The Two Dopest Rappers Out Right Now
October 20, 2012
Sorry if it feels like Westcheddar is turning into an Action Bronson and Roc Marciano fan site as of late, but fuck it, these are the two dopest rappers out right now. Period. Watch them perform “Pouches Of Tuna” live last night at Gramercy Theatre above. Awesome.
*Bonus*
More unreleased Roc Marciano self-produced crack, not on his upcoming album. This one’s called “Momma’s Song.” Enjoy.
Don’t be mad when I post Action Bronson’s new video Monday. It’s going to happen.
Best Man Speech of the Year
October 11, 2012
My boy Scott aka Tic (above left) got married this past weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, and my other boy Matty B (above right), who you may remember from the “Hammer” chorus, was his Best Man. And his Best Man Speech was legendary. I’m pretty sure that even heads who don’t know Tic or Matty will find this entertaining. And yes, that’s me dying laughing the whole time in the background while filming. Props to Matty for killing it and going off the cuff. He called me last Friday to flesh out some ideas, had a whole Top 10 list he was gonna do, and then decided to wing it. And he nailed it. Watch below…
Congrats to Scott and Maria! Twist!
Best Of Westchester Top 5 Tables 2012
July 19, 2012
My dude Billy Henderson is back once again with his Top 5 Tables from Westchester Magazine’s Best Of Westchester party, easily the most baller summer party of the year in the 914. Here’s his brilliant breakdown…
It’s that time again. Uncle Ralph’s annual party on the L.I. Sound jumped off last night. It was hot, steamy, and jammed packed like always. Lots of music, lots of food, one creepy old magician, and one reality TV family from the Housewives of New Jersey. The Kardashians are really fuckin’ expensive apparently. Most importantly there was lots of food to eat and that’s why my fat ass is writing this. Lets do this:
1. Mt. Kisco Seafood
477 Lexington Avenue
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
www.mtkiscoseafood.com
914.241.3113
One great thing about this year was the abundance of seafood. These guys were on last year’s list for a reason. Outside on an extremely hot night, these guys shucked 1800 clams and oysters. The clams were from Strong Island’s North Shore and the oysters were from the fine state of Washington. Super fresh. Super briny. Super simple. Super.
2. The Cookery’s Dough Nation
39 Chestnut Street
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
www.thecookeryrestaurant.com
914.305.2336
When I walked into the party, it was hard to miss Chef Dave’s custom made, wood burning pizza oven in front of the place. It was also hard to miss the lightning in the background. Eventually Chef Dave’s team waited out the passing storm and started banging out six or seven types of delicious pizza. Fresh dough, homemade mozzarella, and an insane portable oven. Really tasty. Margarita and lemon pies were standouts. Nice.
3. Sushi Mike’s
146 Main Street
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
www.sushimikes.com
914.591.0054
Sushi Mike had his game face on this year as he worked the line, saucing plates and spitting game to wealthy white women. Lots of women at this table. There was a rumor of women throwing up in the bathroom to make room for more sushi. Gross but possible. There was a bootleg Sushi place downstairs, that I’m sure Sushi Mike found comical. I did. I laughed, as I inhaled multiple pieces of incredible sushi into my mouth. Real Sushi. No Bootleg. Thank You Mike.
4. Chat American Grill
1 Christie Place
Scarsdale, NY 10538
www.ChatAmericanGrill.com
914.722.4000
This table had a few choices of food to taste from, which I’m not a big fan of. Focus on one dish, make it tasty and maybe you’ll make this list. Fortunately, one of those choices was a lobster taco. Freshly made, mini hard taco shell, filled with lobster and mango. I buried a half dozen of those joints. Tasty.
5. MP Taverna
1 Bridge Street
Irvington, NY 10533
www.michaelpsilakis.com
914.231.7854
I approached this table and there was a bald chef with his head down preparing food. As he lifted his head, I realized it was Chef Michael Psilakis. If you ever watched Food Network’s “Chopped’ or pay attention to the food scene in this country, you would recognize this guy. I recognized him and know for a fact that he is a extremely badass chef. What I didn’t know was that this chef is a gigantic jerkoff. Chef Jerkoff was serving “Greek Sushi.” I asked him to explain this piece of sushi and he gave me a look of pure disgust. The “Greek Sushi” consisted of sushi rice, scallop, pistachio butter, pickled fennel, preserved cherry and yogurt. If you’re going to have so many ingredients in one bite of food, you will need to explain that shit jerkoff. I’m sure this nerd caught a lot of wedgies in high school and he tried to take it out on potential customers like myself. If there was a camera around when I asked, he would of put on an entire cooking demo for me. Chef Jerkoff was a little too gassed for my taste but his “Greek Sushi” was really delicious.
Shouts to Uncle Ralph, WESTCHEDDAR, Ipcus, Anti Griddles, girls dressed like Mermaids, custom Pizza Ovens, that kid from high school that I couldn’t remember, humidity, reality TV families, Smartinellis, Kruegers, S.S. Kildare, all cooks and staff at the party……………….Great Night as always. See ya next year.
