As the anchor for NBC’s Dateline, as well as the Weekend anchor for both NBC Nightly News and the TODAY show, we’re used to seeing Lester Holt play the role of a respected newsman. But as it turns out, he also plays a pretty mean bass.
The other night, Lester Holt shared his visit to the Brooklyn Brownstone Jazz Salon and Fishfry SideTour with viewers (video below). Host Debbie McClain, who has had this brownstone in her family for generations, started this jazz salon and fishfry with jazz bassist Eric Lemon, as a way to both entertain and build a sense of community in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In the second half of the evening, the salon has an “open mic” where guests are invited to come up and play with the band. As a bassist and jazz lover, Lester decided to join in. He came away feeling like many of Debbie’s SideTour guests do:
“This does not feel like a jazz club, it feels like you’ve been invited to a house party.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Lester.
We asked Rhiannon Platt, street art expert extraordinaire, about the myths held by many new artists. Here she debunks the commonly held beliefs and gives us the facts about how to safely create art in the shadows.
For the first time in history, a car without a traditional engine won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year.
The recipient of this year’s award? The Tesla Model S.
Here’s a few reasons why: It goes from zero-to-sixty in under four seconds and features a 17-inch electronic touchscreen on the dash. It’s also fully electric and able to drive up to 250 miles without a single charge.
But with a starting price tag of close to $50,000, it’s unlikely that you’ll make this purchase on a whim.
Since it’s less fun to be stuck inside your apartment rather than out having incredible experiences, we’re making it a little easier to handle. Through Wednesday, you can get $10 of SideTour credit added to your account.
The original bolt action invented by Paul and Wilhelm Mauser back in 1898 was so rugged and precise that it’s the exact same action used today in the highest quality competition rifles.
2. Guns in Battle
The M1 Garand project was abandoned several times during its 20 year development. If it was never revisited and not issued into service, many believe the US would have lost WWII.
3. That Took How Long?
The liberator pistol of WWII took longer to reload then to manufacture.
4. That’s A Lot of Heat
There are enough AK-47’s in the world to arm every adult male in the United States.
5. Kinda Creepy
The earliest version of the M1 carbine was designed by David Williams…while he was in prison…for murder.
In honor of our upcoming Chicago launch later this month and a few Friends and Family experiences happening this week, we caught up with a few people who can’t get enough of The Windy City. Here’s a list of 9 things they say you need to do in Chi-town.
1. Chase the Story
Spend an afternoon in the editorial offices at the Chicago Tribune after having traveled around the city with a reporter/cameraman.
Head to Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, which is in a really nice neighborhood restaurant with GREAT desserts and maybe the best hot chocolate I have ever had, anywhere! Don’t forget to try the homemade marshmallows.
Every Friday afternoon during our weekly team meeting at SideTour, we select one cocktail to enjoy as a group. This week, Lee started prepping days in advance for his high-octane, but still delicious sangria. This recipe makes about 3.5L of sangria plus a bunch of alcoholic fruit that you should regard as half-shots. You’ll need at least a 5L jug for this. Serves around 20 people 2-3 glasses each.
Lee’s Red Sangria 1/1.75L dry red wine (Yellowtail Merlot is fine)
1 cup Gosling’s spiced rum
1 cup Mr. Boston Blackberry-flavored brandy
1/2 cup Peachtree Schnapps
1/2 cup Cointreau (or Triple Sec if you’re cheap or want to reduce the alcohol content)
1 cup orange juice (no pulp)
4 Tsp sugar
4 cans ginger ale
2 lemons
2 limes
2 apples
4 oranges
1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 can diced pineapples in juice
Pour all the alcohol, mixers, OJ, and 2 cans of ginger ale in a large pitcher. Pour in the sugar and stir it for a few minutes. Cut all the fruit into half-slices and throw all the fruit slices (and any juice) in the pitcher. Holy crap, don’t drink it yet. Let it sit for 48 hours, 24 hours minimum. Seriously. Stop that. Don’t drink it. When it’s time to serve, add the last 2 cans of ginger ale.
Slice the remaining oranges and slot them. Serve with a lot of ice in red wine glasses with the slotted orange slices as garnish. Be careful of how much you put down. We’re not kidding about that high-octane bit up top.
As the anchor for NBC’s Dateline, as well as the Weekend anchor for both NBC Nightly News and the TODAY show, we’re used to seeing Lester Holt play the role of a respected newsman. But as it turns out, he also plays a pretty mean bass.
