Nathan's Small Delights: SD_014

Ayup, what’s good?

The vernal equinox is officially behind us & the march into April has concluded. For the most part, I feel as if I traveled forward through time mostly on autopilot. The whelming scale has shifted slightly in favor of the overwhelmed plate, but I’m not there yet, so let’s get down to business!

The Delights

The month wrapped up on a high note, thanks in large part to a wildly entertaining weekend slinging wax at the Vibe Artisan Market with San Antonio selector & fidus Achates, Rick Lara. The VAM gigs are always a treat as they give me the dual opportunity to beef up my wantlist by trainspotting tracks Rick drops & wandering off the beaten path of my record collection to play tunes not necessarily designed for the dancefloor. Between mixes, I occasionally found time to pop out from behind the decks & chat it up with a few of the vendors. I caught up with some familiar faces, had the pleasure of making new acquaintances, & even managed to snag a few new bits & bobs for the house (including this mondo cute, hand-carved, mini cereal bowl).

Let's take a little detour & talk flowers.

Lately, I have been getting into the habit of keeping fresh flowers in the house. Nothing fancy - just the bargain-bin bundles from my local HEB. It adds a pleasant splash of color to the room & makes for a nice greeting every time I walk in. If you have an extra four bucks lying around, then I highly recommend grabbing a little bouquet for the house next time you are grocery shopping.

The turn of the season means one thing for those of us in Texas - the heat-up to borderline oppressive temps has begun! It is starting to get hot out there, which means I am spending more of my time indoors. What better walls to be surrounded by than those of my local record store? Keeping true to my commitment to spend more time amongst the bins, I have, in fact, been spending more time amongst the bins. My increased presence has certainly been noticed by the bin gods, for they have been good to me - yes, they have. During a recent trip to Breakaway, a delicious reissue of Inner Thoughts of the H. Andrews Congregation caught my attention & has been officially added to my collection. The opening number Try A Little Harder is a timeless bit of uplifting soul that hits so hard for me. I scoured the online so I could hyperlink the audio, but I found no trace of the song on the webs. I guess if you want to hear it, let me know when a good time for me to call you would be & I can sing it to you over the phone.

Oh. My. Goddess.

I am going to break my self-imposed rule of keeping this section a retrospective of the previous month because I just ate a tree-ripe Sunset Mango & it was really good. I didn’t want to wait a month to mention it.

Let’s get back to the retrospective!

Try as I might, I am unable to recall the exact moment I first tasted a Kouign-amann. What I absolutely can recall is that the first bite transformed me into a certified fanatic. I’ve ordered Kouign-amanns all over Austin & have conducted numerous comparisons to determine the best one in town. I can confidently say the pastry chefs at Sour Duck Market are tops on the list. Knowing that, I popped in with Rick on the way to Sunday’s VAM gig & was handed a tray with this absolutely stunning Kouign-amann. This may be one of the best I have ever eaten. The golden-brown layers were perfectly laminated with delicate orbs of crystallised butter & sugar floating from these tendrils of sweetness. It was truly a next-level pastry.

What a delight!

Vinyl Jockey on the web

The latest fabric presents mix by Red Axes has officially hit the streets. The mix features a track produced by myself & studio partner William Bowers as The New Black. Our track is featured on the vinyl release & I am still in a bit of shock about it. Very cool. You can grab a copy of the record at your local record store (maybe), or you can just order it from the Red Axes Bandcamp.

I have a few more releases working their way down the pipes, but for the moment, there is not much else happening on the music front. I am finally finding time for some proper studio & mix sessions, so I will hopefully have some new treats for you next month.

Vinyl Jockey in the wild

Local vinyl party Rendez-vous is celebrating three years on the scene on April 18th at good-time bar, Marlow & the line-up is stacked. Longtime friend & fellow Sherwood Forest Crew member Erin Millington will be holding it down on the inside with myself & local duo Horse Opera. A+ homie Evan Guerra will be on the outside with Slyde Drexler b2b Jacques-André, & a handful of others. If you are looking for a good spot to boogie down & lay it all out on the dancefloor, then this is the party for you. Mark those calendars, folks!

May 2nd & 3rd, Rick Lara & I are headed out to Space City for a weekend slinging spicy slabs of wax at Silver Street Studios for the HTX Vibe Artisan Market. That’s right, baby! We are taking the show on the road! I’ve been having a stellar time at the Austin VAM & am stoked to be heading back to my old stomping grounds for this one. Make sure to pop in & say hello if you find yourself in the neighborhood.

We also have the pleasure of laying down a set during the evening hours of May 2nd for the lads at Ice House Radio. The set is streamed live for those who can’t make it out, but if you are out & about, then you should definitely roll through the car wash & lather it up with us.

That’s a wrap for now!

-Nathan Stewart