thepaintedman rates this:

Remember the 90’s dance music machine C&C Music Factory? Well, this is by no means them. Rather, it’s the newest release by Jason “CookBook” Soto and Rene “Uno Mas” Palma, C&U Music Factory, released on Just-US/Audio Sketch Book Records. Presente!

Complete with some great guests like Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Pigeon John, Site Raw, Sareem Poems (fka Sharlock Poems of LA Symphony), DJ Rhettmatic, King Charizmatic, Scarub of Living Legends, and Raquel Rodriguez, this CD demonstrates the skills of Cook and Uno, two Latino MC’s with pride for their roots and love for their fans and their craft. If you aren’t familiar with this duo, suffice it to say that they’ve been around the block a few times and have been doing it together for over a decade. Formerly part of the well-known Christian hip hop collective LA Symphony, they’ve continued to forge on despite the demise of the seminal outfit. In the past few years, they’ve released a few releases together, many made available to their fans for free, and Cook released his first solo effort last year. Now, with C&U Music Factory, they continue their legacy of releasing great hip hop that is both commercially viable and uncompromising, something very uncommon in today’s big budget bling rap world.

15 tracks and a bonus cut makes 16 tracks in all. All 6 are solid, but there are a few that standout to me. “When You Rock & Roll” features Evidence, another great MC, making the duo a trio; this is a great hip hop track with a fun hook, plus I like any hip hop track that has the words “rock” and/or “roll” in the title. “Our Life Sounds Nice” just flows so perfectly, if it doesn’t make you bounce (like I am doing in my chair as I type this) then you may need to check your pulse. “Just-Us” has a rock vibe to it and some Santana-like intricacies in the guitar work, which is always a good thing for me (a guy who named his son Cash Hendrix); Raquel’s vocals are great in the hook and Site Raw lays down a nice verse. “AM Radio” is all about the verses that Cook, Uno, King, and Sareem lay down, with a perfectly understated backbeat. “Where Ya Been All My Life?” features my favorite MC, so how can it not be fresh?

But my favorite track is “Monster Mosh”. This is quite possibly due to my recent interest in all things monster and horror related, but I think that it can also be credited to the hot beat and the playful and entertaining lyrics. Complete with references to too many horror flicks and monster myths to name, the lyrical content is extremely fun. The chorus is very catchy as they “turn hip hop audiences into a mosh pit”. I guess all there is left to say about this track is that the diabolical laughing at the end is kinda creepy and I’ll have to make a point to find out who that was next time I get the chance to talk to the fellas.

Overall, it’s fair to say I’m not hip hop authority, but when a 16 track CD has 8 or more tracks that will be continually getting play on my iPod for weeks, months, and years to come, it’s also fair to say that this is a solid outing. Enjoyable, sometimes thought provoking, and always fun… once again Cook and Uno show that they love hip hop, their God, and making music together.

As I sit here, snowed in, for the second time in a week, I am watching Independence Day on VHS. Since today is a cold day, where I need something to warm me up, I decided to start off with a bit of the sound of the surf to open this one up. The closer: (Pictured on the right) Michael Signorelli’s winning entry for the ReverseRemixThis! Contest in which entrants were asked to prepare lyrics and vocals for a great instrumental track by the VBM band, Map. In between, new track from Cook & UNO, killer hardcore from Twin Killing and Debtor, and a whole lot more. ENJOY!

1. Mainsail’s “Endless Summer” is the opening track off of the recent release from Joel Bennett’s latest musical endeavor. Buy the CD on iTunes here.

2. Debtor’s “Escape” is also a leadoff track. It’s from their EP entitled Deliverance. Spirit Filled Hardcore is back!

3. Twin Killing’s “Hard Times” is one of my favorite tracks from their 2008 release, …If This Could Last Forever. A real hardcore song in a world where mallcore reigns. Love it!

