Browns Mountain is one of those places that you cant really describe with words. Overlooking the gorgeous views of Port Renfrew, nestled high in the clouds is Vancouver Islands premiere boutique festival, Tall Tree. The (not so) little festival, taking place June 23 26th, 2017 and now on its 8th installment, grewfrom an intimate gathering to the sprawling event we know now. Tall Tree spans4 stages, 70+ artists ranging from world beats, ska, hip hop, EDM, and of course, the alternative rock sound that the festivalwas founded on. This year is set to be one of the biggest years yet, bringing in talent from all over the world to come grace our beautiful island with next level sounds. All of this, in one of the most beautiful places weve ever seen? Count us in!

At the end of 2016, festival organizers asked the Tall Tree Festival community what they would like to see from the event as far as booking talent was concerned. Overwhelmingly, people informed Tall Tree that they enjoyed the strong Canadian lineup, but however, wanted to see some higher tier acts they may not be regularly exposed to.

So we listened, comments Mike Hann, Festival Director. This year we are happy to say that we have talent originating from 7 different countries. The artists that are coming to Tall Tree in 2017 are billed on festivals worldwide, not just in Canada. We couldnt be more excited for them to come and experience everything that is amazing about Vancouver Island and Tall Tree!

Now, the views are spectacular, the history is amazing, and the festival is rad. But, we seem to be forgetting the most important part, the music! This year the team brought forward some of the best and brightest from around the worldto showcase on their 4 unique stages.

Some notable international acts include:

Shapeshifter (New Zealand): With a significant amount oftowering achievements record-breaking New Zealand tours, scene-setting appearances at festivals like Glastonburyand Parklife, sold-out performances across Europe, worlds-colliding collaborations with Symphony Orchestras, multiple music awards, four EPs and five LPs (three with platinum sales), and an army of fans who return to relive the experience time and time again it is no wonder Shapeshifter is on this lineup.

GoldFish (South Africa): Their genre-defying mix of live instruments, house beats, and searing live performances madeGoldfish go from impromptu jams at a tiny beach club in Cape Town to headlining Amsterdams Olympic Stadium. GoldFishs list of accomplishments include, cracking a top 10 spot on the US iTunes Dance chart, a residency at Pacha Ibiza with David Guetta, and DJs like Fedde le Grand knocking at their door to remix their tracks. Its almost hard to believe that not very long ago they were just Dom and Dave, two music students living a relatively relaxing lifesurfing and playing music in their hometown Cape Town.

Beats Antique (USA): Celebrating its tenth anniversary with its tenth studio release, the Bay Areas wildly innovative performance dynamo Beats Antique emerges from the studio with a stage show to mark the milestone. With legendary sets at some of the most iconic venues and festivals around the world, and collaborations with superstars from Les Claypool to Bassnectar, the next chapter in the trios story takes them back to a mysterious world.

Easy Star All-Stars (USA): The Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts since their live debut in 2003. Thanks to their best-selling tribute album releasesDub Side of the Moon (2003), Radiodread (2006), Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009), Dubber Side of the Moon (2010), and Easy Stars Thrillah (2012), as well as original albums First Light (2011) and Until That Day (2008)the Easy Star All-Stars have built a growing, dedicated fan base throughout the world, bringing together fans of reggae, classic rock, dub, and indie rock into one big family. Since 2009, the All-Stars have played over 350 shows in over 30 different countries on 6 different continents, truly establishing themselves as one of the top reggae touring acts in the world.

DJ Nu-Mark (USA): This long-standing DJ & producer is a founding member of Jurassic 5, as well as the owner of Hot Plate Records. He has collaborated with and produced for a variety of artists across different genres, including J-Live, Aloe Blacc,Charles Bradley,and Bumpy Knuckles, among others. Hes also a voracious touring artist, blending hip hop, funk, and about a hundred other genres into his eclectic live sets. An absolute legend, were so fortunate to get his beats on our funky mountain!

Worthy (USA): As the label head of Anabatic Records and one of the four original members of the Dirtybird Crew, Worthy will be bringing his signature brand of chunky, driving tech house up to Browns Mountain for the first time; we could not be more excited! If youve caught a Dirtybird show, you know the type of high energy fun they bring to the stage, and we assume this will be no different.

The rest of the lineup is chock full of absolute stunners. Some acts include festival favouritesSkiitour,Mat the Alien, Pigeon Hole,andMoontricks, along with Vancouver Island supergroupIllvis Freshly,Sleeveless Records founderStylust Beats,and of course Tall Tree staple,Jesse Roper. Not to mention the massive presence of local DJs and bands, this is set to be the biggest year weve had on Browns Mountain yet.

Check out the full lineup video below!

There you have it: an incredible lineup in an indescribable location. Plus,lets be honest here, all of your friends are probably going, so why shouldnt you? Dont let FOMO take you over, grab your tickets here.This has been a sell out for the last two years running, and we foresee this being year number three, so act fast to avoid disappointment!

Who are we going to see on Browns Mountain this year? Let us know in that comment section!

26 years old, with a voracious appetite for bass, dancing, all things art, and a flair for the dramatic, Jamie Gib grew up in the rave scene, having been introduced to electronic music in the late 90s as a small child from his cousin and he joined the rave scene in 2004, and never looked back, A DJ, Promoter, Go-Go Dancer, and writer, Jamie has made his mark on the Vancouver Island scene and beyond, having worked or attended 90% of the festivals on the Pacific North West and has no plans on stopping there. If there's dirty house, drum n bass or glitch to be heard, you can bet he's not far behind.

Link:

Tall Tree Music Festival 2017: Who's Who and What's Up! - Dance Music Northwest

PUBLISHED: 16:56 31 March 2017 | UPDATED: 16:56 31 March 2017

Sarah Chambers

The Flower and Garden Show is a popular attraction at the Suffolk Show.

Tom Soper

A Dig for Victory display to motivate Suffolk Show goers to grow their own fruit and vegetables and a beer garden to relax with a craft beer and live music will be among the attractions at one of the events most popular attractions.

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The theme of this years Flower and Garden Show, which is undergoing a complete revamp, will be outdoor living.

The area is set to feature a new courtyard layout, providing a focus on an array of show gardens, horticultural trade stands and expert advice from the countys top garden designers.

Among the new features will be a Calvors Beer Garden, built and designed in partnership by Suffolk brewery Calvors and Flower and Garden Show sponsors Ed Hopkins Landscape and Garden Design.

