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The Formative Years – Iconic venues, Pt. 1

How could a series on iconic venues possible start without paying homage to one of the most legendary rock venues in the history of music, i.e. CBGB’s. With a history dating back to the early 1970s, it would be impossible to ever do justice to the significance of the place and what it meant for a myriad of artists and musical styles as a forum and maternity ward and launch pad for underground bands.

Having been socialised with punk and hardcore, what I learned about 315 Bowery from afar in the new world took on almost mythical proportions, framed and enhanced by live recordings, photographic evidence and specifically Bri Hurley’s Making a Scene: New York Hardcore in Photos, Lyrics, and Commentary, which painted a picture of CBGB’s as the third place for punk and hardcore protagonists.

Needless to say, upon my first visit to the US, I had to experience it myself in all its grimy beauty.

I vividly recall venturing there by myself, prepared for an evening dedicated to taking it all in as an observant.  Upon stepping over the threshold, the first person I met was Army veteran, Hardcore/Punk rock icon, accomplished gentleman and CBGB jack-of-all-trades, Brendan Rafferty.

We only had met a few months prior during the European tour of his band SFA, where for one of the local dates he and his worthy constituents were accommodated in the woods not too far from my parent’s house, an occurrence which he immediately remembered. He introduced me to everyone, showed me around (including a tour of one of the most remarkable bathroom facilities, which have been immortalized in the Met’s PUNK: Chaos to Couture exhibition), and the next five nights of my stay in NYC I visited him and CB’s at the end of every night to watch whoever played there, meet quite a few of the characters of the NYHC scene and party with new acquaintances. On my last night after closing CBGB’s down for the day, Brendan and I shot the shit into the wee hours of the morning sitting at the front desk – I almost missed my early morning flight back and would not have made it without him giving me a lift to pick up my bags.

Many visits followed over the next years, all of which are associated with great memories, with the last one in 2004, two years before it officially closed its doors on October 15th, 2006.

CBGB’s was much more than a venue and a landmark, it was a cultural incubator, whose significance reverberates to this very day.

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image (uncredited) from www.cbgb.com

Water of Life – Husk Distillers

When I started this series a couple of years ago, I highlighted that the Australian spirits scene is thriving, with distilleries mushrooming manifold. What in the current day and age had initially its objectives set on the creation of gin and whiskey, eventually branched out into the creation of other variants as well – specifically rum, whose history on terra australis dates back to the eighteenth century when the implications of its import and the resulting popularity earned the local troops the not exactly flattering telling moniker “Rum Corps”.

In 2020, Australian rum distilleries have refined their art, specifically in Queensland where the range of fine and varied rums created from the local world class sugar cane.

Husk Distillers is the venture of the Messenger family, who set out to create their own plantation distillery on their cattle and cane farm in the Northern region of New South Wales with the objective to create a paddock to bottle agricole rum with a unique Australian twist as the local terroir and provenance plays a prominent role in all aspects of the creation.

However, the production of their Husk Rum comes with limitations as it can only be produced from freshly crushed cane juice, which limits the window of opportunity to harvest season from August to November. Not unlike many whiskey distilleries do, the alternative for the interim while the rum was maturing, was the creation of gin. Given Husk Distillers’ willingness to push the boundaries in every form imaginable, they set out to challenges people’s perception of what gin can be.

Enter Ink Gin.

As the name suggests, Husk’s gin variant is an idiosyncratic one, with the core expression getting its uniqueness from the use of local botanicals as well as the play with colour: As soon as tonic is added, the colour changes from deep blue to purple due to the Thai flower clitoria ternetea channelling its magic once it is added post-distillation through floral infusion. The colour change is caused by the pH sensitivity of the flower, which triggers the transformation once acid or Tonic water is added.

Taste wise, the nostrils are tickled by a melange of piney, citrussy notes with juniper at the core and centre. On the top of the mouth sweet citrus, orange and myrtle unfold their flavours in all their glory, framed by floral highlights, which find their culmination in the elongated yet crisp finish, counterpointed by the warmth and welcomed bitterness that the pepper berries create.

Husk’s slightly Ink Sloe & Berry Gin is their own take on classic English sloe gin recipe, with the adage of Australian rosella flowers being the defining factor, as their crispy and tarty flavour characteristics counterbalance the nature of the other sweeter botanicals. Clocking in at a considerably lower ABV of below 30%, this makes an excellent sipper without necessitating any other additions – even for the untrained palate.

Summa sumarum, Husk Distiller’s Ink Gins are definitely a showpiece, which deliver on all fronts, starting with the bottle design, the colour change gimmick and the interesting flavour combinations derived from thirteen organic botanicals, which make it highly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, Husk Distiller’s emissions are wildly popular and their expressions almost sell out immediately, so I was not able to sample their Spiced Bam Bam and Triple Oak rums, however, if their Husk Pure Cane unaged Agricole is anything to go by, I will be in for a treat:

Made from Husk’s own sugar cane and double distilled after fermentation, each batch is seasonal and reflects that year's vintage, the seasons, the soil, the terroir, which in the case of my sample was a vibrant and fresh that excelled in being a softer variant of Caribbean white agricoles with its grassy and creamy flavours – an ideal basis for cocktails.

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image from company website

Nat’s What I Reckon: Un-Cook Yourself

Penguin Random House

This book is the culmination of a big year for its author ant the main protagonist Nat. Known and loved for his immensely popular YouTube channel Nat’s What I Reckon, stand-up shenanigans and related often satirical public appearances, the first literary emission focusses on the journey to become a more authentic self, which is informed by nine milestones.