Billy! Another year, another incredible review! Thanks for sending over. Give me a heads up next year, I gotta make my way back to this party. Haven’t been in a few years. But next year I’ll get a sitter and come pop off like old times. Cheah…
Bananas Bronson
July 2, 2012
I said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it again. Action Bronson is my favorite rapper of all time. Yes, it’s a bold statement, but fuck it, that’s how I feel. I love this dude. He’s nice as hell on the mic, makes great songs, and I just think he’s fucking hilarious. Any interview I’ve seen him in or read is amazing. And I’m proud to say that I’ve interviewed him myself in the past, and he was mad cool, funny, and interesting to talk to. I’m not saying Bronson is the best rapper of all time. No, that would be really irresponsible. The Biggie, Jay-Z, or Nas debate still lives on. But he has slowly but surely become my personal favorite. Watch him above as he premieres a new song produced by The Alchemist in Toronto, shit is sick. And below, he raps over the ice cream truck jingle for a Pitchfork feature. This guy is off the hook…
I still have never seen him live, but Action Bronson is the one and only rapper out right now I would pay money to see. Hoping to catch him before the year is out. Holler.
*Bonus*
Here’s a couple interviews I did recently for Complex with some other prominent white hip-hop guys. First, my feature with my old buddy Peter Rosenberg discussing his favorite female rap songs. Also, a quick interview I did with up and coming rapper Machine Gun Kelly in response to him being banned from a recent NYC performance.
Peter Rosenberg’s 25 Favorite Female Rap Song | Complex
Machine Gun Kelly Responds To Highline Ballroom Ban | Complex
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings made the trek from Brooklyn to Tennessee last weekend to get busy on that Bonnaroo 2012 stage. I love this woman. I’m still amazed that she used to be a prison guard on Riker’s Island. Watch a few choice clips of her going in with The Dap Kings below. And under that, check out some selections from Alabama Shakes’ set, one of this year’s best new bands, which is also led by an amazing African-American woman with ridiculous pipes. Footage is nice…
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
“He Said I Can”
“If You Call”
“Without a Heart”
Alabama Shakes
“Be Mine”
“You Ain’t Alone”
“Rise to the Sun”
“I Ain’t The Same”
*BONUS*
Sorry, I have to do it. The Shins “The Rifle’s Spiral” live at Bonnaroo 2012….
Bonnaroo, I will see you one day! Believe that!
The Cloth
May 4, 2012
Showbiz and A.G. have a new album coming out this year, Mugshot Music, and if you read Westcheddar on the reg, you already know I’m a fan of THIS SHIT. Well, Showbiz has a new instrumental album out now too, and the beat above off it, “The Cloth,” is crack. I love all the vintage DITC footage he pieced together for for the video too. Check it out. And below, peep some classic footage of Showbiz and A.G. with Dres from Black Sheep performing “Bounce Ta This” on In Living Color…
Mugshot Music coming soon. Hear some tracks off it HERE. Holler….
Pair Of Pods
May 4, 2012
Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast guest list just keeps getting better and better. He drops a new episode every Monday and Thursday, and I’m always excited to see who’s on the show. Maron, who mostly interviews comedians, has had a few musicians on in the past, but to my utter delight he had on James Mercer of The Shins last week! WTF for reals! Such a pleasant surprise, and a great conversation to listen to. Check it out…
Download/Stream WTF Podcast with James Mercer of The Shins
Maron also recently had comedian/actor Kevin Hart on his show, which I was very excited about because I’m a big fan of his. I first remember seeing him in Paper Soldiers with Beanie Sigel, and then his amazing scene in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Remember?
I’ve been watching his stand up specials on Netflix too, and I really like this guy’s comedy. I can totally relate to all his material about having young kids, it cracks me up. Def check out his interview with Maron below, it’s interesting to hear his back story…
Download/Stream WTF Podcast with Kevin Hart
Picking up the slack on Westcheddar. More posts coming. Thanks for staying tuned…
*BONUS*
Some throwback footage of The Shins performing “Girl Sailor” off Wincing The Night Away. Love this track…
*SUPER BONUS*
Long Vows
April 17, 2012
Oh shit! A live video of a new Band of Horses song just showed up in my email! Those are my dudes! It’s titled “Long Vows” on YouTube and in this post, but that’s not the official name of the track, so for now consider it an untitled gem with a nickname. The clip was filmed live at Lollapalooza Brazil, and supposedly, the song is from their new album which they are recording with recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Glyn Johns, who has worked with everyone from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin. Hopefully we will hear more new material surface soon. BOH 4 LIFE!!!!
Double Clutch
April 9, 2012
It’s not often that I literally jump up on my couch filled with joy while watching the Knicks. Usually, I’m throwing the remote in frustration. But it happened yesterday against the Bulls. Twice. Props to Carmelo Anthony for putting on one of the greatest holiday performances Madison Square Garden has ever seen. 43 points, and two enormous 3s. First, to tie and send it to overtime. Then, from the same spot, down by two, to win the game. Watch them both below…
Wow.
Aziz Steez
April 9, 2012
Aziz Ansari is probably my favorite stand-up comedian on the scene right now. He’s got great energy, awesome material, and he’s relatable to my generation. One of my favorite things about him is his ability to tell stories about his interactions with famous rappers. He talked about hanging out with Kanye West on his first DVD, and told a hilarious story about how Jay-Z doesn’t like the movie E.T. on his Juan Epstein appearance a few months back. And now, on his new online special Dangerously Delicious, which you can cop HERE for $5, he tells a story about how he eavesdropped on 50 Cent in a restaurant and discovered that 50 didn’t know what a grapefruit was. LOL on a hundred thousand trillion…
And for those of you who like to read interviews (I DO!), check out his sit-down “Dinner with Daniel” on Grantland HERE. It’s a fun read! Aziz came back to Juan Epstein last week too, which you can download HERE. I might have to go check this dude one night during his new tour (see poster above and click HERE for dates). I haven’t seen a comedian live in concert since Dave Chappelle came to the University of Maryland in the late 90s. Good shit Aziz!





