Tasty Tracks And Tasty Treats

posted in: Music News • Pop • Rock

Here at OurStage there are few things that we enjoy as much as music, but one of our obsessions that comes pretty damn close is our love of food. So imagine our delight when several musicians announced new, culinary side projects. Train released a Petite Sirah wine that will finally let fans know what “Drops of Jupiter” taste like, AC/DC announced a line of fine wines named after their hits”including “Highway to Hell” and “You Shook Me All Night Long””and former Blur bassist Alex James is now selling his cheeses in the UK.

We did a little digging and as it turns out, the relationship between musicians and foodies is very strong. Yes, plenty of artists offer ways to get your drink on like a rock star (Sammy Hagar has his own brand of tequila), but many are restaurant owners, chefs and even critics! From giants like KISS Coffeehouses and Jimmy Buffet‘s Margaritaville Cafes to smaller, quainter cafes like Moby‘s adorable Teany in New York City, artist-owned eateries have been popping up all over the place. Even J. Lo got into the restaurant game a few years ago; unfortunately, the Mexican eatery “Madre’s” closed its doors in 2008 after six years. (Still better than Britney‘s joint “Nyla,” which lasted less than a year.)

And don’t even get us started on the awesome food blogs run by musicians. Singer-songwriter M. Ward and Jim James of My Morning Jacket created Creme Bru-log to pay homage to the delectable French dessert. Mike D of the Beastie Boys reviews wines for jamessuckling.com, making funkified claims like, “At nine years of age, this big boyeee is still an infant.” But it was Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand who kicked off the trend in 2005 with his food column in The Guardian, which eventually led to the book Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand.

So why, exactly, are musicians so culinarily gifted? Earlier this year, author Kara Zuaro told Spinner, “I think it makes sense that creative people, in general, are into food; when you’re on the road and not making much money, good food is one of the things that keeps you going.” And then of course, there’s that other thing: Food is awesome! If you’re hungry for more, check out Zuaro’s cookbook I Like Food, Food Tastes Good, which features recipes from artists like Death Cab for Cutie and Devendra Banhart, or head over to Turntable Kitchen, a site with mixtapes to pair with your favorite meals.