4. Cook & UNO’s “Where Ya Been All My Life?” (Featuring Pigeon John) is off of C&U Music Factory, the newest release from the duo formerly known as “The Eternals”. Throw in my favorite MC and it’s a trio to swoon over. Expect a review of the album within the next week.

5. The Glass Gentlemen’s “Ocean Stars” is another example of this indie band’s talent and ability. Brad and Brad continue to crank out viable, relevant music, even if most of the world has no idea who they are.

6. Jennings’s “Surrender” is a killer track from this future pop starlet. Get on board now… and, check out a review of the Storybook EP.

7. Megaphone’s “My Favorite New Disaster” is an enjoyable track from this radio friendly rock act. Look for a review on the site soon.

8. The Pimps of Joytime’s “Joytime Radio”. What do I need to say about a band called The Pimps of Joytime? How can this not be a song you want to hear?

9. Look Mexico’s “You’re Not Afraid of the Dark Are You?” is a track by this solid Lujo Records act. If you are familiar with Lujo, you know that they produce quality music.

10. TechnoBears’s “Night of the Brainless Date” is another breath of fresh air. TechnoBears has entered several of the TPM remix contests and I’ve always enjoyed his contributions. This is no different. Enjoy.

11. CONTEST WINNER: Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Michael Signorelli of the85bears). Michael did a great job with this. Of course, he had a great backdrop to work with… but he delivered, earning himself Map’s entire discography as his prize. Congrats, Mike Email me with an address to send your prize to).

Like Mike’s take on this Map track? Check out more by his band, the85bears.

But, wait there’s more…

12. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring David Paskey).

13. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Kiko Correa).

14. BONUS TRACK (Runner up): Map’s “Issues and Subscriptions” (featuring Daniel Stirling).

(You three should also Email me for your prizes).

thepaintedman rates this:

The 3rd day of Christmas (at least by thepaintedman’s math), brings more fresh hip hop, in fact… what I am presenting to you is the freshest Christmas themed hip hop since Rev Run, Darryl McDaniels, and the Jam Master presented us the classic tune of which I shared with you yesterday.

This 10 song compilation is thoroughly enjoyable and can spice up you Christmas playlist very easily, as it has mine. All 10 songs are solid, featuring artists like LA Symphony (including my boys CookBeezy and Uno Mas, who incidently I saw on JCTV yesterday while flipping channels), MG! the Visionary (a man responsible for getting me much deeper into hip hop than I ever had been before when he released Transparemcee…), Scribbling Idiots (JustMe, Cas Metah, Mouf Warren, Theory Hazit, and Wonder Brown), Sintax the Terrific (free download of track “Snow Day” coming on Friday’s mixtape), Page One, Elias, Caramel Skillington, and Sivion. And while, I can honestly assert that all 10 tracks are fun, enjoyable, and well made, here are my top 4, in David Letterman-esque fashion:

4. LA Symphony’s “Christmas Song”

While I have not confirmed this, I assume this is an older LA Symph track, notably because of the presence of Pigeon John on the track. The beat takes a back seat to the rhymes of this all star cast of MCs. (Their other track on this comp is a sweet track, too. It’s entitled, “It’s Christmas” and has a beat I dig a bit more, but the lyrics and showcasing of the delivery of these talented MCs on this track make it my favorite of the two).

3. Elias’s “Maria”

Different than the other tracks here, Elias’s track is not really a hip hop track, but rather an acoustic reggae track ala Bradley Nowell of Sublime. A fantastic track for fans of hip hop and those who don’t bump much hip hop alike. Been stuck in my head for a few hours now (as I type this I am singing the song aloud in my office).

2. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary, and DJ Because’s “We Three Kings”

I’m just such a sucker for MG’s flow and adding a few other fantastic artists into the mix doesn’t hurt. I wholly dig the jingle bells and how they pair with the scratch work and the backbeat. Hot track. Period.

1. Scribbling Idiots’ “Jingle Bell Knock”

Sampling “Jingle Bell Rock” is genius for this track. The construction of the beat is phenomenal. While the LA Symph track noted above is almost entirely about the MCs on the track for me, this selection as my favorite track is easily as much about the production and beat as it is about the rhymes and flows. A very well put-together track from the collective that seems to be at the helm of all that is Illect.

