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Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
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By Zach Bailey
Music Reviewer
zsblos@psu.edu
Artist: Neil Young
Album: Prarie Wind
Label: Reprise/Wea
*****
In a recent interview with NPR,
Neil Young claims, "the art of
singing is making a sound that
comes from your heart.' After
listening to his latest studio
album, Prairie Wind, I couldn't
agree with him more. Neil Young
has recorded many different
types of music throughout the
years. This latest addition to
his catalogue is an album that
is heartfelt and genuine. This
feeling was appareMfraw*iik.4
very first listen.
Prairie Wind is dedicated to
Neil Young's father who had
been dealing with ongoing
health issues and passed away
near the completion of the
album. Several of the songs
on this album, including the
title track and Far From Home,
lend a nostalgic nod to Young's
past. Neil Young also had some
health problems of his own
during the recording of this
album which resulted in major
surgery. In his NPR interview,
Young states that eight of
the songs on the album were
recorded before the surgery and
the other two were recorded
afterwards. The resulting album
has a very intimate feel.
The majority of the songs on
the album are based around
acoustic guitar but contain
other various instrumentation
including drums, bass, and a
pedal steel guitar. There are
a lot of backing vocals on this
album. Emmylou Harris also
makes a guest appearance on
two of the tracks. Several of the
tracks on this album also contain
string and horn arrangements.
The horn arrangements are a
fun addition to the album, while
the string arrangements are
often more serious and act as
a suitable backing for Young's
unique vocal style.
The Painter is the opening
track on the album. This song
is one of the best on the album.
The track contains a very
present acoustic guitar track and
some fine backing vocals.
It's a Dream is a beautiful
melody which contains a slow
and dreamy string arrangement
which is offset by a pedal steel
guitar.
He Was the King is a tribute to
Elvis. This track contains some
humorous lyrics as well as a
nice horn arrangement and slide
guitar track. This Old Guitar is
one of the two songs featuring
Emmylou Harris. This is another
outstanding track on the album
about how an old guitar can
seem to take on a life of its own.
See REVIEW on 10
ARENICKANDJESSICAGOINGTOBEOKAY
All hai
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By Elizabeth Wingate
Staff Reporter
eawl9l@psu.edu
All hail the Iron Chef. Behind a
spare white façade on Chestnut
Street in Center City Philadelphia
lies a temple of culinary bliss
where the chic, powerful, and
faithful come to pay homage to
the one and only Chef Masaharu
Morimoto. From his birthplace in
Hiroshima, Japan, to cultivating
his brilliant palate under some of
Japan's most prolific chefs, not
to mention serving as Executive
Chef at Manhattan's famed
Nobu, Morimoto's Midas touch
transforms the exquisite into the
empyreal, a truly fantastic journey
that begins with a single step.
Cusine this divine demands a
worthy stage, and Morimoto's
restaurant is like his food- a
perfectly simple exterior encasing
intricately fantastic stuff. The
main dining room is a lofty,
beautiful space with helix-like
swoops snaking along the white
walls. Lucite booths dominate
the middle of the room, glowing
pink, then blue, then green,
an ethereal canvas created by
industrial designer Karim Rashid
in conjunction with restauranteur
ayoustund
for a moment and drink in the
dining room, drawn in by the flow
of Morimoto's incredible energy.
And then, I eat.
I'm not going to lie to you.
There are some otherworldly
dishes at Morimoto, and there
are some that are decidedly
underwhelming. Your mom
always tried to instill that sharing
is important, and to really taste
Morimoto, it's essential. Order
several appetizers, they'll arrive
in stages, and you and your
dining companions will bask in
Pieces of East visits PSH
By Kathryn Herr
Editor in Chief
kah92B@psu.edu
The Gallery Lounge wafted
sounds of beating drums and soft
vocals with a twist of acoustic
guitar on Wed, Oct. 19. Pieces
of East played a noontime
concert at Penn State Harrisburg
for students, staff, faculty, and
community members.
Pieces of East is a band
bringing parts of Indian drums
and modern lyrics together to
make a totally unique sound.
They are the winners of the 2003
and 2004 Austin Music Award for
"Best World Band".
They began with a few original
songs before introducing the
band members. Then continued
playing together, laughing to
each other and smiling as they
played their instruments.
Perched atop a blanketed
bench, bare feet poking out from
behind the tabla drums, fingers
flying, one member of the band
gave the audience a lesson on
the history of the tabla drums and
the sounds they are capable of
making. He illustrated how each
sound made by the tabla drums
can be mimicked with spoken
syllables. He played the notes
on the drums as he spoke the
syllables in unison.
