Ranch Road Roasters (Ethiopian Abana)

Oh man... FINALLY!

I have finally opened (and nearly finished, as of this post) my last bag of beans from the March stash.  Everything else in my coffee stash is from May and June, so I'm eager to dive into the newest batches as there are quite a few I have been looking forward to tasting. 

Today's post is all about the beans I picked up at Ranch Road Roasters.  When I was at their shop back in March, I bought two bags of Ethiopian Abana beans: one washed and one natural.  The peeps at Ranch Road were happy to pause and explain the different processing methods -- even though there was a line of customers waiting behind me.

I had reviewed the washed beans version of the Ethiopia Abana beans back in June, so I was curious if the naturally processed coffee beans would be significantly different.

But first - here are a couple of sites [one and two] that outline the differences between washed verses natural processing.

Okay, let's get on with the coffee!

Right away, I taste dried apricot along with other subtle fruit notes - I didn't pick up on the nectarine or papaya as noted on the bag.  Maybe their "candied orange" is the dried apricot I'm picking up in the front. 

After that first sip, I'm tasting traditional, subtle fruit and coffee notes found in my favorite Ethiopian coffees. This coffee has a delicate flavor that's full and satisfying.  As with other Ethiopian coffees I enjoy, I do not recommend a dash of milk or syrups with this one.  The flavors are not complex but, it's full and rewarding.

My awesome girlfriend, Patty, tasted the tanginess of the nectarine at first  but did not like it as much. It's an acquired taste for her as she much prefers coffees with hints of berries and a smoother aftertaste.

And finally, here's a link to a different roaster that is selling this coffee and tells a bit more about the story behind the roaster and their processing. I applauded roasters who take the time to break down the details on the coffee and its preparation.

My Texican skate deck setup

I've mentioned this deck in previous posts, so I wanted to use this post to talk about my new favorite skateboard set up (sorry Snake Farm, but you'll always be my first).

The Snake Farm deck (see March 2 post) was my first skateboard in... 20 years!  It's a traditional popsicle shape deck, which was perfect for me as I was looking for a standard deck to see if I *really* wanted to sink myself into skating.  But also -- I didn't want to buy something cheap and meaningless.

The Snake Farm deck is made in Mexico by PS Stix and (at the time) Snake Farm had just signed a southside Houston skater to their roster... so I felt good about supporting them.  :)  The trucks are industry standard Independence Trucks - Stage 11s and my wheels on that deck are Spitfires.

So overall, a solid set up that felt comfortable and enabled me to start learning more and more alongside my oldest son -- the only reason I started skateboarding again.

As I skated around at various parks in Texas and Oklahoma, I began to consider what I liked and didn't like about the popsicle set up.  

I felt like I needed more real estate in the front for my foot and a more pronounced tail in the back to rest my other foot.  While I was in traveling in the Dallas area, I stopped by Geometric Skateshop to look at various decks.  The Powell Peralta Old School Ripper deck was definitely bigger, but felt too big and wide... like I was riding on a surfboard!  

Then I tried out the P&P GeeGah deck and I liked the shape and feel.  The nose was wider than the back while the tail had a little more space and concave to solidly plant my right foot.  So, I had made up my mind......... to think about.

After a few weeks, and even trying out someone else's deck that was similar to what I was seeking, I was ready to find my next deck.  A friend introduced me to Texican Skateboards and, after checked out the deck styles he had available, I was immediately on board with buying a deck from him.  

Texican is a one-man operation -- run by a guy named Frank Gardner.  As I learned more about him and Texican, I was even more enthusiastic:  He's based in Houston, his decks are made in Georgia and he drives there to pick up the blanks himself... then he shapes and paints each one at his shop in Houston.  He's 100% into what he does because it's his lifelong passion.  He also takes several months off each year to travel north to explore as many skateparks as possible.  When I say north, I mean from Texas to Montana and North Dakota!

Plus, I like that design on the bottom.

Frank recommended I check out Cherries Wheels, based in Austin, as I had mentioned my desire to buy from local business.  Frank uses their Big Boys wheels and had an extra set in his van in case he needs to replace them while traveling.  I checked out Cherries Wheels at Southside Skateshop and was sold on the Smoke Bombs... which were only 1mm bigger than the wheels I was using on my Skate Farm.