Download these tracks today from sphereofhiphopstore.com or on coming soon on iTunes… you won’t be sorry. And then you can come back and tell me which tracks are your favorite. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, telling me about your favorite track(s) will pay off with a little Christmas surprise in the way of some free music.

Illect just dropped a new Christmas album, which will be available on iTunes very soon… but you don’t have to wait, get your copy for only $7.99 directly from illect.com.

Not sure? New to Illect? Well, look at this track listing and you’ll be sure. MG!, LA Symph, and the Idiots alone should be enough convincing.

1. Sintax the Terrific – Snow Day
2. Scribbling Idiots – Jingle Bell Knock
3. L.A. Symphony – It’s Christmas
4. Sintax the Terrific – Immanuel
5. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary and DJ Because – We Three Kings
6. L.A. Symphony – Christmas Song
7. Elias – Maria
8. Caramel Skillington – Salvation’s Army
9. Sivion – Celebrate the Son
10. Sintax the Terrific – Lament of the Diamond Star

Thanks for hooking me up with an interview. I figured that since Cook did one that I couldn’t leave you out. That’s just be unfair. So, anyway, my readers have met CookBook, but the question still begs, who is Uno Mas?

UNO Mas was born Rene Palma to Mexican immigrants. I started rapping in high school around the mid 90s. Listened to a lot of different music growing up… mostly rock cuz of my older bro’s influence. I’m a founding member of the LA Symph crew. Blessed to travel the globe and perform in front of thousands of people! I like the color blue and I love tacos!

I know your name primarily from your work as a member of LA Symphony. I am most familiar with Composition No. 1 and Disappear Here. What tracks would I know you most from?

From Composition No.1 you’d probably know me best from the song “Little Shirts”. The hook is quite catchy and people always quote that to this day if they see me or Cook. From Disappear Here, I’d have to say the song “Rise”. I’ve gotten a lot of people tell me that the verse was dope and it moved them to hear it. The verse basically talks about me and a time in my life where I was very sick and hospitalized, and just what I went through.

After talking with CookBook, I downloaded the The Overflow. It’s quite a solid album and a free album is always a good thing, in my opinion. However, how can you and Cook get away with giving music away and still find a way to make a living?

Man bro, giving away music was just an idea that I kinda came up with, but not necessarily to the extent that it is with us right now. It started with just giving away a song a month back when MySpace was allowing free downloads. It eventually led to grouping the songs together with other exclusive songs to make a FREE download album. At this point we just want our music heard by any means necessary… and, by as many people as possible! We’ve never made money off of record sales. All monies we’ve seen have been from touring. So if Cook and I can gain some fans from the free stuff then hopefully we’ll earn a loyalty from them when it comes to further projects and touring. That’s the plan…hope it works!

Do you and he have anything else in the works? Or, perhaps, it’s better to ask what you have in the works, whether it be with or without him.

I’ve been tossing the idea around for a minute about doing a solo project, maybe an EP. I just don’t wanna spread ourselves too thin. My plan since day one was to do music first with my good friend Cook. The LA Symph came along and took us in another direction. Now that we’re focusing on C&U again, I feel this is the time to push as hard as possible to get our music heard. Thus came The Overflow which really did alot for us. Over 40 thousand downloads. Now we’ve got The C&U Music Factory which in my opinion is 10x’s better! It’s some of our best music to date and it has alot of dope guest spots. I have faith in our music and i believe if we can get it into people’s iPods and whatnot, they’ll catch our vision.

It seems like the LA Symph crew has been able to keep working with each other on projects outside of LA Symph releases, appearing on each other’s releases and creating interesting work together, with the latest being Rootbeer. Is there anything in particular by other members of the crew that has blown you away in the past few years?

