Ride it to the Sky

Every so often you find yourself in a perfect place and time. All stars align and everything’s as it should be. For me, that time was back in the early 2000s when I was fortunate enough to be part of a core group of friends utterly absorbed with the Disco Biscuits. Our jobs, school schedules, and social structure were molded around their upcoming tour dates – nothing else mattered. Multiple night runs were commonplace as we traveled from town to town, one night after the next to experience something special and completely unique with each show we saw.

The energy was palpable and radiated from the crowd – a sea of individuals entranced by a band wielding magic with screaming guitar riffs, deafening drumbeats, and laser keystrokes. That moment of perfection lasted several years and then slowly started to whittle away as other things in life became more pressing. Words like “career” and “family” started to take shape and tilted a priority system that had once been linear.

Looking back, I can easily say it was the greatest time of my life. Thankfully, there continues to be connections between the young, independent, freewheelin’ me with the older, more steadfast me thanks to the Disco Biscuits. Those connections are evident everyday with my wife, Roxana, who I met at a Biscuits show in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2008 and thanks to our daughter, Leora, who’s named after the heroine of a Biscuits rock opera called, Hot Air Balloon.

While we still make it to shows from time to time, but not often enough, the rekindling of those magical moments now occurs at home, with family, listening to records. Live Biscuits LPs are hard to come by but fortunately, we have two on vinyl that always get the energy flowing – TranceFusionRadio Broadcast 01/02 and The Classical Set, an album truly like none other.

I often hesitate to put these albums on because they force me to think about moments passed, but after the needle drops and the music starts, everything’s right and exactly the way it should be.

Artist & Album: The Disco Biscuits, TranceFusionRadio Broadcast 01/02

Recordings from the Disco Biscuits NYE Run 2002, Remastered by Jon Altschiller, Cover art and packaging design by Ben Langsfeld

A special, 15 year “crystal” anniversary release on vinyl featuring live soundboard recordings from the band’s 2002 New Year’s Run. TranceFusionRadio Broadcast 01/02 encapsulates a pivotal time in auditory exploration and the Disco Biscuits’ unique blend of electronica-infused jam known to their dedicated fans as TranceFusion.

Beer Pairing: Aslin Brewing Company, Disco Biscuits

Named in honor of the band, this combination of coconut, chocolate, graham cracker and the tartness of limes quickly slips you into a mindset of relaxation. These highly contrasting flavors tease and challenge your palate through dramatic turns leaving you wanting more, more, more! Much like the Disco Biscuits.

Artist & Album: The Disco Biscuits, The Classical Set

Recorded on August 16^th, 2003 @ TranceMission in Trade, Tennessee, Original Recording and Mix by Rich Steele, Vinyl Mastering by Scott Hull, Album Artwork by Gwen AP

Nowhere else will you find a band with the bravado and skill to mesh classical masterpieces like Rossini’s “The Thieving Magpie” and Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” with modern day electronic jam fusion and original scores like “The Overture” from the Disco Biscuits rock opera, Hot Air Balloon. One hot summer day, nestled in the rolling mountains of eastern Tennessee, the Disco Biscuits created something original – the classical set, which caught the crowd of devoted fans off guard but left everyone buzzing afterwards. Then in 2013, ten years after the legendary set was performed, the band made the decision to produce their first live vinyl release by going with The Classical Set – a wise decision indeed.

Fun facts:

New York Public Radio took the time to do research and cover the top 5 beers for classical music listeners – check out the story here. NPR did something similar as did BBC Music Magazine with their story on the best classical drinking songs. Classical may be back – one beer at a time!
On the inside cover of the LP’s gatefold jacket, there’s a picture of the Biscuits playing TranceMission, which includes the first few rows of fans in the crowd. One fortunate individual turned his head at precisely the right moment and when the photo was snapped. The result is now captured in history and that lucky fan is none other than my buddy, Holt. Love you buddy!

Beer Pairing: Lost Province Brewing Company, What’s Up, BRO?

Lost Province Brewing isn’t far from Trade, where The Classical Set was performed back in 2003, and right over the Tennessee border in Boone, North Carolina. This New England-style IPA is dry-hopped exclusively with Sabro hops and flavor and aroma combos of pineapple, coconut and pine, which is interesting because none of those ingredients are in the beer. What’s Up with that BRO!?