Baker's Dozen: Interview with My Sunrise

I don't usually base my opinion of a band on who their fans are. But when you have the utmost respect for a celebrity and a band counts them as a supporter I pay attention to it. Such is the case with My Sunrise. Paris Hilton loves them (and I love her). True story just look at their profile picture on Myspace. Joking aside, My Sunrise is a wonderful band from Sweden that knows how to write catchy music. Their song "Fire Walk with Me" completed our Let Them Eat Pie Playlist. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing My Sunrise (via email) as part of our Baker's Dozen series on Write.Click.Cook.Listen.

TB: Who are the members of My Sunrise and what roles do each of you play in the band?

MS: David-Keyboard
Frederik-guitar, singing
Henrik-drums
Jack-bass
Magnus-guitar, singing

TB: What's the story behind the formation of My Sunrise?

MS: We're all friends from childhood and since we did pretty much everything together (played soccer, watched, movies, went to concerts) we figured we might as well form a band.

TB: Your bio used to say that "My Sunrise is about your first kiss, your first letdown, your first truly beautiful moment. Three minutes and forever." Can this quote be applied to your songwriting as well because I feel something like this each time I hear a track of yours?

MS: As Always, songs are about feelings and when we started writing songs, we tried to write songs with a "Phil Spector" sort of vibe. Two or three minute songs with easy, yet beautiful melodies. After a while the songs grew bigger (length-wise)-but we still try to focus on the melodies, the haunting melodies!

TB: I was introduced to the song "Fire Walk with Me" by the Absolut Noise Blog. In the post about the song the author mentioned a reference to David Lynch's Twin Peaks movie with the same name. Was the song inspired by or about the movie or do they just share the same name?

MS: The first time we played the song, we didn't have a title for it. However when Lisa, Frederik's sister who is a huge Twin Peaks fan, heard it she thought it was very Twin Peaksy. Since she told us we figured we'd use it as the title. We're also big Twin Peaks fans now.

TB: Currently My Sunshine is unsigned. What does this mean as far as things that you can and can't do as a band? Are you in a hurry to find a label to put out your music?

MS: We look at the fact that we're unsigned with happy faces. We get to control our music 100 percent. Ain't nobody going to tell us what to do or how to write songs. Also, with the explosion of Myspace and blogs, the fastest way to spread your music nowadays is the internet.

TB: Your song "Pictures" has a video that goes along with it. The video features illustrations of the lyrics. Who drew the pictures and why did you choose this approach?

MS: We talked about making a video for "Pictures" but none of us came up with anything. That's when a 13-year old cousin made us a video as a two year anniversary present for the band. We're very pleased with how it turned out.

TB: December 3rd, at Metropol in Hultsfred, you guys will be performing. What are your live shows like? What can those in attendance expect?

MS: Chaos and beauty in symbiosis.

TB: Will Paris Hilton be there?

MS: Unfortunately she's busy with leading the My Sunrise street team in LA that very Thursday. However, we'll dedicate a song to her.

TB: What projects are My Sunrise currently working on? What is on the horizon?

MS: World domination. That is, keep writing new songs on the couch watching old MacGyver episodes, waiting for the world to be a better place. Oh yeah, and playing live for you one day.

TB: Tell me about Kalmar Ian.

MS: Located on the southeast coast of Sweden (right next to the island of Oland) it's windy but beautiful. Most tourists come to see the castle. That'll all change next year, when most people will come to see us. By the way the castle's haunted and we played their once. Didn't see any ghosts though.

TB: Is there a big music scene there?

MS: I hate to say it, but no. There are many bands but not that many venues to play. However it's gotten better the last two years with all the college kids that have moved here and started clubs. Still, you can't compare it to Stockholm or Gothenburg. There's only 40,000 people living in Kalmar.

TB: Does My Sunrise have any recipes they'd like to share?

MS: Chokolate Cake! (Find it here).

TB: Anything else you would like to say?

MS: "I think everybody should like everybody" (A. Warhol). Always good to end with a quote.

Courtesy of the Swedes Please blog, here is My Sunrise's "My Fix."
My Sunrise-My Fix


The anniversary video for their song "Pictures."

