Rams Head The Blog

My dearest Monty Python memory harkens back to my high school years.  Two of my best girl friends and I decked out in our favorite pj’s settled in for a Friday night of laughs and dessert as we popped in our VHS copy of Monty Python & The Holy Grail.  This was also the night that I discovered creme brulee – yum, so this film has an extra sweet spot in my heart.

So, Jocelyn & Beth, my dear high school BFF’s…this one’s for you.  None other than Neil Innes, Monty Python Minstrel himself, will be performing here at Rams Head On Stage this Sunday the 31st.

In addition to his appearance in The Holy Grail, Innes appeared with the Bonzo Dog Band UK kids show “Do Not Adjust Your Set” – who’s cast was chock full of future “Pythons”. The band’s hit “I’m the Urban Spaceman” was produced by Apollo C. Vermouth (aka Paul McCartney) and topped the UK charts in 1968.

Ever heard of Bonzo Dog Band “Death Cab for Cutie”?  You can thank Neil & his Bonzo Dog Band for that?  They wrote the song which inspired the American band of the same name.

Check out the trailer for “The Seventh Python” starring our good friend Neil:

Then hop on over to www.ramsheadonstage.com to get  your tickets for Sunday!

So basically, David Alan Grier is coming. Coming to Rams Head Live to perform a full length stand-up comedy routine and the first thing that comes to mind is that I can sing along with the theme song to In Living Color to this day. “Let’s take a trip and zip on a dream, ride with a guide on a funky scene…”…….”no need to hold your remote control, chill. This show’s got soul….”

And even though I wasn’t supposed to be watching (or tuning into most shows on the new-at-the-time FOX network) because my mommy said the content was “too mature”, my sister and I would sneak into the guest room to watch Calhoun Tubbs perform an endless playlist of limited creativity:

David Alan Grier has since been a Comedy Central favorite. He appeared regularly on Crank Yankers and was honored to host the stand-up variety, Premium Blend. Most recentlly, Grier is busy tellin’ it like it is as the lead anchor on Comedy Central’s Chocolate News. The new show and new millenium has brought a fresh entourage of characters. One of our personal favorites, Phat Man.

What will Grier bust out live? The man does so many impressions, I wonder which we’ll be blessed with: Al Sharpton, Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, Ike Turner? With the recent Star Trek remake, I’m hoping for a little Leonard Nimoy. But I’ll settle for some Marion Barry or Maya Angelou. I mean, who does impression of Maya Angelou… seriously.

Be there: Friday, July 10th at Rams Head Live.

From:  The Rams Head Group
To:  Brent “Turbo” Shellem, Executive Chef Extraordinaire

Happy 37th Birthday!

Photo, Crown & Gift Courtesy of Rams Head Savage Mill

Word Association in my brain goes something like this… New World Wheat. Hefeweizen. Germany. Oktoberfest. Cuckoo Clocks.  In honor of where my brain took me today, I bring you:

Germany:

Oktoberfest:

 
Cuckoo Clock
Warning: Foul Language

Hopefully your brain will do a good job remembering: Cuckoo Clock. Rams Head. Beer Release. June 4th.

Rams Head Beer Release
Featuring Fordham New World Wheat
Thursday, June 4th 2009
4-6pm: Enjoy $1 drafts in commemorative glassware
Rams Head Tavern Annapolis
Rams Head Shore House
Rams Head Tavern Savage Mill
Rams Head Roadhouse

Pete Yorn’s Musicforthemorningafter was gifted to me in the spring of 2001 from a music buddy named Eric (gotta love the friends who introduce you to new music, thanks Eric!!).  Yorn’s singer/songwriter tunes were the perfect accompaniment to summer nights spent with friends, cold beers and if you were lucky, some Maryland blue crabs.

So, when WRNR 103.1 announced Pete Yorn as the upcoming Private Artist showcase at Rams Head On Stage, I was certain to put the info in INK on the calendar and schedule myself for an entire day at the office in Annapolis.  I was also certain to pack my trusty Nikon to document the event.

From the 1st song (Life on a Chain), I was transported back to those summer days in the convertible with Pete Yorn accompanying me to Rehoboth, to visit our former location at the beach (2001-2007).  And I was instantly reminded why Pete Yorn’s twangy tunes resonated with me…. I’m such the sucker for the sentimental singer/songwriters!

So, thank you WRNR for another rockin’ private artist showcase.  Thank you Pete for continuing to make my musical heart swoon 8 years later! It is with great anticipation that I await the arrival of your new album,  Back and Fourth (mid June).

