More from the Blackwater jazz jam, part two: Mike Rocha and full jam video

Mike Rocha at the Blackwater Cafe, Aug. 30, 2010. Photo by Ian Hill/The Record

Mike Rocha at the Blackwater Cafe, Aug. 30, 2010. Photo by Ian Hill/The Record

Trumpeter Mike Rocha, above, features prominently in my video of Monday’s jazz jam at the Blackwater Cafe in Stockton. He also was one of the night’s main attractions, as the jam served both as his birthday party and going-away party. Rocha is leaving Stockton to pursue his music education in southern California.

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More from the Blackwater jazz jam, part one: Suicidal Tendencies

My video from Monday night’s jazz jam at the Blackwater Cafe drew a comment on Facebook from Stockton musician Erin Odessa, who wondered if I had footage of a particularly amazing drummer from later in the evening. I do not; I left the Blackwater when my shift ended at 10 p.m. But according to local music supporter Ben Saffold, the drummer in question was Eric Moore from the nationally-known thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, among other acts.

I’ll have more footage from the jazz jam on this blog later today (hopefully).

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Sauteed sweetbreads, window one.

Two Linden sisters, Jamie and Lisa Freeman, are part of the new Food Network reality series “The Great Food Truck Race.” In a show synopsis on the Food Network website, it involves “seven real teams representing the country’s best food trucks” cooking across the country, and each week, the team that sells the most moves on.

The Freemans run Grateful Gypsy Bistro, which specializes in seasonal menu items. You can vote for them here, check out their web site here and watch for our story in Thursday’s LENS section.

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Stockton duo Craft Spells featured on Pitchfork

Congrats are due to the Stockton’s Justin Vallesteros and Frankie Soto – also known as the indie act Craft Spells - for earning praise and recognition from online critics across the country, including Pitchfork. The Chicago-based music site, which has been credited with helping to break Modesto Mouse and Arcade Fire, featured the duo’s track “Party Talk” Monday on its Forkcast blog.

Craft Spells is slated to release “Party Talk” as a 7-inch in September on the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based label Captured Tracks, which has U.S. distribution through my old sparring partners at Matador.

Want to hear more from Craft Spells? You can listen to three tracks from the band on – OMG! – 209Vibe!

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Ports visit Stockton elementary school

The Stockton Ports sent us this photo of Ports players Justin Murray, left, and Lance Sewell, right, during a recent visit to Wilhelmina Henry Elementary School in Stockton. The school had the highest percentage of students participate in the Ports’ Baseball by the Books five-week reading program. That accomplishment also earned the school a check for $1,000 that it will receive in on-field ceremony before today’s Ports game at Stockton Ballpark.

mr0828ports

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Ernie Mancuso finds a lightsaber

B-roll from my video of Mancuso painting a mural in Michael Klooster’s recording studio; the lightsaber toy belonged to Klooster’s son.

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Stockton concerts chat replay, and an IFG/SMG update

My live chat today on the local concert scene was really fun; thanks to everyone who participated. You can check out a replay of the chat below.

One topic that didn’t come up during the chat was Stockton city officials’ negotiations to buy out the existing, six-year-old contract with IFG, which has been criticized for not booking enough acts at Stockton Arena and other city-owned venues it manages. City officials have been eager to sign a new management deal with Pennsylvania-based SMG, which manages more than 220 entertainment venues worldwide and has a network of facilities in California.

During our live chat yesterday, Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston said she hopes a deal can be reached within the next month. Record City Hall Reporter Daniel Thigpen recently interviewed SMG Senior Vice President for Business Development Bob Cavalieri, who noted that if negotiations drag out longer, it could affect the corporation’s efforts to bring concerts to Stockton Arena this fall and winter.

Arena concert season typically begins in September or October and continues through April or May, Cavalieri said. That’s when bands begin to perform at outdoor venues.  Cavalieri said that the longer negotiations last with IFG, the more difficult it will be for SMG to book acts to perform before the end of arena season.

You’ll be able to read more about SMG this weekend in The Record.

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Snoop Dogg pre-sale / Cold chattin’ with the Ian

Pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. today for the Sept. 24 Ice Cube/Snoop Dogg show at Stockton Arena, according to IFG’s latest Stockton Insider email. For details, click the flier at right.

Tickets are $31-$130; full sale begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at StocktonTickets.com.

The show is being organized by FY Entertainment, which includes Stockton promoter Fred Godinez. Local music fans may recognize Godinez as the promoter behind the wildly successful Vicente Fernandez and Marco Antonio Solis concerts at the arena.