I mean it’s real cool to see the individual members do the music they personally have in their hearts to do. Joey the Jerk is off doin’ somethin’ totally off the wall that the average LAS fan would never expect, but if you know him you’d probably say, yup that’s him. Flynn’s solo stuff has some really dope uniqueness to it that only Flynn can pull off. So it’s just dope to see everyone doin them. And if and when LA Symph gets togther for another project it’ll be us… all of us, doin’ the LAS stuff, and sound, and vibe… etc.

In the interview with CookBook, he mentioned some poor decisions involving LA Symphony. Everything in life seems to have it’s ups and downs. What do you regret about your time with LA Symphony and what is your best memory?

Man, woulda, shoulda, coulda, is never a good thing. There’s always regrets… always, no matter what you do. Too many to get into, but things coulda been done differently to make us a smoother running machine for sure. There’s always the thought of maybe we waitied too long to focus on our solo material. But, it was all a life experience, one that I do hold close. I’ve been all around the world and have seen the country up close and personal. There is way too many memories to just recall one. Like I said, I hold it all close…even the bad!

In addition to lots of other underground hip-hop, I am very into the Nerdcore subgenre. Are you familiar with the Nerdcore guys?

I’m not really familiar with the genre “Nerdcore”. Only thing that comes close would be Pigeon john when I think of that title… LOL.

Not too far off… PJ could easily be part of that scene. As I type up the questions to this interview, I am listening to MC Lars, I guess that’s where these questions came from… but anyway, what other Hip Hop inspires and influences you?

I get inspired by good hip hop… as vague as that is. I like the new artists coming out of the westcoast like Pac Div and Blu. Murs keeps doin’ his thing. Evidence has been doin’ his thing recently and I respect his hustle and music. I don’t listen much to the radio…lots and lots of sports talk radio when I’m in the car. Not necessarily cuz I say screw the stuff on radio, I just enjoy sports talk. I don’t know, there’s a lot artists out there that I respect and look forward to hearing.

How about other music, like non Hip Hop?

I don’t know. I listen to a lot of random stuff. depends on mood. you can find lots of stuff on my iPod. Random stuff like Musiq, John Mayer, The Fray, the Cardigans, Journey, Incubus, Raphael Saadiq, 80’s R&B and Pop. I’m pretty open to whatever.

Slipping away from music for a few moments, what else do you fill your time with?

Quite honestly, not much. When I’m not doin’ music, I actually stay away as far as possible from the creative side of music. I love my sports, so I watch lots of it. Football, basketball, college and pro… it’s all good to me! I’m tryin’ to get myself back in the gym. I use to be a workout fiend… now… not so much! I’ve been considering takin’ some more college courses. Try and finish up my degree. Joey the Jerk, just recently got his Bachelor’s, so that motivates me a lot. I like to read self help books on finance and whatnot. Book like Rich Dad Poor Dad. Not sure if I’m soaking up the knowledge, but I enjoy the on the spot motivation. Movies are always a favorite of mine. I’ll go catch a flick whenever the urge hits, even if I go alone. I had a bad habit of buying shoes (Dunks and Jordans), but finances brought that to an end. I’m a little more respectful of my bank account now. I like to think I can cook, if anything… I do like to eat!

I see you and CookBook on Twitter quite often. I used to think Twitter was lame, then I warmed up. How long have you been on Twitter, you an OT (Original Tweeter) or a newbie like me?

I don’t really know what is considered a newbie. I’ve been “tweeting” since about March of this year. I do enjoy Twitter… some days more than others. I’ve met lots of good people and contacts through it, so it’s been really good in building music relationships. I like reading what people are up to, especially other artists. It gives you a chance to relate to them and see what sorta things you have in common. I hate it that Diddy never replies to me, so I unfollowed him! Alyssa Milano never replies back, but I still follow her… she a sports freak! I like replying to people that listen to our music and are LA Symph fans. It’s a real good way to sorta speak to people you look up to… maybe send’em a message. Even if they don’t reply, chances are they read your message. As an artist, you do have to be up on these new avenues (Facebook, Twitter) to connect with your fans and potential new fans.

