CHRISTOPHER CHAISSON

Christopher Chaisson lives in Holliston, MA and has been writing songs under the name The Young Leaves for over 8 years.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This year my band, The Young Leaves, went on a 30-day summer tour and I set out on a quest to find the BEST donuts ever. We passed through a lot of different cities with all sorts of "gourmet/artisan" donut shops and I tried them all. However, I found the greatest donuts in the entire world in Pittsburgh at a place called Better-Maid Donut Co. It's essentially this hole in the wall, ran by some huge Steelers fan who lives for nothing but donuts and football. There's nothing fancy about it, and admittedly the place looks like it hasn't been cleaned or decorated since the 1960's, but it's hands-down the best donut experience you'll ever have. It's old-fashioned, meaning he makes nothing but cake donuts, and he only makes a limited run per day. But again, I can't stress how incredible they are in their craft and deliciousness. I did the 13 for $5 deal and crushed all 13 donuts in about an hour. I felt sick, but in that horribly good foodie way. So worth it.

What was the music highlight of your year?

The musical highlight of my year was most definitely The Young Leaves summer tour. We went out for 30 days in June and played from Boston out to Minneapolis, down to Orlando, and back up (like a gigantic triangle spanning half the country.) For some, touring can be an absolute nightmare, but I adore it. If I had to chose a specific moment on tour that made my year it would be when we visited Springfield, IL for Dumb Fest 2. I had no expectations heading into it, but the whole thing ended up being a beautiful arrangement of music, skateboarding, and DIY culture. I had never been to Springfield before, but everyone was so ridiculously friendly and the bands were all fantastic; it was everything I love about "punk" or "independent" music or whatever. I hope they continue on with making it an annual thing, and maybe we'll play it again! Also, the band Looming from that area were great. I hope they're still doing their thing as well!

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

One of the best dudes I've ever met through music is a guy by the name of Matt Evans. He plays guitar in an awesome band called Old Flings and, in addition to being a great guy and songwriter, he also LOVES barbecue with a serious passion. He set us up a show in Asheville, North Carolina and when we arrived he had us hop in the bed of his truck and took us to a gas station. This was no ordinary gas station, though. It had a built-in BBQ dive with some of the most serious pulled pork and hush-puppies that I'd ever eaten. As with most barbecue, it's all in the sauce and that place delivered. Later on that night we ended up seeing Jim Wilbur of Superchunk at our show trying to help a band fix their broken down van. It was great. Just great.

@youngleavesma

JOSH MODELL

Josh Modell is Editor In Chief of The A.V. Club.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This is a damn hard question, but I think it's gotta be incredible meals at Next and Alinea that were four days apart. The Next menu (it changes three times a year) was "best of Trio," which is the restaurant Grant Achatz cooked at before he started Alinea. The preparations were considerably simpler than what he's doing at Alinea now, but just so incredibly tasty and balanced. But then going to Alinea four days later... I hadn't been in five years, and the menu was completely different and fun and slightly less stuffy than I remembered it. Highlight I think was this corn preparation that was basically like the best elotes you've ever had x1000, served in a husk whose silk had just been on fire. The aroma and the taste together were amazing.

What was the music highlight of your year?

I can't even remember what happened last month, man! Let's see... This sounds like a cop out, but we put on a really fun festival this year, so I got to see Death Cab For Cutie with Chris Walla one last time, along with other oldies like The Dismemberment Plan. Oh, and Jack White--who I haven't been all that interested in in recent years--put on a blazing live show.

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

There's this guy who makes Ćevapčići, which are these crazy amazing Serbian kebabs, and basically only sells them at music festivals (as far as I know)... I was sad that he wasn't at Pitchfork Fest this year, but he was at Riot Fest, which was honestly kind of a highlight. (I'm getting too old for hanging around 50k 15-year-olds.) So I popped in for one afternoon, saw Superchunk, Naked Raygun, and Hot Snakes, got a yummy sausage and went home!

@joshmodell

JORDAN LUFF

Jordan Luff plays bass in the band Old Flings

What was the food highlight of your year?