Thanksgiving Dinner and Avi Buffalo, Cold Cave, Oberhofer, We all have hooks for hands, Sissy Wish, Celebration, Brimstone Howl, Embrace Fire and more

J-Fur and I cooked a Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels yesterday. We made roasted cauliflower, colcannon, a lentil loaf, apple crisp, vegetarian stuffing and steamed asparagus, packed it up, and drove over to our friends Chris and Sarah's house. Throw into the mix a turkey, squash casserole, cheese biscuits, salad and only five people in attendance, and you can see why there was a lot of food left over. So at the end of the night we packed up the remaining food and brought it back home. See, Thanksgiving Meal on Wheels. We were too tired to carry the leftovers into the house last night so anyone driving by our apartment, feel free to stop at J-Fur's Honda and help yourself.

Many thanks go to Chris and Sarah for their hospitality. I am also extremely thankful for these songs that helped me complete the holiday cooking in a timely manner:

Avi Buffalo-What's in it for


Cold Cave-Life Magazine


Oberhofer-I could go


We all have hooks for hands-Made up of Tiny lights


Sissy Wish-Float


Celebration-I will not fall


Thao with the Get Down Stay Down-Know Better Learn Faster


Embrace Fire-Wolf Hour
Brimstone Howl-Suicide Blues
tUnE-yArDs-Sunlight

December's playlist is on the way, a new interview is coming next week and today I am celebrating buy nothing day. Have a great Friday.

Avocados and Spicy Tofu Bowls fried in Carsick Cars, Brain Failure, Geeks and Chaniwa

I spent a lot of time watching television during the World Series (only to be disappointed in the end) and was surprised to see that almost every commercial break including some sort of plug for Hass Avocados. Never before had I seen the avocado pushed so much. Most of the time I'm immune to advertising, I know what the ploy is, but in this instance I actually began to crave avocados. I'd like to suggest that it was because of the time of year and not the commercials but the subconscious can do some amazing things without you knowing it.

Around this same time I came across an article that ranked the top ten most poisonous people food for animals. I was surprised to find avocados on the list. I made sure to keep my dog, Alistair, away as I was cooking.

My favorite avocado recipe was one I adapted from Vegetarian Times. It was an Asian fusion dish that included avocado, tofu, yogurt and rice. I give you, my recipe of the week.

Spicy Tofu Bowl-Adapted From Vegetarian Times, October 2006
(printable version)

For the Tofu:
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup of Thai Chile Garlic Sauce
-2 Tbs. Sesame Oil
-1 block extra firm tofu, frozen then thawed
-5 green onions
-1/4 Cup of nonfat plain yogurt
-2 Tbs. Lime Juice

Salad:
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 Tbs. Lime Juice
-1 Tbs. minced ginger
-1 tsp. Thai Chile Garlic Sauce
-2 cups arborio rice
-4 1/2 cups of spinach
-10 baby carrots, whole
-1 avocado, peeled, sliced and kept away from your pets

1. To make the Tofu. Whisk together soy sauce, Thai Chile Garlic Sauce, and sesame oil. Heat wok. Dip the tofu into the soy sauce mixture. Cook until browned (about ten minutes). Cool. Add green onions, yogurt, lime juice to the soy sauce mixture. Toss with tofu.

2. To make the salad: Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and Thai Chile Garlic Sauce. Put the cooked rice into bowls, top with spinach and diced carrots. Add the tofu and soy sauce mixture. Stir well. Top with avocados.

To go along with my Asian fusion dish I enjoyed a soundtrack made up of artists from the Far East. The first two tracks come from Chinese Indie Rockers Carsick Cars. A few years ago these guys performed some European shows opening for Sonic Youth. Recently they were spotted in the US with fellow Chinese bands PK-14 and Xiao He. Unfortunately Florida wasn't one of their destinations. Word is they will be back in the spring of 2010 so we'll have to hope we can catch them then. Below are two tracks from their second album You can listen, You can talk. Thanks to BrooklynVegan for the tracks.

Carsick Cars-You can listen, you can talk

Carsick Cars-Zhong Nan Hai

The next track was also from a Chinese band, Brain Failure. "A box on the broken ball" is a release from last year that features Chuck D. I saw these guys by accident about six years ago and have been following them closely ever since. When I think Asia, Brain Failure is first to come to mind.



Tokyo's Geeks released their debut album, Magical Vox Paranoia (purchase here), in October. "Newworldism" is the first track on the album. Look for these guys as a showcasing band at next year's SXSW (Carsick Cars will also be there).