To turn this conversation in a slightly different direction for a minute, I am familiar with youand know that you are a Christian. I am also a Christian, though I am not much of a church goer and have a hard time with some of the things other followers do in the “name of God”. In fact, I’d say that most of the times I’ve been burnt in my life were by Christians. It’s hard, because I guess I hold other Christians to a higher standard or something. Anyway, I guess the question is this: what about Jesus makes it impossible for me, you, or other Christians to dismiss him based on the stupid things Christians do?

Obviously we’re all imperfect! Man will always let you down in small or big ways. I don’t put my faith in man, whether it’s my pastor or teacher, or president. I will however put my trust in them. I have to trust that they will do and make decisions that are beneficial to those they lead. I have to trust that they will do the right thing… most of the time. I have to believe and have faith that Jesus is who the bible says he is! That’s because Jesus is the God I have chosen to follow. I can’t fault man in the stupid things they do or say in their interpretations of the Bible or their practice of Christianity. I probably do things that other believers think is weird or just plain wrong. I’ve experienced a lot of judgmental treatment from fellow believers, but i can’t be jaded by it… because they’re just human, like me. I will separate myself from that, but I’m always open to learn and listen to others perspective and knowledge of faith and the bible. I don’t know, I hope that answered the question. I’m actually in between churches at the moment. But I am looking for a new place to fellowship.

On the topic, I’ve been struggling a lot personally with the idea that prosperity is based on faith. Many Christians I know seem to think that the things they have, from health to material goods, are because they are “gifts from God”. While this isn’t untrue, it also comes with the implied belief that the poor and downtrodden are that way because they don’t have a strong enough faith. If you could deliver one message to the Prosperity Theologists of the world, what would it be?

I do believe there is some level of faith when it comes to these thing like health and money. But I mostly believe, that you get what you work for. I go by the belief “God helps those who helps themselves”! I know people are different in this world and some people have it harder, maybe cuz of handicaps. We’ve all got obstacles to overcome in one form or another. God blessed me with a sound mind and body and it would be wrong for me to pray for good health and sit around downing Cheetos and cheeseburgers. Or believe in financial prosperity when I’m not at least learning about finances and how money works. I believe knowledge is key in certain areas, especially money. I don’t believe in suffering for my craft/art. If music is not paying my bills then I’ma go and get a job… period. In all things give praise and be thankful. I believe God’s will for us is to prosper and be healthy! I don’t know. I do believe God answers prayer. God meets our needs. As long as I’m doing somethin’ and not sitting on my ass, God will meet my needs when I fall short. Hope that answers your question.

Ok, so now that all of the non-Christians are getting tired of our dialogue and threatening to leave, I’ll bring it back to music. So far, in 2009, what are your favorite releases, any genre?

I’m not gonna lie… I don’t have any favorite releases for 09 yet. There’s stuff that I’ve bought and downloaded that I thought was really good. 2009 is still not over, we’ll see come December.

We already discussed your future musical plans, how about LA Symph as a whole, do you see anything on the horizon as far as another release by the collective?

Nope! We discussed briefly putting out another album, but we weren’t all on the same page or mind set. The time is just not right yet. I do believe we will release another album, I just don’t know when. Maybe next year, maybe two years from now. It just has to feel right. At this point, we have to much respect for the LA Symph name to just put some songs together and throw something out for the sake of getting something out. I think our next album has to be the best music we’ve ever done and leave people wanting more. I think our last albums were real good, but I don’t think they did that. So maybe time will create some sort of anticipation with our fans and a motivation within us to craft somethin’ truly great and timeless!

Well, I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time. Let’s wrap this up with two more questions. First, what is it that you love most about creating music?

