Akashic Books – Depeche Mode and Washington DC hardcore

What started as an independent publisher founded by the former bassist of Girls Against Boys and ex-member of Dischord’s Soulside in Brooklyn at the end of the 1990s has since seen an evolution that established Akashic Books as a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of publishers in terms of well-curated, quality books with a focus on attention to detail and the endeavour to make literature more accessible.

There are two recent releases that exemplify what is to love about Akashic as a publisher:

Given my weak spot for Depeche Mode and the 1980s at large, I got quite a few books on both the topic and the band, however, Depeche Mode: Monument takes things to the next level – not just in terms of extent with more than four hundred pages, but also in terms of how lovingly it is put together.

Having been released with the blessing of Mute Records, a label we recently covered, I would go as far as claiming that Monument is a borderline exhaustive visual account of the band’s catalogue and musical history.

Needless to say, there is an overload of eye candy with an array of never before published footage and given that one of the contributors hails from Germany, a part where Depeche Mode celebrated some most of their successes, their relationship with Teutonic heritage is illuminated, with accompanying essays, anecdotes and visuals focussing on their musical efforts and recordings, with less space being dedicated to the drama and clout around the band.

Not sure how the uninitiated would feel about the massive examination of all things Depeche Mode that makes the book Monument, but I’d be hard pressed to imagine that a fan would be anything less than enthused about it.

Let’s enter a time machine and head back to the end of the 1970s, take a couple of turns and look at one of the epicentres for what helped to shaped what became known as hardcore punk.

Spoke: Images and Stories from the 1980s Washington, DC Punk Scene is exactly what the title promises, i.e. detailing the history of the bands that contributes to one of the most relevant scenes in the alternative music cosmos.

 The main attraction here are live photos from the early heydays of bands like the usual suspect, e.g. Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Government Issue etc., but more interestingly other bands that are rarely document in other similar books on this matter, i.e. the fantastic Void, Swiz, my beloved Beefeater, Nation of Ulysses and others.

Having already been responsible for the Salad Days documentary, Scott Crawford hereby creates a captivating  coffee table equivalent that has intensity and immediacy reverberating from each and every page.

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http://www.akashicbooks.com

Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing

Being a dedicated biographer, researcher and music aficionado, Peter Guralnick has quite a portfolio in the realm of music related book releases, having had penned tomes about the lives of the who-is-who of rock royalty. Looking to Get Lost is in essence a collection of curated excerpts of his journalistic exposes along with editing and recent additions with the common denominator being Guralnick’s interest in them.

While being exposed to Guralnick’s writing will be illuminating for the uninitiated, a tad more structure would have added to the appeal as his elaborations lack context and information about how and when they were written. This would have added an interesting facet as around the time when some of the pieces emanated, they were hardly any other sources or magazine one could tap into for information.

However, if you look at it from a different angle, Looking to Get Lost could be perceived as Guralnick’s autobiography as his interactions with the greats of the music world and related anecdotes serve as milestones throughout his life and career.

An added bonus are not only Peter Guralnick’s endnotes but his song recommendations, which adds credence to the notion that the author is as passionate about the subject matter of his writings as his readers might be, i.e. written by a fan for fans, and thereby catering to an unlikely overly critical audience that won’t be disappointed by his essays.

A nice addition to your music related library and worth the price of admission for the chapters on Howlin’ Wolf and Jerry Lee alone. It could have been a tad more inclusive though, as I struggle to find more than one female artist covered.

Water of Life – The Firkin Whisky Co. and The Cannabis Co.

Unless you are a whisky fiend, the thought of how the initiated parlay about the merits of their favourite drops, let alone the brands themselves, will seem poncy to you and at times even detract you from trying – which is a shame as whisky should be about enjoyment no matter your level of expertise.

Enter Mike Collings and his Firkin Whisky Co.

With an unparalled pedigree in the realm of international whisky excellence with his roles including having been at the helm of the creation of a range of now well-established labels and distilleries for over forty years, Mike has set out to channel his alchemy in putting his own spin on the single cask malt market, poking good-natured fun and focussing on the proposition to get people to have fun and enjoy it.

What has become idiosyncratic for Firkin’s expressions is that each whisky is recasked into a custom double oak comprised of two types of oak – usually a first-fill Bourbon and a new Limousin oak with a custom char, which was previously seasoned with a fortified, soulmate wine to accentuate what is inherent in the characteristics of the whisky. Checking in every six months during the maturation process, Mike decides when his hand-crafted drops are ready have reached the depth of flavour he was going for.