An older Japanese punk band that I love is Chaniwa. The split EP they put out years ago with FYP is a mighty fine piece of pop punk work. My favorite track "Little Dog" fit the soundtrack of the evening very well. Here's a video for "Little Dog", the quality is very low but the infectious nature of Chaniwa's songwriting shines through ever so slightly.



Have a great holiday for those who will be celebrating tomorrow.

Dried Fruit and Pumpkin Mistake Cakes with Say Hi

I try to teach the kids in my class that making mistakes is a way to discover answers or, in some cases, create things that didn't exist previously. One of my favorite books to read when discussing this topic is Mistakes that Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones. The book is all about inventions and ideas that weren't purposeful, yet wound up helping society immensely (or at least being accepted by it).

I won't say that the cupcakes I made for J-Fur's birthday are going to help society in any way, but they certainly were a mistake. J-Fur asked me to make pumpkin cupcakes according to a recipe she mail ordered from Amy Karol at Angry Chicken. One of the recipe adaptations Amy suggested is to add chopped nuts. I love me some nuts in my baked goods, so I grabbed the bag of chopped walnuts and began dumping. Problem was that J-Fur had made a trail mix in the bag by adding dried cherries and blueberries to the walnuts (and I failed to look before dumping). I had no desire to dig in the batter for the fruits so I figured I'd give it a whirl. I loved the result, J-Fur didn't or so she said, but when I went for a cupcake the next day, they were all gone.

Because the recipe came from Amy Karol's mail order I feel that it is not my liberty to post it. Like I mentioned above, I made a few changes so I am going to just list them here. To her recipe I added a 1/2 cup of nuts and a 1/2 cup of dried blueberries and cherries. For the cream cheese frosting, I cut the powdered sugar from 2 cups to 1.5 cups (I like my frosting to be cream cheesy).

While mistakenly dumping dried fruit into J-Fur's cupcakes I was enjoying some music from Seattle's Say Hi. The band's latest album, Ooohs & Ahhs was released back in March on Barsuk Records. "November was White, December is Grey" and "One, Two...one" are both off of that album. The video for "One, Two...One" was the band's first ever video. Pretty good stuff considering.

Say Hi-November was White, December is Grey

What's Cooking with the Grande Roses

It's not easy for the Grande Roses (first appearing here) to make music. After all, the five members of the band (Goran-acoustic guitar/vocals, Johan - Guitar, Ekan -Guitar, Eb - Bass, and Emil - Drums) don't live in the same city. As you can imagine, this makes practicing and touring difficult. Recently I had the opportunity to correspond with Goran and discuss this issue, as well as find out what is cooking with the Grande Roses.

In July the Grande Roses released a five song EP titled The Farm. Their is a strong country feel to it (every time I listen I am reminded of my grandmother's farm). I asked Goran about his inspiration for the EP:

Most of the songs, except "Factory," were written while I lived in Duved (in northen Sweden). It´s a small place with about 400 people. But most of my songs always come back to what I hated about my hometown, Karlstad. But for some reason I made peace with it this summer, so i dont know what I´m going to write about now. "Factory" was written in my old apartment in Stockholm in the peak of the high conjuncture. I thought, why the hell did I write a song about people getting fired when everythings pretty good... Well, things changed and it suddenly made sense...

The few album reviews that the EP has garnered have been good (here's one, here's another). To support The Farm the band performs shows when they have the opportunity. One of their live shows was recorded a few months back and the band plans to release it as a video shortly. What else are the Grande Roses cooking up, musically speaking? I posed a similar question to Goran and here's what he had to say:

We´re up for some good old rehearsing before hitting the studio (ep/single/album/performanceartproject!?). We also need to find a record company to take care of the bureaucracy!

Also look for a band website to appear soon. Since this is also a food blog I ended our discussion with a question about what the Grande Roses are cooking up (in the more conventional use of the word). Turns out, it's soup:

Grande Roses Quick Autumn Soup
-yellow chanterelles
-white wine
-bouillon
-cream
-onions
-garlic
-thyme
-a touch of brandy
-salt
-pepper

1. Mix the ingredients together in a big pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow the soup to simmer.

Here's another track off their EP:
Grande Roses-The Farm

And the Earlier one:
Grande Roses-The Factory

To purchase the album you can contact the band directly through their myspace page.