I have to include two highlights: the first is my hometown Asheville, NC’s only vegan restaurant, Plant. It’s a little out of my price range for an everyday dinner, so I keep it in my back pocket for special occasions. The hazelnut crusted seitan is quite possibly the most decadent food I’ve put in my mouth since becoming vegan. Served with whipped cauliflower, grilled broccolina and romesco, pickled onions, and shiitake bacon. Absolutely breath-taking dinner.

Second, Farmburger, another Asheville favorite. They serve a vegan burger made up of sea island red pea, Smiling Hara smoked tempeh (local brand), and black eyed peas, topped with clover sprouts, red cabbage, and a basil tofu spread on the bun. It’s like it melts in my damn mouth.

What was the music highlight of your year?

My band Old Flings got to play a lot of regional and national festivals this year, including Fest 12 in Gainesville, FL. I got to see some of my all-time favorite bands play, including Torche, Iron Chic, Knapsack, Hop Along, and Restorations. But the best band I saw this year was probably Superchunk in Asheville at the Grey Eagle Music Hall on August 23rd. Watching them was about as close to a religious experience as seeing Coalesce back in 2009 at FEST 8. It’s been a great year for music!

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

Any time Old Flings gets to hit the road, be it for a weekend, a tour, or a festival trip, I try to incorporate food into my adventure. While down at Fest, we had the opportunity to dine at Harvest Thyme, a vegan-friendly sandwich and smoothie joint, and Reggae Shack, one of the best Jamaican-style restaurants I’ve ever had. And I can’t forget Richmond, VA. We only played there once in 2013 (which sucks), but we hit up Ipanema Cafe, Panda Veg, Strange Matter, and Harrison Street Coffee Shop. Richmond has great, great food.

@oldflings

MAT DIABLO

Mat Diablo is Sr. Program Manager at Slacker Radio.

What was the food highlight of your year?

My food highlight of the year doesn’t change much from year to year. It’s going home for the holidays and eating family-style Basque food at the JT Basque Bar & Dining Room in my hometown of Gardnerville, NV. They make a traditional cocktail called a Picon Punch that is the perfect accompaniment to tongue stew, cabbage soup, and lamb chops. That, and the fried oysters at Ranch 616 in Austin.

What was the music highlight of your year?

This was a year of finally getting to see bands that I loved as a kid but was either too young or too remote to have seen the first time around. This included, but was not limited to:

RFTC’s first show back at Bar Pink in SD, and then again on Halloween and at Riot Fest

The Dismemberment Plan, Superchunk, and Chuck Regan at Riot Fest Denver

The Ocean Blue at SXSW and Satellite in LA

The Residents at the Belly Up

And of course- the almighty Knapsack at The Void in SD.

Also, I flew to Reno for one night to see The Bronx play some shitty tweeker bar, I won $2500 at the casino across the street, and The Bronx killed everybody (as usual).

Honorable mention goes to Melt Banana and Retox at the Casbah, Parquet Courts at ACL, Twin Shadow at Casbah, and Speedy Ortiz at Soda Bar in SD.

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

A traditional sushi restaurant called Sushi Tadokoro opened up near the Casbah, and they’ve got the freshest sashimi, nicest chefs, and best omakase in town. It’s nice to have a… lighter alternative to La Posta, Dos Brasas, or El Zarape on show nights.

@matdiablo

KEVIN SECONDS

Kevin Seconds has fronted hardcore pioneers 7Seconds for 32 years. He also tours and records as a solo artist.

What was the food highlight of your year?

New China Restaurant in the Pocket area of Sacramento. The best veggie chinese food anywhere. They’re reasonably-priced and I ate there about 150 times this year.

What was the music highlight of your year? 

Seeing bands like X, Hot Water Music and Fucked Up a good amount of times throughout the year. Seeing Bob Mould and Superchunk once. Touring solo a ton and some amazing 7Seconds shows both here in the states and in Europe.

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

Europeans know how to feed and take care for weary and hungry musician visitors. At every festival and club date 7Seconds played over there this year, we ate some of the best homemade food we’ve ever eaten. American promoters, TAKE NOTE!