This week's episode of The Sporkful podcast is up! Listen through the player and subscribe in iTunes or the Podcasts app.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band's song "Fancy Beer" contains one of my favorite lyrics:
When the weather's stormy and daybreak is far
I throw an extra dollar fifty on the bar
There's no sense in saving pennies if I don't know where you are
I drink a fancy beer.
Of course, it sounds even better when you hear them sing it in their old time string, jazz, and western swing style, as they do this week on The Sporkful.
The gentlemen also share tips for eating while driving a tour van. The gist: abandon your silverware and get ready for crumbs and spills.
"We often spread napkins on each other's laps," says Andy Bean, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist. "Don't wear your evening pants in the van. Wear your snacking pants and just be emotionally prepared for the inevitable disaster that's going to happen."
Plus, Zach Brooks, host of Food Is The New Rock and founder of the Midtown Lunch food blog, shares his universal theory of food and music.
"Food has now become a way for creative people to express themselves," Zach says. "Certainly there are cycles. So right now we're in a bacon backlash...and it's the same with music. There are things that were considered super cheesy and untouchable just a few years ago. And then the nostalgia...kicks in."
That brings us to the two classic comfort "dishes" of music and food: Hall and Oates and mac and cheese.
"I don't care if it's kind of simple and kind of cheesy," I argue. "'She's A Rich Girl' is just a great song, and mac and cheese is a great dish."
If that's true, Zach and I postulate, then the universe will become one when we all eat mac and cheese while listening to Hall and Oates.
Photo: Courtesy of The Two Man Gentlemen Band