Too Broke To Laugh

My buddy ‘Bigfoot’ enjoys a bourbon and a cigar on the weekend and while I’m not into bourbon, I am loving a good smoke. Bigfoot and I kicked back the other night and lit up a couple of Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra’s and enjoyed the hell out of them.

The presentation of the cigar is visually appealing, with a cedar liner covering part of the nice dark sumatra wrapper, you get the feeling some care went into these. These are not cheap cigars, but if you want to show someone you don’t screw around, you can’t go wrong with these. The Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra is a great cigar, easy draw, nice ash and a smooth consistency that stays with you through the very end.

It’s hard to beat a good drink and a nice cigar when you want to settle down on the weekend for some relaxation time (unless you’re getting a rub-and-tug at the local massage establishment). Give the Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra’s a try, then come back and drop me a comment. You’ve been Sivelized.

For any fans of Tom Petty, the new Mudcrutch record is a must. For fans of classic sounding rock this is a must for you as well. Close your eyes and Petty, former Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and original bandmember Tom Leadon, and Randall Marsh will lead you on a journey back to the 70’s.

Couple of my favorite tracks on the album are the Bob Dylanesque ‘Lover of the Bayou’ and Mudcrutch’s opus ‘Crystal River’ which clocks in at just under ten minutes. There is plenty to enjoy on this album and being harkened back to the days when music was raw, full of energy and passion is a trip worth taking.

*Music of the 70’s thumbs up, hairy chicks of the 70’s not so much.

StoneRider hails from Atlanta and Three Legs of Trouble is their first album and a kick ass one it is. The band has a gritty, raunchy sound that conjures up images of being in a dimly lit, smoke filled bar, pulling back a shot and checking out the women.

When I lived in Boston I frequently a club called ‘The Channel’ and that is exactly the place I would expect to find StoneRider playing on a Friday night. The album starts out in high gear with ‘Rush Hour Baby’, singer Matt Tanner belting out “We’re on a road to nowhere…”, shifting gears into ‘Bad Lovin Never Felt So Good’ where a “one night stand…” is inevitable.

The songs progress along one after the other taking you on a debauchery filled trip. The guitar work is southern tinged, reminding me of Skynyrd’s ‘Gimme Back My Bullets’ leaving no doubt the intent of this album is to get you drunk, lying in an alley, smelling like only a woman can with a wide grin on your face.

Like good ole’ Winston, I like to indulge in a cigar every once in a while, ok every weekend, but given my proximity to Cuba, finding a weekend cigar is a task I take seriously .

Last weekend I relaxed on the porch with some Southern Comfort straight up and a new 5 Vegas Gold Double Nickle cigar which I must say is a tasty combo. Some people claim they taste spices, chocolate, flowery notes in their cigar, or some other fruity flavor, but all I care about is whether it’s ripping my throat out.

The ‘5 Vegas Gold’ starts out a bit rough, I thought it was the spices, but I’m an idiot at times and soon realized it was just harsh at first. After a few minutes the cigar settled down, was damn smooth with a good ash and I enjoyed that son of a gun right down to the final draw. I tend to smoke my cigars to the bottom and the 5 Vegas Gold produced good flavor even at the end.

I’m not one to mess around with people’s weekend smokes, so buy some 5 Vegas Golds and consider yourself Sivelized.