brews and beats: Cornmeal & Cabinet - Truimph Brewery - New Hope, PA

Last Thursday night I embarked on a mission that began in New Hope and ended in Philadelphia. It was a three night journey that gave me the opportunity to see six bands and taste some great beers along the way. If I was forced to pick, Thursday would be the one night I was most excited about. When faced with the hard decision between the New Mastersounds at the Note and Cabinet/Cornmeal at Triumph Brewery, I gave the nod to some raging bluegrass. The fact it was at Triumph Brewery made the decision easier. The combo of freshly brewed Rauchbier and three hours of dancing sums up what brews and beats is all about.

Cabinet from Wilkes-Barre got things started with a great one hour set. I've missed the last couple shows they played in Philadelphia and will make the effort to see them next time. These guys left a good first impression with the selection they played on this night. They were laid back but could segue nicely. One of my favorites was Treesap > Old Farmer's Mill.

Cornmeal didn't hit the stage until after eleven, so I wasn't sure what they planned to do in terms of sets. It turned out we got one long, two hour set that didn't let up. Both Onward and Rise Above topped the twenty minute mark and brought the heat. There was an obvious contrast in crowd compared to the last time I saw them. People were there to get down unlike the bumps on a log in Haddon Heights. I loved the entire set and was happy to hear a bunch of tunes for the first time. Among my favorites were the smoking Maggie's Farm, Mole, and the opening segment of Drinking Away The Memory of You > The Fox.

The Cabinet recording turned out nicely since there was mostly onstage amplification and we were so close. For Cornmeal the stacks were so spread apart we lost a lot. Originally I thought the recording was just okay and decided to run a preset compression tool for the first time. To my ears the sound improved. It definitely does the night justice. Here's the ole' shots from the iphone: