Its been a pretty active week and weekend. Treehugger Dan's was happy to bring back world music singer Andrea Gerak  on Thursday night after many months of engagements in Sweden. She sang beautiful acapella tunes in Hungarian, English, Roma, Turkish and other languages.

Friday night is more than a little bit blurry. On our weekly boy's night out we met at the Vig Sorozo near the Vig Theater, and decided to be reasonable and have a small beer at four places we had never been to on the Pest side of Margit Bridge. If only we could have kept to that! I do not remember the names of the new places - pretty forgetable I think. However, we did stop into three old stomping grounds - the Toth Kocsma and Tokalj Borozo on Falk Miksa u., and the Sherlock Holmes Pub. The Toth Kocsma still offers a huge korozott sandwhich, and the Tokalj still has big potato pancakes (tocsni/lapcsanka) in the winter. Maybe a few of you recall the days when now successful pub entreprenaur Hans (Sixtus, Pot Kulcs, Castro, V. Bejarat...) used to be a waiter at Toth Kocsma?

Fielding a not-so-slight hangover on Saturday, I struggled to the Hunyadi Square market for the best langos in town, and bided my time until the Mookie Brando and the Second Cousins concert at the Replika Cafe. I have been to Replika twice now and the small, friendly place is becoming a good reason to go over to the dark side of Buda. Prices are reasonable and service is friendly. There was a wierd mix of people, since there was a large bunch of tini-bopper 20 year-olds there celebrating a birthday. One of the girls had a cute beagle pup with her, and at one point had her head down on the table for a long period. Some thought she was "kissing the dog," but she had actually passed out. A new catch-phrase was born! Jerome Li Thiao Te had his live trial as a Second Cousin and passed with flying colors. Some of the highlights included "Moondance" (Van Morrison), "To Have and to Have Not" (Billy Bragg), "Police on My Back" (The Equals), "Mr Cliché," "Little Wing" (Jimmi Hendrix) and "Folsom Prison Blues" (Johnny Cash). Jerome was also kind enough to sing "Trouble" by request after the gig.

Michael Kentish and Jerome Li Thiao Te:

Moondance (Van Morrison)
Charlotte
Casa Retro
Hyperballad (Björk)

Michael Kentish and Christopher Parsons:

The Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix)
To Have and to Have Not (Billy Bragg)

Like a Rolling Stone (Dylan)
Kind of Girl
Helpless (CSNY)
Shine a Light
Six String Melody

Four Second Cousins

Mr Cliché
Angelina
Angel Tonight
Want It Back
Missionary Zeal
Best I Can
Shakin' in the Middle of the Night
Monica
There Are Days
To Love Somebody (Bee Gees)
Police on My Back (The Equals)
Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones)
Home (Iggy Pop)
Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)
Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones)