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Archive for July, 2007

Citizen Mundi - LIVE at Boston’s in Tulsa

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago in Bostons and Live Music Venues by Vinnie 5 Comments

I was looking for something to do Friday night and saw that Citizen Mundi was scheduled to play at Boston’s here in Tulsa.

Boston’s is a small venue but perfect for the high energy crowd that turned out in full force to see Tulsa’s original International Band, Citizen Mundi. Jah Roots opened for Citizen Mundi and got the crowd dancing in no time playing some great reggae to a crowd aged between 21 and 35.

This was my first time seeing Citizen Mundi play live anywhere in the Tulsa area, though they have played some of Tulsa’s top venues such as Cain’s Ballroom, Fishbonz and Kilkenny’s.

The energy level was high and many in the crowd appeared to be Mundi regulars, knowing all of the lyrics of the bands songs. The band played all of the songs off of their latest CD release, “No Translation”

The Seven band members played their hearts out from 11PM till 1:30AM without taking a break. The bar was full and everyone towards the front of the stage all the way to the back of Boston’s, danced from the time Citizen Mundi started playing, all the way to the end. While many small venues tend to have unbalanced sound due to poor acoustics, it seems as if Boston’s sound man had the right mix of highs and lows to bring out the best in the band. I walked around the floor starting from the stage, moving to the back and then back to the front, and I was able to hear the vocals well, the horn section was vibrant and uncluttered, the keyboards were piped through at the right level to blend well with the bass guitarist and the the guitarist could be heard clearly even when the drummer and percussionist were keeping the band in time. The percussionist and drummer by the way, were both outstanding…. These guys sound as if they’ve been playing together for more than the few years they have.

One of the things I admire most about Citizen Mundi is their LACK of cover songs during their shows. Many bands throw in a cover song or two to please a crowd that may not be familiar with a bands original material but Citizen Mundi has so many great original songs that covers are just not needed to fill their sets.

I am absolutely sure that if you have never heard Citizen Mundi… once you do, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t before! This bands music is magic, infectious and all around a lot of fun to watch and listen too - This Boston Avenue venue and this original Tulsa band were made for each other Friday night. I haven’t seen so many smiling, dancing faces in one venue in a long time. CDs and T-Shirts are always on sale at Citizen Mundi gigs. Oh and if late night weekends don’t work out for you, you can always check out Citizen Mundi acoustic on Mondays at Boston’s!

Vinnie (Currently listening to Asesina)

Boston’s

1738 S. Boston Ave

Tulsa, OK 74119 918-583-9520

Citizen Mundi - An International Sound in Tulsa

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago in Bands by Vinnie 3 Comments

