ROB WILCOX

Rob Wilcox does alternative radio promotion for The Syndicate and plays in the band By Surprise.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Since moving here five years ago, a lot has changed in terms of my eating habits. When you work in an industry that keeps you out late most nights, you spend a lot of time (and money) eating out, which doesn't always mean you're eating healthy either. With the exception of "brunch," which I willfully subscribe to, most of the time you have to grab food on the go. So, I've started to cook at home more often, and while it's still something I'm very much a novice in, it's incredibly fun and relaxing when you make the time to do so -- especially when you have a cooking partner in the kitchen!

In cooking at home, my highlight of the year was just last week when I decided to make stuffed peppers for the first time. I wanted to "healthy it up," so I tried substituting rice with quinoa, using ground chicken instead of beef, and tossing black beans to the mix for some extra flavor. I added some sautéed some garlic and asparagus as a side dish and it all tasted pretty fantastic. The whole meal was simple to make, cost-effective, and absolutely delicious!

What was the music highlight of your year?

I can't name just one, but several shows in particular stand out: 1. Watching both Chvrches and Cage The Elephant deliver career defining performances at Lollapalooza. 2. Attending American Football's first public performance in 15 years at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. 3. Singing my heart out to The Replacements at their Forest Hills Tennis Stadium show in Queens.

On a more personal level, working closely with The Rentals and Braid was a pretty big highlight for me. Looking back on my 20s (I turn 30 next week), I think about which bands I've held onto as personal favorites, and how their albums played out more like a soundtrack for my own life. Getting to reintroduce both bands to radio programmers was a deeply personal and important experience for me. Both 'No Coast' and 'Lost In Alphaville' were among my top ten favorite albums this year.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

I saw The Pizza Underground (a pizza-themed Velvet Underground parody band) and they gave out free pizza to the audience during their set. I don't think I'll ever forget that, or how weird it felt to eat pizza within 30 feet of Macaulay Culkin.

@heyrobwilcox

TANNER JONES

Tanner Jones sings and plays guitar in You Blew It.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This year You Blew It was lucky enough to tour in the UK and some parts of Europe. There, a very sweet and quiet Belgian man served me these green beans that I don't think I'll ever really get over. Real hefty chunks of garlic and cooked with some kind of root in olive oil. The language barrier prevented any kind of constructive interrogation of the contents, but as simple as it looked, it had this real complex, earthy quality about it.

What was the music highlight of your year?

It's honestly so difficult to choose. Personally, the touring You Blew It got to do this year was life-changing and memorable to say the very least. If I had to choose anything outside of my own experiences, though, seeing Braid put out their first LP in 16 years and kill it the way they did was completely wild to me. So very uplifting and inspiring.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

I feel sort of rotten for copping out like this, but it has to be the way that music carried me to the best damn green beans I've ever had in my life.

@tannerjonesfl

CARLIN BROWN

Carlin Brown plays drums in Restorations and has cooked at Philadelphia’s Industry Bar, Good Dog Bar, Royal Tavern, Monk’s Cafe, and Memphis Taproom.

What was the music highlight of your year?

2013 was a busy and exciting year for just about everyone I know in music, in food, in anything really. The most memorable time in music is a no brainer. That would be Fest 12 in Gainesville, Fl. I was lucky enough to snag a job as tech for all the backlined SJC drum kits, so I was extremely busy running around the various venues. Even so, most of my band and some of my closest friends in music all piled in the Gainesville Theatre for the long haul on Saturday to see a marathon of completely different bands: Plow United, Paint it Black, Night Marchers, Braid, BoySetsFire, Dillinger Four, and more. I was also lucky enough to catch some of Ceremony, Torche, Bouncing Souls, Menzingers, Sundowner, and finally got to see Cayetana live. Every year seems to be a pretty consistent incline of fun.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Food and music came together in September. Philly friends and their dogs converged upon and took over the huge warehouse where my band practices for what was deemed “Smoked Meats Day.” Musicians and people who write and/or obsess about music all participated in smoking any and every kind of smokable food imaginable. We hooked up a PA for music listening, tapped the keg, and got the smoker going around 8:00 AM. There were so many exciting things to eat. We smoked chicken, wings, pork shoulder, seitan, almonds, chick peas, various veggies and hot peppers. There was a deep fryer so we we roasted, smoked, and deep fried coconut to make vegan bacon. And of course there was the vegan wing off. There were also regular grills for obligatory burgers and hot dogs. The highlight of the day was a whole beef brisket that smoked for fourteen plus hours only to have it still be perfectly rare in the middle. It was a marathon day of talking about life, music, and food, all while listening to music and eating food. It ran all morning, noon, and late into the night. I can’t wait for next year!

restorations

MERCY HARPER & LINDSAY MINTON

Mercy and Lindsay are in the band Football, Etc.

What was the food highlight of your year?

We went to an Ethiopian restaurant for the first time in our lives this year. Injera—a staple in Ethiopian cooking—was totally unlike any food I’ve had before. It’s a yeasty spongy flatbread that looks a bit like elephant skin. The spongy quality makes it great for sopping up things, and it’s quite filling. Gave me a whole new idea of what a bread could be.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Just a few weeks before we were about to head out on a UK tour last summer, we learned that Braid was set to play on the same day as our London gig. At first we were so bummed, convinced we’d lose our draw (after all, we wanted to see Braid too!). But instead, our London date for that tour turned out to be one of the best days I’ve had. The fellas from Zine and Not Heard booked us a matinee show across the street from where Braid was playing. We played a totally packed show, with people singing along and a bit of crowd surfing. Then we, along with nearly everyone else at our gig, walked across the street to see Braid play the entirety of Frame and Canvas, which was amazing. We closed out the night with some free beers courtesy of the Braid guys. It couldn’t have been better.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

On our first night of tour with Annabel, we played a place in Cleveland called the Happy Dog. This hot dog shop had only two choices of dogs—vegan, or not vegan—but fifty topping options including everything from peanut butter to roasted garlic aioli. Stuffing ourselves on hot dogs and beer whilst checking out the opening bands was a nice way to kick off the tour.

@footballetc