Look for more "What's cooking" entries to come your way over the next few months.

Broccoli and Gruyere Gratin and Caprese Salad with Sleigh Bells, Darling New Neighbors and Duchess Says

A little over a year ago a cheese maker in Switzerland created a fresh batch of Gruyere cheese. Instead of rushing the cheese to market, it was put aside, in a cave of all places, and allowed to mingle with bacteria and the natural Swiss air. Eventually the cheese, ripe with its flavors of apple and pear, was shipped to the United States and delivered to the Whole Foods on Dale Mabry Avenue. There it sat until I came by, purchased it, and placed it here:

Gruyere and Broccoli Gratin
(printable version)

-3 bunches of broccoli
-1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)
-1/4 cup of flour
-2 cups of skim milk
-8 oz of Gruyere Cheese (grated)
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-salt and black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375. Fill a wok with water and cover with a bamboo steamer. Place the broccoli in the steamer. Steam until the broccoli turns bright green. Remove from heat and place the broccoli in a rectangular baking dish.

2. In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir for about two minutes. Do not let the flour/butter mixture burn. Whisk in milk and cook until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 4 ounces of Gruyere. Pour the mixture over the broccoli. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir.

3. Spread the remaining 4 ounces of cheese over the top of the broccoli. Bake until cheese is golden colored, about 40 minutes.

Allow Gratin to cool slightly before digging in.

Another cheese dish I planned on making recently was a caprese salad shaped like eyeballs. The inspiration came from this post on Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. Unfortunately Halloween came and went and I ran out of time (or reasons) to dress the salad up. My version includes all the same ingredients as the Evil post, minus the fancy arrangement.


Brooklyn seems to keep churning out good music (I'm so jealous of my friend Annie). The latest Brooklyn band to get my toes tapping while my spoon is stirring is the Sleigh Bells. I enjoy their song "Crown on the Ground" but "AB Machines" is even better. This version of "AB Machines" is just a demo. The band plans to re-record it before officially releasing it as part of an album later this year or early next year.

Sleigh Bell-AB Machines

Another band I've been enjoying lately is the Darling New Neighbors from Austin, Texas. Their song "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is one that didn't immediately catch my attention. But after a few listens the accordion wormed it's way into my brain and I couldn't get it out. Thanks to Eardrums Music for introducing me to this one.

Darling New Neighbors-Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Finally, fresh off their CMJ high, is Canada's Duchess Says. "Rabies (baby's got the)" is a brilliant celebration of screaming dance music that reminds me of a ride on a pogo stick. Below you will find a video with a short excerpt of the song. To download this slightly older track visit Nialler 9 blog right here.



By the way, something cool I came across today (thanks to Shmitten Kitten) is a mail order husband website. This is freaking hilarious.

A Baker's Dozen: Interview with Solander

Imagine it. You are standing with a friend in a completely white room with an altar listening as the stereo belts out repeatedly "Just F***ing kill him." That is what happened to Frederik Karlsson (the man behind Solander) and led him to record his own haunting version of the song which was track number two on our (Buffalo) Wing and a Prayer Mix. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Frederik (via email) as part of our Baker's Dozen series on Write.Click.Cook.Listen.

TB: Your first single contains two tracks "Looking for Gold" and a cover of Shellac's "Prayer to God." What makes these two songs work together?

Sol: I think that it was Tenderversion that put those two together They took two songs they liked and put them together. In my opinion I think they are, in some way, intertextually linked. So for me they fit together like paper and glue.

TB: "Prayer to God" tackles an emotional subject (praying for revenge for an affair). The way you perform it is aurally appealing, yet the pain shines through. What went through your mind while you recorded the track?

Sol: I first heard the song in a friend's room. He is Catholic and his entire room is white, including the altar. When he played the song on the stereo I was swept away. This was, at the time, the essence of belief for me. When you really need help, the prayers come uncensored.

TB: Do you have a philosophy about cover songs? Would you cover any other songs?

Sol: I love playing covers. But they have to different from the original. If the cover version comes too close to the original it loses its sense. I promised that I would record one cover for every 10000 listens on Myspace. At the moment I am behind on the promise. Any song suggestions?

TB: Tell us about Since We Are Pigeons, your new album which was released digitally on the 16th of September.