I’ll talk more about Godinez and discuss other local upcoming shows and events during a live chat at noon today on Recordnet.com. If you’re a local promoter or musician, you’re welcome to come by and talk about your upcoming shows and events. I’ll also take your questions on local entertainment.

The chat is free; a Recordnet.com subscription is not required to participate.

Don’t understand the reference in the title of this blog post? Click here for a dose of P.E.

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Deep fried delicious in downtown Stockton

Tara: Deep-fried anything is considered “county fair” or “state fair” type food.

It epitomizes diet death. It makes you feel bad about all consumed calories from the moment it pushes past your lips forward.

There’s also a ridiculous amount of delicious when you take a bite of a deep-fried dessert that’s made even grander when you find out how close a place offering deep fried Twinkies and Snickers is to your place of work.

We found one, on California Street, three minutes from The Record.

Genette Brookshire: Cali Street Grill – home of the Cali Cheese Steak & Stuffed Dog – offers a list of daily specials ranging from sandwiches to salads to hot dogs and chili cheese fries.

But the gems are hidden on the back of the menu. Deep fried Twinkies and Snickers with your choice of toppings: caramel or chocolate syrup for the Snickers; and caramel, chocolate or berry topping for the Twinkie. Whipped cream is optional.

We ordered the Twinkie with berry topping and whipped cream.

Tara: And we ordered the Snickers topped with caramel and chocolate.

We brought the delicacies back to the newsroom.

The first thing you do with a food like this is stare. You have to.

Because you wonder how many calories is in a thing that looks that gooey delicious, how many extra miles you’d have to run to burn them off and how you convinced yourself it was a good idea to pay $1.75 plus tax for it. Telling yourself it’s a deal doesn’t make it better.

The food stares back. It wants you to eat it.  So you do.

So we did.

The Snickers bar, up close and slightly blurry, below:

Genette: Can you call a deep fried Twinkie perfect? The battered exterior was perfectly crisp, giving way to the soft gooey interior. The berry sauce helped cut through the richness of the Twinkie and the whipped cream … well, it’s almost like the whipped cream legitimized it as a dessert. It no longer felt like a deep fried monster we should feel guilty about enjoying.

Tara: The Snickers bar was just as tasty, drizzled in chocolate and caramel. It was also topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It cut easily and went down quickly. That cliche that you can’t stop after one bite? So true in this case.

There was soon nothing left but excess chocolate goo.

Our verdict overall: We’ve decided it’s never the wrong time of the year to enjoy something deep fried. County and state fairs already gone by? No worries, just venture to downtown Stockton.

We’re considering a return trip. But doing so will likely require us to move an extra workout or two into our schedules.

Worth it? Oh yeah.

If you go: The Cali Street Grill is located at 38 N. California Street in downtown Stockton. The menu includes smoked tri-tip sandwiches,  hot dogs and salads.

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Healthy, healing and delicious

In the LENS section today, we have a story that shares the story of a woman who is working to educate people on the importance of tasty food for patients undergoing cancer treatments. Here are two recipes she developed that are nutritious and taste decadent.

Orange Pistachio Couscous
Note: Find the recipe for Magic Mineral Broth online at www.RebeccaKatz.com.
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous, rinsed in cold water
• 1 1/2 cups boiling Magic Mineral Broth or water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the pistachios in an even layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until aromatic and slightly browned. Let cool.
Meanwhile, combine the couscous and boiling broth in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
Add the cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper, stir and fluff with a fork. Spread the couscous on a sheet pan, rake with a fork, and let cool to room temperature.
Combine the couscous, mint, scallions, juices, orange zest, olive oil, raisins, and pistachios and mix well, then taste and adjust seasoning. You may need to add a pinch or two of salt, a squeeze of lemon, or a dash of olive oil to balance the flavors. (Store, refrigerated, up to four days. The flavor deepens as it sits.)
Variation: Make this a meal in a bowl by adding 1 cup of cooked chickpeas at the end.
Makes six servings.
Source: Rebecca Katz, www.rebeccakatz.com

Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Ingredients
• 1 cup dried lentils, such as Le Puy green lentils, rinsed well
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced small
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 ounces organic feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Combine the lentils, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and cover with water or broth by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the lentils thoroughly and discard the whole spices.
In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin and salt together. Toss the lentils with the vinaigrette, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Stir in the bell pepper, cucumber, olives, mint and parsley and combine, then taste and season as needed with another pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, or lemon juice. Serve with the feta cheese sprinkled over the top. (May be stored, chilled in an airtight container, 3-5 days.)
Makes six servings.
Source: Rebecca Katz, www.rebeccakatz.com

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