The Silver Lining: Volume 21
Musings on living the good life: food, culture, art, and products designed to inspire. Top picks from me to you, every Thursday.
Howdy! We got a bit of a makeover this week, thanks to the fantastic handiwork of the Michelle Hayman Studio. We hope you love the look and feel of the new logo as much as we do.
Give Michelle a shout if you’re in the market for design services. She’s been a real joy to partner with. On to Volume 21!
Top Tracks
Thanks to my buddy Sean, we’re kicking things off this week with a throwback from Patti Page titled “Old Cape Cod”:
Patti was the top-charting female vocalist of her generation — and owns the record as best selling female artist of the ‘50s. She was in the business for over 60 years, selling over 100 million records over that span!
For those paying close attention, I featured Groove Armada’s “At the River” in Volume 16, and if you listen close enough to that track, you’ll notice they sample Patti’s “Old Cape Cod” prominently. Words and worlds colliding, 40 years apart. Thanks for the share Sean, this one definitely made me smile.
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Switching gears now from 1950s Pop to 2020 electronic dance, this time with an absolute banger from Latroit and his brand new cut “Don’t Give Up”:
I find it hard to sit still in my seat listening to this cut, and I trust you’re at least tapping your feet or perhaps having a full blown dance party wherever you’re reading this. The Catch-22 of this song is it has me craving the rooftop summer parties we’re sadly just not having in 2020…
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Finally this week we venture to South Africa and the remarkable story of Marumo.
In 1982, producer West Nkosi recorded a group of four blind musicians from the Athlone School for the blind in Bellville near Cape Town. John Mothopeng, Munich Sibiya, Simon Falatsi and Marks Mbuthuma come together on this 80s deep funk and soul fusion track “Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?”:
Artist Date
The Huntington Gardens are officially re-opened, and could be just the ticket for some peace and quiet outdoors you may be craving during quarantine.
I’m particularly excited about the newly expanded Chinese Garden, set to open later this Fall after a year of construction, expanding the grounds from 3 acres to nearly 12.
Los Angeles Magazine has a great write-up of what you can expect from the new digs, complete with brand new cafe. Huntington’s curator, Phillip E. Bloom, reflects on the role the garden can play as a space for cultural understanding:
The expansion comes at a crucial time, with Asian Americans facing increased racism. “Anything that can inspire empathy for other cultures, particularly the culture of China, is important right now,” Bloom says.
The Huntington is beginning a phased reopening following a mandatory closure due to COVID-19. All visitors, including Members, must reserve tickets online in advance.
Table for 2
Pop-ups are all the rage these days in LA — we’ve covered Burmese, Please in Volume 16 and Oaxacan pop-up Valle in Volume 13. This week I caught wind of Ăn Cơm, homestyle Vietnamese cuisine from chef Nguyen Bui, alumni of Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica.
The menu looks fantastic, and Nguyen received high praise from his former boss, Jeremy Fox, whose Birdie G’s opening was one of my most delicious meals of 2019.
I recommend following Ăn Cơm on Instagram, where directions for ordering can be found weekly on Sundays:
Social Action
This week we’re supporting the Independent Restaurant Coalition:
The Independent Restaurant Coalition was formed by chefs and independent restaurant owners across the country who have built a grassroots movement to secure vital protections for the nation’s 500,000 independent restaurants and the more than 11 million restaurant workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coalition’s leadership team includes a heavy hitting list of acclaimed chefs and operators: José Andrés, Tom Colicchio, Will Guidara, Camilla Marcus, Kwame Onwuachi, Amanda Cohen, Jill Tyler, Nancy Silverton, and Andrew Zimmern among many others.
With news from Governors Newsom in CA and Cuomo in NY halting indoor dining indefinitely with this new surge in cases, the work of the IRC is more important than ever. Join me in supporting the cultural lifeblood of our communities, helping them survive and reopen when it’s safe to do so.
Social Starlette(s)
RIP to Carl Reiner — what a remarkable life lived over 98 years:
Chin Guards don’t cut it, folks. Wear a fucking mask:
Josh Gad has made the most of quarantine with his "Reunited Apart” Youtube series, getting casts of iconic films together for a retrospective over Zoom. I really enjoyed this week’s with the cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:
Strong hire:
For all the challah-baking novices working on their craft these days (click to play):
Dad Van lifestyle not looking too shabby:
Frank always one step ahead of the rest of us:
Have a great holiday weekend. I’ll see you all next week!
That’s it for Volume 21. New issues of The Silver Lining drop weekly on Thursdays.
Comments, questions, tips?
Send a letter to the editor –– Scott Silver:
scott@thesilverlining.la / @thesilverlining.la