There will also be family fun, with childrens storytelling in a magical tent, and the return of the popular Schools Show Garden Competition. The competition, now in its third year, has seen a record number of entries from primary school pupils who will be designing and building their own show gardens for this years Made in Suffolk theme.

Ed Hopkins, deputy steward and sponsor for the Flower and Garden Show, said: This year looks likely to be the most fun yet for visitors of all ages. We look forward to welcoming visitors and to showcasing the areas exciting new features.

In the floral marquee, the Museum of East Anglian Life will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special World War Two Dig for Victory display, motivating people today to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

Hedgehog Nurseries from Risby, Bury St Edmunds, will be returning after a break from the show in 2016, alongside Jelly Cottage Plants from North Norfolk.

Suffolk landscaper Roger Gladwell and David Johnson from Barcham Trees will be putting together a large exhibit at the Flower and Garden Show entrance to inspire visitors as they arrive.

Stephen Miles, senior steward for the Flower and Garden Show, said: The Flower and Garden Show is one of the most popular attractions at the Suffolk Show so were keen to impress visitors with new features each year.

Tickets for this years Suffolk Show on May 31 and June 1 are now on sale. Advance tickets cost 22 while children aged under 15 will once again receive free entry.

Go here to see the original:

Suffolk Show's 'Dig for Victory' display and relaxing beer garden set to inspire would-be gardeners - Ipswich Star

Record shops are now doing good business in the UK. Just five years ago, whod have thought that could happen? So does the current fetishisation of vinyl mark a growing desire to be back to physical formats, rather than disembodied technologies? Almost certainly not but it's of no matter, those that want to enjoy records now can, en masse, and theartsdesk on Vinyl is here to critique the very best sounds on plastic, taking in every imaginable style, as well as a few genres that we didnt know existed until the needle hit the groove. Dive in.

VINYL OF THE MONTH

Vitalic Voyager (Citizen)

French producer Vitalic Pascal Arbez created one this centurys great techno albums, 2005s OK Cowboy. He was never techno in the original Detroit idiom, in terms of faceless futurist cybernetic music for DJs, he was techno in that he created tough machine-bound sounds that referred backwards to the genres history. His was a very European and self-consciously vintage form of techno. In the years since, his music has veered towards pop, and his new album is certainly not short of that. The electroclash stylings of Hans is Driving, featuring Miss Kittin, and the cover of Supertramps Dont Leave Me Now are cases in point. They are techno-pop in pure form, bedded down in the genres glacial aesthetics. Vitalic has a toe dipped into synth-pops 1979-82 golden age (especially the Warm Leatherette-like Sweet Cigarette), and right back to Moroder and Vangelis, the dawn of electronic pop, but hes equally capable of ram-raiding the dancefloor with whopping bangers such as Lightspeed and Levitation. Arriving in a gatefold that features its maker beneath a non-PC bridge of naked womanhood, Voyager is joyously accessible and will be too much so for doyens of cutting edge dance music but for those who recognise it for what it is, its a tune-laden, party-starting classic.

George Harrison The Vinyl Collection Boxset (UMG)

The complete solo works of Transcendental Spice are gathered 16 years after his death (or, possibly, his move to another, more conducive, spiritual dimension). Like Martin Scorceses fantastic three-and-a-half hour 2011 documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Harrisons output reveals an enigmatic, rounded Englishman with a sense of humour and a grounded desire to discover spirituality in the everyday. The albums included are Wonderwall Music (1968), Electronic Sounds (1969), All Things Must Pass (1970), Living In The Material World (1973), Dark Horse (1974), Extra Texture (1975), Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976), George Harrison (1979), Somewhere in England (1981), Gone Troppo (1982), Cloud Nine (1987), and Brainwashed (2002), plus the concert album Live in Japan (1992), and picture disc 12 singles of the late-Eighties hits When We Was Fab and Got My Mind Set On You. His first two releases were appealingly esoteric oddities, projects only a Beatle or a Stone could get away with. Wonderwall Music contains Indian music experiments interspersed with incongruous instrumentals (such as the jaunty Mrs Mill-smokes-a-bong mania of Drilling a Home), while Electronic Music consists of two side-long noodles that only occasionally hint at what Vangelis et al would do later. This isnt the place for a full review of every album, but All Things Must Pass, the triple (in a sturdy box) is a spewing of the blocked-up tunes in Harrisons head, including My Sweet Lord which topped and tailed his solo career, hitting the No.1 slot at its start, then again after his death. Some albums dont hold up well, notably the horrible Eighties session musician funkiness of Gone Troppo. The double album, Live in Japan, shows Harrison in fine form, enjoying a career resurrection, mixing solo fare with his Beatles songs, Here Comes the Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (featuring a mass of Eric Clapton fret-widdling) and, from the White Album, the anti-establishment, baroque Charlie Manson favourite, Piggies. In terms of presentation the boxset adheres to the original releases. Extra Textures bright orange, dimpled leather effect cover is die-cut so the blue inner sleeve photo is visible. 33 and 1/3, Dark Horse and Living in the Material World are gatefold. For the truly maniacal Harrison fan theres even a 2500 limited edition Project Audio Systems turntable embossed with a Shepard Fairey lithograph art-print of his face. It seems likely that the retiring Harrison, never a fan of consumer culture, wouldnt have embraced this strange development. He might, however, have twitched into that enigmatic smile, knowing that in 2017 much of his stuff stands up well, even beside The Beatles.

Jeb Loy Nichols Country Hustle (City Country City)

Coming with a 12 x 12 info/art print insert, the latest from the Brit-based, uncategorizable American singer is his best in a while. Given hes expert at writing a song, Nichols could have carved himself out a generic career, building up a big fan base in any one area (probably country or indie), but hes too interested in wandering off along side-roads, in recent times taking in the dubby (2010s Long Time Traveller with Adrian Sherwood), the jazzy (2012s The Jeb Loy Nichols Special with Nostalgia 77) and much else. His voice his gently gritted honey, like a proper old school soul singer, and he uses it to that effect on songs such as Dont Drop Me and Thats How Were Living, which could easily fit into the catalogue of Seal or Bruno Mars, respectively, but hes as happy paring things back to very modern-sounding blues, rough but smooth, as on Thats All I Want or album opener Come See Me. Easy, but with an honesty to his music, Jeb Loy Nichols latest sounds like an album that should be streaming from tens of thousands of suburban stereo systems.