The band then continued to play
the bounty of flavors presented
and expertly described to you
by an efficient, if somewhat
reserved staff. The seared Kobe
beef tartare rocks. A tender
mound of pure flavor enhanced
by Tokyo turnip and drizzled with
a sudachi vinaigrette may leave
you begging for more.
Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia is a great place to enjoy supurb Japanese cousine
and sushi prepared by the famous Chef Masaharu Morimoto from the TV show Iron Chef.
The sukhu dofu is possibly the
best thing I've ever eaten, and
will forever change your mind
about tofu. Forget a sticky blob
of tasteless whatever. Topped
with Osetra caviar, fresh wasabi,
and drizzled with dashi syrup,
the house-made tofu is so light,
almost sweet, with unexpected
bites of toasted pine nuts.
Between mouthfuls of tofu (I
guess licking the bowl would have
been very un-Zen), and sips of
organic sake, I was speechless,
and that says it all. Two-ounce
gems of fatty oh-toro melt like
a full set of songs from their new
album to be released in a few
weeks
They are also the 2004 nominees
in 12 categories including Best
Rock, Best Pop, Best None-of
the-Above, Best Record Producer
(Mark Hallman), Best Cover
Art (Paula Beard), Best Female
Vocals, Best Male Vocals, Best
Bassist, Best Keyboards, Best
Acoustic Guitar and Best Misc.
Instrument.
CDs and other merchandise
native to their culture of music
were available for purchase at
the event.
After the band serenaded the
crowed the band members set up
a henna tattoo stand and offered
the popular henna tattoos for free
to PSH.
The lead vocalist was nomi
nated for an award in 2004.
I the Iron Chef
sea-kissed butter in the mouth,
while oysters topped with uni, or
sea urchin (hint: only eat uni at
a great sushi place- otherwise,
it's beyond terrible), will prove
beyond any doubt that Morimoto
is indeed, the Iron Chef.
The warm mushroom salad,
served with scoops of Belgian
endive, with overtones of curry is
not good. The lobster salad in a
sun choke broth was better, but
surprisingly, not as interesting as
the basic house salad of perfect
greens under shavings of fresh
bonito. The soups, too, do not
stand out, but the steaming
porcini mushroom broth (an
accompaniment to the night's
special, file fish sashimi), which
we sipped from the bowl, was
clean and rich.
Entrees such as Ishi yaki"Buri
Bop," or King Yellowtail prepared
tableside and served in a hot river
Photos by Kathryn Herr/The Capital Times
Pieces of East rocks out on tabla drums in the Gallery Lounge Wednesday af
ternoon. A demonstration on how the tabla drums are played was given.
The Capital Times, October 24, 2005
stone bowl is the best of the sea,
as is the Arctic char with Maitake
mushrooms in a delicious lobster
broth. The Chilean sea bass is so
five minutes ago, and anyway, it's
dull, but the Kobe short ribs and
yuzu-poached lobster in a red
miso jus will knock your socks
off.
Photo Courtesy of morimotorestaurant.com
Again, ordering several apps
and entrees, and then sharing,
affords the greatest range, and
the servers will describe each
dish in detail upon delivery. Ask
questions- sometimes the service
is stuck-up, but who cares? If
you're really adventurous, and
really obsessed, sit at the sushi
bar in the back of the main dining
room and chat with the great man
himself. He's very focused, the
consummate professional, and
after cconversing with him on
several occasions, he gave me a
tour of the kitchen. die happy.
Dining at Morimoto is not cheap.
For the average pauper-esque
college student, it's downright
daunting, not unlike a class with
Peter Kareithi. However, like his
teaching, you're better for it, and
should try it once in your life.
Food is more than sustenance.
It's bringing people together,
nourishing bodies and souls,
allowing a dynamic re-connection
that the world often strips us
of. Morimoto's clean, elegant
Japanese aesthetic married
with laid-back American cool is
nirvana defined.
Morimoto
723 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19106
Phone: 215-413-9070
Reservations: Strongly
recommended, 2-3 weeks in
advance for weekend dining
Full bar, smoking allowed
Raw Bar & Sushi Bar
Valet Parking
CC: Visa Mastercard, Amex,
Diner's Club
Avg. dinner for two, with drinks,
$l5O and up
Dress code: Upscale casual
morimotorestaurant.com
Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2
Dinner: Mon.-Thurs. 5-11
Fri.-Sat.- 5-12
Sunday: 4-10
The Capital Times is look
ing for suggestions for
the Hot Spot section.
We are also looking for a
new Hot Spot reporter.
If you are interested or
have ideas, e-mail us at
captimes@psu.edu or drop some
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