The Love Language’s Ruby Red (Merge) was supposed to be finished more than a year ago. “I can definitely overthink stuff,” says Stuart McLamb, the band’s singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist and only full-time member. Over the next year, McLamb wound up throwing away some old songs, writing some new ones and recording the whole album all over again, bouncing between 21 musicians and four cities before he and co-producer B.J. Burton decided they were done. It was one of those times when recording was harder than writing, but now that it’s all in the past, McLamb describes himself as “genuinely happy.” McLamb will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand-new feature on the band.
McLamb: This is another N.C. gem of a mom-and-pop restaurant. It’s tucked away off a country road off of Highway 40, about 30 miles outside Winston-Salem. Since this place is on the list, it looks like I have a BBQ obsession. While that’s true, this place is all about the chicken. It might be the best I’ve ever had. It’s sort of a hybrid of fried chicken and BBQ’d chicken. They pan fry the chicken with light breading, then dip it into a huge vat of their secret sauce and then grill if for a few minutes to get it crispy. The end result is phenomenal. The sauce is spicy but really flavorful. It’s really unique and hard to compare to other chicken I’ve had in the past. They’ve been doing it since 1953, and though they’ve received some attention and awards, they don’t flaunt it.
Video after the jump.