Bastien Keb 22-02-85 (First Word)

Bastien Keb actor and multi-instrumentalist Seb Jones - is something of an enigma. His second album is a fluid, loose concoction that mingles jazz and R&B to unlikely effect. Its late night music that sounds both smooth and lo-fi at the same time. He comes from Leamington Spa but his music sounds like it was created by recording snippets of a jam in some New York jazz cellar at 5.00 AM, with everyone spiked on psychoactives. There are numbers that have a semblance of a trad pop form, such as the catchily chorused Pick Up, but much of it, liberally sprayed with jazz trumpet, may be offcuts of an unrecorded occasion when Marvin Gayes pick-up band TARDISed into a Frank Ocean recording session. 22-02-85 isnt host to great songs but the overall sound definitely has something.

Franoise Hardy Ma Jeunesse Fout + Comment Te Dire Adieu Le Camp + Soleil + Le Danger (Parlophone/Warner Music France)

Four vinyl reissues for the Gallic pop icon, covering three different eras of her career. The two late-Sixties albums, Ma Jeunesse Fout and Comment Te Dire Adieu Le Camp, are singles in gatefold, while 1970s Soleil is the same but comes with an eight page blacknwhite booklet of portrait prints. The much later Le Danger also comes in gatefold with each album in photo/lyric inner sleeves. The first two were recorded for Disques Vogue and are a highly stylised continuation of her earlier Beatles-pop-meets-chanson, with the emphasis drifting towards the latter. Soleil is often overshadowed by the album that followed it, the game-changing Le Question, but is, in its own right, worth investigating. On it Hardy heads towards a more adult, considered version of herself. The opener, Point, even sounds a little like the Rolling Stones of the same period, and spiky piano blues, Le Crabe, is a stand-out. Le Danger is a very different creature. Having retired in the late Eighties, Hardy was persuaded by her nations chief new wave pin-up, tienne Daho, to record again. The results appeared in 1996 and, from the moment things kick off with the rockin Mode EEmploi, electric guitar riffage is never far away. The curious aspect is how well Hardys style sits within it, the whole coming over rather like those albums where an indie band signed to a major, circa 1985-95, and had their sound somewhat but not completely cleaned up. Im unclear why these four albums have been chosen for reissue. Seems a bit random, but the latter two, especially, have much to recommend them for those who wish to dig into one of Frances biggest pop names.

Homeshake Fresh Air (Sinderlyn)

Its appealing that this album sells itself with a sticker on the front that says, Its relaxing music. Coming on apt, airily transparent vinyl, with a 12 x 12 art-photo insert and a 12 x 24 poster of the albums title in blue, blobby watercolour, as well as a couple of blacknwhite cartoon stickers, midway between Mr Scruff and David Shrigley, these sounds are, indeed, relaxing. Homeshake is Canadian producer Peter Sagar who has previously gone for a more alt-R&B lo-fi pop angle but this time, while the synths are present, hes aiming squarely for super-mellow electro-jazz. If it wasnt so woozy it would occasionally be bland, but theres a queasy quality to Sagars music, so that its spaced out but, like marijuana, theres also a very slight weird edge to it which you have to watch out for. Basically, its future jazz for weirdoes.

Police Dog Hogan Wild by the Side of the Road (Major Tom) + Fairport Convention @50 (Matty Grooves)

Would that Brit folk-rockers Police Dog Hogan had a sniff of Mumford & Sonss success. The festival favourites fourth album, in gatefold with photo inner sleeve, is a feisty outing, somewhere between Skinny Lister, The Levellers and The Rockingbirds, which is to say folk is their species, but theyve interbred with witty, narrative songwriting, plenty of countrynwestern and a mainstream dad-rock sensibility. Her middle name was Dixie/strange name for a girl from Birmingham runs the opening couplet of Dixie and theres cheery humour throughout, with every other song a barn-dancin jig (Black Road, especially, appears to be a hoedown for lost hedonism). Their singer, in particular, has a very BBC Radio-2-friendly voice. Police Dog Hogan are loosely associated with Fairport Convention, a band whose spirit I admire, even if I only ever listen to a very small percentage of their vast back catalogue. As Tracy Thorn observes of them in her spirited autobiography, Bedsit Disco Queen, Fairport Convention were not of my punky generation: they were dyed-in-the-wool, ale-drinking, jumper-wearing folkies, but they were as DIY and indie as anyone Id met. It was inspiring. Now this folk institution are a half century old and celebrate with a black-clad lyric-gatefold collection of new cuts, old cuts, live cuts and guest vocals from Robert Plant (a live take of Jesus on the Mainline) and Pentangles Jacqui McShee (The Lady of Carlisle). For me the psychedelia-tinged live version of the moody 2011 song Mercy Bay is ahead-and-shoulders above the rest, but fans will surely enjoy the jolly self-celebratory jig Our Bus Rolls On. The whole thing is solid evidence that Fairports creative juices are far from dried up and, barring acts of God, will surely continue flowing to their diamond jubilee and beyond.

Clovis XIV Golden Hours (Clovis XIV)

Its impossible to listen to the music of Clovis XIV, a Parisian transposed to Los Angeles, without thinking of two other Parisians who rather successfully got lucky making the same move. There are stylistic similarities. However, drummer-turned-electronic musician Clovis XIV has much to recommend him in his own right, not least this one-sided concept suite of five songs that attempts to take the listener on a journey through the LA night. There are hints of Jean-Michael Jarre somewhere deep in there and also of sunshine EDM, but neither of those references does this often gorgeous music justice. Golden Hours twinkles with artifice, yet has a delicious, cinematic depth, as well as luscious tunes. Like the films of Nicolas Winding Refn, it revels in LAs plasticity yet renders it stunning. One of a limited edition of 300, it comes in a black and gold tote bag featuring the cover art.

ADULT. Detroit House Guests (Mute)

Detroit husbandnwife electronic duo, Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller have been around for a decade-and-a-half. Their work tends to wend its way between pop and electros less palatable corners, whether going for punk raucousness or simply a glacial techno coldness. Their latest album, their seventh, is two discs of collaborations with names who exemplify their appetite for the anti-norm, including Michael Gira of Swans, Douglas McCarthy of EBM duo Frontline Assembly, and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe of sonic strangeness merchants Lichens. Detroit House Guests is the result of a grant that allowed the pair to have chosen artists live and work with them. The results are more abstract than ADULT. generally are songs such as P rts M ss ng and As You Dream flit about twitchy electronic soundscapes rather than hammer home (although We Chase the Sound is a tasty 4/4 assault for EBM fans). While its not as immediate as some of their work - indeed, much of it is freeform and sonically abstruse - it may also be the duos most adventurous album.

