Snacky Tunes

Latest Episodes:

Episode 361: 10,000 Covers & Sensitive Feelings Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

We’ve got a pair of talented SoCal natives on this episode. Chef Jason Neroni grew up in Orange County, and began his culinary career as a teenager at the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. Following his start at Disney’s famed Club 33 restaurant, Jason worked his way through some of the best kitchens in the country, including Le Cirque, Chez Panisse, Blue Hill and Spago. He’s now the owner of the wildly popular and lauded, Rose Cafe in Venice. In a city flocked with transplants and transients, singer-songwriter Billy Uomo is one of those rarest of birds: a born-and-bred Angeleno. Billy grew up in Silver Lake, and that’s where we catch up with him, meeting up at the studio for Dangerbird Records. Billy and his bandmates perform live in-studio for us, and give us a listen to his latest EP, Hello?

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Episode 360: Sourcing LA Goats & The Creative Countdown Jul 22, 2018

Show notes

Many folks remember Stephanie Izard as being the first woman to ever win Top Chef, but in the years since that victory she’s proven to be one of the most admired and successful chef-restaurateurs in the biz. Besides adding a coveted James Beard Award, Food & Wine “Best New Chef” and even an Iron Chef title to her mantle, Stephanie is best known for her critically acclaimed empire of Chicago restaurants, which include her flagship, Girl & the Goat. She sits down with us to discuss her much-anticipated Girl & the Goat expansion to Los Angeles, and also lets us know how challenging it can be sourcing goats in the city. Speaking of the City Angels, we once again descend upon the Silver Lake studio for Dangerbird Records, and this go-round we capture a live performance from composer, Coleman Zurkowski. Baltimore-bred and NYC-based, Coleman’s making a name for himself for his work with such brands as Netflix, Toyota and Lebron James’ “Uninterrupted” documentary series. He gives us a listen to his first album, ZERO, which was released under Dangerbird’s new “Arthur King Presents” series that showcases experimental music.

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Episode 359: Creating with Confidence Jul 15, 2018

Show notes

It’s an all-NYC show, and first up is Greg Proechel, executive chef of Ferris. Greg cut his teeth at some of the city’s best restaurants including Eleven Madison Park, Graffit, Blanca and Le Turtle. His fresh, creative take on new American cooking at Ferris has been garnering wide acclaim from both diners and the likes of the New York Times. Brooklyn rocker and singer-songwriter, TOMI, aka, Pam Autuori, joins us on the heels of the release of her latest EP, What Kind of Love. “TOMI makes anthems to dance and cry to,” declared Interview magazine, and she’s come a long way from first picking up a guitar at age 7. Fun fact: It’s Pam’s second appearance on the show, having previously joined us with her old band, XNY, back in 2013. (She brought us ribs last time!)

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Episode 358: Hot Pepper Sauce and Pedal Steel Jul 08, 2018

Show notes

Few brands invoke immediate recognition, respect and fervor like TABASCO. Since 1868, the legendary hot sauce and its multiple condiment varieties have been produced exclusively by the family-owned McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. We catch up with John Simmons, Senior Manager of Agriculture for TABASCO, who also happens to be a member of the sixth generation of the McIlhenny family involved in the company. He grew up working the pepper fields, coopering barrels and learning all there is to conjuring TABASCO’s magic. John’s direct responsibilities are the agricultural operations--domestically and internationally--the making of TABASCO Sauce, new product development and the company’s sustainability efforts. We then travel all the way back to Snacky Tunes episode #198 and the summer of 2014 to re-visit pedal steel guitar virtuoso Jonny Lam and his band, Honeyfingers. Over the years, Jonny’s been an in-demand player working with the likes of David Byrne, Norah Jones, Billie Joe Armstrong, EmmyLou Harris, Busta Rhymes, Benny Blanco, Keb Mo, Sean Paul, Steve Earle, Pharaoh Sanders, The Blind Boys of Alabama and more. Honeyfingers gave us a live performance of their signature country jazz and western swing sound, and also did a cover of Ray Price’s No. 1 hit, “Crazy Arms.” It was the first time we’ve ever had a pedal steel guitarist on the show, and seeing the instrument up close was amazing.

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Episode 357: Spinning Artisanal Plates Jul 01, 2018

Show notes

Keith Kreeger is an Artist, Designer and Maker who focuses on the singular idea that "Objects Matter"; and that his work reflect that simple phrase. His current collections exemplify clean, polished, modern design. His plate ware can be found all across America, at legendary restaurants like Alex Stupak’s Empellon. Keith currently sits on the board of the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, the advisory board of Austin Bat Cave and is an active supporter and advocate for the Andy Roddick Foundation. We also dig into the Snacky Tunes archives for one of our favorite psychedelic performances from Small Black.

