January 17th, 2014 - Desire Of The Rhino Cinder

Hello my friends!  The Meista here starting the evening off pairing Adrian Belew's "Desire Of The Rhino King" with a Hornsby’s Amber Draft Hard Cider!  This one goes out to my cider-drinking pal Trish... who had a birthday this week!  Cheers Trish!!

"Desire Of The Rhino King" was release in 1991 and is a compilation album Belew's first three solo albums: "Lone Rhino" (1982), "Twang Bar King" (1983), and "Desire Caught By the Tail" (1986).  Belew of course provides the lead and rhythm guitars and lead vocals along with percussion, piano, and drums.  He was joined during this era by Christy Bley on keyboards and backing vocals, Bill Janssen on saxophone and backing vocals, Larrie Londin on drums, and Clif Mayhugh on bass and backing vocals.  Belew's (then 4 year old) daughter, Audie plays piano on "The Final Rhino".   During this time, Belew's artistic style and approach to music was characterized by Bowie/Zappa/Talking Heads-esque song structure and humor (having played for all 3), bop and Avant garde jazz, 1950s rock and roll, Motown R&B, punk/New Wave, world music, and outright complete and utter musical experimentation.  Incredibly versatile as a guitar player and deeply engaging as a singer and songwriter, Belew is a joy to listen to with a cold brew in hand!  His fantastically crafted songs perfectly balance humor, sadness, honesty, and above all, artistic integrity.   All 21 tracks are absolute magic!  I absolutely love each and ever one.  Among my favorites are "The Lone Rhinoceros," "The Momur," "Swingline," "Adidas In Heat," "Twang Bar King," "The Rail Song," "The Gypsy Zurna," and "Guernica."  Here's the full track list:

1. "The Final Rhino"
2. "The Lone Rhinoceros"
3. "Big Electric Cat"
4. "The Momur"
5. "Hot Sun"
6. "The Man in the Moon"
7. "Swingline"
8. "Adidas in Heat"
9. "Fish Head"
10. "The Ideal Woman"
11. "Sexy Rhino"
12. "Twang Bar King"
13. "Paint the Road"
14. "She Is Not Dead"
15. "The Rail Song"
16. "Ballet for a Blue Whale"
17. "The Gypsy Zurna"
18. "Joan Miro's Procession Through the Insides of a Purple Antelope Across a Sea of Tuna Fish"
19. "Portrait of Margaret"
20. "Laughing Man"
21. "Guernica"

Now I realize the Hornsby’s Amber Draft Hard Cider isn't beer, but it is brewed and I couldn't pass up the rhino imagery when I saw it at the liquor store knowing that I had a copy of an unpaired  "Desire Of The Rhino King" sitting at home!  It is a "traditional medium-bodied, dark, dry cider with a smooth finish like biting into a fresh apple."  It pours... you guessed it... amber!  It has a very thin head that dissipates almost immediately leaving no traces.  The nose is floral and fruity.  There are strong notes of green apple and more subtle honey and lemon aromas.  Medium bodied, yet very dry, the Hornsby’s Amber Draft Hard Cider has a very crisp and effervescent mouthfeel.  The flavor follows the bouquet.   The flavor is crisp, fresh Granny Smith apples with a touch of honey and lemony citrus.  With that crisp flavor and 5.5% ABV, the Hornsby’s Amber Draft Hard Cider goes down easy... maybe a little too easy and not something I would drink very often, but it is good none-the-less and was a great companion to the refreshing and wholly engaging songcraft of Mr. Adrian Belew!!

Salud!!