Molly Burch Please Be Mine (Captured Tracks)

LA-raised, Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Molly Burch has something of classic easy listening, swing and jazz about her songwriting, and also a little of Duane Eddys cheeky twang. Her theatrically projected vocal style is a pleasure. The way she sing-says You make me feel like quite a woman on Wrong For You is pure camp, as is her occasionally hiccupping vocal style. Its great she doesnt feel obligated to emulate all the usual contemporary tics to express emotion. Her style is, in many ways, old-fashioned, but she brings a freshness to what she does and her material has lively sass. Also songs such as Torn to Pieces and Not Today have a winning Deep South torch song simplicity. Contains 11 X 11 art/info insert.

Seafoam Green Topanga Mansion (Mellowtone)

What a strange name for a band. That aside, this debut album (in lyric gatefold) by Liverpool-based Irish singer Dave OGrady is a feast of pure retro, early Seventies rock, leavened here and there with a seasoning of Celtic folk. OGradys original launch pad was when he fell in with ex-Black Crowe Rich Robinson a few years back and the pair wrote songs and toured together. The Black Crowes were all about emulating the Rolling Stones circa 1972, and so is Topanga Mansion, from the maudlin steel guitar balladry of Sister and Petty Tryants to the tougher southern boogie of Down the River, although the albums opening section takes an Irish folk moment. Theres nothing new about what Seafoam Green are doing but they do it well enough to be worth noting.

DJ Spider 1 EP (Green Village)

New Jersey label Green Village sent theartsdesk on Vinyl a package containing their entire output of six 12 singles. Thank you, Green Village! The latest and the one we lead off with is DJ Spiders 1 EP, a four tracker featuring the low-slung understated groove of Space Jungle, a squelchy electro-soul/funk tune with jazz sax called Satsung, the more trad techno of Divide and Conquer, and Urantia of Nebadon which features sinister Middle Eastern vibes amid a compote of murkiness. There are other DJ Spiders out there but Green Villages is the one to watch, a New York house merchant whos always looking for a gritty dark-side twist. Of Green Villages other tunes - by Dakini9, Policy, Disaroen, Fox, Nicuri and Franklin de Costa - the flavour of heads-down DJ tool techno is regularly spiked by glimpse of light such as Nicuris spacey, soul-flecked Ripples of Time (from the various artists Village Elders EP). My favourite cuts are Foxs brain-frying, mesmeric, druggy bass/percussion odyssey Yokai and Franklin de Costas haunted, glooping, semi-industrial slowie Derp Journal. Green Villages originality marks them out as a label to watch.

Various Keb Darge and Cut Chemist present The Dark Side (BBE)

To my mind, the second-greatest, most thrilling historical narrative of the Twentieth Centry is the story of LSD, from Hoffman to Huxley to Leary to San Francisco and to the world. It bled pure mischief into everything and disconnected multitudes of Western young people, briefly and beautifully, from predictable materialist norms. If that was the big picture, check the microcosm; just have a listen to Teddy and his Patches Suzy Creamcheese from this double album of Sixties US garage corkers. Its seriously unhinged, all freaky bass patterns, distortion and tuned-in, turned-on sloganeering. Like all the bands on here, Teddy and his Patches had likely been another suburban Yardbirds/Stones clone until the acid hit whether they took it or not! but afterwards the racket just had to be consiousness-altering. Nowadays you will find theres always someone ready, ready to blow your mind, announce Ohios Captain Crunch and The Crew, over a circular, spidery, rockabilly riff. Curators Keb Sarge and Cut Chemist make no apologies that theyre garage neophytes, walking in the steps of Lenny Kayes groundbreaking Nuggets compilation and its many successors, but the cheap psychedelic scuzz theyve dug up The Avents, The Tigermen, Als Untouchables, The Mach 5, The Choab, Caretakers of Deception and many more make a time trip worth taking to a lost land of pupil-popped teenagers briefly, zealously punching way above their weight, seizing their Sixties moment forever on 7 plastic. Comes in picture/info gatefold with a busy, informative 12 x 12 explanatory/biographical insert.

Emptyset Borders (Thrill Jockey) + Tycho Epoch (Ghostly International) + Heinali Anthem (Injazero) + Various [STAUB] (I/Y) + Nathan Fake Providence (Ninja Tune) + Children of Alice Children of Alice (Warp) + Sandro Brugnolini & Giorgio Carnini UST 7010 (Schema)

Heres a bunch of electronic releases that deserve reviews in their own right but, due to weight of incoming material, are bundled together. Emptyset are a long-standing Brisol duo as well-known in the art world as for their music. Conceptualists whose installation work has graced the V&A and Tate Britain, among others, their seventh album is a moody beast, redolent of Dead Fader and the like, an aggressive sting of angry robot fuzz, buzzing distortion and twisted, revolving machine assault. On transparent vinyl, its less a music than a filmic ambiance, imbued with Skynets darkest dreams. The latest album from San Francisco sound explorer Tycho, AKA Scott Hansen, on the other hand, would almost be new agey, proggy, if it werent for a certain warm organic propulsion, enhanced by the use of electric guitar. Hansen has long majored in combining the synthetic and the human and the Grammy-nominated Epoch, which has been out for yonks but only just appeared on vinyl (in print/detail inner sleeve) may be his most cohesive work. It sounds like The Egg produced by Brian Eno, which is no bad thing.

Its oddly annoying when a press release nails all an albums reference points perfectly but Heinalis does so Im reduced to paraphrasing. The Ukrainian composer-producer Oleg Shpudeiko gives us two sides of transparent red vinyl that hum with echoing, floating tones, adding up to a fusion of Clint Mansells soundtrack work, Max Richter, Popol Vuh and Oneohtrix Point Never (thank you, astute press person). Its a soup of sound that goes down easily but is spiced with metallic elements and synth swoops that give the whole thing more edge. A decade and a half into his career Heinalis taste for abstraction has given his woozy music rubbery teeth. Remember when the term Faceless techno bollocks was endlessly bandied about? Berlin club [STAUB] still adhere to the principle of stark anonymity and their second release for the same citys I/Y label gives no information about its four tracks. That said, it arrives in a greyly illustrated cardboard sleeve in a white carrier bag, stating in red, Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life, and the record itself is a striking zebra thing, half black, half off-white. Of the tracks, A1 is an opulent John Carpenter-esque beatless piece, A2 opens out to plinky, elegant techno interwoven with a catchy bleep-motif, B1 is a more electro thing and only B2 adheres to techno in its original, propulsive Detroit form. It certainly make me want to go to the club in question!