And for other Yorn swooners, here was the setlist for the showcase:
103WRNR session @ Rams Head, May 21, 2009 
life on a chain
for nancy
don’t wanna cry
for us
the man
paradise cove
strange condition

And lastly, Yorn’s new video;
Don’t Wanna Cry

WARNING: shameless reprint of a review

www.HometownAnnapolis.com
Dining Out: Roadhouse will do whatever it takes to please
BY TERRA WALTERS, For The Capital
Published 05/21/09
For many years, Rudy’s Tavern was the quintessential “joint,” the stuff of which country music songs are written, and the go-to place for good old boys of all ages.

Advertisement When Rudy’s morphed into another locale for the Rams Head entity, many of the regulars must have felt that they’d be saying goodbye to a local institution.

Wrong.

The same leadership that has positioned the entire Rams Head Tavern organization at the top of the area food and entertainment industry was too smart for that. Do a little refurbishing, add some paint, install a new bar top, but leave the important integral components.

Those components? Start with lots of fun, a smattering of funk and unflagging friendliness. To that, add copious quantities of top-notch pub food, plenty of kinds of cold beer and good drinks. Wrap it up with outstanding service, plenty of specials, and plenty of TVs, and it equals Rams Head Roadhouse. They’ve kept the heart and soul of the place intact.

It used to be that you’d tough it out and eat in the main bar (even when the clouds of cigarette smoke made it difficult to find your plate) because it had so much more character than the non-smoking “dining room.” These days, felicitously, the parking lot is the only place that isn’t smoke-free and you can concentrate your main bar time on eating, drinking and trying to be heard. One thing they didn’t do when they did their semi-renovation was to install those sound-absorbing tiles. But then, we wouldn’t want them to. After all, it’s a roadhouse, not a library.

It was my distinct pleasure on my most recent visit to take along a friend who’d never been to this place, not in either of its incarnations. The facial expression told the tale: I’m soldiering on and giving myself up to the experience, but I am not expecting to eat well.

A short while later, after an expertly crafted Manhattan ($4.50) and a Sapphire martini ($7.25) (and the absolute authentic deal, not one of those watered-down or faux Sapphires, but the real thing), we were happily digging into orders of Cheese Louise and Prankster Pirogies.

Almost better than tasting the appetizers was watching the paradigm shift of facial expressions on the friend’s face: from “I’ll stick it out and eat some mediocre bar food with you,” to “Oh, wow, this is really tasty.”

The Cheese Louise ($8) was not just cleverly named, but genuinely swoon-worthy. Mozzarella cheese is encased in a crust made of garlic bread, then fried (didn’t taste greasy, though) and served with a delectable fresh basil marinara sauce.

There are lots of mozzarella sticks on lots of pub fare menus, but this version leaves the others at the starting gate. For one thing, there’s more cheese and that sets up a more pointed contrast between the creaminess of the mozzarella and the crunchiness of the garlic crust. The sauce? You could plunk a big ladlefull onto a plate of pasta and have some good eatin’.

Our other shared appetizer was the Prankster Perogies ($6). These mashed potato and cheddar “dumplings” also receive the expert frying this kitchen turns out, and they’re well paired with a dipping sauce of sour cream and thinly sliced green onions. We reluctantly put aside some of each appetizer for the go-box so we’d have room for dinner, and sipped on the Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc ($28) which was good and cold – good, and cold.

For entrees, one diner ordered from the Down Home Dinner section of the menu while the other (the regular) went directly for the sandwich list.

The Turbo’s Tilapia ($13) featured a substantial portion of tilapia, encrusted with almonds and panko crumbs and baked with a lemon buerre noir sauce. Surprised to learn that a roadhouse makes a buerre noir? They get around the chichi element by calling it a brown butter sauce, but it’s delicious irrespective of what they call it. The fish, fresh and sweet-fleshed, came with rice and the veggie du jour, which was green beans.

Dos Amigos Fish Tacos ($9) is one of those dreaded spoilers. It’s so yummy that it spoils one for anything else on the menu and keeps one from being adventurous and exploring things like meatloaf and crab mac and cheese. The fish (probably haddock) filets are beer-battered, crisp-fried and nestled with the sweet crunch of homemade cole slaw into two warmed flour tortillas.

A final touch to the tacos involves generous drizzlings of a savory chipotle mayonnaise that proves the kitchen to be intrepid when it comes to jacking up the fire power. The accompanying rice and black beans were quite tasty, but the guacamole was undistinguished. One taco went home and was almost as good the next day.

