The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
Blue Öyster Cult on first album in 20 years, Disney and ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’
Blue Öyster Cult crept back into the spotlight this summer when someone set a Disney World reopening video to “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” A big hit for the band in 1976, the song written and sung by lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser has remained popular ever since, inspiring Stephen King’s novel “The Stand,” playing during the classic horror film “Halloween” and then hilariously parodied in the “Saturday Night Live” comedy sketch “More Cowbell.”
Now, Blue Öyster Cult returns with their first album in nearly two decades.
Featuring the same lineup that gave a vibrant, crowd-pleasing performance at the music and motorcycle fest Thunder by the Bay in January of 2017 and heard on the impressive “45th Anniversary – Live in London” CD/DVD issued in August, “The Symbol Remains” comes out Friday on Frontiers Records. It’s original BÖC members Roeser (lead guitar, vocals) and Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, keyboards) joined by Richie Castellano (keyboards, guitar, vocals) Danny Miranda (bass guitar, vocals) and Jules Radino (drums, percussion)
In addition to being the band’s first LP release in about 20 years, it’s Blue Öyster Cult’s first since the death of cofounding member Sandy Pearlman. The album’s cover art depicts the BÖC logo smashing what appears to be an ancient Greek temple and the title of the 14track collection is lifted from a lyric Pearlman penned for the “Shadow of California” track included on the band’s 1983 album “Revölution by Night.”
“We wanted to honor Sandy’s memory and also make the point that the symbol, being the band’s logo, was still here, and we’re still forceful,” Roeser says. “And Frontiers Records liked the idea of that cover because we’re not only remaining, we’re still crushing it, crushing Parthenons and stuff like that.”
Roeser, 72, recently talked to the Herald-tribune by phone from his home in Maryland. Here’s what he had to say about songs he co-wrote for the new album, returning to the road in 2021 and the use of his classic “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”:
Question: Was it difficult getting the album completed during the pandemic?
Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser: We got the basic tracks done before the COVID hit and then vocals and guitars and whatever other sweetening we put on, on keyboards and stuff like that, we were able to do at our home studios and we did video conferencing to look over the shoulder of each other so there would be some collaboration. It worked out. Luckily, we had the tools because probably four or five years ago they wouldn’t have been available. Had the (coronavirus) come at that time we would have been out of luck.
Q: What was it like working with lyricist John Shirley on the album’s catchy new single “Box in My Head”?
Roeser: He’s very prolific and he sends us a lot of stuff and when I saw that I really liked the story, y’know, the story of the complicated man with the mind that’s got so many levels, and the whole Russian doll metaphor. But I thought the way to sell this lyric, to make it come alive, was to write like power pop kind of music for it. So that’s what I did.
“The Symbol Remains” by Blue Öyster Cult.
Q: The new track “Nightmare Epiphany” has a cinematic quality to it, both with the storytelling and overall sound, that reminds me of the song you also wrote, “Then Came the Last Days of May.” Is that something you were going for?
Roeser: I think we sort of shoot for that. We like to tell stories and I think the “Nightmare Epiphany” story is great. It’s like two high school kids and they’re not really in the same circle but they have this dream they share and to make that story come alive was my goal with that one. It’s got a lot of great guitar playing on it too. We recorded that jamming on the basic track, that’s all as it went down as we recorded and I decided to keep it rather than fading it out, just play it right to the end.
Q: “Train True (Lennie’s Song)” is a hard rocking, country romp unlike anything I’ve heard on a BÖC album. How did that song come about?
Roeser: Yeah, that was written by my son Zeke. He and I collaborated on that. It’s a song that has been ruminating in his head since he went to college and he’s like 40 years old now. It’s the story of the imagined inner life of a train conductor. The story on that is really cool and I invite people to check that out when the record comes out. It was a father and son thing, it was a lot of fun.
Q: Only someone who has lived in Florida could write a song like your new one “Florida Man,” right?
Roeser: Yeah, I was up in New Port Richey for that whole time and of course you know the Florida Man but so does everybody else. The whole country is on to Florida Man. The idea of that song is that there’s a reason why the Florida Man exists. It’s the Seminole curse from back in the conquistador days. John Shirley and I wrote that together and I basically commissioned him to write the song (laughs), with the concept that we laid out.
Q: What are the plans for the band returning to the road?
Roeser: Well, just about all the canceled shows from this year have just been moved a year ahead so 2021, the germ willing, we’ll go out and do all the stuff we were supposed to do this year. I think we’re getting to the end of the COVID. I don’t think it’s just going to be a bogeyman forever. It’s going to go away.
Q: What did you think of the Disney reopening video being set to “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”?
Roeser: It’s kind of comical (laughs) but I think anytime someone uses “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” it’s good, whether it’s “More Cowbell” or making fun of Disney.
Cocktails are having a moment, and because of the pandemic, that moment is happening most often at home.
Many restaurants have responded with cocktails to go, approved in more than 30 states, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry trade group. Liquor stores offer cocktails-in-a-can, like those from Canteen and Cutwater, as well as hard seltzers and more.