Sol: It is not only digitally. You can order it from Tenderversion, they will ship it all over the world. Victoria Skoglund made the cover art and I love it. The record contains 11 songs which were recorded during 2009. It doesn't really have a theme except, I recorded everything on my own with my best friend and my lover.

TB: You are also a part of Fredrik and Vit Pals. How does Solander differ from those two outfits?

Sol: Oh I would say the only thing in common is that it would be in the pop section in a record store. FREDRIK is a neo-baroque-folk sextet that explores the essence of beauty with music. Vit Pals is the art of a thriving genius called Carl Johan Lundgren. I'm just a tool which he uses. The love shows with Palsen (Vit Pals) is something you never forget, if you get the chance to see it.

TB: Solander's press release suggests that you may choose to back a song with a string quartet, indie rock band or a cellist. Who are the people that you collaborate with and how do you decide which pieces to incorporate into a song?

Sol: As I mentioned earlier, the musicians I collaborate with are friends and a lover. Very often it is Klas and Anja and I who put the frames and then let people stop by the studio and paint with whatever they are using at the time.

TB: You have contributed music to at least two films (En Dod Kraka and Hata Goteborg). How did Solander become a part of these projects? Did you have any say in how the songs were used?

Sol: Not with"Hata Goteborg." The producer liked what we do so I sent them some songs. They could pick and choose as they like. With "En Dod Kraka" some of the songs were originally recorded for that movie. Some other songs just felt good by coincident.

TB: In 2006 you relocated from Gothenberg to Malmo. Why the move? How has it benefited Solander?

Sol: Malmo is a town with less distress and more freedom. It went from this really heavy industrial city to a college town in the last ten years. A lot of studios are being put up and the food is cheap. For me it, Malmo, means more time and more musicians. Also, I love that the sea is really close by.

TB: If someone were visiting Malmo, what are the "must sees"?

Sol: I like the beach called Ribbersborg. They have a big wooden bathing house there which I go to as often as I can.

TB: What are your live shows like?

Sol: Right now there are four of us. Klas, Anja, Hannes, and me. Some synthesizers, drums, guitars, and always Anja's fantastic cello. We try to make the audience travel as we play. We invite them into our songs so they can experience something beyond recorded music. Also we tend to make a lot of conversation. I don't know why really.

TB: What are Solander's plans, now that Since We Are Pigeons has been released?

Sol: Three European tours. All in all about 50 shows. After that we are planning on making new music for a new decay!

TB: You mentioned that you do some cooking (via my Myspace page). Any recipes you care to share?

Sol: I have a really good cannelloni recipe I'd like to share. (Find it here).

TB: Anything else you would like to say?

Sol: I hope to see everyone that reads this on the road and share some new recipes and songs with them.

To download Solander's "Looking for Gold" go here. To purchase the debut album Since We Are Pigeons stop here. You can check out a video of Solander performing live here.

Let Them Eat Pie Mix: RADAID, katsen, drummer, melodics, mumford & sons, Ellie Goulding, Shad K, Tada Tata, Monotonix and more

Jean-Jacques Rousseau did not have me in mind when he wrote in his Confessions book "Qu’ils mangent de la brioche. J’achetai de la brioche." This quote is generally translated as "Let them eat cake. I bought some cake (but in all actuality refers to brioche, a French egg bread). Cake is too rich for me, too much icing, not enough good stuff. I'll take pie over cake any day. That's why I love November so much. It seems that no other month of the year sees so much pie sent my way. Pumpkin, apple, peach, cherry, blueberry, raspberry, rhubarb and strawberry. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying. It's pie out the wazoo. That's what this month's playlist is all about. Eating pie, baking pie, sharing a pie with the whole world. Everyone out there, this crust is for you.


Track Listing:

RADAID-Shine
Katsen-Where nobody can find us
Dummer-Diamonds to Shake
The Melodics-Take Me Away
Mumford & Sons-Little Lion Man
A Place To Bury Strangers-In Your Heart
Ellie Goulding-Under the Sheets
I Heart Hiroshima-Skakeytown
Shad K-I Get Down
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool-Dance the Way I Feel
Monotonix-My needs
Tada Tata-Hit The Wall
Washed Out-New Theory
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir-Tear Down the Opera House
My Sunrise-Fire Walk with Me

Download Playlist Here

The Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie pictured at the top of this post came from this month's Real Simple. I put in more vanilla and less corn syrup than the recipe called for and used my own pie crust.