Sometimes writing is a drag. Especially when you write your heart out and record it and it pretty much sucks! I love recording, and when it all comes together as a whole and freakin’ sounds awesome. From the track to the hook to the verse. When you realize, like damn…that’s hot right there! I mostly enjoy performing though. I love everything about it. From travelling, to the hotels, to being in front of people, and rockin’ their freakin’ minds. Performin’ is like an addiction, literally. Even when I’ve told myself, man I’m done with this. There’s nothin’ in the world like being on stage and people lovin’ what your doing!

And finally, leave the readers with some words of wisdom.

Man, just do you and be true to you. If you’re thinking of rapping… stop! Go to school… haha! I don’t know… do what makes you happy and don’t try to please others. Thanks for listening ya’ll… or reading! God Bless and go cop anything and everything that has to do with Cook & UNO!!!

I spent the last day and a half busy and away from my computer… when I returned I had a slew of emails, a tons of music to review, and a ton of hits on the site. Thanks everyone, so here are a few quick updates:

-Next week will be Hip Hop Week on TPM. While I vacation in North Carolina, you will be treated to interviews from Uno Mas (LA Symphony, Cook & UNO, The Eternals) and YTCracker, reviews of Shael Riley and Ed E. Rueger, and a Hip Hop 10 in 10.

-To kick off Hip Hop Week, Monday will be my first Mixtape Monday. On the first Monday of each month, you will be able to download at least 10 tracks from assorted artists. While this month will include all different musical styles, several great hip hop artists will be sharing tracks.

-There will be a great interview posted tomorrow with The Glass Gentlemen and a review of Everybody Out! Over the weekend, there will (probably) be a 10 in 10 and a review (and comparison piece) of the first Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris (the inspiration for True Blood)… If I get too busy, these could get pushed back until after Hip Hop Week, though.

-Also, in the coming weeks, there will be an interview with Mike Virus of Evacuate and reviews of Evacuate, Telegraph Canyon, Sebastien Granger, and much more.

Thanks, and check out this jam from Cookbook, Uno, and the rest of LA Symph before you head out!

thepaintedman rates this:

Critics seems to have little nice to say about the new EP from LA Symphony alumns, Pigeon John and Flynn Adam. Together, this duo is calling themselves Rootbeer and their EP entitled Pink Limousine seems to express their desire to create fun dance rap for the masses, ala The Black Eyed Peas. While neither is a stranger to creating hip hop for people to bump at parties, it seems as if the critics wanted something more, notably from the typically insightful lyricist, Pigeon John. Some criticisms note that the duo have thrown aside their unique ability to partner thoughtfulness with clever delivery and opted for simple, “Fergie-like” generic delivery. Others go as far as to call it one of the worst albums of 2009. I, however, wouldn’t go as far as the critics. It’s not the genius I hoped it would be, but it sure is enjoyable.

Pigeon is one of my favorite MCs, maybe even my absolute favorite MC… but he’s not at his best here. While still better than most, his rhymes seem less pensive that usual (as the critics have been saying) and the overall feel of the album is not what I’ve come to expect from PJ. His rhymes are still quite clever, though. Specifically, the pop-culture references are poignant and the rhymes are still far from generic. If I weren’t expecting this EP to be pure genius, I would have been pleasantly surprised rather than slightly disappointed.

The hook on “Girlies” is extremely catchy. This is probably my favorite track, although 3 of the 5 on the EP are more than worthy of many a future mixtape: “Girlies”, “Under Control”, and “So Good”. “Girlies” jumps out to me immediately, but “Under Control” has a good Outkast/Gnarls Barkley feel to it that I expect would be quite popular if it hit the airwaves. The tune reminds me somewhat of Smashmouth, although I’m not exactly sure why. “So Good” is the only track on here that sounds like a Pigeon John track to me, which is probably what attracts me most to it. It has the laid back Cali style that made me fall for PJ’s solo releases and John’s brand of sing-song delivery shines through.

