed, I take solace in Aesop’s music. It lets me know that there are hyped names and faces, good for a few spins and some YouTube clicks, and then there are true artists.

                              Aesop Rock- ZZZ Top

Moving within that vein while also changing it up, Flying Lotus’ “Until The Quiet Comes” was a late-year surprise for me. I’ve been a fan of his for quite some time, always loving the layers of sonic excellence he puts forward. He’s been shoved in and out of just about every electronic sub-genre you can think of, he was originally introduced to me as a “dub step” artist, based on my love of Burial back in 2008. He defies genre, and defies classification. Despite that, his music is very accessible for mostly instrumental electronic music. This record showed me that I can be wowed by music that I have no idea how to make myself. His beats are ever-shifting, his sonic choices always pleasing, and I have no clue how he does it. This record features a good cast of guest vocalists, from the likes of Erykah Badu and Thom Yorke, to name a couple. And if you're into delving a bit deeper, check out his hip-hop secret identity, Captain Murphy.

Flying Lotus- Tiny Tortures

Note: As I look at some of my faves this year, I realize a lot of them go into the electronic vein. And I ask myself, “Self, you play in a fairly traditional sounding rock band. What’s up with all these weird-ass records that you dig?” To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure what attracts me to the realm of the electronic. Maybe it’s the idea of drum and bass being the true core of a lot of this music. Maybe it’s because these guys aren’t usually frontmen or singers, but rather creators, left to their own devices only to emerge every couple of years with a new collection of sounds that I’ve never heard before. Maybe it’s because I have absolutely no idea how to make that kind of music, and that drives me to listen more and more to see if I can find just a tiny opening that I can pry open and let understanding fly out. 

Other Bests of 2012:

The best show I saw in 2012 was most definitely Divine Fits (surprise, surprise) at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The best thing about a “super group” or any group that hasn’t really existed for very long is that the set will almost always be tight, devoid of filler and then done. That sounds strange, I know: why would a set being “done” be a positive point? As I continue to play shows with the band, and as I continue to watch countless acts play before and after us, sometimes that best thing a band can do is just be done. And not because they’re not good! I’ve seen bands absolutely kill it on stage for 30-40 minutes, only to go on for three songs too long and ruin the mood and the joy. Always leave the stage with your audience wanting more songs. That’s what Divine Fits did. They got up, they played songs off the only record they had, they threw in a Frank Ocean cover, and they were done. I wanted more, despite the fact that there was no more to have. It made me want to see them again after they’ve gotten some more material written. That’s the best thing you can say after seeing any band: I want to see them again. 

Enough about other bands. What about The Way Home? My vote for best place we played in 2012 is the Stage On Herr in Harrisburg, PA. Harrisburg is not known for its excellent rooms, or really very many places to play in general. Stage on Herr wants to change that. Their stage is large with plenty of room for a band to spread out and be comfortable. The sound is excellent. The sound guy is excellent. The people who work there are excellent. The people who come to see bands there are excellent. Everything about that place is excellent. If you live in the Harrisburg area, I highly recommend checking the place out on a weekend night, they book some great regional acts, and the place gets an amazingly fun vibe when it’s packed.

So that’s 2012 according to Dan. Thanks for reading and indulging me. If you want to go a little further, I was featured as a writer for Geek Magazine’s end-of-year list, writing about Grizzly Bear’s “Shields”, another record I couldn’t get enough of this year. What does 2013 hold in store for The Way Home? We can’t reveal everything, but it includes more shows, new songs, a new release of some kind (we’re not sure if it will be an EP or full-length yet) and plenty of stories. We loved spending 2012 with all of you, we can’t wait to spend another year with you all as well.

I'll leave you all with some words to mull over in the coming year: Never stop engaging with the music you listen to, never stop demanding that it engages you, and never stop trading tracks and records with friends. You don't have to play an instrument to be part of "the music scene". Be excited about what you hear. Play it for people you know. Discuss what you love, and what you don't love. Keep an open mind, you never know what you'll stumble upon. Music is not a fashion accessory or a series of names to be checked off. It is someone's art, someone's hard work and someone's soul being given to you. Pay for it when you can, especially to guys you see pulling up in vans, looking rather ragged and road weary as they load into a club in your town. The money will be welcome, and you'll make us happy because you care enough to engage with us and with our music.

Happy New Year,

Dan 

Setlist, 12.22.12

Milkboy Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA - 12.22.2012

The Thing About This
Boundary Blurring
Inventing The Game*
Summer Feels Like Forever
Jaked
Letter To Jessica
2000 Miles**
To Reason Why***
Twelve
Vapors
My Father's Watch
It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)****

* "Billie Jean" tease (Michael Jackson)
** The Pretenders cover; TWH debut
*** "Ask" tease (the Smiths)
**** REM cover

W/ Val De Val, Seamus Browning, David Cope

Setlist, 12.7.12

Digital Bear Studios, Cambridge, MA - 12.07.2012

To Reason Why*
Twelve
Summer Feels Like Forever
Jaked
Letter To Jessica
Vapors
My Father's Watch
It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)**

* "Ask" tease (The Smiths)
** REM cover

Digital Bear Productions Christmas Party

With Katrin