Author: Scott Roberts

Hanging with Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar

To millions of Van Halen fans, bass player Michael Anthony was not only the cucumber-cool glue that held the band together and provided their distinctive high harmonies, but was also the member of the band they could identify with the most; more specifically, a down-to-earth, real guy that you’d want to sit down and have a beer with.

Unfortunately, in 2004, Michael was unceremoniously ousted from Van Halen to make room for Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang in the bassist role. Not to throw a pity party, Michael instead formed a new group with close pal and former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar, legendary guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers stickman Chad Smith. They dubbed themselves Chickenfoot, and have since released two albums; the second of which is humorously titled Chickenfoot III. The four-piece unit is currently gearing up for the second leg of their U.S. tour in support of it.

Many hard rock fans also know of Michael’s extracurricular pursuits – hot rods, collecting Mickey Mouse watches, acquiring old unreleased and bootleg Van Halen tapes, and fiery foods. It’s that last passion that chileheads have taken an keen interest in.

At the most recent Houston Hot Sauce Festival, Puckerbutt Pepper Company owner Ed Currie had a small army of well-known chilehead folks sign several bottles of his I Dare You Stupit hot sauce.  Why? To raise money for the festival’s favorite charity, the Snowdrop Foundation, which funds research to eliminate childhood cancer and scholarships for college bound pediatric cancer patients and survivors.

Last week’s showdown was a closer nail-biter that we’ve grown accustomed to here in the Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown, as the plucky Lucky Dog Orange Label edged out Evil Seed Hell Peach Hot Sauce to proceed to the second round.

The pair to duke it out this time around is Intensity Acadmey’s Garlic Goodness Sauce and another offering from the Lucky Dog lineup, their Red Label Hot Sauce. The former is more of a spicy garlic-dominated condiment, while the later is a more general, all-purpose yet still complex hot sauce, so this is yet again and interestingly-paired match-up

Who will triumph? Let your voice be made now, because it is up to YOU to decide!

You have until the End of Day on Wednesday, October 16, 2013 to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands here.

Longtime ScottRobertsWeb.com readers have probably noticed the lack of new product reviews. I ‘fess up! I fully admit I’ve been severely slacking on my duties as a fiery foods blogger by not having scribed a written review in months.

I could use any number of reasons from my repertoire grab-bag of excuses – some of them may be legitimate, quasi-legit, or downright silly:

• I’m backed up with products
• I recently moved to a new house
• My nightly work schedule prevents me from cooking several, savory dinners on which to try new pepper sauces, BBQ sauces and rubs.
• The dog ate my homework, er, hot sauce!

And while three of those four those excuses (guess which ones!) may have had a bit of validity to them at some point, I cannot hide behind them any longer. The real reason I have not done any written reviews in a while is because of this…

Here’s yet another video courtesy of Jimmy Bonaminio of Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire with lots of shenanigans set in a slow motion booth at the recent 7th annual show. This was slickly edited and produced, and I don’t think…

The weekend is close at hand! At the NY Smoke ‘N Fire Food Fest, there is TONS of family fun, lots of great food and live entertainment! They have nearly 40 vendors and only $5 admission.

Check out the vendors online at NYSmokeNFire.com. Spread the word! You can also “like” them and share on Facebook https://facebook.com/NYSmokeNFire.

Remember, the event is benefiting Baking Memories 4 Kids and the more attendees they have, the more great memories they can make for kids with terminal illness!

Link: NYSmokeNFire.com.

Wow! It was a shocker of a blowout last match-up when Golden Toad’s Chipotle trounced big dog Blair’s Original Death Sauce. We’ll have to see what remaining “David Vs. Goliath” battles are up ahead in Round One to see if underdog lightning strikes again.

Today’s fight is between the savory and tasty Lucky Dog Orange Label and the sweet n’ slight heat Evil Seed Hell Peach Hot Sauce.

Who will triumph? Let your voice be made now, because it is up to YOU to decide!

You have until the End of Day on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands here.

It was beyond sad that after 5 straight years of attending, I had to miss out on Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire in the Cincinnati, Ohio suburb of Fairfield this year. The WOF is not only the only major fiery foods show within driving distance from where I live in the St. Louis, Missouri; but perhaps like no other chilehead event, the show producers have accepted and embraced the hot sauce bloggers so much that this feels like a home away from home.

Kindly, photographer extraordinaire Jimmy Bonaminio (who happens to be the son of Jungle Jim’s owner Jim Bonaminio) had compiled a video highlight reel of Saturday’s events and send it to me. So without further ado, here is Day One of the 7th Annual Weekend of Fire:

As a coda, you can listen to my interview with Jim Beckett and Stephanie Adams of Jungle Jim’s on the most recent episode of the Weekly Firecast as they give a good preview of the show!