The One With Monica’s Boots - FRIENDS Photo Challenge #2

The One With All The Coffee – FRIENDS Photo Challenge #1

Well then you’re in luck because Melissa and Megan have come up with the FRIENDS Photo Challenge!

Anyone can join, just post links to your photos each day using the #FRIENDSpc hashtag!

Council

I recently had a chance to sit down for an interview with Doug, Pat, and Andy Reeves to discuss the band, their plans, and how they got the opportunity to play at Citi Field.

ANTHONY CANTIELLO, METSTALK.COM: Tell us a little about yourselves… Who is Council? When and how did you guys get started and how would you describe your sound?

DOUG REEVES: Council is made up of myself, my twin brother Pat, and my year younger brother, Andy.

We are farmers on our family farm and just looking to find a way out. It is a fruit and vegetable farm. We have everything from strawberries, sweet corn, peppers, squash, tomatoes, to gourmet peppers, pumpkins, gords and blueberries.

PAT REEVES: Such a tragic life we lead [Joking and referring to Doug’s answer]

DOUG: Our band was formed in the same manner as the way we write music and do anything else together, arguing. Pat picked up Andy’s guitar that wasn’t being used and decided to learn to play some chords. Andy didn’t like Pat using his guitar, so he decided he was going to learn to play guitar.

ANDY REEVES: And we’re all lucky I did.

DOUG: Pat would have to settle for the bass. However, he was quick to claim lead singer after losing out for guitarist.

PAT: And we’re lucky I did.

DOUG: I was never interested in either, I always liked the drums, so I just bought sticks and played on pillows till I could afford a set. Even though we all decided to play instruments, it wouldn’t be for some time before we would all agree to be in a band together. We had no other options anyway, but no one wanted to give in too quickly.

Whenever answering the question, “How would you describe your sound”, your inevitably going to fall short in some aspect. The simple answer is driving bass and drums with big melodic guitars.

METSTALK.COM: You’ll be playing at Citi Field on September 27th before the Mets take on the Cincinnati Reds. How did the band get the chance to play there and at what other venues and with what other bands have you played?

PAT: Well it’s really Lori Martini that gave us this chance. We met her at our Sullivan Hall show in March and realized very quickly we were all huge New York Mets fans. She proposed the idea of our band making a rock version of her song, “Believe.” [--Editor's Note: Mets fans may recognize that song as one of Justin Turner's walk-up songs.]

We thought it was a great idea and that got the ball rolling for us to be playing at Citi Field.

ANDY: We have played most of the club staples in New York City like Kenny’s Castaway and Sullivan Hall among others.

DOUG: We also played Trash bar in Brooklyn and The Annex. And we played a lot of shows in Hawaii including, the Pipeline Café, with The All American Rejects, The Kooks, The Toadies and The Presidents Of The United States.

METSTALK.COM: Okay, before we go any further, are any of you guys actually Mets fans? Is so, who are your favorite Mets players of all-time? And God help you if you reveal yourselves to be Yankees fans or worse — Phillies fans — coming to play Citi Field!

PAT, DOUG, & ANDY: Absolutely, we are Mets fans! They’ve been our favorite team in any sport since we were kids.

DOUG: My favorite Mets player of all time…I would say it’s a tie between Nolan Ryan and the 1986 New York Mets team. I just loved the whole team and probably couldn’t narrow it down.

PAT: For me it would have to be Gary Carter. Number 8. I started out as a catcher in baseball because of him and really loved watching him and his Mets teammates.

ANDY: Gary Carter and Nolan Ryan, yes… But without sounding too diplomatic, I think I can say truthfully all Mets players past, present, and future mean a lot to us.

METSTALK.COM: As a New York-based rock band, do you guys view being able to play at a major metropolitan area venue like the Mets’ Citi Field as a special opportunity?

PAT: Of course we do. We would be crazy not to. Not many bands get this kind of opportunity. Being from New York and lifelong Mets fans, this will be a very special night for us.

METSTALK.COM: Not to put any pressure on you guys, but since Citi Field opened in 2009, the stadium has hosted concerts by both Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band. Are you up to the challenge of being the next band to play there? Which songs will you be playing?

DOUG: When someone says, “Not to put any pressure on you,” usually that means there is a decent amount of pressure already. I was not aware that only two bands have played Citi Field since 2009. Having said that, yes our band is up to the challenge!

We will be playing, “Welcome The Change,” and “Believe.” It should be a high energy show.

ANDY: I think in some respects we play better with more people. The songs seem to translate better and we feed off the crowd.

METSTALK.COM: Most Mets fans are probably wondering this, so it might as well be asked… Why Citi Field and not Yankee Stadium? Have you been to both and which one do you prefer?

PAT: We chose Citi Field because if our relationship with Lori Martini and the New York Mets.

We wouldn’t be opposed to playing Yankee Stadium. It just worked out that we get to play our favorite teams stadium.

DOUG: We have been to Shea Stadium but because of our other occupation, farming, it makes it hard for us to take time off to go to either stadium. If I had to choose to play either one I would chose Citi Field everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

METSTALK.COM: Besides being home to the Mets, Citi Field has quite the collection of culinary delights. Have you guys ever eaten there and what’s you favorite food at the stadium? If you haven’t, please allow me to recommend the BBQ ribs at the Blue Smoke stand!

ANDY: We have not been to the stadium so therefore we have not been lucky enough to taste the extraordinary food that is there. However, I will take your recommendation for BBQ ribs at Blue Smoke and definitely make sure to stop by and try them.

PAT: I do love ribs so I can guarantee I’ll be stopping by Blue Smoke.

METSTALK.COM: How can Mets fans — or anyone else who enjoys your Citi Field performance — listen to your music and find out about your upcoming shows?

