April Sims has worked at Touch & Go Records, eMusic, and NAIL Distribution.
What was the food highlight of your year?
After much thought, the winner would be the special monthly cupcake from Cupcake Royale that I received on my birthday in March. A special Irish treat (in honor of St. Pat’s, duh) - imagine a double chocolate cupcake with… wait for it… Jameson Irish Whiskey butter cream icing. Brilliant! I’m looking forward to March now, not just because it is the month of my birth, but for a delicious treat in the form of solid Jameson goodness.
What was the music highlight of your year?
This was a toss up, and one only slightly tops the other. They always say what comes around goes around. When I think back to my childhood, I recall my mother introducing us to the likes of Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis, and The Beach Boys. Well, this year I saw the influence in reverse. When my mother asked me if I had any O.M.D. she could borrow last month, I felt the music had come full circle. Her declared love of “If You Leave” only reassured me that she was listening when we were young. Kids do influence the parents as much as the parents do us.
A close second would be the Archers of Loaf reunion show at Neumos in Seattle. The tracks off of Icky Mettle still sound as great today as they did in the early 90s. The band was as enthusiastic as they were when I saw them in a tiny club in St. Louis in 1993, and the crowd was full of enthusiastic fans who only added to the excitement in the room and the energy of the band (a rarity in Seattle to say the least). Eric Bachmann rocks! and I haven’t felt that energetic zeal of youth in a while.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
PIZZAFEST!!! An annual festival in Seattle at a punk club called the Funhouse. Always the highlight of my summer. Garage and punk bands convene on the Funhouse for 3 nights of loud rock and lots of pizza! A few friends of mine organize it, and it brings bands from all over the country (Florida, NY, Chicago, and the NW of course as well as other locales). The party vibe is alive and well, but not without the endless supply of pizza from Mario’s on Capitol Hill. And don’t forget the pizza eating contest! Since the club was by the Space Needle, there was an endless supply of random tourists who have no idea what they wandered in to. However, they do not leave disappointed, and this year one of those British tourists even won the pizza eating contest! Unfortunately, the Funhouse was forced to close on Halloween in order to make room for some more profitable condos. So the future of Pizzafest hangs in limbo… but I hope they can prevail because without it, I would be in the dark about great bands like King Tuff and Shannon and the Clams.