But there’s also been a rise in home bartending, with a number of books on the subject released in the past six months.
Unlike the often complicated cocktail books of the past, these five offerings by new-to-the-cocktail-world authors are written specifically for the home cook/ bartender. Each aims to help you experience craft cocktails at home without having to get a PH.D. in mixology.
‘Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home’ by Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson (Countryman Press)
Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson left Seattle five years ago to travel and document the world of wine, beer, spirits and liqueurs. The inviting and glamorous photographs were shot in a rented apartment in New Orleans.
The book grew from a blog of the same name, and the recipes are simple (often three ingredients), visually appealing and refined. The authors renamed classic cocktails and gave them a witty twist for a book that is as much fun to read as it is to drink from.
‘Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails’ by John Debary (Clarkson Potter)
John Debary worked for years in the New York City bar business. He is a wine and spirits writer and also launched the non-alcoholic aperitif Proteau about a year before the release of his book. The title resonates with me because I have always given the same advice, regardless of the recommended pairings.
Debary offers recipes for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails, some
A collection of spirits and cocktail recipe books are displayed at a home in Alexandria, Va. Since the pandemic hit the United States, a lot of social drinking has moved back home.
with clever names and absolutely no pretension. The writing is straightforward and informative. If you know nothing about how to make a drink, you can learn it all here. And if you already fancy yourself a home bartender, you’ll pick up tips and new ideas.
‘Shake, Strain, Done: Craft Cocktails at Home’ by J.M. Hirsch (Voracious)
J.M. Hirsch, the editorial director of Milk Street and former food editor for The Associated Press, turned a beloved hobby into a cocktail book. He approaches cocktails from a culinary perspective, breaking them down according to 11 categories: refreshing, creamy, fruity, sweet, sour, herbal, bitter, spicy, smoky, warm and strong.
Hirsh presents drinks in a “language that we can taste.” You can peruse the book for a primary liquor, like bourbon, and for a dominant characteristic. So, for instance, if you want a refreshing vodka drink or a warm bourbon tipple on a cold night, the book will guide you.
‘Drinking French’ by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press)
If you are missing the City of Light and yearn for some café culture, pastry chef and cookbook author David Lebovitz shows you how to create it yourself at home. The photography alone transports you back to Paris. Lebovitz has
captured traditional drinks, created some new ones and rediscovered iconic French spirits such as Suze, Pineau de Charentes, cognac, Chartreuse, Armagnac and Byrrh.
Since the book was released in March, Lebovitz has been demonstrating food and drink on Instagram with his “apéro hour” videos. The apéro hour “signals the transition between day and night, or work and play,” he explains. In France, it is a time to wind down, and enjoy an aperitif and a nibble.
‘Good Drinks: Alcohol-free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason’ by Julia Bainbridge (Ten Speed Press)
Julia Bainbridge is a food writer who decided to stop consuming alcohol but not to stop drinking. She drove crosscountry in pursuit of the best non-alcoholic craft cocktails that she could find.
Her new book is welcome for those who want to enjoy a spirit-free cocktail to celebrate and join in the fun.
Before you start experimenting with the drinks in these books, make sure you have the basics on hand.
As you try new cocktails, you will build your bar based on what you like. Don’t feel you have to go out and buy everything at once. My starter list includes aged versions of tequila, rum and whiskeys from around the world, because I am a brown spirits lover. It will likely be different for your bar.
For example, if you are a gin drinker, experiment with the new craft gins available. There are so many fantastic spirits and liqueurs available today that it is almost a requirement to try new bottles rather than sticking to one brand all the time.
And as far as brands are concerned, taste is subjective. Although I am a proponent of trying new spirits, when you are starting out, have your favorite brands on hand.
“Use the spirits that you already know and love – and you will love the cocktail,” Migliarini says.
Some suggestions for setting up a basic home bar:
Base spirits
Must-haves (choose your favorite brand): gin, vodka, blanco tequila, white rum, bourbon, rye, Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, cognac, vermouth
Nice-to-haves: flavored vodka, like the Ketel One Botanical; craft gin, like Citadelle; aged tequila (reposado, anejo or both); aged rum; flavored rum, like the Plantation Stiggins Pineapple Rum; a smoky Scotch whisky, like Laphroaig; your favorite single-malt Scotch whisky; your favorite single-pot still Irish whiskey; Japanese whisky, like Suntory Whisky Toki; limited edition or smallbatch bourbon and/or rye, like Booker’s or Uncle Nearest.
Sparkling wine or champagne liqueurs
This is a very subjective list. There are many to choose from, and you will find your favorites: orange, such as Grand Marnier, Dry Curacao; pastis, Pernod or absinthe; kahlua or coffee rum; Campari, Fernet-branca, Aperol, etc.; sweet and fruity, such as Chambord, Limoncello, St. Germaine, Luxardo.
Tools and other items
Bitters, a long stirring spoon, short spoons, a Shaker or Mason jar, a Hawthorne strainer and a julep strainer; stirring glass; jigger or small ounce measure; fine-mesh strainer.