With his approach equally informed by piss taking, a persiflage of self-help books and his idiosyncratic wit and charm, there is a genuine message at the core of each of his tongue-in-cheek elaborations of his “rules”, which thematically are often centred around mental health and other social commentary. One could claim that Un-Cook Yourself is the smart, ratbag and more relevant equivalent to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

If you are an aficionado and love his previous output, you will be enthused by this extension of his offerings, which is framed by his beloved trademark recipes and set in scene via cartoon illustrations.

For the uninitiated, especially those far away from terra australis, the book will offer an additional layer of enjoyment as Australiana, swearing and local vernacular are an integral part of the delivery. The fact that it is always delivered deadpan and in an effortless authentic manner, make his musings on the need to be relatable, genuine and thereby more enjoyable to than those of his contemporaries.

Water of Life – Baron Otard

When it comes to established distilleries with a long-lasting legacy, Otard ranks high with its two hundred twenty-five-year long history. Founded by Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard, the nomenclature of Otard’s expressions is an homage to his grandfather, who after fighting within the rank of Louis XIV, was made a baron. As if that is not enough to make for a compelling background story, the family owns the pittoresque Chateau de Cognac, i.e. a veritable castle with its catacombs providing a borderline ideal environment to age cognac in.

The first Baron Otard expression I have been exposed to is the VSOP bottling. Living up to its fulminant history, the drop comes in an elegantly shaped, exquisitely designed decanter, which aesthetically sets the scene for the enjoyment of the drop.

On the nose, sublime fruity aromas dominate with interesting notes of peaches, oranges and interesting spicy streaks.

What materializes on the top of the mouth is a complex, viscous full-bodied melange of tobacco, raisins and oak, accentuated by vanilla highlights, which resonates quite well with me being a whisky aficionado.

The mid-length finish bookends the experience by integrating the aforementioned flavours into a fulminant whole.

Ready to dial things a notch or two up?

While the presentation of the VSOP bottle was already a visual delight, the Baron Otard XO Gold Cognac takes things to the next level with its teardrop shaped design.

With the XO signifying the “extra old” age of the eaux-de-vie that was used to make the blend, with the youngest in this case having a minimum age of seven years. Sourced from mainly the Grande Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois regions, the whole constituents something bigger than the sum of the individual components would suggest:

What tickles the nostrils is an exercise par excellence in an expertly blended melange of floral, honeyed and nutty notes, backed by delicate hints of old leather, prunes and cedarwood, which in some aspects I find it reminiscent of fortified wines.

On the palate, honey and acacia flavours fully unfold their magic, based on a foundation of juicy plums, blackcurrant and figs, which is delicately counterbalanced by hints of grilled almonds.

Calling the finish elongated would be an understatement as the crescendo of brown sugary butterscotch flavours are amplified by hints of dark chocolate.

Given the exquisiteness of both Baron Otard’s VSOP and the XO Gold expressions, a visit to the distillery will be mandatory once travel restrictions ease.

The Formative Years – Compilations pt. 2

Let’s start of the second instalment of this serious with a compilation that I find to be criminally underrated and what most of my contemporaries rate to be a negligible release. There was a time when Kent McLard and the anti-consumerist and DIY approach of his label Ebullition Records was hugely appealing to me ever since I came across the first Downcast 7”.

The compilation Give Me Back was the fourth release on Ebullition – a benefit compilation, with profits meant to be given to the Planned Parenthood, Shelter for Women, and the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce charities. The first press was accompanied by an elaborate 12x12” booklet cover and it introduced to a range of fantastic new bands, some of whose tracks on this compilation have not been released anywhere else.

I was hooked on first listed as Born Against, Sawhorse, Econochrist, Spitboy, Downcast and the band fronted by Ian MacKaye’s sister, i.e. Desiderata were nothing short of awesome.

The next one is a sure shot for anyone remotely into 1980s punk and hardcore and how could a compilation compiled, curated and illustrated by Pushead not be awesome? I covered Pushead’s 100 not too long ago and to some extent, this compilation is a vinyl equivalent to the list as it contains contribution from bands from all corners of this earthround. Apart from the usual suspects like 7 Seconds, the Instigators, the fantastic Siege, Poison Idea, one of Germany’s finest, i.e. Inferno, Septic Death and Corrosion of Conformity, it introduced me to the brilliant Part 1, bands like Mob 47 and Crude SS from Sweden, Civil Dissident from Australia, The Execute from Japan, the amazing Zyklome A and the Australian Extreme. With the artwork being one of my personal faves out of Pus’ oeuvre, this compilation is one of my top ten.

Aggressive Rockproduktionen (AGR) was a German punk label based in the Western Part of Berlin and after being founded in 1980, dominated and coined Teutonic punk rock with an array of classic releases, e.g. Slime, Toxoplasma und Canal Terror.

The compilations Soundtracks zum Untergang 1 captures the unbridled and vicious nature of German punk rock with early songs of such fantastic bands like Middle Class Fantasies, Offensive Herbst 87, Hass, Slime, ZK, Razors and Daily Terror. Not too long after its release, it was blacklisted and only available in a censored version with irritating bleeps on some of the songs.

Part 2 of Soundtracks zum Untergang was dedicated to the “new German punk-underground” and introduced us to bands like Canal Terror, Neurotic Arseholes with their hymn “Kalte Steine”, Notdurft, Marionetz and Blitzkrieg.