We were having a good time and were reluctant to leave, so dessert seemed in order. That gave us a few more minutes to people-watch and bask in the ambiance.

The healthy-eating gods will surely grant us dispensation when they hear how delicious the Turtle Cheesecake ($7) and the Lemon Berry Cake ($6) turned out to be. The desserts are made aboard the Mother Ship at Rams Head Tavern on Inner West Street, but we forked up every mouth-watering morsel and didn’t care a whit where they had been made. Two cups of steaming coffee sealed the deal on the evening.

Short of turning cartwheels (who knows, maybe they’d do that, too), Rams Head Roadhouse does whatever it takes to satisfy patrons: whether it’s offering free food and $2.50 libations (draft, house wine, rail brands) from 4 to 7 Monday through Friday; or the innovative Sunday Bloody Sunday Brunch (you’re the bartender, build your own Bloody); or one of the nightly specials (a crowd fave is the $20 lobster dinner, complete with sides, on Monday); or the much-vaunted World Beer Club (everyone should get on the World Beer Bandwagon), Rams Head Roadhouse is out to win you over.

Haven’t been? Give them a shot at being your own personal roadhouse too.

WHEN YOU GO

WHAT: Rams Head Roadhouse

WHERE: 1773 General’s Highway, Annapolis

PHONE: 410-849-8058

WEB SITE: www.ramsheadtavern.com

HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday. Sunday brunch: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

EXECUTIVE CHEF: Jimmy Donlin

APPETIZERS: $6-$10

ENTRÉES: $10-$20

RESERVATIONS: Not accepted, except for pre-arranged large parties during holidays, etc.

CREDIT CARDS: All major credit cards are accepted.

ACCESSIBILITY: Not currently, but they’re in the process of providing it.

Aaaaaah, yes. The first long weekend of the summer.

It’s only Thursday and I find myself wandering through daydreams of frosty Margaritas and orange accompanied Hefeweizens. I can almost smell the coconut sun block and juicy burgers on the grill. Being an Annapolis local, I just solidified an afternoon ‘on the boat’ with a fine crew of both party lovers and sailors (someone’s gotta steer the thing). And although that makes the holiday weekend official in my mind, that’s just one afternoon – What in the world am I going to do with the rest of the three day mini-vacay?

For locals and tourists alike, on ‘staycations’ or weekend get-aways in our port-side province, Rams Head’s working to keep you fat, happy and entertained.

Friday, May 22nd
Start the weekend with a big, sloppy Happy Hour.
Avoid bridge traffic – you know it’s gonna be a mess – and join us (or the Rams Head nearest you) for $2.50 drafts, house wines and liquors from 4pm to 7pm. If you’ve got to pinch those pennies for the long weekend ahead, Rams Head happy hour is a good place to start. We’re serving complimentary wings to all attendees from 5-7pm.

Saturday, May 23rd
Rocknoceros, all ages kiddie matinee.
11am at Rams Head On Stage.
Attention families: Hannah Nebraska who? Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Bennie are the hot new rock stars for the under eight set. All the cool kids are in the know.

Willie Nile, w. Vandaveer
8.30pm at Rams Head On Stage
Perhaps you’ve heard WRNR‘s Carrie featuring a couple of Willie’s new tracks via Carrie’s Catch of the Day. The enthralling new Streets of New York finds the artist in his mid-fifties, his youthful energy unflagging, and never having sounded more committed to the themes he’s tackled.

Sunday, May 24th
Brunch before Boats
10am – 2pm at a Rams Head near you.
Hold on sailor! Before you head out on the seas, you’d better fill that belly. The Annapolis Benedict accompanied by a lump crab cake and the Baja Breakfast Burrito are two of our biggest sellers. These hearty feasts are sure to please, but if you’re known to suffer from sea sickness and the high seas aren’t for you, The Geckos will be providing the rythms of the carribean via steal drums and bongos all morning and into the afternoon.

Monday, May 25th
Memorial Day
First, remember to remember why we’re celebrating – why we’re remembering. It is on this day that we commemorates U.S. men and women who fought and died for our country while in military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action. So whether over a ‘cheers’ at the Rams Head, on the beach or in your back yard, surround yourself with the friends and family that you love most. And remember that today we honor the lives of those fallen.

Cheers! And on with Monday Funday!

So folks, tonight’s the night.   Millions of Americans will be glued to the screen…watching, waiting for Seacrest to give us the word.  Will it be Adam or Kris?  All news reports say these fellas are running neck in neck in the polls.  Which crooner has stolen your heart this year?

