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

JEFF TAKACS

Jeff Takacs runs and hosts the punk podcast Rocket Fuel. 

What was the food highlight of your year?

For me, the best part of this year for food has been stepping out and trying local restaurants that I haven’t been to in my own backyard of Tallahassee.  Believe it or not, Tallahassee is actually a pretty great food town and we have a lot of options of locally owned and run places to eat.  So this year, I wanted to go to more of them and see what they had to offer.  My favorite is Voodoo Dog, which has amazing hot dogs (duh) as well as hamburgers, fries, etc.  I absolutely love their Jefferson dog, which is a bacon-wrapped dog topped with mac-n-cheese.  My arteries hate me, but it sure is delicious.  Another great thing about the place is their décor.  It’s totally kitsch with awesome items from the 80s and 90s.  How can you not love a place with framed portraits of each of the Golden Girls?  

What was the music highlight of your year?

Getting to see a reunited Rocket From The Crypt in a 400-person club in Chicago.  I only got to see them once before they called it quits in 2005, so getting to see them again was not only unexpected, but really special.  The venue was packed with die-hard fans who were singing along with every word.  The band ripped through their set with the energy and their patented big sound as I had remembered them doing when I saw them some 17 years ago.  Reunion shows are always a gamble, but it was one that I was definitely willing to take and was ecstatic with the show.  It was icing on the cake for me when a month later, I got the chance to interview Speedo (John Reis) on Rocket Fuel when he was in Florida for Fest 12 with one of his other bands, The Night Marchers.  

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

Every year, food and music come together in an amazing way for me when I travel down to Gainesville for The Fest.  Not only do I get to see a ton of my favorite bands and friends from across the globe, but the restaurants in downtown Gainesville make it an even more memorable experience.  Whether it’s the authentic Cuban food at Flaco’s, to the amazing island flavors of Reggae Shack to the outstand gator burritos at Boca Fiesta, the food choices at Fest are always the perfect complement to a weekend filled with the best punk rock and PBR.

@rocket_fuel