October 1st, 2015 - The Sunfish Left The Radio On From Portland To Portland

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing the brilliant and hauntingly beautiful "Leave The Radio On" by Oregon musician Fernando and a Sea Dog Sunfish Ale from Sea Dog Brewing Company!  This pairing goes out to my buddy Patrick and everybody that attended the premier show at his amazing "Pain Cave" last month!!  Cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Fernando
• Title: "Leave The Radio On"
• Recorded: 2012 through 2015 at the Blue Room Studios in Portland, Oregon
  Release date: September 18th, 2015 (7th studio album by Fernando)
• Record company: Fluff & Gravу Records
• Production: Fernando Viciconte with Mike Coykendall and Luther Russell
• Album cover art: John Hopkins
• Personnel: Fernando Viciconte (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, and electric tremolo) with Paul Brainard (pedal steel and trumpet), Peter Buck (electric guitar, electric sitar, and mandolin), Matt Cadenelli (drums, percussion, and background vocals), Mike Coykendall (drums, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar), Danny De La Matyr (background vocals), Daniel Eccles (electric guitar and lap steel), Ralph Huntley (Farfisa, nord, and piano), Scott McCaughey (Farfisa, piano, and Casio), Scott McPhereson (drums), Little Sue (background vocals), Lewi Longmire (acoustic guitar, piano, Hammond B-3, and background vocals), Sean Oldham (drums), Luther Russell (electric guitar), Freddy Trujillo (electric and upright bass), and Sarabeth Tucek (background vocals) 
• Musical style: Rock and roll with elements of indie rock, folk, and country
• Sound: I know this sounds like a cop out, but I'm not really sure if I can do justice in describing the depth and complexity this music journey called "Leave The Radio On" provides.  Each song is richly textured, written by a true artist, and delivered with honesty, integrity, and soul.  And Viciconte's vocals will stop you dead in your tracks!
• Major themes: Sorrow, solitude, truth, love and loss, pain, honesty, death, and life
• Tracks: 

1. "Save Me"
2. "The Dogs"
3. "El Interior"
4. "So Loud"
5. "Friends And Enemies"
6. "The Freak"
7. "Kingdom Come"
8. "Burned Out Love"
9. "White Trees"
10. "In Their Heads"
11. "Leave The Radio On"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Sea Dog Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
• Website: http://www.seadogbrewing.com/
• Brew: Sea Dog Sunfish Ale
• Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.6%
• Ingredients: Pale Ale, Munich Light, and Whole Wheat malts with Saphir and Willamette hops and Top Fermenting English yeast
• Pour: Clear, dark straw-gold with a very thin, white head that dissipate immediately leaving no residual lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a blend of summer fruits, light citrus, floral hops, and light malt.  There are big aromas of peach and lavender with more subtle notes of grapefruit, wildflowers, and grains.
• Taste: Like the nose, the flavor is dominated by fruit flavors and more subtle herbal, floral, and bready character.  There are notes of ripe and juicy peach, tart lime, bitter grapefruit, lemon zest, mango, seltzer water, and slightly sweet biscuit.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied with full carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly sticky, and refreshing with a clean and peppery finish.

Overall pairing: I'm not sure if any brew can really do justice to the sheer brilliance that is Fernando's "Leave The Radio On", but the Sea Dog Sunfish Ale from Sea Dog Brewing Company makes for a refreshing companion to the .  Those sweet fruit esters work well with the haunting beauty present throughout the album while the bolder malt flavors accentuate the artistry of Fernando's musicianship, songwriting, and delivery!

Cheers!!