I Choose Indy!

I found out today that one of my favorite comedians will be making their way to Indianapolis early next year.

It’s Jeff Dunham (Website, Facebook, and MySpace) one of the funniest ventriloquists I know of on the planet. I was able to see him perform at a comedy club in Nashville, TN a number of years back. I’ll never forget how he handled a bit of an audience member that had a bit too much drink and wouldn’t shut-up during his show. At the time he was doing a bit with Walter and in after one of the audience member’s interruptions Walter let this stinger fly out of his lips without missing a beat:

"Three million sperm and that one had to win the race!"

What confuses me though about Jeff Dunham coming to Indianapolis is that he’ll be doing a show at Conseco Fieldhouse. Now, I’m not real sure, but I believe I could probably pull off being a darn good ventriloquist for the people in attendance sitting in any of the red, yellow or blue sections below don’t you?

I’m not sure if he’s going to sell out the Fieldhouse, but I’ve got to think he’d probably sell out the Murat a couple of nights in a row don’t you think? Or perhaps a show at the Murat and a couple of other shows at other comedy clubs in the area?

I missed an important event tonight with some friends. Today is the 2nd birthday/anniversary of The Bean Cup, one of the best independent coffee shops on the planet.

There’s just something so much better about finding yourself a favorite coffee shop where you can be a regular and make friends that you start seeing over and over again. Plus, knowing you’re helping a small business owner with their American dream instead of making someone else rich in some other part of the country.

You’ve got plenty of options to tease that coffee addiction, but if the java isn’t your thing they’ve also got great Italian sodas, chai tea, smoothies and other stuff. Great light meals and snacks go great with their live music every weekend. Oh, and of course free wi-fi too.

The only time I find myself at a Starbucks these days is if it’s after business hours for The Bean Cup or one of my other regular stops on the independent coffee shop circuit.

So, Happy 2nd Birthday Chris and Jason! Thanks for everything you do and for keeping my tank filled with some of the best coffee and chai tea in town.

Last night I got to enjoy a great meal at Weber Grill in Indianapolis with some friends from college. Normally when the alumni office schedules an Indianapolis alumni dinner I seem to always have a conflict in my schedule. It was great when my friend Kim contacted me via Facebook and invited me to join her and another friend, Micah, out to dinner. I chose Weber Grill because I’d never been there, but always "smelled" it when I’ve been downtown and was immediately hungry.

After I made reservations I quickly setup an event in Facebook and invited each of us to it with all the details. I arranged to pick-up Kim at University Place Conference Center & Hotel and we would meet Micah at the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant is great. It balances being very classy with being open and welcome of a casual atmosphere as well. We were seated in one of their side rooms and were immediately welcome with drinks and their pretzel rolls. Which were amazing! My daughter wouldn’t try them until I pulled the center out of them, then I think she had a couple of baskets all her own.

The kid’s meals were great and loaded with food. My son (who had a little pocket incident walking to the restaurant) got ribs with broccoli and cheese, fresh fruit and tater tots. He wasn’t a big fan of the taste of the BBQ sauce so we ended up exchanging those for a plain cheeseburger which was also amazing.

My adventurous daughter played it safe with plain cheese pizza, but was also enjoying the same variety of sides as her brother did with his meal. They also both got a yummy ice cream sundae in a waffle cone to finish off the meal.

My wife enjoyed the beef brisket, which was cooked to perfection, with baked beans, and mashed potatoes. I had the blackened catfish with garlic sautéed spinach and whipped sweet potatoes. Everything was absolutely delicious!

The conversation with great friends and reconnecting or connecting them with my own family was very much appreciated and valued. What is it about sharing a meal together that makes relationships feel so much more intense and appreciated?

If you’re looking for a great dining experience in Indianapolis and having tried Weber Grill Restaurant, then you owe it to yourself to experience it. They even have a special grilled Thanksgiving feast you can enjoy.

Isn’t that a great photo? I love photography with unique perspectives or viewpoints that make you see things in a completely different way than you normally would otherwise.

