Such was the question posed to me by the bartender at Belltown Bistro a few weeks ago after I asked for an Irish Coffee [coffee + whiskey + a bit of cream = liquid goodness].

I sat there quietly for a short moment, eyes losing focus as I thought carefully to myself "what the hell does he mean?"  Not wanting to look like an inexperienced barstool patron, I calmly replied "Protestant" with an affirmative slight nod of my head [I was raised Methodist, so that seemed like the logical choice].  It worked...he said "right away" and was off to make our drinks.

A few minutes later he came back with our drinks and we started chatting while he was doing whatever it is bartenders do behind the bar.  I'm pretty honest, to a fault sometimes, and finally came clean...

"Hey [barkeep], I gotta admit that I just lied to you. When you asked me Protestant or Catholic, I didn't have a clue what you meant."

"Well, you sure pulled it off then because it looked like you did."

"Thanks.  Mind enlightening me?"

And he went on to explain the difference...

The short version is Protestant uses Bushmills whiskey and Catholic uses Jameson whiskey.  As to why the religious labels?  Apparently in the country of Ireland, the Bushmills distillery is located in a predominantly Protestant area of Northern Ireland, in the town of Bushmill in County Antrim.  And Jameson's Midleton distilleries are located outside Midleton in County Cork which is a largely Catholic area in Southern Ireland. 

How much truth is there to the religious division?  I don't have a clue.  Search online and you'll see all kinds of opinions, but at least now I know what they mean when they ask "Protestant or Catholic?"  AKA: Bushmills or Jameson. 

~tod

How can you not support this initiative!  I've seen 28 Days Later.  I've seen what zombies can do...and it scares me! 

Hat tip to ctrl+alt+del.

~tod

Sunday was my first Bumbershoot and it rocked (literally)!  We picked Sunday primarily for Kings of Leon, but were also curious to see Fergie.  Her solo stuff is ok, but I prefer her with the Black Eyed Peas (and she's damn fine). 

Just by chance, we sat down on the lawn to eat lunch and heard Lazybones first.  I was really impressed.  They reminded me of the local music scene in Texas that I used to really enjoy...rock with more than a touch of blues influence.  In fact, we liked them so much that immediately after their show we walked over to one of the booths and bought 2 of their CDs.  Hopefully they get a little more % of the profits from those sales.

Next up, and on our agenda for the day, was the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the main stage.  We got about 40 feet from the stage a little right, off-center.  Perfect position to see the band and hear the music.  Much more in the classic/hard rock genre than Lazybones, they played their asses off. 

After a 30 minute break, Kings of Leon came on stage.  This time we were only about 20-25 feet from the stage, but on the far left.  Still a good spot to see everything and be pounded by the music.  One thing I noticed was that other than lead singer, Caleb Followhill, the band was not very animated on stage.  It's not a criticism, just an observation.  They still sounded great and the crowd was totally into it.  And as it got warmer in the afternoon, the water hoses (sprayed over the crowd) were much appreciated!

Later that night we decided to check out Fergie's show.  All in all, I was completely and utterly bored.  Don't get me wrong, she has a good voice, is very high energy on-stage and tries to put on a good show, but I'm all about the music.  I was already concerned going in that she only has one solo album under her belt which means there just isn't a lot of depth to her (solo) discography.  She did a collage of Black Eyed Peas stuff, but just 20-30 second clips which only whet my appetite for more BEP.  What made it worse was the sound.  They over-emphasized the instruments and went light on the vocals, to the point where her voice was completely drowned out at least half the time.  In a nutshell, the best moment of her concert was when she did a cover of Heart's Barracuda.  I dig ya Fergie, but next time I'll pass unless you're in town with BEP.

All in all, an awesome day and some great bands.

~tod