Firkin Whisky Co. has currently four styles of whiskies, with each having deliberately distinctive attributes before getting the aforementioned trademark Firkin cask and maturation treatment: Firkin 10 is usually paired with a madeira cask finish. I tried a Benrinnes expressions and it proved to be an example par excellence for Firkin’s approach as the brightness of the whisky was not tamed but enriched with spiciness and citrus notes emanating from the cask treatment.

Firkin 49 is derived from the  Tullibardine Distillery and is married with a blend of amontillado and oloroso sherry, which adds nutty flavours to it.

The Marsala finish is used for the Islay expression, i.e. Caol Ila, which adds a delicate sweetness to the peat and smoke.

For the Firkin Rare, I had the fortune to taste the latest release, i.e. an Aultmore, whose musky, earth notes have been complemented by the richness of a tawny port.

The common denominator across the range is that each release is bottled at Firkin’s signature strength of 48.9% ABV, which not only enables to keep the need for filtration at bay but also pays homage to the years the founders were born in, i.e. 1948/49.

Apart from the whiskies, every facet of Firkin’s operations has a lot of attention to detail paid to, including the intricate labels and elaborate designs to reflect the craftmanship that goes into the creation.

Given what I have seen and tasted from The Firkin Whisky Co. and learned about Mike’s approach and philosophy I hope to be able to try his premium blended malts, i.e. Spencer Collings, the Imperial Tribute and the Founders 10-Y-O expressions.

Change of gear into gin territory…

Hemp has made many appearances in areas that it was shied away from over decades and with the advancement of the recognition of its benefits, it is having a moment and gaining acceptance when it comes to widespread mainstream acceptance.

Given the aforementioned, it was only a matter of time until we were to taste hemp based libations, to which the appropriately named Cannabis Co.  dedicated their efforts after hemp consumption became legal in Australia in 2017.

After launching their first hemp gin, The Myrcene, and selling out the entire stock within days before anyone having had a chance to taste it, I was curious to see what is behind the hype. While The Cannabis Co is not the only Australian distillery channelling their alchemy with hemp, what makes them stand out is the addition of aromatic oily compounds derived  from plants, fruits, flowers and seeds, which infuse idiosyncratic notes, essential smells and flavours to the distilling process.

Needless to say, Cannabis contains a myriad of those terpenes along with health and relaxation benefits, which adds another dimension to the indulgence of enjoying gin – at least in theory, as the question remains if the potency of the ingredients can survive the distillation process.

Since the first inception, Cannabis Co’s gin range has seen the release of other variants and expressions, further enhanced by the addition of Australian native botanicals.

As far as the gins are concerned, I would describe their Myrcene  expression as being inspired by the tradition of the classic London Dry Gin style, accentuated by a nice mouthfeel full of citrussy aromas sitting against a melange of piny, woody and spicy nuances.

The Jilungin Dreaming Hemp Gin not only contains the name giving Australian native botanical, but also lemongrass and cinnamon myrtle, which gives it a bit of a punch and a dominant sweetness sitting against a backbone of delicious nuttiness.

My favourite of the range is the High Seas Navy Strength expression, which not only clocks in at a higher ABV, but dials up the citrus spice as well, with the complex flavour profile meandering between grape fruity sweetness and gingery spiciness and lots of interesting half-tones in between.

Summa summarum, Cannabis Co delivers with three quality releases that offer ample opportunity for gin loves to experiment with new flavours.

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images from company websites

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Akasha Wooden Leg / Triple Haze & new T-Bone release

Akasha Brewing has experienced a well-earned meteoric rise in the world of hops and established itself firmly as a stalwart on the firmament of brewers, with accolades trickling in left, right and centre – which is not further wondrous as their operations and brewhouse have been custom-built from scratch with the flexibility to channel their alchemy in the creation of smaller speciality batches.

Their core range and specifically their Hopsmith and Mosaic IPAs as well as the Korben D IIPA have become trusted go-tos whenever I see them pop up on menus and being a fan of American hops, every time Akasha announces a new release, I get excited.

Akasha’s rebrand last year saw them not only establish an illuminati inspired hoppy watchful eye but also Akasha Projects, i.e. a dedicated space for limited and at times more experimental releases. The beauty with Akasha is that they never mess around or waste their time on gimmicky novelty releases – both consistency and quality is always at their core.

One of their new limited releases is a triple hazy IPA, which not only sounds delicious but is a veritable hop bomb that is accentuated by citrussy and limey highlights, which are backed by a warming ABV of a solid 10%; I teamed a can of the Triple Haze with a dram of peated Belgrove and it was divine.

