Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Worthless Miracle?

Hey dummy, if you can sing/shout, keep reading:

So, my friend Dan and I are in the midst of trying to put together a band. We are tentatively known as The Worthless Miracles. For the last year or so, we've been practicing in my basement. We have about 12 or 13 songs. My friend Steve comes down from time to time and KILLS IT on the bass. That dream has come to a crashing halt now that my wife and I had our second child. Infants and loud, aggressive music do not mix.

Much like when Arnie Cunningham's parents banished his beloved Christine to a storage garage, my drums are being forced out of the old homestead by the wife. But I'm not giving up without a fight. And isn't that what hardcore music is all about? Struggle? Let me tell you kids the sad truth: As a teenager, you rebelled against your parents. Now as a 39 year old man, I'm at odds with my wife over "that noise you guys make in the basement". Nothing changes, such is life.

Oh wait, where was I? Yes, we have a very good lead on a practice space in South Norwalk. NO, not SoNo. This area is much shittier. And grittier.

So we are on the hunt for a singer. We play hardcore music in the style of our favorite groups from the 80's. Some bands that come to mind to describe our style and influences would be Dag Nasty, Gorilla Biscuits, Leeway and Dag Nasty. But of course not limited to these 3 bands. That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Dan would have a completely different list, I'm sure. I also like the stylings of Rush and Dan is a big Yes fan. You got a problem with that? Go f yourself. Don't worry, we are not good enough musicians for any prog rock talents to shine through in our music.

We have a PA and are pretty much ready to play as soon as we get this practice space thing taken care of. We like to jam on Saturday late mornings and possibly we'll be able to do one weeknight a week. We drink beer and will no doubt at the very least have a dorm-style mini-fridge full of coldies. Maybe a full bar, I'm not sure that's in the budget.

If you are in our age bracket (mid thirties/early 40's….I'm assuming anyone outside of that wouldn't be interested) drop me a message here. Or dammit, if you know someone, just forward them this link. We'd prefer it if you weren't in 17 bands already so you could focus your talents on what we're doing here. I know…this is like needle in the haystack, but I figure I'd get this up on my site before having to (heavens no!) do the Craigslist thing.

All we *really* want to do is play a few shows with great local bands like The Boardlords, District Allstarz, Arcane Malevolence and Sonic Supercharger 66. Namecheck! The scene is pretty good right now, we want to be part of it.

Graci!

PS-We may be looking for a 2nd guitarist as well.

The "Brews Times"-Narragansett Beer: A Review

Attention! A notice for all Norwalk beer enthusiasts: The Famous Narragansett Beer has made a splash on the scene. Forget that Pabst Blue Ribbon popular with all the hipsters. This is the real deal, straight from the home of one of the best surf breaks in the North East. It's a refreshing no-nonsense lager, perfect for summertime imbibing. Great after a day of pulling backside grinds at the local skatepark or pulling weeds in your backyard.

Hell, it was good enough for Quint, the curmudgeonly old sea captain in Jaws. And you know he didn't take crap from anyone.

Narraganset is available at Colonial Wine & Spirits off Connecticut Avenue for $5.91 a six pack. At these prices, you'll be sticking it to the man, what with gas over four dollars a gallon. And at less than six bucks a sixer, it's a much safer bet than my fiasco earlier this year with the Heineken Beertender. The only drawback is that they are not available in twelve packs. Yet.

BTW, Frosch's "Brews Times" is in no way affiliated with JB's "News & Pints". Any similarities are completely coincidental.

The Beertender: Complete Junk.

I had an overwhelming feeling of nausea Saturday night. At first I attributed the urge to vomit to the Lindsey Lohan movie I had just watched. But sadly, it wasn't that simple. Yup, I had fallen victim to some kind of barf bug that's going around.

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before any of this unpleasantness occurred, I bought the Beertender. And in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "I think I made a big mistake." Not that there's anything terribly wrong with Heineken, but I realized after setting this mini bar up and having a few pints, I was locked into drinking Heineken for the unforeseeable future. And that scared the hell out of me!

Other problem areas:
1. The beer came out too foamy
2. It gave off an odor reminesent of the Nite Cap's floor
3. It's noisy (runs on a fan)
4. It takes up a lot of counter space

Fortunately, the place I bought it from was good enough to take it back, so I won't even bring them into this story. So thank you for the "no questions asked" return! BTW, when I "untapped" the keg, it shot beer all over our kitchen floor....so that was fun.

Two days later and I'm still not 100% up to par. The thought of drinking beer is making me want to puke right now. Moral of the story? Buyer's remorse. (Is that a moral? I don't know, I'm still sick, gimme a break)

The Beertender: Gotta Have It, Or Complete Junk?

Boy, is it hot out. Let's jump the gun and say that summer is officially here. And as noted by this bit of rebellious grafitti, the price of gas isn't coming down anytime soon. On that note, in the words of Boston greats Gang Green, "Let's Drink Some Beer!" But I'm all about keeping things as cheap as possible when imbibing. Or am I?

Last night I saw a commercial for the Heineken Beertender. (Manufactured by coffee giants Krups, who may or may not have had involvement in some WWII conspiranoia, according to some sources) Anyways as mentioned, I am one of the biggest cheapskates around. But when I saw the spot for the Beertender, I said to myself, "I gotta get this!" The long and short of the spot was "turn your house into a bar". I have seen the results firsthand, and I must say, it's a fantastic idea. Well, I couldn't find said commercial on YouTube, but this gives a pretty good visual of how the system works.

So, these bad boys go for about $300. Ten bucks cheaper if you get the version that doesn't let you adjust the temperature. But if I can't have my beer at a chilly 36 degrees, than the terrorists have won. You also have use a disposable line every time you tap one of those kegs. And what does a Heineken mini keg cost these days, 20 bucks? I'm hoping these things take off here in the U.S. and other companies like Amstel get on board. And could Guinness successfully manufacture a mini-keg? I mean, we did put a man on the moon, right?

So what do you think, is the Beertender worth it? Or a complete ripoff? I say to hell with the recession....it's Miller time! (Or as the case may be, Heineken time)