So Long, Santa Barbara
Been So Long, Final Five Food Faves, We Banjo 3, DJ Burns Jr., Lyin’ Lion
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue includes my five favorite Substack newsletters, the memoir of an embryonic journey, five dishes I savored in Santa Barbara, an Irish quartet with two sets of brothers, a big man with a soft touch, and the same old Lion. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Tomorrow is our last day in Santa Barbara before we leave for four nights in Phoenix and then home to Michigan. We have been in California since the winter solstice, and now we prepare to return to the Eastern Time Zone.
What a privilege it has been to celebrate Christmas, Easter, and the birthdays of Noah, Tracy, Kathy, and me with 7/11ths of our family. We also got to spend time with my brother David and three friends from high school in LA. We will miss seeing Julian and Noah every day, but soon we will get a chance to visit Roger, Cristi, Sommer, and Kieran again in Maryland.
Now we get to celebrate another special time of year with Roger: The Final Four. He will join Barb and me in Phoenix this Friday through Sunday. More about that next week.
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Fave Five 79: So Long, Santa Barbara
Guitar Great (Been So Long: My Life and Music) Final Five Food Faves (Sama Sama Kitchen, Bettina, Via Maestra 42, Your Choice Restaurant, Santa Barbara Fish Market & Restaurant), Banjo Band (We Banjo 3), Wolfpack Wonder (DJ Burns Jr.) and a Lyin’ Lion.
Fave Five Lists: Favorite Substack Newsletters
My friend Arnold Kling’s use of Substack led me to create Fave Five. I enjoy reading his newsletter every day. It is number one on this week’s list.
Economics, Human Interdependence, and Large Language Models
2. Sports, Politics, and Popular Culture (must pay to receive all content)
Music and Travel
Music and Poetry
Food and Music (must pay to receive all content)
Book Best Bet
Been So Long: My Life and Music by Jorma Kaukonen
I previously featured Jefferson Airplane as Marvelous Musicians. I have been reading quite a few autobiographies of musicians over the past few years. The authors provide insights into their mindsets and choices in both their musical and personal lives, ultimately revealing much about their creativity and character.
This book is not as well-written as some of the others, but the history is interesting. It would have benefited from tighter editing, removing some of the redundancy and platitudes. There are many details on cars, motorcycles, guitars, and amps, which may appeal to some readers. And fans of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna should enjoy it.
From Amazon: From the man who made a name for himself as a founding member and lead guitarist of Jefferson Airplane comes a memoir that offers a rare glimpse into the heart and soul of a musical genius―and a vivid journey through the psychedelic era in America.
“Music is the reward for being alive,” writes Jorma Kaukonen in this candid and emotional account of his life and work. “It stirs memory in a singular way that is unmatched.” In a career that has already spanned a half century―one that has earned him induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, among other honors―Jorma is best known for his legendary bands Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. But before he won worldwide recognition he was just a young man with a passion and a dream.
Been So Long is the story of how Jorma found his place in the world of music and beyond. The grandson of Finnish and Russian-Jewish immigrants whose formative years were spent abroad with his American-born diplomat father, Jorma channeled his life experiences―from his coming-of-age in Pakistan and the Philippines to his early gigs with Jack Casady in D.C. to his jam sessions in San Francisco with Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and other contemporaries―into his art in unique and revelatory ways. Been So Long charts not only Jorma’s association with the bands that made him famous but goes into never-before-told details about his addiction and recovery, his troubled first marriage and still-thriving second, and more. Interspersed with diary entries, personal correspondence, and song lyrics, this memoir is as unforgettable and inspiring as Jorma’s music itself.
Restaurant Recommendations
Final Five Food Faves
We have found many fine places for food in Santa Barbara. As we prepare to leave, I want to feature five standout dishes I enjoyed during our stay here.
Sama Sama Kitchen 1208 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Signature Wings: Tamarind-soy BBQ, cilantro, lime
Bettina 1014 Coast Village Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Pepperoni Pizza: mozzarella, crushed tomato, basil, chili oil, Wylde Works wildflower honey
Via Maestra 42 3343 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Bucattini all' Amatriciana "La Legge!": Traditional dish from the Lazio region with zesty pancetta and fresh tomato sauce.