Tight pant glam rocker Adam?  Listen to him belt out Aerosmith’s ‘Cryin’ here:

…or soulful sweetheart Kris Allen? Hear his smokin’ version of Bill Withers’ ‘Aint No Sunshine’:

And if it’s Idols you want, it’s Idols we’ve got.

My personal favorite, ah-mazing singer Elliott Yamin will be performing tomorrow night (May 21) at 8pm at Rams Head On Stage.

Then 2005 AI Legend, Bo Bice rocks the house on July 28 (just a few days after my bday, woot!)

Be there!

Since 1989, the Rams Head “offices” have been located in downtown Historic Annapolis.  For our lunch breaks, we can enjoy the cobblestone streets, the speciality shops & and even salute the meter maids.  Week-to-week that is a bonus to our jobs.  But, one of the most exciting weeks to work in Annapolis is the USNA Commissioning Week. 

Yes, you do have to deal with some extra traffic & have your yearly duty as a “official direction giver”, but it’s all in the name of our US Naval Academy grads, which we as a community beam as proud parents.  That graduation is called “Commissioning Week”, and one of the locals favorite traditions includes a visit from the Blue Angels, in the form of a flight demonstration.

Official word from the Blue Angels website says:

A Blue Angels flight demonstration exhibits choreographed refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. It includes the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of the four-plane Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers of its two Solo Pilots. Finally, the team illustrates the pinnacle of precision flying, performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet Delta Formation.

 It is cool to watch from the ground, as demonstrated by the slew of boats that arrive in the harbor, the picnics that are set up and the people who watch from the rooftops.   But, by far the most ridiculously amazing account of this event is this raw footage from WITHIN THE COCKPIT:

We salute you Class of 2009!  We thank you and your families for being a part of our community and we look forward to your return visits as Alumni.  Congratulations…

Blue and Gold
Now colleges from sea to sea may sing of colors true,
But who has better right than we, to hoist a symbol hue?
For sailors brave in battle fair, since fighting days of old,
Have proved the sailor’s right to wear, the Navy Blue and Gold!
“Beat Army!”

Arguably there are plenty of times when, suffice it to say, we simply misplace something – a cd, tickets to a show, your right shoe, etc. But I am beginning to feel that not often enough do we account for those times when the said object just gets up and walks away. I have one such instance to tell you about.

Once upon a time there was a box of stickers next to my desk. He was a little guy, brown, couple inches tall on a good day, a pleasure to have around. He was always looking over my shoulder and checking out the Rams Head Live schedule, just chomping at the bit for his debut in the venue because people need stickers but even more so he needed the music. And this little sticker box needed the music bad.

He had a wish list of Rams Head Live shows to attend that he’d scribbled on a napkin and scotch taped to my desk. Santigold, Band of Horses, Citizen Cope, Ani Difranco and Neko Case. Some real rockin’ choices this little guy had but who am I to assume his music tastes were anything less than righteous?

Truth be told I eventually had to break the news that he would probably only be at one of these shows because people just love the stickers and his job would soon be done. I had to shoot from the hip but understandably he did not take it so well and next day, Gone!

The way I see it he’s going somewhere he can see them all at once because he is mad enough at me for saying I wouldn’t take him to every show. This is when it hit me! Bonnaroo.This elusive little box, crawled off with his four little flaps and hitched a ride to Bonnaroo, where he can see them all at one time.

Now, I can identify with anyone who lets nothing stand between themselves and the music. But if you don’t have the dough to haul it out to Tennessee in June or you would rather see a full set list,  than you aren’t terribly unlike the rest of us, however slightly less determined than our one and only little Bonnaroo Box. But you are in luck because we’ve lined up 5 of the hottest shows going on out there and they’re just down the street!

If anyone happens to see this little guy end-over-ending it down Route 66, please inform. We would like to make sure he gets there safely and with a decent seat. For all the rest of us, don’t miss your chance to catch these acts in your own back yard at Rams Head Live. Santigold is first up off the Bonnaroo list on May 31^st w/ Trouble Andrew and Amanda Blank. Check out the rest of the Bonnaroo shows you can catch up with at Rams Head Live this Summer below. And stayed tuned for us to announce one more heavy hitter off the Bonarroo lineup.

6/7       Band of Horses w/ Arboreteum

6/12     Citizen Cope

7/9       Ani Difranco

7/28     Neko Case w/ Jason Lytle