Kabobs & Apple Pie

Favorite Things: 1st Edition

Red Mango

These days tart fro-yo places are as ubiquitous as Starbucks, and the D.C. metro area is no exception. My favorite of these places, though, is Red Mango, which opened a location in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington. Their yogurt has the exact right amount of tartness, and their toppings are tasty and fresh. All of their flavors are great, but their regular is so sublime I almost never get anything else. It works particularly well with mochi and any fruit that is both a little tart and a little sweet, like strawberries, kiwi, or mango. Bonus points for the great service.

Children’s shows

Before I became a mother everyone told me that one day I would like the inane children’s movies put out by the dozen by Pixar, Disney and their compatriots. They liked. I still don’t like that drivel. But I do love a good, live children’s show. Azita has been to several at our favorite music joint in Vienna, Jammin’ Java, from Elizabeth Mitchell to Farmer Jason (also known as Jason from Jason and the Scorchers). And, of course, there was Yo Gabba Gabba Live, which was just plain awesome. But one of our most favorite shows was Gustafer Yellowgold, and he’s coming back to town on November 21st. If you live in the D.C. Metro area and have kids, I highly recommend attending this show which not only includes the lyrically beautiful music, but also the most whimsical videos to accompany the tunes.

Street Festivals

I just love a good street festival. Walking around in the hustle and bustle, people watching, street food, music. And this is the season. Now that the weather is cooling down just a bit, festivals are everywhere to be found. Last weekend we went to Clarendon Day in Arlington and this coming weekend we’ll be heading out to Bethesda, Maryland to the Children of Persia Walk for Children which features follow-up festivities, including yummy Persian food, vendor tables, music. And it’s for a good cause — helping needy children in Iran.

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zahra, October 1st 2010 | Tags: Children of Persia, Clarendon Day, Elizabeth Mitchell, Farmer Jason, Gustafer Yellowgold, Jammin Java, Red Mango
Posted in Culture + Stuff

Gustafer Yellowgold

This past Saturday we took Azita to her second show at one of our local music joints, Jammin Java. Both Roger and I tend to like indie music more than popular, overly-produced stuff. This is not to say that we don’t like Coldplay or bands like Wilco that are a lot more popular and produced than when we first fell in like with them. But really, there’s something about a self-produced song that holds a lot more charm than music that’s been claimed by the major music labels.

We’re doing our best to give Azita just such an appreciation for music. This is mostly because I think I may slit my wrists if she ever asks me to take her to a Hannah Montana or Britney Spears concert. I just can’t have it. There’s a little more selfishness to our madness, though. We both love live music, and I hate to leave Azita on a weekend to go off to a show when I already see so little of her.

Jammin Java and many small music venues in the area have presented a solution to our dilemma — children’s shows that adults can love on weekend mornings and afternoons and on weekdays before the 11pm crowd we were once a part of takes over the place. On Saturday, we caught a musical act that more than fits this bill. Gustafer Yellowgold.

This is happy and haunting music. It sticks with you. Two days later, I am still humming these tunes. And kids love it too. Azita literally climbed up on a table and started dancing, and I’m not using the word “literally” in that annoying way that people tend to use it. I really mean “literally.” As in, she was sitting on a table and swaying, kicking her feet, moving her arms and bobbing her head to the music. It was pretty awesome, and it made us laugh so infectiously you could almost see bubbles of laughter floating over the audience making everyone else laugh also.

Not only was the music pretty awesome, but it was accompanied by stop-frame animation. So it was that we learned the story of Gustafer Yellowgold, who comes from the sun and now lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota with his best friend, Slimothy the eel. Over the course of an hour, their lives were sung and illustrated more lyrically and whimsically than anything I’ve ever seen.

Critics have compared this show to the Yellow Submarine, but I think it was far more sublime.

Gustafer Yellowgold. Remember the name, and go buy the CD/DVD set immediately. This is a commandment. You will love it.