It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week contributor Tim Johnstone pulls together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.
BINGE: The Umbrella Academy is not your usual super hero show.
Gerard Way spent years leading the band My Chemical Romance. He apparently also spent years reading comics. He, along with Gabriel B¡ authored several volumes of a comic/graphic novella called The Umbrella Academy. Netflix has just release the first season of its limited series. I can’t tell you how or if this differs from the original source material but it seems that Gerard Way is happy with the adaptation. I pretty much loved everything about this. It has a great cast, with a mixture of familiar faces and some terrific newcomers. Ellen Page is just fantastic. And Mary J. Blige shines as she always does. There is terrific music throughout, from classic British Invasion cuts (The Kinks “Picture Book”) to indie rock (“Mary” by Big Thief and “Run Boy Run” by Woodkid) and bigger artists like David Gray and Way himself. They get so many details right. It’s big. It’s ridiculous. And it’s touching. I yelled out loud, repeatedly and with much astonishment at one point in the 8th episode; Like, really loudly and for an extended period of time. This was repeated in episode 9 and episode 10 as well. There are some truly inspired scenes in this first season, nearly always action oriented, accompanied by a soundtrack that always brings a smile. It is quite the ride.
EAT: Brunch treats with a side of culinary skillz.
Hash brown nests with portobello mushrooms and eggs. This is a relatively quick and easy dish that is not only something that would work for brunch, but parties as well. Half the reason I’m sharing this is because once you master the hash brown “nest,” (pre-browning is recommended) you can easily adapt this for other ingredients. Use your imagination (as well as whatever you might have in your fridge or pantry) to tweak the recipe. A good example would be using black beans, roasted green chiles and a suitable cheese like sharp cheddar or cojita. You are really only limited by your imagination. Go for it.
DRINK: Get a head start on happy with England’s favorite Summer drink.
It’s light, flavorful and easy to make. This would be a good choice for that brunch you’re going to host where you serve those delicious tater-fungi-cups. Also, you could consider it your fruit dish. So, yeah. Double bonus.
LISTEN: J.S. Ondara’s Tales of America is an absolute gem.
The first time I heard J.S. Ondara’s voice, it stopped me in my tracks. Floating atop the neo-folk arrangements of his new album Tales Of America, his is a voice that reaches out and soars. It is an incredibly expressive tool and it is one that tells stories about the American dream as seen from the outside. Raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Ondara discovered Bob Dylan as a young man and was inspired to do his own thing. His music is timeless, and the production is sparse where it serves the song, which allows Ondara’s voice to take center stage. He has a sense of style that is confident and charming. I’m just completely won over.
WRITE: It’s good for your little grey cells.
I catch a bit of grief at work because I’m still an analog guy. I use pen and paper in as many aspects of my job as I can. I write proposals. I write out contests and content for my daily air shift. I write thank you cards to colleagues and artist managers. I write out marketing and promotion campaigns. I write as much as I can. I do this because my memory has always been a bit shaky and I learned a long time ago that actually writing things down helps my memory. It was years after this realization that I began to see articles on studies that basically backed me up. It might be easier to use any number of keyboards that are in front of us on a daily basis. But this is better for you.
Tim Johnstone is Dappered’s music correspondent as well as our resident gatherer of all things interwebs related. He’s currently chasing his spirit animal. He is not a fan of pudding.