Now, so far, so good.

Akasha also has limited releases that hop aficionados wait for every year as they only make appearances at certain times, like the triple IPA that goes under the guise of Wooden Leg, brewed specifically for the brewery’s birthdays.

In essence, the Wooden Leg is IPA porn – think piney, citrussy accentuated by a triumvirate of hops, i.e. Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial, resting on a backbone of delicately calibrated malty bitterness. The double digit alcohol content rounds out the delicious party that swirls in your mouth.

An interesting one is Akasha’s collaboration with Newstead Brewing, i.e. the Vampyre Lovers Red IPA, which as the name suggests, comes in a reddish hue.

Based on Sabro and Bru-1 American hops, it marries both a vanilla-esque fruity vibe with a nice pineappely bitterness. What sounds like a borderline contradictive combination works perfectly well, as the melange results in a citrussy cereal crescendo counterpointed by a core bitterness. Another example par excellence of how Akasha manages to experiment yet never at the expense of expertly brewed hoppy goodness.

Change of pace?

Well, not really, as in terms of quality and creativity, T-Bone Brewery out of Hobart, Tasmania has established itself as one of my favourites on terra australis.

I have been lusting for the new IPA from T-Bone Brewing for the longest time and could not wait to crack a tin of their 50/50 Hazy expression open. What tickled my nostrils was an array of fruity aromas, flanked by coconutty highglights. What the nose promised, is seamlessly transitioned onto the palate:

The delicate haziness is full of juicy pineapple and citrus flavours with the welcome dominance of the coconut coming through again, set against a foundation of Mosaic and Sabro Hops adding a nicely, low bitterness to the mix.

In essence the 50/50 Hazy IPA is a tour de force in hazy goodness and clocking in at an ABV 6.8%, extremely sessionable.

I cannot wait to visit Hobart for the Dark Mofo festival in June, so I can sample T-Bone’s beautiful hop emissions straight from the source.

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Bands and Flannel

Ah, the good ole flannel shirt – what would bands spurned from the advent of the grunge scene in Seattle and underground music at large from the mid-90ies have had to dress up in without it?

Be it what it may, the flannel shirt is one of the most versatile staples one could have in his wardrobe as it lends itself perfectly well for layering as well as to carve through colder climates. It can even be paired with more formal accessories to be worn in a casual business context. Summa summarum, the flannel is a dependable allrounder that takes one from season to season.

However, there are subtle difference when it comes to the manufacturing and branding. While the flannel is being adopted and reinterpreted on an ongoing basis by every demographic and subculture imaginable from punks to hypebeast, I have come to appreciate subtle nuances that make it resilient in tough environments yet stylish enough to wear on a date.

In essence, my main criterion is for flannels to be adaptable to serve as light jackets as well as on their own and that’s where Dixxon appeared on my radar.

What intrigued me about Dixxon was their affiliation with punk rock and hardcore when I was first introduced to their collaboration with Hatebreed, which resulted in a customised flannel.

Inspired by skate, punk / hardcore and motorcycle culture, and since its inception has refined its approach to creating their version of a flannel, i.e. one that fits well and does not shrink and fade after a couple of washes, which was achieved through their signature D-Tech proprietary fabric.

Being on the taller end of the height spectrum, I have come to appreciate Dixxon accommodating with longer body and sleeve lengths as well as hidden collar-stay buttons to keep the collar held in place and a box pleat for better range of motion and extra comfort in the chest, back, and shoulders without affecting the size or fit.

Subtle details like a microfiber cloth inside the bottom left corner to easily clean your glasses, or devices, without affecting the look or design as well as a hanging loop just above the neck label for easy hanging on most racks and hooks complement the picture with the mitered edge on the chest pockets and cuff ends being the cream on top of the cherry as it results in a tailored and designer finish.

Dixxon’s most recent punk and hardcore related limited release is a wonderful collaboration with Venice’s Suicidal Tendencies, which we recently covered.

The shirt design is based on the collation of show flyers and the way it is put together manages to expertly balance the chasm of exciting the dedicated hardcore aficionado as well as the uninitiated.

Needless to say, Dixxon has branched out into creating other gear as well with specifically their jacket range being not only affordable but a level of sturdiness and durability that most other contemporary labels cannot compete with, without ever losing its stylish touch.

I am looking forward to Dixxon’s upcoming band collaborations and how they are going to marry the respective band’s style with their idiosyncratic approach to creating quality apparel.

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images from company website