And finally, Independent Trucks had just re-released their Stage 4 trucks - which many say have more of a smoother turning radius... like riding a surfboard.  This would be ideal for the Texican as I requested wheel wells get carved into the deck to help prevent wheel bite.

The verdict: This set up is exceptionally fun.  I truly love everything about it: the wheels have a great bite but also slide nicely when pushed.  I love love love those Stage 4 trucks and really can't see myself ever wanting to go back to Stage 11s.  The Stage 4s have a smooth, flowy feel to them when taking turns and hitting ramps / bowls.  The Stage 11s are more aggressive on the turns.  The way the 4s are built - I wonder if Independence was trying to emulate the feeling of riding on a wave.  Perhaps others can explain the difference better than I.  All I know is that they are smooth and flowy.

The deck is also fantastic.  I feel a bit more confident riding on ramps and more with the wider deck.  I'm not one to do lots of tricks (for now).  I mainly just want to ride with confidence and enjoy the skating experience.

So yeah, this is the deck I'm taking with me in September along with the Fuji and a desire to enjoy the outdoors.

Bluebonnet Coffee Company (Blanco, TX)

Oh man... on one hand, I feel that I shouldn't be purchasing so much coffee when I travel.  But, on the other hand, it's not like this stuff goes bad as long as it's stored properly.  As one roaster put it... it's basically just roasted wood.  Allegedly, the intensity of the flavours are lost after a few months... or when you open the bag.  However, after opening this bag - it still smelled wonderfully sweet.  And the brew had an excellent aroma.  

So, it's with a slightly guilty conscious that I post this coffee review as I had picked up this bag of beans back in March when I was traveling to the central part of Texas with my sons.

I'm constantly preaching about how much I adore Ethiopian coffees as well as some South American roasts.  This batch from Bluebonnet Coffee Company (Blanco, Texas) is outside of my normal range of preferred coffees... and I like it!!!

The Leticia Lopez roast from the Finca La Unica Farm in Honduras has a special something... subtle yet satisfying.  The mellow dark fruits in the front with a maple syrup finish is delicious but not overly sweet or artificial tasting.  I found this coffee to be a fantastic morning brew with mild acidity when poured as a drip coffee.  Perhaps a dash of milk would go well with this roast, but it's a bit on the mellow side with flavours, so go light on the blending.

The labeling says the coffee is honey processed.  What's that?  Well, read here to find out more!  I should note that maaaaybe, my palette is playing tricks on me... but I swear I can taste a hint of honey in the finish.  It's not like honey-flavoring or anything... just a delicate, sweet roasted honey note.  I like it!

Oh, one additional note: I keep my coffees in their original bags and then, I store those in a large insulated cooler.  Perhaps that extra wall of storage helps? 

Mini-tour recap and upcoming coffee reviews

The mini tour in Texas (see June 21 blog post for details) went very well on several fronts: positive gigs, finding exceptionally good coffee roasters, checking out some great (and one not so great) skatepark, and most importantly - being around some amazing and beautiful people!   So, I'll start by talking about the first stop of the tour: Denton.

We started our series of gigs on Friday night at Killer's Tacos - which was about to be sold off and turned into a different venue.  Killer's vegetarian menu was pretty outstanding -- and I should know because I ordered four of their vegetarian tacos! I thought the sound system was really good and the vibe pretty chill. I've been told that when the place re-opens later this year, the vibe will still be the same.

Saturday morning, I checked out two coffee places and both were beyond amazing.

[NOTE: Photo of my coffee haul at the bottom of this post. I'll post extensively about the coffee roasters I visited in an upcoming post.  There's a lot to discuss!]

After coffee, I went to my first skate stop: Roanoke Skatepark.  I had been to Roanoke before (see post on March 31) and wanted to check it out using my new-ish Texican deck.  You know, I need to write about the Texican deck and the main man before the craft, Frank Gardner.  Again, I'll put a pin in that statement for a future post.