Are you looking for some great photos of Indianapolis? Are you a photographer and would like to share your photos of Indianapolis with others?

There’s an I Choose Indy flickr group where you can both find and share great photos of Indianapolis with others. There’s even a great city street map with locations highlighted where photos exist.

A quick scan of the group gives you photos of the Indy skyline, local professional sports,  and many other great photos of local events and attractions.

Okay folks, normally I’m one of those people who gets frustrated when retail stores cram the last holidays of the year together and rush into the Christmas holidays right along with Halloween and Thanksgiving.

I’ve got to make and exception though now because I’ve got to tell you about a new Christmas album by some guys you may know. They’re a 10-man vocal group formed at Indiana University in the mid 90’s and have just been “found”.

Straight No Chaser was a group of friends at Indiana University and formed the group in the fall of 1996. In 2006 the original members reunited for a concert an clips of their performance made it to YouTube, which ended up getting viewed by Craig Kallman, Chairman of Atlantic Records.

Continue reading to hear how you can win a copy of this album and concert tickets to see them perform live!

Here’s the story of what events came to pass after Craig Kallman saw the group on YouTube.

In a turn of events that the spiritually inclined might describe as a “higher power” moment, Atlantic Records Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman happened to be among those millions of viewers.  “It was completely random and totally unexpected,” says Kallman.  “I was surfing YouTube to check out what was new, when I saw this brilliant, fresh, and totally compelling performance.  And then I saw how many hits they were getting, and I had something of an epiphany.  So I emailed Randy right away.”  Randy, not surprisingly, thought it was some kind of prank.  “The head of Atlantic Records emailing me at 8 a.m. New Year’s Day and saying he was interested in our group?  I thought, ‘yeah, right.’”  Fortunately, Randy decided to check it out anyway, and he and Dan soon found themselves having dinner with Craig in L.A.  Within a few days, the entire group flew to Atlantic’s offices in New York, and a deal was in the works.

Straight No Chaser released their holiday album “Holiday Spirits” on October 28, 2008 and have been getting great reviews.

I received copies of the album to review last night in the mail. I popped it into the stereo and thought I’d listen to it as I got some other things done around the house. The album didn’t stop playing until we’d circled through every song about 5 times. These guys are TREMENDOUSLY talented and deliver the goods on bringing in in the “Holiday Spirits” and hits we all have come to love.

They’re one of the few groups I’ve heard re-do “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys, but I think they sound better than the Boys themselves, and I love The Beach Boys. The group gives a little hometown love with “Indiana Christmas” which is a beautiful ballad that really showcases their harmony and talent.

Here’s the full track listing of “Holiday Spirits”:

1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. The Christmas Song
4. This Christmas
5. Christmas Wish
6. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard On High
7. Little Saint Nick
8. The 12 Days of Christmas (LIVE)
9. Indiana Christmas
10. Sweet Little Jesus Boy
11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
12. Carol of the Bells
13. Silent Night
14. Auld Lang Syne

Without saying much more, this album has risen to the top of my holiday album favorites, replacing the likes of Russ Taff’s “A Christmas Song”, Harry Connick, Jr., Trans Siberian Orchestra and “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. This is good stuff!

Win a Free Copy of “Holiday Spirits” Album by Straight No Chaser

I’ve got a couple copies of this album to give away to anyone that’s interested. All you have to do is go visit the Straight No Chaser website, MySpace, Facebook or YouTube pages and listen or watch them perform a song. Then come back here and leave a comment about what you thought. I’ll randomly select from those commenting and give them a copy of the “Holiday Spirits” album.

Win Tickets to See Straight No Chaser Perform in Person

If you write a blog yourself and would like to write-up your own review of their music and link back to this post I’ve got some free tickets for you to see Straight No Chaser perform in concert at the Madame Walker Theater on December 20th. Just be sure to link back to this post with your review and email me to let me know it’s up, the free tickets will go to those with their posts up first until I run out of tickets.