Nathan Fakes debut album, Drowning In a Sea of Love appeared just over a decade ago, a classic of rustic, downtempo electronica. Fake went in a more techno direction in its wake before drying up completely. Now signed to Ninja Tune, he found his new direction via an old Korg Prophecy keyboard which, heavily treated, is all over Providence. A double album in heavy, art-printed glossy inner sleeves, visible through the die-cut outer sleeve, there are a couple of vocal contributions, notably Braids Raphaelle Standell-Preston, who adds a Bjrk-ish something to RVK. Mostly, however, its unapologetically alien music, sculpted sound architecture that chugs into any dimension it pleases. Children of Alice are James Cargill and Roj Stevens of Broadcast and Julian House of The Focus Group. Together they create a whirlpool of wilful weirdness that has as much to do with the music the BBC Radiophonic Workshop made for sinister 1970s childrens TV programmes as with Musique Concrete. Consisting of three long tracks that wuzzle and tssssss and blooooop, its dream-like sound-bumbling that only the oddballs will love. Comes with 12 x 36 purple, red and white art print. Finally, an album that Children of Alice would undoubtedly covet, the re-release of 10 tracks by Italian TV library music dons Sandro Brugnolini and Giorgio Carnini, originally recorded in 1973 using the then-cutting edge ARP 2600 synthesizer. The pair originally termed this music Beat Drammatico Underground Pop Electtronico, which is pretty much what it is. Brugnolinis side of the record is all madcap instrumentals that have police chase written all over them, while Carninis is more varied, eccentric and suitable for science fiction or horror (especially the tickering, speeding abjection of Strutture Generative).

ALSO WORTHY OF MENTION

Rhiannon Giddens Freedom Highway (Nonesuch)

Arriving with a 12 x 12 lyric/photo insert, the second solo album from singer, banjo-player, violinist and American folk music scholar Rhiannon Giddens, is understated and lovely. Giddens band the Carolina Chocolate Drops was an explicit move to reclaim the Afro-American heritage of US roots music, and her solo career subtly continues the mission. So much harm was done, after all, when Okeh Records marketed music as either Race or Hillbilly in the 1920s. The categories stuck and became embedded in the popular subconscious. Giddens, who has a lovely voice, albeit with classically-trained precision, offers up a low key set on Freedom Highway, with occasional explosions of gospel flavour, as on the tragedy-laced historical ballad Birmingham Sunday. Its an album that wears its themes lightly. Whether earthy or ethereal, its gently strummed but often as powerful as any polemic punk band in full assault mode.

Horizont About Time (Century Media)

Swedish outfit Horizont are a band out of time. Their sound is midway between Owner of a Lonely Heart-era Yes, Survivor, early Queen, and heavier old school metal bands such as Dio. Their fifth album, in gatefold, opens with The Hive, a preposterous slice of Sixties sci-fi psychedelia which Jimmy Webb wrote for the second album of heavyweight Brit actor Richard Harriss unlikely post-Camelot pop career. The five-piece, who look like extras from Easy Rider (and in my world thats a compliment) turn Webbs whimsy into madcap prog and proceed, throughout About Time, to mine a multiplicity of retro rock styles for kicks, unafraid of campy vintage synths (just check the title track!), and maintaining a quirkiness, like The Darkness, that keeps them just this side of AOR indulgence.

Aimee Mann Mental Illness (SuperEgo/Membran)

This arrives on pink vinyl in a die-cut sleeve, redolent of fairytale woods, through which can be seen a strange, spooky duck-monkey creature with a mohawk (perhaps the Goose Snow Cone of the opening song). Mental Illness is dressed in uncanny imagery but its contents, while often melancholic, are more straightforward. My music listening life only crossed significantly with Manns when she did a bunch of songs for Paul Thomas Andersons extraordinary 1999 film Magnolia, but she has, apparently, maintained a cruising speed career before that and since, a thoughtful singer-songwriter classed as Adult Alternative by streaming sites. Her new album proves she still has the pith to lay down sharp lyrics, especially on Patient Zero and Good for Me (What a waste of the smoke machine/Took the taste of the Dopamine/And left me high and dry/Call the cops, call the cavalry/Spin the tops thatll dazzle me/And give me a new supply), while the delightful shuffle of Lies of Summer showcases someone thoroughly in charge of their melodic sense. Comes with a 12 x 12 lyric/art print insert.

Various Northern Soul Floorfillers (Demon): Some time ago, when working at a now defunct magazine, we writers were advised to never use the phrase Does exactly what it says on the tin, the now two decade old Ronseal slogan, when reviewing albums. Lazy journalism. And I never do. Except we should never say never, the occasional album just shrieks for the hackneyed old line to be retrieved, so lets wheel it out just this once. Northern Soul Floorfillers does exactly what it says on the tin. Its not one for the crate-diggers, poring through dusty 7s in dead peoples attics, its the songs that, as Northern Soul has grown from a geographically tiny cult into an international scene, have become the standard-bearers. It includes such 24 carat classics as Chairmen of the Boards Give Me Just a Little More Time, Dobie Grfays Out On the Floor, Freda Paynes Band of Gold, and one of my favourite songs of all time, Al Wilsons deathless amphetamine soul fable, The Snake. With 25 songs that dont quit, this is a one stop shop for Northern Soul vinyl beginners.

Scott Bradlees Postmodern Jukebox The Essentials (Concord/Postmodern Jukebox): New York jazz pianist Scott Bradlee has become a sensation by posting YouTube videos featuring versions of contemporary pop hits in a variety of vintage styles. This double gatefold in printed inner sleeves, featuring notes, details and cocktail recipes, celebrates the best of their hugely successful output. Achieving global viewing figures of around 650 million, the Postmodern Jukebox has toured the world as a live show, but this collection is a hit and miss affair. It would be great to come across this band, anonymous, in a festival tent, but on record it often sounds forced, twee and self-conscious, with the production bleeding out energy, as they attack songs by Ellie Goulding, Justin Bieber, Radiohead, GunsnRoses and more. However, there are a few superlative versions, notably a burlesque take on Miley Cyruss We Cant Stop, a showboating exposition of Beyoncs Halo and a shuffling, Dixieland deconstruction of Blackstreets 1996 smash No Diggity.