Watauga Skatepark

As last time, Roanoke was super fun, although I didn't go into the bowl this time as it was busy with other skaters.  Still a first class park and very well maintained.

Next park was the Watauga Skatepark.  It's a small park (see photo) but perfect for a beginner / intermediate level skater.  The small covered bench area was highly appreciated as the temperatures was reaching close to 95!

After that, I drove from Fort Worth to Waco and checked out the Sul Ross Skatepark.  Oh man, this place was my favorite of the three this day - mainly because of the long pool feature.  Super clean park with lots of subtle ebbs in the concrete that makes riding a blast.  I wish I could have spent a lot more time here but (a) it was almost 100 degrees outside and (b) I kinda really needed to get back on the road to Austin for a gig that night.  But man, I can't wait to find an excuse to go back there.

My weapon of choice: an IYV 300 Guitar

The gig in Austin was at a house called Arnold House... because it's on Arnold Street.  House shows can be loads of fun, but a major challenge for me as I need a serious PA system to help push the drum machine at level with the guitar.  

Luckily, I have known the people in Shipwrecked and Self-Checkout Renaissance and I asked if one of their members could play an impromptu minute set with me.  

Josh from Self-Checkout got volunteered to play drums for my set and we played a cracking 30 minute impromptu kraut rock set.  I was super pleased with how it turned out and so was everyone else... who thought it was my normal set!

Sunday morning - got up and out to pick up a bag of beans at Greater Goods... but... I saw a review for a place called Progress Roasters that was on my route to Greater Goods and... well... I had to check it out.

Progress Coffee Roasters is located near downtown Austin, just off the highway.  It doesn't have a great view, but man oh man, what a great coffee place!  I ordered a cup of standard black - which was a Central American blend.  Normally, that's not my thing, but it was well done and flavorful.  I picked up a bag of their Ethiopian and hit the road again for Greater Goods.

Now, in my post from February 14th, I made note about a coffee I enjoyed at the Bernie Bean.  Bernie Bean featured a re-branded coffee from Greater Goods as THEIR coffee... but after a little digging, found out that their coffee was sourced at Greater Goods and the coffee I fell in love with was a Costa Rican bean.

Arnold House  (Austin, TX)

So, as you can imagine, part of my objective for this tour was to make a stop at Greater Goods and pick up a bag of this incredible batch.

And now... with treasures of coffee beans safely tucked away in the car, I sped off to find the next series of skateparks.

My first skatepark of the day was at Mueller Skatepark. I noted that while Google Maps notes the park as Gaylord Sackler Memorial Park, all the signs at the park say Mueller Park.  Apparently - the park has both names officially.  But... what's most important was how nice this park is.  AND, it has a pump track!  I really had a blast at this park, even though it was freakishly hot.

My next stop was at the Jackson Tyler Norris Memorial Skatepark (see photo below).  I loved this park too!  Nice ramps, clean and well maintained, and so much fun.  I thoroughly enjoyed this park and was disappointed when I couldn't spend more time there due to being super hot and tired.

So, with a couple of bottles of fresh, cold water in the car, I drove off to Houston... but had a note to stop in Sealey as I wanted to see their park next.

Jackson Tyler Norris Memorial Skatepark
& my Texican deck

However, I knew there was a park or two on my way to Houston -- specially at a place called power plant skatepark.  More specifically, the Smithville Powerplant Skate Park.

Once I arrived, I was intrigued as it looked kind of small, but well used.  However, once I got wheels on the ground, it was apparent that the park suffered from a lack of maintenance.  The graffiti didn't bother me at all, it was the crumbling concrete and dirt build up all around.  If you click on the link to the park - you'll see photos of how it looked when it opened.  But today, it's a sad and neglected.  I hope the city / parks board does something to give the skatepark a little love.

So, I didn't spend much time at all at the Smithville Powerplant Skatepark and was back on the road to Sealy, Texas.  That park was diametrically the opposite of Smithville!

Both are small, but Sealy's skatepark is very clean, well-maintained, and great for beginners.  Smithville looked rough around the edges, but expert skaters might enjoy the challenge of the place.

