Devo in Suburbia

Copper Door Craft Beer Tasting

Devon McLaren — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:43:31 +0000

Earlier this week I received an invite to The Copper Door for their Craft Beer Tasting Media Preview. I accepted immediately and called my good friend and fellow beer connoisseur Drew for a night of food and beer. We arrived at The Copper Door right on time, ready to send our taste buds into a frenzy.

Beers in order of appearance:

1. Belgian Maes Pils: 2nd selling pil in Belgium above Stella. (not pictured)

2. Blanche De Bruxelles: similar to Blue Moon and oh so delicious.

3. Allagash White: U.S. interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer.

4. North Coast PranQster: “local” Belgian Style Golden Ale. I use the term local loosely as it is still a 10 hour drive.

5. La Fin du Monde: “The End of the World” en francais. Beautiful triple-style Golden Ale from Quebec, Canada.

6. Allagash Black: Belgian style stout. I am not usually a fan of dark beers but I really enjoyed the darker roast on this brew.

7. Chimay Blue: Belgian Trappist beer served in 750 ml bottles.

8. Fruli: Belgian fruit beer and my favorite by far. Tasted of strawberries, coriander and orange peel.

9. Delirium Noel: Belgian beer. At this point I had stopped writing and was focusing on my tastings

Additional Photos of the event and The Copper Door

The Copper Door: 225 1/2 N Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701

http://www.facebook.com/thecopperdoorbar

Goodnight Beast at Continental Room and Tiki Bar

Devon McLaren — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:20:22 +0000

In the past month or so my good friends, Goodnight Beast, played at The Continental Room (Fullerton) and The Tiki Bar (Costa Mesa). I snapped some photos of the ridiculously attractive members.

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

Devon McLaren — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:26:03 +0000

Last night I attended the Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds show at Continental Room in Downtown Fullerton. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds is a nine-piece powerhouse that puts a modern spin on classic soul. The band is led by Arleigh Kincheloe (Sister Sparrow), whose astoundingly powerful voice and sly demeanor make for a spellbinding presence onstage. She is backed by the mighty force of The Dirty Birds, a flock of eight men who masterfully lay down thundering grooves and soaring melodies. While each of the Birds are capable of lighting up the stage with jaw-dropping displays of musicianship, it’s clear they’re focused on delivering the band’s infectious music as a single entity. Simply put, the band’s live show is explosive.

I don’t know how they fit all 9 members on that small stage but I am glad they did. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds killed it last night.

Pixar Honors Steve Jobs

Devon McLaren — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:04:06 +0000

No words for how amazing I find this photo.

Fall TV Lineup

Devon McLaren — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:20:37 +0000

I have tried to check out as many new shows this season as I can. Some I like, some I wish were better and others have me hooked!

Revenge: Wednesdays at 10 pm on ABC

I tried to resist this show as much as I tried to resist Twilight, but like Twilight, I am borderline obsessed with this show. The acting isn’t the greatest (I am not the biggest Emily VanCamp fan) but the story itself is pretty interesting. I can’t wait to see how she will take her revenge on the Upper Class.

2 Broke Girls: Monday at 8:30 pm on CBS

My love for Kat Dennings knows no bounds. I love her character: quick-witted, no-bullshit and her character has the best lines. For the most part the writing is spot-on and I hope that after just being picked up for a full season it will get even better.

New Girl: Tuesday 9 pm on Fox (KTTV)

I really want to fall in love with this show. I love Zooey Deschanel and the formula seemed right but I already find her character a little draining and the writing isn’t quite there yet. I really am rooting for the show to turn around and wow me.

Pan Am: Sunday 10 pm on ABC

I can’t help but watch shows set in the 50s/60s and think to myself, whelp it’s not Mad Men. True, this show will never be Mad Men and I will have to begrudgingly wait until the next season of Mad Men comes out. However, I am enjoying Pan Am so far and like seeing Christina Ricci and Mike Vogel (GRIND anyone?) more often. Who doesn’t love a little espionage and flight attendants?

The Playboy Club: Bravo

R.I.P.

Whitney: Thursday 9:30 pm on NBC

This show is far better than I thought it would be. Whitney Cummings, who plays Whitney, is perfect and I can’t help but fall for her lovable boyfriend Alex, played by Chris D’Elia (did anyone else watch Glory Daze?). I am glad NBC finally found a show to fill that Thursday night spot and I hope it sticks!

Shows I still back, years later:

How I Met Your Mother (although I believe this show has run its course), Real Housewives (Beverly Hills, New Jersey, New York and Orange County), The Rachel Zoe Project, Parenthood (the cast is AMAZING), The Big Bang Theory, Community (still funny), Parks and Recreation, The Office (doing pretty well without Steve Carrell), Jersey Shore (I can’t help it, I love it), The Amazing Race, Breaking Bad

and I think that’s it…I watch too much television.

Photos from a baby shower….

Devon McLaren — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:31:26 +0000

These photos were taken at a friend’s baby shower in Long Beach, CA. How cute are those onesies?

50/50

Devon McLaren — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:13:45 +0000

I saw 50/50 on Saturday night with my sister Eiran and thought it was absolutely fantastic. I had read a review in People magazine saying that this move would have viewers laughing through tears and I couldn’t agree more. 50/50 was a perfect mix of sad cancer movie and witty buddy movie. This movie also stars two of my favorite male actors of the moment: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. See this movie.

Goodnight Beast

Devon McLaren — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:12:57 +0000

Here are some photos I recently took of local band Goodnight Beast.

These photos were taken at rehearsal in Lake Forest and the Hottest 100 Festival at Irvine Lake

For more information about the band and to download their music (FOR FREE), please visit: www.facebook.com/goodnightbeast

Whelp, it’s been about a year…..

Devon McLaren — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:13:28 +0000

since I have posted ANYTHING on this site. I think I got so caught up in wanting to make each post fantastic that the pressure got to me and I ended up not writing. Well that is all over now! I am extremely busy but I will make time. Carefree attitude and lots of posts to come.

I am sorry to my fan(s) (hey Mark)! I am back! Stay tuned because I will be posting some great photos soon and hopefully some reviews!

Catfish and You Again

Devon McLaren — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:44:35 +0000

I consider both of these movies to be total letdowns. The promos for Catfish were completely misleading and not in a good way. I love when movies shock me and end in completely unexpected ways but I was just completely disappointed. There was so much hype for this movie that halfway through I found myself wondering if I was even in the right theater. I was. Judge for yourself, but I yet to recommend it to anyone.

I saw You Again immediately after Catfish (I needed something light to clear my head of the awful movie I had just seen). You Again was….cute? I think I remember laughing out loud a few times. I wasn’t expecting some original movie but even I thought the storyline was a little stale, even for a chick-flick. However, the cast was full of talented women, including: Kristen Bell, Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver. I would suggest renting it if you were dying to see it originally.