Your Choice Restaurant 3404 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Thai Fried Chicken with chili lime sauce
Santa Barbara Fish Market & Restaurant 7127 Hollister Ave, St #18, Goleta, CA 93117
Fried Oyster Po’ Boy Sandwich: remoulade, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, pickles with a side of New England Clam Chowder: bacon, leek, potato
Marvelous Musicians
Today is Enda Scahill's birthday. I saw the band at a house concert in Northville, Michigan on August 7, 2018. I saw David Howley at The Ark in Ann Arbor on April 20, 2023. The band issued this statement last year:
We Banjo 3 is taking a break. We are making space for individual creative projects. We look forward to what happens in this space, and we’ll keep you posted.
From Wikipedia: We Banjo 3 is a band from Galway, Ireland that plays a blend of traditional Irish, old time, and bluegrass music they called Celtgrass. The band is composed of two sets of brothers, Enda Scahill and Fergal Scahill and Martin and David Howley. Earle Hitchner, music writer for The Wall Street Journal, described their playing as a "freshness and finesse bordering on the magical," and LiveIreland proclaiming them "the hottest group in Irish music." Siobhan Long, music critic for the Irish Times, wrote "We Banjo 3 are a musical Betty Ford Clinic, almost singlehandedly rehabilitating the much-maligned banjo in 4 short years.
Enda Scahill – Banjo, Mandolin, Tenor Guitar
Martin Howley – Banjo, Mandolin, Tenor Guitar
David Howley – Banjo, Vocals, Guitar
Fergal Scahill – Fiddle, Guitar, Bodhrán
Haven
Happiness
My Playlist
Sports Star
I first noticed him during the ACC tournament, when he helped lead North Carolina State to an improbable championship by winning five games in five days. I watched the overtime win over Virginia and continued following his exploits thereafter. His 24 points and 11 rebounds were critical in the Wolfpack’s overtime victory over my Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the second round. And his 29 points did in Duke in the Elite Eight.
If he wins two more games and the national championship, he will have duplicated the incredible run of Kemba Walker, who led UConn to victory in 2011 by winning 11 straight games. I wanted the Pistons to draft Kemba in the 2011 NBA Draft, but they chose Brandon Knight right ahead of the Charlotte Hornets, who took Kemba. Bad move. Maybe they will get to draft DJ this time around. I look forward to watching the big fella’s deft footwork and soft touch in Phoenix on Saturday.
From Wikipedia: Dwight Keith Burns Jr. (born October 13, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Winthrop Eagles of the Big South Conference.
Burns grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina and attended Clover Intermediate School, standing 6'7" in eighth grade. He enrolled at York Preparatory Academy. As a freshman, Burns averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. He averaged 14.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.1 blocks per game as a sophomore. As a junior, Burns averaged 14.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, earning MVP honors of the C. Dan Joyner Poinsettia Classic and the USA National Prep Championship. He reclassified from the Class of 2019 to the Class of 2018. In three seasons, Burns recorded over 1,000 career points and over 1,000 rebounds. A top 100 recruit, Burns committed to playing college basketball for Tennessee in June 2018, choosing the Volunteers over offers from South Carolina and Virginia.
Burns redshirted his freshman season at Tennessee and lost weight. Following the season, he transferred to Winthrop and received a waiver for immediate eligibility. Burns was named Big South Freshman of the Year. He averaged 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Burns averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, earning Honorable Mention All-Big South honors. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but ultimately returned to Winthrop. In his junior season debut, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 110–78 win against Mary Baldwin University. As a junior, Burns was named Big South Player of the Year.
In May 2022, Burns announced he would play for NC State in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2022–2023 season. On March 16, 2024, Burns was named ACC Tournament MVP after leading NC State to its first ACC crown since 1987. Burns had 20 points, 7 assists, and hit the first three-pointer of his college career.
DJ Burns dominates Duke with 29 points to advance to the Final Four
Picture Pun
There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.