I enjoyed the Sealy skatepark a lot... mainly because I could skate it without getting stopped by rocks / broken bits of pavement.  Nice but also nothing special.  If you're traveling near Sealy, Texas and you have your deck... give it a spin!

Anyway, I made it to Houston and got to the venue just in time to get set up and soundcheck for the set.  The gig went well, but it was super sad to note that it was Shipwrecked's last gig for a long time as their drummer is moving to (ugh) Santa Monica.  :D

All in all, a great three day trip with friends, coffee, and lots of skateboarding... and almost dying from heat exhaustion!!! 

Self-Checkout Renaissance (Houston gig)

Shipwrecked (Houston gig)

Look at all that roasted bean goodness!!!

A Different Kind of Tour (no band this time)

I had hinted about this a while ago on my Instagram accounts, but here we are for the big reveal!  Yup - instead of touring for band promotion, I am hitting the road to enjoy traveling for a change and have fun exploring trails and parks.

Typing that sentence out is weird for me as I've spent 14+ years planning tours based on where my band can perform and how much distance we can "reasonably" tackle between cities.  Touring life - contrary to popular belief - is neither glorious nor fun.  It's a race from city to city, trying to stay awake, friendly, fed, passably sober and, not go broke in the process.  All in the name of trying to increase your fan base.  Many times, it's a thankless and frustrating experience and must be done with a degree of consistency for it to "work".

And now, with the passing of time, I don't have an interest in that lifestyle.  Often when I was on tour, I would wish I had more leisure time to explore the cities we stopped at and just enjoy the community and the surrounding countryside.  

I started embracing that concept on my last few tours with Stockhausen & The Amplified Riot -- taking my bike and/or my skateboard and giving myself extra time between gigs to enjoy the experience.  And now... I'm ditching the band aspect completely and focusing on exploring the bike trails and skateparks without any band pressure.

And so, below is my plan of travel for late September [edit: November].  I'll be packing up my trusty Nissan Rouge with my bike, skateboard, and whatever else I need for the journey.

Along the way, I'll also check out local breweries and (most importantly) coffee roasters!  I'll have a large, insulated bag so I can keep the bags of coffee protected as I drive from place to place over the course of two weeks.

My goal is not to achieve hundreds of miles of bike riding - it's to enjoy the trip and check out the bike trails and skate parks that I had to drive past when I used to hustle for band work.

In other bike news, I'll be training for the Hotter'n Hell bike ride (100 miles) in August and the Bike Around the Bay (174 miles) in October.

Other big endeavors on the horizon - I'm planning on late Spring 2024 to ride on the Great Allegheny Passage.  This route will take about 10 days to complete and cover 500 miles from Pittsburgh, PA to Harpers Ferry, WV and back.  I'm planning to do this ride instead of the MS150. I'd like to do the MS150 again... but I feel there's some changes that will need to be made in the management of the ride for it to become enjoyable again.

I know there are plenty of riders and groups that can accomplish these rides / routes in far less time... but my goal is not to crush miles under my wheels in the name of distance.  I want to enjoy the sights, sounds (solitude) and nature and be able to enjoy these rides while I still can do them.  :) 

Tour, Skate, Chill

It's time for another quick tour around Texas for Stockhausen and the Amplified Riot. 

This time, I'll be touring with my friends from Shipwrecked and Self Checkout Renaissance - both from Baton Rouge.  I'm super excited to travel with these awesome bands - and also excited to be hitting up a few new skate parks along the way!

Here's how it's looking for this weekend:

I've hit up Roanoke before during a tour last March - and it was a fun, easy riding park.  But the others will all be new to me.  I'm especially looking forward to Gaylord Sackler skate park because it has a pump track!

I'll also (of course) be checking out coffee roasters - especially in Austin.  I was looking forward to hitting up Texas Coffee Traders but they will be closed by the time I make it into town.

Ranch Road Roasters and recent Houston gig

It's been weirdly busy but also - not so bad that I am stressed out or lacking time to do the things I love... like drink coffee!  Note: I'm only slightly exaggerating. 

