Rock’n Me | Loreley Beer Garden | Ace Bar | Sophie’s | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
This is the first Steve Miller Band song on Week to Week Notes and it reminds me of a conversation I had with my uncle who said in the 80s everybody would go through a phase around their sophomore year of high school listening to them. Around my sophomore year was when we really started listening to Drake, Mac Miller, could throw Wiz Khalifa in there, and of course Levels by Avicii. I don’t really remember listening to too many band albums front to back and my theory is that:
1) Bands today/10 years ago don’t seem to be as big as they used to be compared to singular artists. (That said, there are still plenty of great bands out there of course.)
2) iTunes, Soundcloud, and eventually Spotify really made it easy for the listener to go through an album once or twice, pick a few songs they like and then add to their own playlist. It has to be tough for artists/bands today because you’re so incentivized to just try to make a bunch of hit singles thrown into one album rather than songs with an album theme.
If the song choices for Week to Week Notes ever feel completely sporadic, it’s kind of by design, this would almost be like what would be on my shuffle playlist if say I had 1,500+ songs. I also just want to Note that I don’t think I’m really all that unique in that I listen to a bunch of different genres, I’d say most people my age have a similar listening pattern. My sophomore shuffle was filled with hip/hop superstars, a bunch of alt-rock hit singles, some EDM, hidden T-Swift obvi (should go without saying duh), and then some 70s/80s/90s classics like Rock’n Me by Steve Miller Band.
This tune came out on Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle in May of 1976. Economically speaking, the 1970s was a rough patch in American history. There was a recession at the start of the 70s followed by an unemployment rate that doubled from what it was prior (3.8% in 1965 to 8.2% in 1975). Singer clearly needs to find a job for his girl.
This song became Steve Miller Band’s 2nd #1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Great catchy chorus. One of those songs you can have on repeat in the background while you’re doing something and you’ll just be head nodding for hours to it. Wait that’s just me?
Well, I was in Phoenix, Arizona,
never been to Tacoma,
drove through Philly, haven’t seen LA.
Nooo California, where all Team USA girls are born,
…Ahh should have just kept it to the first part, played too much. That’s all I got…
Great tune! Thank you for keep on-a rock’n reading me!
On to some great Pints…
Guinness Challenge Season #1
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Rock’n Me by Steve Miller Band
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Beer garden in the back. A lot of flowers and plants inside. They also have a nice outside with a large tent. Evan is the bartender and he’s been here about a year & a half. They fry a great buffalo wing. Jäger schnitzel is recommended. German, American, and Mexican types of bar food. A great mix of options on the menu. German beers are their top sellers. The top beer is the Weihenstephan Hefeweizen. They also have a nice cold brew martini, which was the official drink of NYC in ‘22.
Loreley Beer Garden is an awesome spot for the summer if you’re looking for an outdoor garden. During the winter they also have the largest heated outdoor beer garden in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Starting Wednesday you can join their Margarita Beach Club. They have a solid Guinness, but the head top was a bit too small on mine, not enough bitterness. Remember to try the Weihenstephan Hefeweizen and tell them Week to Week Notes sent ya! I look forward to grabbing another pint at Loreley Beer Garden again soon!
Song On In The Background: There Goes the Fear by Doves
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Diana is the bartender. She has been here for 2 years at Ace and 9 years in The City. “It is my favorite place to live.” Bar’s bar, no food. A lot of beers and shots, not a cocktail bar, but old fashions are Diana’s favorite to make. She is originally from Bulgaria. Ace Bar has Big Buck Hunter the arcade shooting game, 2 pool tables, 2 dart boards, and a skee ball. They have vintage lunch boxes on display taking up a full wall next to the bar. Ace’s has been around for “a while.” Knicks just started Game 5 against Cleveland.
Ace Bar opened its doors to East Village in 1992 and was immediately a neighborhood hotspot widely considered a center of the counterculture in NYC. They have a policy of "no pretense, no fuss, just fun" atmosphere. It is a very large spot with plenty of activities. Not only do they have 2 pool tables, 2 dart boards, Big Buck Hunter, and skee ball, but they have pinball as well. The Guinness head top was a bit too big, making it a little overly bitter. I look forward to hanging out and getting another pint at Ace’s again soon!
Song On In The Background: Sympathy for the Devil by Rolling Stone
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Pool table. The sister bar of Josie’s. Bar’s bar. A photo of Howard is hanging up behind the bar. The bar patron next to me just said “he was the smartest man I’ve ever met.” I’m not really getting much else traction. They got PAC Man in the corner with a jukebox. Sophie’s was founded over 100 years ago and has remained a dive bar along the way. Anthony Bourdain and Nick Tosches visited this spot for the show called No Reservations. Jeff Bridges has also been seen hanging out at Sohpie’s.
One of the few places left in New York where an old guy like myself could go to drink the heart right out of the afternoon. I stole that line from Anthony Bourdain RIP (See YouTube Rabbithole for his visit to Sophie’s). Sophie’s is a very cool old-school bar where what you see is what you get. A lot of old-time regulars who knew each other by name. The pool table had some serious competition. Solid head top of Guinness, on the foamy side of things. I look forward to getting another pint at Sophie’s again soon!