To keep it simple, we had dinner on the premises at Union Pizzeria. The gourmet pizza (mushrooms, bechamel and fontina cheese) was outstanding paired with a nice chopped salad and a glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, my friend Debbie and I were quite satisfied. Our husbands had the salmon and pork roast, which looked quite good also. No one complained. Now, they do not take reservations so you need to plan to get there early (if before a show) and have a drink at the bar. We arrived at 7:30 and had to make the 10:00 show. This timing gave us ample time to eat. A sampling of the menu:
PIZZA:
Prosciutto & Arugula - béchamel & Parmesan 14
Sausage - sweet pepper, onion & Sicilian oregano 13
Quattro Formaggi - mozz., fontina, Parmesan & provolone 13
Wild Mushroom - béchamel, fontina & sage 13
Lamb Sausage - Pinn-Oak lamb, eggplant, Gaeta olives & rosemary 14
Pepperoni & Sausage - mozzarella & Sicilian oregano 14
Margherita - tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella & torn basil 13
Shrimp & pineapple- bechamel, bacon & jalepeno 15
Artichoke - Sweet peppers, Gaeta olives, fresh mozzarella & garlic 13
Potato and asparagus - bechamel, smoked mozzarella & chives 14
Puttanesca - anchovies, caramelized onion, capers & Gaeta olives 13
Special Pizza of the week
14
Deletions only please
SALAD:
sm/lg
Classic Caesar - Romaine, parmesan & croutons 6/10
Chopped - Maytag blue, tomato, cucumber 6/10
Baby spinach - Cherries, goat cheese and charred red onion 6/10
The Weepies Show:
I fully planned to get in line for the show by 9:00 but conversation got away and we waited a bit too long and the line was out the door (standing room only for the sold out show). Unlike other venues, you will not be standing up by the stage since the stage is surrounded by tables which I am told cost $60 extra. For this particular show, the tables were sold out right away. Regardless, we were able to stand behind the tables in the center and had an unobstructed view (no one standing in front of us). We did however grab (literally grab and move) a high top table that was (prior to the abduction) against the back wall allowing us to rest our drinks and plant ourselves firmly in one spot.
My husband and I have followed Deb Talon, the lead female vocalist, of the now husband and wife duo, for many years. We first heard her sing in Lyons, CO at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival some 9 years ago. She later met her husband Steve Tannin during one of his shows at Club Passim in Boston. Steve deserves his own accolades as a great writer and singer. Shortly after meeting, they abandoned their solo performances and solo studio productions, to form The Weepies. They now write and perform all of their songs together. Fan's of Deb are not disappointed because she still clearly remains the main voice of this band. Deb's solo work is much darker and and melancholy (which is likely why I enjoy it - it somehow speaks to you). Steve provides more of a back drop to Deb's lead vocals but he does a great job harmonizing and playing the demure husband role when necessary. Their work together is decidedly more up-tempo and poppy (and dare I say it: happy). They are really an adorable and likable couple. They now have two children ages 3 years and 6 months that go on tour with them in the big bus. Since the show was on October 30th, the band (Deb, Steve, base guitarist, guitarist, keyboard player, and drummer) all dressed up playfully in Halloween wigs and called themselves "The Creepies" (they announced with tongue in cheek).
They played many songs from previous CDs but highlighted songs from their latest, "Be My Thrill". Their sound and this CD in particular puts them squarely in the indie folk-pop category. The performance had no flaws: sound was excellent, no true awkward moments as banter filled empty gaps. There were few empty gaps to be sure since they had a "guitar boy" who tuned and traded out their guitars with lightening speed between songs. It was amazing how unobtrusive he was and how many guitar swaps were necessary. Alternate tuning can be ridiculous and a chore for sure, but this was impressive. I was glad to see Deb, a relative unknown nine years ago who was playing in a tent (not a main stage performer), now selling out two shows and riding in a large tour bus. I will say though that one of my favorite songs of the night was Steve's song from his own CD, Big Senorita, titled "Sing me to sleep". Deb joked that hearing this song was the reason she stalked Steve in the first place.
Here is a short clip from you tube. I had a hard time finding a better version and was forbidden to do my own videotaping at the show...
The following song "Can't go back now" was featured on a prominent Obama ad campaign video:
Although expressly forbidden to videotape, I took a chance and flip cammed "I was made for sunny days". The audio is pretty good but the image starts sliding further down the screen since I was trying to sneak the footage and was not watching it while taping (so pardon the quality!).
I preferred The Weepies show at Martyrs some years back because I could stand closer and the acoustics were better. Overall the show was great, great food and company, and the new CD was worth the wait. The show and evening gets a 5 out of 5 guitar rating!
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