I picked up this bag of beans a few months ago (I know... shame on me for waiting so long!) at the Ranch Road Roasters in downtown Fredericksburg, Texas.  I have to give credit to the staff at Ranch Road for being patient - even with a line of customers behind me - for taking time to explain their coffees.  The staff brought out their head roaster who also took some time to explain to me (and everyone within earshot) of their roasting methods with the various beans.

So now, after a few months, I finally made it to this batch!  I have been searching for more information on the Ethiopia Abana Anderacha Lot - but very, very little can be found... which is frustrating because this is a pretty special coffee. 

With my first sip, this coffee starts off mild and blooms slowly with lemon, honey, and a floral coffee finish.  It may be mild, but the "fruit" notes of the coffee stay on my palate after sipping -- this is a good thing!  I don't like milk in my coffee but I could see a dash of oatmilk going well with the sweet, fruity coffee notes of this brew.

For this coffee, I used a slightly finer grinding setting than I would normally use for Ethiopian and the results were quite good. The coffee fruit and floral essence came out much stronger on the finer grinding settings.  Also, I normally like to wing it when I'm making coffee, but for my initial tasting, I kept to the golden ratio so I could bring out the complex notes of the coffee properly. 

In other news: I played a gig at The End last week with my friends form the band Sex Mex, Pathos and Logos, and Rhizomata.  

I've played gigs with Sex Mex several times and I've seen them when they were a three-piece, a duo, and now.. and four-piece band.  Each time I see them, they always deliver an outstanding, tight show of post-punk / new wave.  Absolutely have mad respect for them!

Pathos and Logos are super nice dudes who play a style of music I would call gamer soundtracks, however - I think they would call it prog rock.  It's not too complicated and fussy, keeps a steady beat,  and is instrumental... so it's perfect music for playing action / fps type video games.

Here's a few pics from the night -- I didn't stay long for Rhizomata as it was getting late and I had to be up early for work.  :/ 

Sex Mex

Pathos and Logos

New Bicycle Alert: the Fuji Sportif!

Well, look what I just did.  🚴‍♀️

It's not like I said I would NEVER use a multi-speed bike... I was just very committed to staying on that single speed train to the point of being obstinate.  I still adore the State 4130 bike (and the hundreds... if not thousands... of dollars in upgrades / changes), but I need a bike that can help me tackle a significant amount of miles while also not breaking my body into useless goo.

And so, behold!!!  The Fuji Sportif 2.1.

I promised myself that I would make minimal changes to this bike - which was a big reason why I purchased this particular brand and model.  I looked at less expensive multi-speeds; but many reviewers of those bikes noted the quality issues with the gearing, seat, and other parts.

The Fuji Sportif line has received several good reviews - although the 2.1 model hasn't received a lot of reviews that I could find online... and I looked and looked and looked.  I found several "reviews" of the bike by online stores / dealers... but not many true, independent product reviewers.  

Nonetheless, I looked up the major parts individually and noted that most pieces were either made by Fuji directly or via one of their holdings - such as Oval.  The crank mechanism was made by FSA (Full Speed Ahead) and the gear shifting system is an R9 made by microSHIFT (with cabling made by Jagwire).  The bike came with Vittoria Zaffrio 700 x 30 tyres (with Chaoyang tubes) and a tried-and-true KMC X9 chain. 

The rear cassette is a microSHIFT 9 speed and has the following gears:  34, 28, 24, 21, 19, 17, 15, 13, 11. The front crankset is an FSA 50/34 set.  Another note: The fork is C5 carbon while the bike frame is A2 butted aluminum.

So all-in-all, a very good set-up right out of the box.  MY only issue with the set up are the pedals.  They are non-branded pedal with footstraps on one side - which I didn't like.  I'm not a fan of clip / strap pedals as I like a big, wide platform pedal.  My State bike has a set of Chromag Scarabs, but I have been wanting to try out something different.  After a bit of reading / research, I decided on a set of Deity Deftraps.  They are plastic - so they are light - but also strong and less expensive than metal pedals.