The Seshen Flames & Figures (Tru Thoughts)

From San Francisco, The Seshen major in Afro-centric electronic R&B pop. Its an under-explored musical corner and the six-piece, led by captivating singer Lalin St Juste and bass-playing producer Akiyoshi Ehara, prove there are rich pickings to be found. Theres a crossover into Thundercat/Low End Theory territory but its not extensive and songs such as Right Here and Firewalker are simply too catchy and poppy to fit in that niche. This is avant-R&B with its pretensions stripped away in favour of an airy, funky contagiousness thats melodic but has a jazzy dancefloor sway. Flames & Figures is their long-playing debut (they previously released a mini-album) and marks them out as contenders.

Lil Lost Lou Lil Lost Lou (Bully): The set contained in Lil Lost Lou sounds exactly the sort of thing thatd set a London pub alight on a boozy Friday night, and thats the circuit frontwoman Lou Psyche hails from. However, her self-titled debut album was recorded over in Nashville with a gaggle of session men who once put in time with the likes of Johnny Cash and Chet Atkins. Lous core style is upbeat hoedown, country-licked to the hilt, but dosed with the twang of rockabilly too. She knows her way round a tune. I Kissed Your Man (Jolene) is a feisty answer record to the Dolly Parton classic and He Put a Hook in Me (Bones, Feathers Black Boot, Rabbit Foot) has chugging cow-punk cojones, but shes also capable of more lonesome maudlin moments, such as Red is the Colour of My Shame and the Stonesy Song for Bob Dylan. On single vinyl with photo inner sleeve.

Barb Jungr Every Grain of Sand: Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan (Linn): Barb Jungr has been beavering away in cabaret, theatre, TV and music for decades, her name cropping up alongside everyone from Julian Clary to Billy Bragg, but shes perhaps best known for her interpretive singing work. Among the best-known of such ventures is her first album of Bob Dylan covers. Released on vinyl for the first time, Jungr doesnt go for the obvious numbers but brings her own (and arrangers Simon Wallace and James Tomalins) jazz, chanson and even gypsy stylings to songs such as Ill Be Your Baby Tonight, Its All Over Now, Baby Blue and Dont Think Twice, Its Alright. Arriving with a 12 x 12 photo/notes insert, Jungrs versions are an acquired taste, veering in places towards easy listening, but with the spikiness of Dylans lyrics piercing the smoothness sufficiently, and her clean enunciation allowing the songs poetry to shine.

Klaus Finger & PreJapandorf 2000! (Grnland): During the last ten years of his life Krautrock key-player Klaus Finger (of NEU!) formed an association with the ex-pat Japanese musical community of his native Dusseldorf, a friendship that led to much jamming and good times, as well as a number of releases. Foremost among his Japanese friends were Kazuyuki Onouchi and Miki Yui (who Dinger went on to marry) and 2000!, a Record Store Day exclusive, is a collection of cuts that came about when Dinger had a sort of mini-festival in the grounds of his Zeeland Studio, from the high times strum of Mayday to many more typically Moterik-rhythm punk attacks. Comes with a 12 x 24 poster featuring Polaroids of the session.

The Flowers of Hell Symphony No.1 (Optical Sounds): Beloved of cosmic noiseniks such as My Bloody Valentines Kevin Shields and former Spacemen 3 frontman Peter Kember, The Flowers of Hell is the project of Canadian Greg Jarvis. He has led various incarnations though trippy-but-keenly organized sonic explorations but now, after much struggle, and prominently featuring the voice of Toronto soprano Danie Friesen, he achieves his dream of an actual, orchestrated piece in the classical mode. Thus, swirling melodies are mustered from strings and horns rather than rock dissonance and, at its best, its as if Ennio Morricone has been given a Wagnerian boost, over four movements. Movement 2 is a tad operatic for my tastes but theres plenty to chew on here.

Bongo ENTP Debut EP (Music for Dreams): Jacob Andersen is a percussionist who was involved with a number of massive-in-Scandinavia-in-the-Eighties pop songs but, judging by this 12 six track EP selection from his debut album as Bongo ENTP, has now mellowed into a human Ibiza sunset. Lead track Foto Feita Do Avio is pure easy listening, as is Lujn, with keys mellower than melted butter and, in the case of the latter, a muted trumpet too. However, theres also enough slithering kick-drum and stoned bongo groove on other tracks (such as the remix of Foto Feita Do Avio by So Paulo duo Selvagem) to keep things interesting. One for the marijuana-in-the-tropics crowd.

Venn Runes (Full Time Hobby): In the last chapter of his richly detailed and often fascinating book Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany, David Stubbs observes that Krautrock is a well that can and will be returned to again and again an underground river, a self-renewing, self-purifying resource. Its been visited for inspiration for decades now and yet it remains untapped, full of potential. London trio Venn are the latest in a long, long line to embrace the truth of this and their debut album (in manifesto statement inner sleeve) is classy guitar pop riven entirely with motorik intent. Sure, some of it sounds a bit New Order and Slowly Sinking sounds like a sweet Eighties synth-pop slowie, but theres enough originality to grab the attention.

Esteban Adame Descendants (EPM): Underground Resistance affiliated Los Angeles producer Esteban Adame updates the classic Detroit techno sound on the original mix, replete with ghost-in-the-machine string lines permeating the gut of the tune. The Tresillo remix is a relentless buzzing thing that hammers away relentlessly but Detroit techno godfather Juan Atkins opens the music out, inflecting it with his Cybotron heritage while retaining its heart. Its the highlight of an EP that is, otherwise, primarily for tough techno DJs.

We welcome any and all vinyl for review. Please hit thomash.green@theartsdesk.com for a postal address.

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WWSB ABC 7

New Bradenton Noise Ordinance Causing Frustration WWSB ABC 7 Most of it is just relaxing music in the beer garden." Elwonger says the new policy will have little impact, dubbing it a business killer and arguing the cap on late night noise stifles nightlife and slows revenues as customers head to St. Pete where ... and more »

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New Bradenton Noise Ordinance Causing Frustration - WWSB ABC 7

PUBLISHED: 16:22 30 March 2017 | UPDATED: 16:27 30 March 2017

Alex Lewis

Professor Richard Wiseman - credit Antje M Pohsegger

Archant

The secret of happiness could be having short sleeps during the day, new research by a Hatfield professor suggests.

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Professor Richard Wiseman, who lectures psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, probed the effects of sleeping habits on the self-perceived happiness of over 1,000 people.

He said: Previous research has shown that naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive and creative, and these new findings suggest the tantalising possibility that you can also become happier by just taking a short nap.

