Kristi Kates

Art Kristi Kates An Old Ice House
Makes History as Stafford’s Gallery
By Kristi Kates
Getting creative with an historic building was a challenge at first for Stafford’s Hospitality in Petoskey.
Stafford’s purchased the former Longton Hall Antiques building in the fall of 2007, as a “natural addition” to its Perry Hotel, according to Stafford’s Lisa Wilbur. Located adjacent to the Perry’s parking lot, ideas on what to do with the building were many, but a decision had yet to be made.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Airborne Toxic Event Merges Rock and Classical
Indie rockers The Airborne Toxic Event will be presenting a special performance at L.A.’s Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall on December 4; the band will be performing with the award-winning Calder Quartet (among other special guests) in a cool merging of contemporary music with classical. The show is part of the West Coast Left Coast Festival, a celebration of “the music and culture of California”; The Airborne Toxic Event is the only rock act on the festival’s bill, representing their hometown of East L.A....

Dining Kristi Kates Historic Dining on Walloon Lake
By Kristi Kates
Walloon Lake Inn chef/proprietor David Beier explains that he first acquired his interest in food from his father.
“He bought a lifetime subscription to Gourmet magazine when it first came out, probably in the late ’50s,” Beier says. After acquiring a liberal arts degree, Beier decided to move forward with his culinary interests.
“I started to apprentice for European chefs,” he explains, “at that time there were no culinary schools.”

Features Kristi Kates Petoskey’s Holiday Open House: Dedicated to Tradition
By Kristi Kates
Back in the early ’80s, several businesses on Petoskey’s Mitchell street teamed up to host a Christmas Sale night from The Circus Shop to J.C. Penney. From that simple idea evolved what is now Petoskey’s famed Holiday Open House - although it had to go through a couple of other incarnations before it arrived at its current status as a favorite regional event.

Music Kristi Kates Merry Music Gifts for the Holidays
By Kristi Kates
A new CD by your gift recipient’s favorite musician or band is always a great holiday gift, for sure.
But what if you want to take that gifting a step further with something a little more special? No problem - here’s our take on the a half-dozen of the best modern rockin’ merry music box set gifts for the 2009 holiday season.

Music Kristi Kates The Little Heroes - Thank You - Wednesday Records
Their last album may have been called Cinematic Americana, but never fear, Norman Blake - The Little Heroes are far more on the pop side of things than that album title may have indicated, although there’s a twang or two thrown in occasionally for good measure. Recorded in Los Angeles, their latest effort blends early ‘80s indie-rock (think R.E.M.) with more classically catchy pop melodies (think Everly Brothers) to make a b-i-g pop sound that melds galloping beats with patterned guitars, showcasing often introspective lyrics. Well produced and well tracklisted, standouts here include opener “Say I’ll Be Gone” and closer “Postcards Sent West.”

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Gabriel, Wyman, Ferry
Contribute to Charity Album
Part of a BBC One fundraising effort that’s raised over $850 million to date, a charity cover recording of The Beatles’ classic track “All You Need is Love” is set to be recorded at London’s Studio 2 for the Bandaged Together album. The album will include other tracks as produced by AD Chivers, but the single itself will be the highlight, as it will feature some huge names in rock and pop music, including Peter Gabriel, Bill Wyman, Bryan Ferry, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Queen’s Roger Taylor, and Jamie Cullum, among others...

Dining Kristi Kates In Boyne City
Food and Friends at Lake Street Market
By Kristi Kates
As Liz Glass was being interviewed for this article, a woman was standing outside of Glass’ Lake Street Market - which she co-owns with Chris Meyer - taking a photograph of the store.
“That happens a lot,” Glass chuckles. “People walk in the door and say, ‘wow, what a neat place.’”

Features Kristi Kates Gadgets for Gearheads
The latest, greatest hi-tech gift ideas
By Kristi Kates
Hello, holiday shoppers! We’re back with this year’s roundup of some of the best gear and newest tech gifts for the geeks and civilians alike on your 2009 shopping list.
From indoors to outdoors, budget to luxury, there’s a little holiday gear for everyone, no matter how big - or small - your wallet might be this holiday season.