I also decided on changing out the tyres for a set of Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TRs - mainly because I had read review after review about how amazing these tyres are for road biking.  So, what the heck, why not try them?!  I had a spare set of Continental tubes that I was planning on using with the State bike, but never did since the tyres on it are still good -- although will probably need to get replaced very soon. 

TLDR: As of this post, I have completed 150 miles on the bike and my impressions are that this is a GREAT bike for me.  It's light (21 pounds), has a robust gearing system, very quiet on the pavement,  and is a lot of fun!  It doesn't have the distinctive colour scheme as my State bike, but I'm very much into the feel of how this bike handles.

Lemma Coffee Co - Mara Estate (Kenya)

I was in the North Dallas area a little while ago for gigs and general mayhem... and, like I usually do, I went on the hunt for some good coffee.  And boy howdy, did I find it!!!

I found Lemma Coffee Company in a small strip of shops in Carrollton, TX and was immediately in love: GREAT selection of coffee, excellent staff, a good location to just chill (either in the shop of around Carrollton Square), and... it's next door to Dead Wax Records!

But for now, let's check out this bag of beans I picked up.

I haven't tried a lot of coffees from Kenya, but I am super into the idea of trying beans from Africa.

The Mara Estate in Kenya has had a brief, but interesting history.  While Kenya coffee production is not as long as their neighbor Ethiopia, they produce some exceptional coffees.

This roast from Lemma is quite good and complex.  The coffee is not as smooth as Ethiopian and initially, I felt like it left a coffee film in my mouth.  But as the coffee cooled a bit, that filmy texture went away... or I just got used to it.  I definitely picked up on the blueberry and dark cherry essence of this coffee as well as a hint of cinnamon.  This is especially true after grinding the beans before brewing as the fragrance of blueberries and coffee fills the kitchen!

As an espresso - this coffee would work well as it imparts an almost Turkish coffee sweetness when finely ground.  Maybe that filmy texture I noticed is what Lemma calls "creamy"?  Also, I'm not picking up on the mango tasting notes as printed on the package - but that's not a deal-killer as I'm very happy with this bean and hope to check out Lemma again the next time I'm in the Dallas area!

In other news - I freaking completed the MS150!!!  one hundred and fifty miles on a bike.  And strangely enough, my body was not in complete pain afterward.  I probably don't look very ecstatic in the photos below because it was HOT and I was wiped out & sore by the time I got to the finish line.  I almost started crying once I crossed the finish as I was so relieved and just... I don't know how to explain it.  Relief / exhaustion / overwhelmed...?

I want to also note that I will probably not be riding the MS150 next year as I felt like I have accomplished what I wanted to do and would like to participate in other big, long-distance rides.  Plus, I kinda hate fund-raising.  I had to fund-raise when I was in 6th and 7th grade while at a Catholic school and I hated it then too: both the fund-raising and the Catholic part.  I'd rather just pay a fee (I know these things can be expensive to organize) and focus on the ride. 

But, I also gotta say that I am going to (gasp!) buy a multi-speed bike.  Yup - after three years of being obstinate about riding a single-speed EVERYWHERE, I'm going to pick up a multi-speed bike for longer rides such as these.  Alas Purple Reign, you will always be with me for local, fun rides - but the time has come to acknowledge that I need to use better gear for these more demanding rides.  

I'm kinda sad again!  :(

Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters - Suke Quto

Every time I see the name of this coffee, I think of Suzi Quatro.  While it's a great batch of beans, it has no relation to the artist.

Instead, this coffee hails from the Guji area of Ethiopia - in the south of the country near Kenya.  The story behind the Suke Quto Farm is quite interesting and a great story about vision and community perseverance.  Definitely click on the link to read about the farm collective as well as a fantastic story about the growth of the Guji area.

When I saw the bag of Suke Quto at Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, I was intrigued because I had never heard of it before, but I knew I loved Ethiopian coffee.  It turns out that Suke Quto is quite common among many high-end grocery stores as well as many indie coffee roasters... so maybe I wasn't paying attention?  Or... maybe it's just generically labeled as "Ethiopian" at the store.  Either way, let's dive into the Suke Quto roast made by Noble Coyote.