Similarly, longer napping is associated with several health risks and again, this is in line with our results.

His research subjects classified themselves as either no nappers, short nappers (under 30 minutes), and long nappers (over 30 minutes).

The short nappers were the happiest (66 per cent of the group) but the no nappers were close on 60 per cent, with the long nappers trailing on 56 per cent.

The research also revealed that 43 per cent of 18 to 30-year-olds take long naps, compared to just 30 per cent people over 50.

The professor added: A large body of research shows that short naps boosts performance.

Many highly successful companies, such as Ben & Jerrys and Google, have installed dedicated nap spaces, and employees need to wake up to the upside of napping at work.

He will demonstrate how to get the perfect nap at the Edinburgh International Science Festival on Monday, with the help of relaxing music and soothing green projections.

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Hatfield psychologist probes day-time sleeping - Times 24

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

LAKELAND Today is the last opportunity this season to start out the work week with Music Munndays, a lunchtime concert in downtown Lakelands Munn Park.

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

Todays concert will be by Motett with Lemay Olano-James. Motett is a jazz trio featuring Davis Collister on bass, Jody Marsh on keys and Jean Bolduc on drums.Olano-James is a violinist.

Expect to hear some swing, foxtrot, rhumba and mambo.

The original ideain October 2015 was to provide a break for downtown office workers, said Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Development Authority.

Mondays kind of bum people out," she said. "This way they can start their work week out with a relaxing time in the park.

And it has been a way to promote the park, she said.

Instead of rushing by on their way to and from lunch, people can stop at the park with a blanket or sit on one of the benches and relax, listen to music and play board games or fill out one of the adult coloring pages available at a tent on the Kentucky Avenue side of the park, she said.

Over timethe office crowd morphed into more of a community crowd, Townsend said. Retirees and young parents with toddlers come from home for the free concert, bringing lawn chairs or blankets and lunch, Townsend said.

And sometimes school groups or community groups make a field trip out of it, she said.

The Imperial Orchestra arranges the musical entertainment, Townsend said.

As examples of the type of entertainment the Monday crowds hear, Imperial Orchestras Facebook page lists the entertainment for the month of March as an ISO Brass Quintet, Acoustic Dose (acoustic guitar and vocals), Jazzanovoa (Latin-influenced instrumentals) and todays entertainment by Motett with Lemay Olano-James (jazz with electric violin).

We try to mix it up, to expose people to different types of music, Townsend said. It is just a good time -- just a couple of hours over lunch to hang out, have a good time playing board games and relaxing with coloring while getting exposed to something you may not normally listen to.

Marilyn Meyer can be reached at marilyn.meyer@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @marilyn_ledger.

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Music Munndays is wrapping up the season with 1 last concert ... - News Chief

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

LAKELAND Today is the last opportunity this season to start out the work week with Music Munndays, a lunchtime concert in downtown Lakelands Munn Park.

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

Todays concert will be by Motett with Lemay Olano-James. Motett is a jazz trio featuring Davis Collister on bass, Jody Marsh on keys and Jean Bolduc on drums.Olano-James is a violinist.

Expect to hear some swing, foxtrot, rhumba and mambo.

The original ideain October 2015 was to provide a break for downtown office workers, said Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Development Authority.

Mondays kind of bum people out," she said. "This way they can start their work week out with a relaxing time in the park.

And it has been a way to promote the park, she said.

Instead of rushing by on their way to and from lunch, people can stop at the park with a blanket or sit on one of the benches and relax, listen to music and play board games or fill out one of the adult coloring pages available at a tent on the Kentucky Avenue side of the park, she said.

Over timethe office crowd morphed into more of a community crowd, Townsend said. Retirees and young parents with toddlers come from home for the free concert, bringing lawn chairs or blankets and lunch, Townsend said.

And sometimes school groups or community groups make a field trip out of it, she said.

The Imperial Orchestra arranges the musical entertainment, Townsend said.

As examples of the type of entertainment the Monday crowds hear, Imperial Orchestras Facebook page lists the entertainment for the month of March as an ISO Brass Quintet, Acoustic Dose (acoustic guitar and vocals), Jazzanovoa (Latin-influenced instrumentals) and todays entertainment by Motett with Lemay Olano-James (jazz with electric violin).

We try to mix it up, to expose people to different types of music, Townsend said. It is just a good time -- just a couple of hours over lunch to hang out, have a good time playing board games and relaxing with coloring while getting exposed to something you may not normally listen to.

Marilyn Meyer can be reached at marilyn.meyer@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @marilyn_ledger.

See the original post here:

Music Munndays is wrapping up the season with one last concert ... - The Ledger

Digital design studio ustwo best known for its mobile gaming chops is doubling down on a move into mindfulness and well-being apps in recent years, with the launch of a second interactive meditation app, called Sway.

This follows a journaling app (Moodnotes) with a cognitive behavioral therapy twist, which launched in August 2015, and a visually guided meditationexperience, called Pause, in October 2015.

All threeapps are collaborations with third partiesworking in the health and well-being space, with ustwo bringing in psychological expertise for Moodnotes via LA-based mobile app firm Thriveport, and working withDanish mental wellness company PauseAble onPause and now also with Sway.

Sway isvery much a continuation of the thinking behind Pause, which ustwo said was aiming to draw on ancient Tai Chi and mindfulness practice. That appinvolved guiding users to touch the screen of their device and move anamorphous blob around slowly as a way to slow down, relax and achieve a moment or two of calm.

With Sway, the movement element expands beyond just an on-screen movementto encompass the whole body, with users guided by on-screen instructions,music and moving visuals to focus their attention and make slow and gentle movements these can be whole-body movements or just moving the hand thats holding the phone.

Sway starts with a couple of minutes of guided swaying and gradually increases the time of each daily session until the user is clocking 20 minutes of movement per day. A series of levels are also unlocked as you progress, encouraging a range of different movements aimed at relaxing the user.

As well as displayingtext instructions to get sessions started, the screen of the Sway app is given over tosoothing visuals consisting of a generative soundscape of undulating hills in pastel-toned gradient colors that morph and change form and color whileyou moveback and forth. Users are encouraged to don headphones and soak themselves in the tranquil accompanying music.

After a few moments, the app also moves on toinstructing the userto look away from the screen so arelaxationsession can continue with aphone tucked entirely out of sight, in a pocket say, with justmusic and physical movement left.