Music Kristi Kates Various Artists - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
- Shout Factory
Mark Mulcahy was on a pretty good roll for a while; he fronted bands Miracle Legion and Polaris as well as releasing a trio of solo albums. But things got rough for Mulcahy when his wife passed away unexpectedly last year, leaving him to raise his kids alone. The indie-rock community has stepped in to help with this charity set, which features beautifully-crafted covers of Mulcahy’s songs by everyone from Michael Stipe (“Everything’s Coming Undone”) to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and his brother Andy Yorke; The National to Mercury Rev. Great music, great cause.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Monsters of Folk
Supergroup Give Back
Monsters of Folk - the cool, folky supergroup that consists of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, singer-songwriter M. Ward, and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James - released their debut album back in June, and have spent much of their fall on the road in America. The uber-collaborative band, whose live shows include them frequently switching instruments and trading their band roles throughout the set, have also partnered up with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians’ philanthropic work, to donate monies raised from their tour tix sales; the band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold to local non-profit organizations. More U.S. dates may be added, but for now, the Europeans are the lucky ones, as Monsters of Folk have just a few dates left in November, including stops in London (11/17), Paris (11/18), and The Hague, Holland (11/21)...

Music Kristi Kates 4Play: R.E.M., Rhythums del Mundo, Jack Johnson, Air
Kristi Kates 11/9/09
.E.M. - Live at the Olympia - Warner Bros.
Vincent Moon previously worked with R.E.M. on one of their other music and video projects, and they’ve tapped his talents again for the visual portion of this special edition 2 CD set with bonus DVD, as featured a couple of weeks ago on NPR. The discs feature a whopping 39 songs from R.E.M.’s 2007 working rehearsals in Dublin, Ireland, and their live shows at the Olympia Theater in that same city, where they tested new songs over a five-night run. On audio duties is standby producer Jacknife Lee, who brings his sharp sounds to such tracks as “Cuyahoga,” “Drive,” “Auctioneer,” and other classic R.E.M. tracks.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Modern Rock\David Bowie the subject of New eBook
Kristie Kates 11/9/09
An exclusive Ziggy Stardust eBook App is now available exclusively at the iTunes App store for a mere $2.99; the interactive electro-book chronicles David Bowie’s 20-month journey in the early ‘70s as his Ziggy Stardust character and Ziggy’s metamorphosis into Aladdin Sane. Over 600 images by world-renowned photographer Mick Rock are included in the ebook, some of which are being published for the first time. The images utilize the new Photomosiac technology that enables views to tap or pinch to zoom into full resolution of the images; it’s a perfect mini-gift for any Bowie fan...

Dining Kristi Kates Catching Good Food at
The Brown Trout
By Kristi Kates 11/9/09

Built in the early 1930s as a reception hall, the Indian River restaurant known today as The Brown Trout went through several evolutions on its way to its current restaurant persona.
Going back, The Brown Trout was known as Bill’s Saloon and Rog Kar’s Saloon in the early days. In 1996, current owners Bill and Kathy Jones added a full-service kitchen and a patio to what was formerly just a bar. They preserved the interior design, only adding a “good luck” fish made out of small stones that was embedded into the fireplace, but revamped the entire exterior with a new foundation and log frame that perfectly suits its rustic Northern Michigan location.
“We offer casual up north dining for lunch and dinner, plus wine tastings on selected Thursdays, and entertainment on the weekends,” explains Bill Jones. “The price range varies from burgers and pizza in the $8-12 range; ribs, slow-cooked prime rib, steaks, whitefish, walleye, and cod in the $13-18 range, and our tenderloin with morel mushroom sauce at $25. We also feature Mexican menu items including burritos, fajitas, and taco salad.”
Indeed, The Brown Trout’s menu seems to offer a wide variety of dining choices, all anchored by the restaurant’s log-cabin feel.
“It represents Up North living at it’s best,” Jones beams.

Music Kristi Kates Fiddling Around with
Alasdair Fraser
By Kristi Kates 11/2/09

Music is something that can be passed from generation to generation - and it’s also something that can help an individual communicate. Both of these qualities are what master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser found drew him to the instrument, and his musical talents on the fiddle proved to be the skill that would define much of his life.
“My grandfather played, and I took to his fiddle early, as I was inspired and challenged by it,” Fraser explains, “I was also very shy and introverted, and the violin gave me a voice. I think it came fairly naturally to me, and I enjoyed playing.”
Fraser’s playing style on the fiddle is known for being very expressive; he’s been lauded as a “major force” behind renewed interest in Scottish fiddling in both his homeland and the U.S., having landed performance spots on everything stateside from NPR’s Morning Edition, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Thistle and Shamrock to CBS’ Sunday Morning show and The Kennedy Center Honors, at which he helped laud fellow countryman Sean Connery.
He credits his music’s appeal to the fact that he approaches it as more than just music - he feels it’s also a vehicle by which to communicate and find common ground.