Right away, this coffee has a pleasant acidity but also a bright and cheerful coffee aroma.  I'm tasting dark cherries / berries with this one.  The flavor profile is very full of these darker fruit notes (I also note a plum like character with each sip) but I do not get that apple note as it says on the bag, but I do taste a hint of bergamot - perhaps that's what I'm noticing when I say full flavors of dark berries?

Either way, the coffee has a full mouth feel with each sip.  Excellent straight (my preference) or with a dash of milk.  I feel that oat milk would pair exceptionally well with this coffee.

When it comes to the grind settings, I have been using a medium / coarse grind with these beans.   

I would not recommend this coffee for a French press as the acidity from too long of a brew time would disrupt the beautiful, darker fruit notes.

See if you can find a bag of these beans near you and let me know your thoughts on this bean!

Cover Songs

Throughout my music career, I have rarely played covers.  I would learn a song or two as practice, but I have always been one to perform my own music on stage.  Not that my songs are better, I just would rather focus on my own material / the band's material.  I can count on one hand - the covers I have played at gigs with various bands over the past 15 years.  (1) Warsaw by Joy Division, (2) Working Man by Rush, (3) Sonic Reducer by the Dead Boys, and (4) Angel by Massive Attack.

With Stockhausen & The Amplified Riot - we started off playing a few covers at rehearsal: Discipline by Throbbing Gristle, and a mellow, krautrock version of Down In The Hole by The Rolling Stones.  But none of those songs were ever performed at a gig.

So, at my most recent gig at the Black Magic Social Hour, I decided to break out two covers in one set: I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) by Hank Williams, and Roy Rogers by Western Threads.

I decided on these songs because I wanted to try my hand at performing some country / honky tonk songs... just something different.  The rest of the set was mostly new material from the upcoming album and one track from the first album.

Overall, a well-rounded but also slightly confusing set as a few people pointed out to me afterward.  

And yeah, that's a hollow body Gretsch G5120 guitar I'm using... boy howdy, does it howl and hollar!!

Thousand Helmets: version 2.0

I know the importance of safety while either riding my bike or while on a skateboard, but I was never keen on the styles available.  Not that safety NEEDS to be stylish, I just found the dominate bicycle helmet styles to be a little too… I don't know... weird?  And then Thousand comes along and I was immediately sold on their aesthetic.  So, if you’re shopping around for a helmet, I’d like to recommend Thousand helmets – but only their latest version (aka 2.0).

I bought my first Thousand helmet (Speedway Crème) in August 2020.  I instantly loved it: comfortable, solid, and looked cool.  At the time - we were still in the arms of the pandemic and even though I didn’t see a lot of people out and about, I definitely didn’t see anyone in Houston wearing a helmet like this.  More importantly – I was doing exactly what Thousands’ marketing was hoping to achieve: wearing a helmet, but also, doing it in style.

Many riders have more than one bicycle and I am no exception.  I have one at my apartment and one at the house where my sons live.  So, I decided to buy a second helmet and just keep it at the house so there’s no excuse for NOT riding.  The second helmet I ordered was in Stealth Black (#2 in the photo below) and is a good quality helmet, but didn’t feel as solid as the first one.  After examining the two helmets side-by-side I found that my perception of the “solid feel” of the first helmet was due to the straps that are used.  #1 uses vegan leather straps, which are slightly stiffer / thicker than the all-fabric straps used on the Stealth Black.  The difference in the thickness of the straps allows the plastic harness in the back of the helmet to move up and down a bit more.

I presume it is more of an aesthetic thing to use the different strap materials as the brown vegan leather wouldn’t look as stealthy on a black helmet with a blacked out logo.  It didn’t bother me too much that the back harness moved around more freely (but still stayed secure while on your head), but I noticed it.  If I didn’t have the two helmets side-by-side, I would have never known the difference.

After a few more months of riding and increasing my distance / stamina, I decided to upgrade my helmet to one that had a higher safety rating.  Again, I ended up back with Thousand but this time, I purchased their Chapter MIPS helmet.