I stopped off at Josie’s today for some awesome Tamales.  A young man named Sergio was working the front counter and put on some music while I was having lunch. I told him that I liked what I was listening to which was a mix of Reggae, Latin Rock, Ska, Pop, Flamenco, Caribbean, South American rhythms & beats, Jazz, Funk, African and Middle Eastern music styles. The music was infectuous and the recording, flawless. After talking to Sergio more about this music, I was told that the band sings their music in 4 different languages: English, Spanish, Portugese and French. The band’s members are from 5 different nations aross the globe and Tulsa is currently their home.  The name of the band is Citizen Mundi - which according to the explanation on their website says ”

~~~~”Representing five nations across the globe, Citizen Mundi was formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma during fall of 2004. ‘Mundi’ (moon-dee),  etymologically speaking meant ‘world’ to the native peoples of ancient Rome, and now it defines us all as citizens of one world - “Citizen Mundi” “~~~~

Sergio as it turns out, is the band’s percusionist and is well versed in many styles of music. They play at places like Bostons, Cains Ballroom, Fishbonz, Kilkenny’s, Riverwalk Crossing and recently at Wakarusa Music Festival in Kansas in June of 2007.

Citizen Mundi consists of:

JMB: Guitar & Vocals
Eric Bass: Bass & Vocals
Wilfredo Nanita: Keys & Vocals
Ryan Tedder: Sax
Michael Drummond: Trombone
Sergio D’Alonzo: Percussion
Canuto: Drums

If you like progressive music with great layers of percussion, keyboards. tight horn arrangements and intriguing vocals, then you should pay your local club a visit to hear Citizen Mundi soon or better yet, visit their website to Download Their Music! In this day and age of international unrest and overt racism, Citizen Mundi sums up our what our existence should really be about,  (again quoted from their website) :  “No matter how you look at it we are all indigenous to our planet. You are Citizen Mundi.” 

The Citizen Mundi Website is well put together and features a bio page, contact page and has the  song lyrics from their debut CD, “No Translation” which is also available for download.

I love finding out about unique restaurants and people in Tulsa and now I have found a great new sound in Citizen Mundi.

You can find out where Citizen Mundi will be performing at: CitizenMundi.com

Vinnie

Burgers and Hmong Food? Duffy’s on 31st and 129th

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago in Asian by Vinnie 11 Comments

Please note: This review is of the location on 31st and 129th only and not of the Duffy’s in Broken Arrow which is under different ownership than this Tulsa location.

We all know that Duffy’s in Tulsa and Broken Arrow has been serving up good eats for a long time, but when I paid a visit to the Duffy’s location on 31st and 129th Street in Tulsa, I was surprised to find Asian food as a second choice to the burgers and fries menu!

I paid the visit to Duffy’s because I recently stopped off for a beer at Willie’s Bar and noticed a sign on Duffy’s next door that mentioned Asian food being served there. The whole ‘Asian Food’ thing peeked my curiosity because I’ve always associated Duffy’s with ‘Meat and Potatoes’ , which of course they still serve… The diner is under new ownership and this is where the plot thickens…

I was told by the cook that the Asian food is made up from traditional Hmong recipes… “Hmong?” I said, having no clue as to what Hmong food was. I was told by the owner, that Hmong food is made up from tastes in between Thai and Laos foods.

I have eaten at quite a few Asian restaurants in Tulsa and across the U.S. in New York, New Jersey, California and as far away as in Asia and Europe but not once have I come across Hmong food.

The flavors at Duffy’s are closer to Thai and Indian than anything else with some dishes prepared with curry, some with coconut milk and quite a few with peanut seasoning and fresh Asian vegetables.

My guest and I ordered Curried Beef that came with sticky rice and we also ordered Pork Fried Rice, though these same dishes can also be prepared to include shrimp or chicken as well.

Thai iced tea was also offered on the menu along with the common fare, Mountain Dew, Coke, Gatorade et al.

My guest and I ordered the Thai Iced Tea which is a somewhat creamy iced tea with hints of the spices cardamom and cinnamon, topped of with milk, sugar and of course black tea. The drink hit the right spot on this hot and humid Oklahoma day.

I asked the cook to make the Curried Beef a little hotter than normal even though it was already listed on the menu as being SPICY and HOT. I love spicy and hot food and to me a true test of a good restaurant is for the cook to be able to work ‘outside the box’ when asked to do so buy a patron.

I told the cook that most of the Fried Rice I have found in Tulsa, seemed to be missing an ingredient or two, whether I had visited a buffet or an A La Carte Chinese restaurant… The owner agreed and said that most places here that claim to make Chinese Fried Rice, are actually making a Vietnamese version toned down for American tastes. I had to agree with her about that point since it’s something my friend Bobby and I have been talking about ever since we moved to Oklahoma from the Northeast. That is not to say that the Fried Rice served up in Tulsa is bad, it’s just that having grown up in the Northeast, the Fried Rice served at Linn’s Garden in New York or any small Chinese take out place along the Jersey shore is what I am used to and the ‘light’ or ‘yellow colored’ Fried Rice served in Tulsa, is quite unfamiliar to me and quite frankly, I rarely order it here in Tulsa… That changed the day I had the Fried Rice at Duffy’s!

The Fried Rice, My new heaven on a plate if you haven’t guessed already, costs about $7 and it’s no small portion at all. The rice is a darker, more flavorful rice than Tulsa’s normal fare, mixed with a special sauce, carrot, bean, corn, celery, cilantro, cucumber, green onion, garlic and egg, chopped finely and served piping hot. The flavor of the Fried Rice is so good and the dish so plentiful, that you could make it a main course instead of a side dish.

The Curried Beef at about $7 was served on a dish the same size as that of the fried rice and is cooked in a special sauce flavored with some coconut milk, salt, sugar, baby corn and Asian vegetables. The beef itself is a good cut of beef, sliced thin with enough meat to compliment the overall wonderful flavor of the dish’s curry base. The curry was not overwhelming even though it is the main focus of the dish, simply the right amount to arouse my palette. The flavors? Incredible to say the least! Hmong food is rich and harmonius to the toungue. The cook did me a favor and added a bit more pepper since I had asked for the dish to be hotter than normal.

The flavor of the Curried Beef dish and the Fried Rice surpassed my expectations by 100%… This one Duffy’s location is now one of my new favorites, not for burgers and fries, but for Hmong Asian Food.

Here are some other items on the Hmong / Asian menu:

  • WAI WAI LOMEIN… $6.19
  • TOFU… $6.19
  • SWEET PORK…$6.19
  • STEAMED OR FRIED FISH…$6.19 (Served with sweet or hot sauce.)
  • PAPAYA SALAD…$3.99
  • BAMBOO SOUP…$2.99
  • EGG ROLLS, SPRING ROLLS, CABBAGE ROLLS, NOODLE ROLLS…from $0.75 each
  • GRILLED PORK SAUSAGE ASIAN STYLE…$6.19

There are more great dishes served at Duffy’s on the Asian menu and of course great American food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well.

To learn more about the Hmong people and how they got to America visit JeffLyndsay.com - The Hmong in America: A Story of Tragedy and Hope.

Hours:

Mon - Sat: 8AM - 8PM and Sun: 8AM - 6PM

Location: SE corner of 31st and 129th in Tulsa, next door to Willie’s Bar.

918-665-6607

Major credit cards accepted - To go orders always welcome.

Enjoy!

Vinnie