The O-town Scene

contents October 3 -31, 2013 3 Editor's Note 4 New Music Notes | Laygirl Fashion 5 ARTIST OF THE MONTH — L. Emma Mills 6 PURE & SIMPLE — Wild Apple Pie 8-9 ON THE COVER — Hip Hops: COMING IN NOVEMBER: PICKIN' GRASS The Scene talks bluegrass with legendary banjo player Noam Pikelny, plus local venues weigh in on why roots music is hot. Changes Brewing on Local Beer Scene 11 YOGA LIFE — Balanced Chakras, Balanced Life 13-15 — COMING EVENTS & CALENDAR Editor's Note|By Emily Popek Beer, Glorious Beer Do you remember the first beer you ever drank? I wish I could say mine was something cool. Coming from the Land of Microbrews (aka the Pacific Northwest), there's really no excuse for drinking cheap, crappy beer — unless you're underage, in which case, you take what you can get. I probably tasted beer before this, but I have a strong suspicion that the first beer I ever finished single-handedly wasn't beer at all, but malt liquor. Because, I'm classy like that. Nope, my high school and college years were clouded with beverages such as Red Dog, Mickey's (trust me, you're lucky they don't sell it here), Pabst and whatever else was around. I'm proud to say that the first beer I bought after turning 21 was Henry Weinhard's, a perfectly respectable beer brewed only a few miles away from the store where I bought it. When I moved to Oneonta, I at first lamented the lack of good beer available in the area. But I soon learned it was out there — you just needed to know where to look. I discovered Butternuts beers on the shelf of what was then Woody's Market (now Hometown Deli). And when a friend came to visit, we got lost on some back roads but eventually found Brewery Ommegang, which wasn't a cool concert venue or a great place to eat lunch or the site of any cool festivals, but just a brewery that made amazing beer. How times have changed. It wouldn't be stretching it to say that the area is up and coming when it comes to beer. So grab a cold one and take a look at all the great events coming up this month. It's a good time to be in Beer Country. Emily F. Popek can be reached at epopek@ thedailystar.com. GET LISTED Want your November event included in the Scene? Email arts@thedailystar.com with all the details by Oct. 30. BECOME A SCENESTER Send your event photos to epopek@thedailystar.com to be featured in the next issue. WRITE NOW! The Scene is looking for columnists to write about sex, fitness, dating, parenting, sports, or whatever floats your boat. Email epopek@thedailystar.com for more. Oct. 3, 2013 O-Town Scene 3

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