DOUG: You can find us online at CouncilBand.com, follow us on our Facebook page, and at ReverbNation.com.

METSTALK.COM: Thanks for taking the time out to talk to Mets Talk today. What’s on the horizon for Council that fans can look forward to? Anything else you’d like to add?

PAT: We remade the song “Lithium” for a 20 year anniversary tribute album coming out in late September. It will span 5 continents and we are the only American band on the album, which is very humbling.

ANDY: We also have new songs we are finishing up in preparation to record this fall.

PAT: Our next goal for our band is to obtain a major label recording contract.

DOUG: Major MAJOR recording contract!

PAT: Hopefully drop farmer from our resume, at least temporarily. Thank you for the interview, it’s been a pleasure.

DOUG, ANDY: Yes, thank you very much.

Come see Council perform in a pre-game concert on Tuesday, September 27th at Citi Field. Arrive early before the Mets take on the visiting Cincinnati Reds to catch the performance.

I will be doing an interview with the band that will appear on MetsTalk.com and BicoastalBaseball.com (as well as re-posted here) that should be up within the next few days.

I’m excited to find out more about the three-brother band and how they view their upcoming appearance at the stadium. Look for it to be published very soon!

[If any other Mets-related blogs are interested in republishing the article (with proper credit) please contact me through the comments or email me.]

Melissa surprised me this weekend with some awesome birthday surprises for my 30th birthday!

On Friday, she threw me a surprise dinner at Yang Chow’s in Hollywood (yum… slippery shrimp!) with all of my favorite California people, including Nicole, Meg, Lexi and Marco, and Briya along with my sister Katelyn.

And if that wasn’t awesome enough, we stayed over Friday night at the Tropicana Inn so we could spend the following day at Disneyland!

When my girlfriend plans, she plans well! The most fascinating part was that she got everyone to go along with it and no one (well maybe Marco a little) blew the secret… no matter how many times I tried to get them to spill the beans.

Melissa, Nic, Kate, and I did Disneyland the right way on Saturday — we stayed from open to close, which was 8:30am – midnight! I really didn’t think I’d make it through all of that, but we were having so much fun that besides my feet hurting a little, I didn’t really notice.

And we went on over 25 rides throughout the day, including that awesome 3D simulation Star Wars ride, Star Tours, twice. The second time without a wait!

Actually the wait wasn’t bad at all the entire day, despite it being a holiday weekend because the yearly passes most people have expired the day before. So we were on most rides within 15 minutes, which was great.

We stayed for the fireworks show. That was cool to see the fireworks over the giant Disney castle.

But even better than that was the Fantasmic show, which takes place on the Rivers of the America in on and around the river, on boats, via projections on the spraying water, and on boats like a giant Pirate ship!

It was so amazing and I definitely recommend you see it when you get a chance.

So I turned 30 in style and with an awesome surprise weekend thrown by the woman I love the most. Can’t beat that! <#

But 10 years after witnessing 9/11 through my dorm room window, we finally got Osama bin Laden and killed him.

I really never expected that to happen.

But how best to capture the news in headline form? Here’s New York’s take:

Not that I disagree with the sentiment, of course. Just wait until the actual Osama death photos are released or leaked… you know they will consider running those on the covers too.

Dinosaur Crossing Next 96 km

I’ve been searching for alternatives to regular soda, so I picked up a bottle of CasCal Ripe Rouge, one of 5 available flavors. They only had 3 available at the time of purchase.

CasCal is made with fermented juices and fermented malt. Its marked as have a “grown-up” taste, while being caffeine-free and alcohol-free.

I figured since I’ve enjoyed a number of fermented beverages before, albeit alcoholic ones, that I might enjoy fermented juice soda too.

This drink is marketed basically like a wine, except without the alcohol. As you can see in the graphic above from the CasCal website, the flavor I tried has “Notes of Cherry, Chocolate, and Rose” and “pairs well with asiago cheese, grilled beef, and chocolate.”

I have to admit that I was skeptical that a juice made from fermented apple juice and lemon juice could taste like cherry, chocolate, and rose. But after the first few sips of this rather dry beverage the cherry and chocolate notes became prominent.

With no added sugars, the drink was sweet enough from the 38% juice, and of course healthier that way. I seem to recall other juices being ingredients in this particular flavor, but the website doesn’t seem to mention them, which is odd.

The drink does partially live up to the “grown-up taste” moniker given to it because its not too sweet and the fermented barley malt does give it a beer-like texture. The part that’s missing is that its not grown-up enough to actually contain alcohol, which is what I missed from a drink trying this hard to get “grown-up” attention.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a healthy, alcohol-alternative drink, this might be the drink for you.

I give it 3 out of 5 bottles.

You can find out more about CasCal at CheersCascal.com or on Facebook. Available at Whole Foods Market and Fairway.

Talk about battling some serious heat! The Mets players and C.O.O. strapped on firefighter gear to climb up FDNY ladders, battle a blaze, and rappel down the side of a building. Check it out:

And now some screenshots of the Metsies in action:

FDNY commissioner Sal Cassano with Mets pitchers R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell, and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, who took part in the Firefighter For A Day Challenge

R.A. Dickey climbs up a ladder

"Firefighters" Bobby Parnell and Mike Pelfrey

R.A. Dickey rappels down a wall

R.A. Dickey and Big Pelf fight a car fire

FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano talks with Mike Pelfrey

Looks like a cool team-building event for several Mets players, or as my girlfriend calls it, “Really smart thing to do right before spring training!”

RELATED: FDNY training an eye-opener for Mets [mets.com]

[This post originally published at MetsTalk.com]