The other two tracks, “Chimpanzee” and “Pink Limousine” are fun party tracks, but little more than that. I referenced The Black Eyed Peas above, these are the tracks that make that a very legit comparison. This isn’t a bad thing, comparably. Both tracks are fun, would be great to hear at a club or a dance party, but lack the depth that I’ve come to expect from John and others in the LA Symph crew. This isn’t to say that I’ve been skipping these tracks as I listen to the EP, either. They are enjoyable.

PJ’s most recent full length, …And the Summertime Pool Party is one of the best hip hop albums I’ve ever listened to, and thus, the bar for this release was quite high. While is fell short, it’s still a collection of 5 good dance rap tracks, with hints of brilliance here and there. Worth 5 bucks on iTunes and definitely worth checking out live, but not quite enough to hold me over until the next Pigeon John release.

Presenting… the Winners of Beerfest Contests!

Joshua won the Guess What’s in My Pint Contest rewarding him with CDs by UUVVWWZ and The Rural Alberta Advantage.

ginacuce and BBBellezza won the ReTweet Contest.

ginacuce won a copy of the Strictly Background soundtrack.

BBBellezza won a copy of The Young Werewolves CD.

and…

our final contest, the Beer Quiz, was won by NJ native Patti Bright with a score of 7 correct answers. Her prize is a Killian’s bottle opener keychain, a bottle of Apollo, and CDs by Paulson and LA Symphony.

Here are the correct answers to the quiz (questions can be found here):

1. Hamm’s

John Cusack routinely drinks decent beer in his films. Nothing high end, but never piss, either… often local or small-ish breweries.

2. Git-R-Done

I’m sure this isn’t very good, but it’s fun nonetheless.

3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Holy Grail Ale

Unfortunately the beer is not nearly as entertaining as the movie, which itself is quite overrated actually.

4. Goldings

Mentioned in the previous contest post… used in most English ales.

5. Fuller’s

The only British brewery allowed call it’s bitter an ESB is Fuller’s. Many American breweries have bitters called ESB’s, but in Britain the name is a trademark

6. 1987

While Yuengling is the oldest active American brewery, the beer that put them on the map is the same age as my little sister.

7. Ballantine

Now Ballantine is a malt liquor consumed by college kids and drunks, however it was once a highly regarded pale ale.

8. Death Penalty

In some texts it is noted, specifically, that offenders were to be drowned in the swill they had created by watering down the valued beverage.

9. Miller Lite

While it cannot be denied that Miller Lite is crap, it can also be noted that the Philadelphia eagles will be the cream of the crop in the NFC in 2009, relegating the Giants to #2 in the East and displacing the Cards as the NFC champs.

10. Charlie

Charlie was a great one off brew by Weyerbacher… so great in fact that they gave it a permanent name and a place on the seasonal brewing list.

All prizes will be shipped by Wednesday. I hope everyone enjoyed TPM Beerfest. The final post for this week long extravaganza is actually being featured on my wife’s blog, an excerpt is below but the full piece can be found here.

As a beer geek, I enjoy craft brews, almost exclusively. One thing that many geeks like me try to do is buy local. Supporting local brewers supports your local economy and provides you with fresher beer. It’s the best way to do it.

Luckily, I reside in Pennsylvania, home of MANY great breweries. On my webpage, thepaintedman.com, I intend to feature a semi-regular column on my favorite PA craft breweries. I figured, I will share my first of such columns with the readership of this fine website, as well.

Today, I the Chubby Hubby, want to highlight my favorite three PA breweries, Weyerbacher (Easton), Stoudt’s (Adamstown), and Yards (Philadelphia).

This afternoon, I will be posting my final beer review of Beerfest and will announce the winner of the second contest. The final day of Beerfest was technically to be today, but as an added bonus there will be an article on my 3 favorite PA craft breweries tomorrow. Now for a short break in the Beerfest action.

My favorite MC (or at least one of them) has a new EP. Pigeon teams up with his boy from LA Symph, Flynn Adams, to be the freshest new hip hop duo, Rootbeer. Check out their site for a free download of the track “Pink Limosine” from the EP of the same name or just click below to watch the music video, complete with a skeleton dude playing a synth.