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Episode 356: Cookbook Albums & Playing in the Grey Jun 24, 2018

Show notes

Chef Chris Kronner has been a Bay Area stalwart for more than a decade now. He first came on the scene working with Chad Robertson at his flagship, Tartine Bakery. He then bounced around for while with stints in NYC, Uruguay, Japan, England, Switzerland and Peru, among other locales, before opening KronnerBurger in 2015 in Oakland. Chris’ burgers are a something of a phenomenon, drawing acclaim far and wide. Sadly, in early 2018 a fire closed KronnerBurger, but not to worry Chris has landed on his feet with both a new cookbook, A Burger to Believe In, and a new kitchen gig, linking up with Robertson again to open Henry’s in Berkeley. Prima is the rock project from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, Rose Blanshei. Over the years, Prima’s developed a reputation for powerful lyricism and emotional storytelling driven by Rose’s searing voice which evokes the likes of Patti Smith, PJ Harvey and Karen O, complemented by her guitar whose sound she says is inspired by, “Lightning. Dirt. Metals. Debt.” Prima’s debut EP, Performance, was released in summer 2017, and is the result of Rose plumbing the innermost emotional depths of pain, suffering and violence. Rose joins us in studio to talk about the arc of Prima over the years, and also gives us a live studio performance. Check out Prima’s latest single, “Diva.”

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Episode 355: LA’s Top Two Food Festivals Jun 17, 2018

Show notes

We catch up with Nic Adler, the festival director behind two of Los Angeles’ top eating-and-drinking experiences: Eat Drink Vegan and Arroyo Seco Weekend. Eat Drink Vegan--originally called the Vegan Beer and Food Festival--was started by Nic, a vegan himself, in 2009. That first year was a gathering of 400 people in the parking lot of his very own The Roxy Theatre. This year’s crowd of 10,000+ surrounded the Rose Bowl, and there were more than 450 vendors in attendance. Now in its second year, Arroyo Seco Weekend combines great food--Burritos La Palma, Hatchet Hall and Freedman’s are among the restaurants participating--with great rock music. The 2018 headliners are Neil Young, Kings of Leon, Jack White and Robert Plant. We hit up our vault and revisit a musical guest from 2014: Psychic Twin. Erin Fein began writing and recording as Psychic Twin, and while recording by herself, doubling her vocals and singing melodies, she began to feel that she was in a way working with her twin. Psychic Twin gave us a live performance from their EP, Two Visions.

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Episode 354: Heavy Metal Jewish Deli and Wild Metalism Jun 11, 2018

Show notes

Restaurateur Jonah Freedman opened his eponymous Jewish deli, Freedman’s, in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood in late 2017, and folks have been kvelling over the decor, vibes and Chef Liz Johnson’s cooking. In a very short time, Freedman’s has earned a slew of accolades from the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Eater and Food & Wine, who tapped Liz for its 2018 “Best New Chefs” class. Liz and Jonah catch us up on all things happening at their deli in a strip mall. Brooklyn’s art rock, post-punk quintet, BODEGA, takes a break from their current tour to join us in-studio for a live performance. The band recently released their debut album, Endless Scroll. Check out their latest music video and single, “Gyrate.”

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Episode 353: Hearing the Sauce and Dancing in the Windy City Jun 03, 2018

Show notes

It’s an all-Windy City lineup for this episode. We begin with a conversation with Diana Dávila, recent winner of Food & Wine Best New Chef 1018. She is the chef-owner of Mi Tocaya Antojería, the Logan Square restaurant that’s the epicenter of contemporary Mexican cooking in Chicago. Diana grew up in a restaurant family, and realized that her true life’s calling was in the kitchen after “hearing the sauce” and heeding its call. Na'el Shehade and Via Rosa make up Drama, the talented R&B/dance duo whose musical stylings the Chicago Tribune defined as, “...a more danceable version of The xx's haunting, minimalist masterpieces mixed with the sensuality of Sade.” They join us in-studio for a live performance.

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Ep #352 Our Food is Our Flag & Grand Escalante Vibes May 13, 2018

Show notes

The Hmong are an indigenous people who’ve historically called Southeast Asia home. Following the ravages of the Vietnam War, many Hmong escaped to America settling in all places the Upper Midwest. In St. Paul, MN, Chef Yia Vang has been running Union Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant that specializes in Hmong fare, and he hangs with us to explain the nuances of his culture and its delectable cuisine. For “Snacky Tunes 5’s," our go-to oenophile Jameson Fink does some island hopping, and tells us all about the wonders of volcanic wines. We then head to Los Angeles and the Silver Lake studios of Dangerbird Records to get a live, one-of-a-kind performance from Peter Walker and Aaron Espinoza of the music-and-art collective, Arthur King. The duo crafts ambient improvised music utilizing synthesizer, guitar, drum machine and sounds extracted from environmental field recordings, and combine it with the experimental projections of visual artist John Schlue. All the sonic material used on Arthur King’s latest album, Changing Landscapes (Grand Escalante), is derived from a trip to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in rural Utah.

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