When I received the new helmet, I tried it on and immediately did not like it.  I had never worn a MIPS helmet before, so I can’t fault Thousand.  The helmet wobbled quite a bit on my head, which is understandable as the MIPS design is like a cage inside the helmet that allows the exterior of the helmet to move / rotate in case of an accident.  However, the wobble was distracting and I felt like the helmet was going to slide off my head.  The MIPS design inside the helmet was nice and snug but that exterior shell moved around too much while riding.

Thousand was quick to respond about my concern and offered me either a refund or an exchange.  At this point in my post, I want to note that Thousand have been consistently quick and friendly with my questions and concerns.  So, I decided on an exchange – I ordered (basically) the same helmet as before but in navy blue.  My plan was to give my stealth black helmet to a friend who needs a helmet and just have the two.

However, when helmet #3 arrived, I noticed something was off.  The black plastic harness in the back was attached a little closer to the center of the helmet, which made the helmet feel too snug, even when the adjustment wheel was fully loosened.  Also, I noticed the trim around the bottom of the helmet was not fully attached, so I added a little glue to the inside and now it’s secure.  Neither of these are deal killers, but it was weird.  So, I kept helmet #2 and was planning to give #3 away… but then my friend bought himself a helmet (after I kept bugging him to do so!)… so now I have three helmets and decided just to keep #3 in a box until someone else comes along that needs a helmet.

All was going just fine until……. Thousand announced version2.0 of their helmets!  They claim that the new helmets are lighter and have better ventilation – which is appealing to me as it’s really ding-dang hot here in Houston for most of the year.  So, why not give it a try?

Enter helmet #4 from Thousand!

Right away, and I mean right-out-of-the-box right away, this helmet felt great!  It felt more secure… solid… but also familiar.  However, the white trim was also a loose like on helmet #3.  What’s up with that Thousand?  Anyway, I had the Gran Fondo Texas ride coming up so I took this helmet with me to give it a go.

Straight up, the vents on top are better positioned for air flow to your scalp.  Version 1 was good, but I felt a major difference with the airflow using the new 2.0 version.  Also, there’s a “howl” that occurs with version 1 from the air vents when you’re gaining speed (or hit with a strong head wind).  That howl is the sound of the air going across the air vents on top.  With the new design, that howl is gone.  The internal pads are good too, although they are on the thin side.  I would recommend Thousand consider adding a second set of internal pads to each helmet as the pads will wear out before the helmet does – as is the case with my #1 helmet.  I noticed that the pop-lock hole feature on the back is slightly bigger than version 1.0.  Oh yeah, and the new versions have a small “shelf” on the back so you can magnetically attach a bike light – although (as of this post) those lights are not available and it’s not clear if future purchases of this helmet will include the bike light like the MIPS version does.

Bottom line – I’m impressed with the improvements on version 2.0 of the Thousand helmet and I recommend it over the original version.  I implore Thousand to keep an eye on the quality control as they have a great product.  #4 will be my main bike helmet for now!  I'm keeping helmets #1 and #2 (mainly to be used for skateboarding) and donating #3 to a local bike shop that's active in the biking community.

TLDR: please use a helmet when either bike riding, skateboarding, or rollerblading.  These helmets are great for those sports. 

Noble Coyote Coffee Roaster – Mapendo (Congo)

Oy!  I'm a wee bit behind on my posts this month, but with so much has been going on, I haven't made time to sit and type it all out... so, let’s start with some coffee!

Today, I opened up a bag of beans from Noble Coyote that are from Congo.  I’m not familiar with Congolese beans, but I'm a fan now.  Here's an outstanding blog post about these beans and their cultivation.  

With the first sip of this brew, I was like, oooooooh yeah!  Right away, I’m tasting dark cherries in the front with a finish of (stay with me here) graham crackers.  Yeah, graham crackers because I can taste that honey, cinnamon essence. It’s mild but definitely not boring.

Noble Coyote says it has a bright and zesty finish…. And yeah, I would agree.  It’s a wonderfully smooth roast that I would not dilute with any creamers or sugar.  Definitely not sugar as it has a natural sweetness that is pleasant.  Also, because of its natural sweetness, this coffee would also be outstanding as a cold brew.