If this is all sounding a bit too hippie for your tastes, ustwo is claiming it can back up itstheory of interactive meditation being effective for relaxation purposes, and more accessible and more effective in noisy environments than audio-guided meditations based ona series of studies it commissioned.

The basic argument being you might be able to more easily fit one of its interactive meditation sessions into, for example, your daily commuteor your office environs, where it might be harder to concentrate on a more traditional audio-guided meditation given all the distracting activity going on around you.

The studies were carried outby Professor Xiangshi Ren at the Center for Human Engaged Computing at the Kochi University of Technology in Japan, and compared ustwos earlierPause app with theaudio-guided meditation app Headspace.

However they only involved a small number of participants, and were not placebo-controlled. To date weve only focused on validating its functional effects, and not yet done any placebo-controlled trials this is something well definitely explore, saysa spokesman.

They also werent studyingthe effectiveness of Sway specifically but testing itspredecessor Pause. Albeit, ustwo is arguing both apps are essentially utilizing the same physically interactive approach to encouraging mindfulness and relaxation.

And, well, at the end of the day if an app ends up making some peoplefeel calmer because they think its helping them feel calmer its arguably doing something positive (even if not necessarily for the reasons claimed).

As with ustwos other mobile health apps, Sway which launches tomorrow will be a paid download, this time priced at$2.99.

The earlierPause app ($1.99) has had around 400,000 downloads to date, whileMoodnotes ($3.99) has clockedaround40,000 downloads on iOS, with an Android version also due to launch within weeks.

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Sway is another interactive relaxation app from ustwo | TechCrunch - TechCrunch

Trace Adkins has a released a beautifully relaxing music video for his newest singleWatered Down. The clip spotlightsfarm life and shows how thingslook just a little bit simpler with age.

Readers can press play above to see the Watered Down music video. Viewers first see Adkins heading into the kitchen of a quaint farmhouse to pour a cup of coffee. He spends some time out on the farm, putting in a hard days work: fixing a tractor, moving hay and building a brush bonfire and when he heads to a bar, its coffee hes drinking, not alcohol. Adkinscheers to the woman sippin something strong across the bar and his wry smile at the bottles behind the counter show hes remembering his younger, wilder years, but moved on from them.

Written by Matt Jenkins, Trevor Rosen and Shane McAnally, Watered Down isthe first single from Adkins forthcoming new album,Somethings Going On. As its accompanying musicvideo suggests, the songis a slower tunethat finds Adkins reflecting on growing up, settling down and raising a little less hell:I dont go all in, but Ill take a gamble / And I dont burn both ends of the candle anymore We still like our whiskey / Now its just a little watered down.

When I first heard Watered Down, I felt an immediate connection with what I wanted to say, Adkins explains. A man comes to a point in his life where he begins to reflect on his past and what hes learned, and thats what fueled this song. If youve led the kind of life Ive led, at some point you have to temper your vices.

Adkins 12th studio album,Somethings Going On, will drop on March 31; it will be his first release on BBR Music Groups Wheelhouse Records. The record is available for pre-order on iTunesnow!

New Country, Americana, Alt-Country, Bluegrass and Folk Albums Coming in 2017

Unforgettable Trace Adkins Moments

NEXT: Top 10 Trace Adkins Songs

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Trace Adkins Releases 'Watered Down' Music Video - The Boot - The Boot

For the last 30 years, Ming Dynasty restaurant has provided residents of eastern North Carolina Chinese culinary delights along with extraordinary customer service, offering a truly authentic experience. The restaurant is at 3105 E. 10th St. in the Rivergate Shopping Centerbeside Ollies and close to the East Carolina University campus.

Upon entering, customers are welcomed into an artfully decorated restaurant. It feels as if you are stepping into a posh restaurant in China. The walls are adorned with authentic decor including an ornate wooden carved scene of a bustling Chinese waterfront and Chinese paintings. Relaxing music plays in the background. Its the perfect place for a date night, dinner party, rehearsal dinner, Mothers Day lunch or just a night out with friends.

Ming Dynasty specializes in Mandarin, Szechuan and Cantonese dishes as well as providing gluten-free, low-fat, peanut-free and vegetarian options. It also offers a lunch buffet for $9.95 from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays with an array of mouthwatering dishes. Ming Dynasty has loyal customers who frequent the restaurant several times a week enjoying its relaxed atmosphere, fabulous food and affordable prices.

Owner Mary Yuen takes great pride in her restaurant and promises satisfaction because all the dishes are freshly prepared every day with premium ingredients. This is evident in the colorful and delightful dishes that Chef de Cuisine Steven Zhou prepares. I sampled several customer favorites starting with the Crab Rangoon deep-fried dumplings stuffed with crab and cream cheese. They were flaky and succulent with a sweet finish. The spring rolls are thin and crispy wontons filled with fresh julienne vegetables and whole shrimp served with house-made duck sauce. Im pretty sure if I was told I could only have one more meal in my life, it would be these little delights. Eight Crab Rangoons are $5.25, and you can get one spring roll for $1.75.

After appetizers, I was served the Sizzling House Special that was wheeled in on a cart and finished table-side. The dish consisted of jumbo shrimp, flank steak, chicken and roasted pork mixed with mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, carrots and snow peas in a rich brown sauce. Once the cart is rolled out, the main dish is set on a sizzling skillet and mixed, causing an aromatic steam to billow from the plate. The smell was amazing and the combination of the meats and veggies were delicious. A definite crowd favorite. I give it two chopsticks up for its taste and affordable price of $16.

For round three, I tried the widely popular General Tsos Chicken. The chef takes tender chunks of crispy chicken and mixes it with a tangy, thick garlic sauce. The plate is garnished with sauteed broccoli, sliced oranges and red peppers. The chicken was sweet and fragrant and absolutely divine. It had flavors of orange, apricot and deep plum with a touch of heat on the finish. Heres the best part: its gluten-free because the chef uses a tempura breading that is made with a cornstarch base. The price of this entree is $10.95. Its officially my new favorite Chinese entree! Special thanks go out to Mary and my waiter, Matt, who was attentive, professional and knowledgeable.

If you decide you want to take food home with you, Ming Dynasty provides take-out that is fast and affordable. Call 752-7111 or order online at http://www.mingdynastygreenville.com.

Ming Dynasty is the kind of place that will keep you coming back, where you feel at home as soon as you walk in. Once you have eaten there and enjoyed the food, service and experience, you will frequent this little gem that truly shines.

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Hot Dish: Ming Dynasty - Greenville Daily Reflector