On Sept. 5, 1982, the Dream Syndicate played a 2 a.m. gig at the studios of L.A.’s KPFK-FM. Broadcast live, the raw, ragged set documented on The Day Before Wine And Roses (Omnivore) found the quartet—singer/guitarist Steve Wynn, guitarist Karl Precoda, bassist Kendra Smith and drummer Dennis Duck—blazing and brooding its way through songs from its self-titled debut EP, covers and tracks that would end up on the seminal The Days Of Wine And Roses LP, released a month and a half later. A reconvened version of the Dream Syndicate has been playing shows since 2012. Wynn is also busy with his national pastime-themed band, the Baseball Project, whose third record, the aptly titled 3rd (Yep Roc), is due later this month. Wynn is also guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Wynn: I’ll be honest: I prefer the Himalayan food at Phayul, just down the road in Queens and up some stairs. Phayul, in fact, might be one of my favorite restaurants in any of the five boroughs. Heck, they even won the Golden Momo (the Himalayan take on the dumpling) award. But they don’t serve drinks, you can’t bring your own, and it’s pretty small, so I tend to bring visitors to the Yak. I mean, it’s a great name—and you can indeed order yak if it’s in season (which I have yet to pin down). Besides the great food, they have a lethal drink called a kickstarter that will cause you to hallucinate like William Burroughs in no time. Except that you’ll think you’re seeing yaks—lots of them.
Video after the jump.
