I had a pure New Orleans red beans and rice dinner a couple of days ago, during which I was regaled with the history of this traditional Monday dish in South Louisiana. You might know that Monday was laundry day, so it was a good day to slow simmer dinner, adding the ham bone from Sunday’s leftovers. Voila, you have a cheap and mighty tasty complete protein. I love the foods along the I-10 corridor. From Florida Cracker, Gulf Coast, Cajun and Creole Country, to Tex Mex, Hatch Chiles in the "Land Of Enchantment," to the further Southwestern cuisines of Arizona and California, it makes for varied bounty for sure. A friend of mine, John Wooler, produced a couple of tasty albums just over a decade ago. He called them I-10 Chronicles, which started from California to Texas, and then moved eastward in volume two.

Roger Clyne starts his biography by referencing food. He doesn't like serving the musical version of junk food. "I like to put a little more heart into my cooking than that," Clyne said. To continue the theme, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers most recent album is called Unida Cantina, and Roger has put out Mexican Moonshine, which is a for-real tequila This all makes for a recipe to eat, drink, and be merry.

Today’s tune comes from our 2011 MusicFest at Steamboat Springs sessions, from the Steamboat Grand. “Banditos” originally came out as a Refreshments tune, the band Roger was in before he started RCPM. You will find the coda is “King Of The Hill,” yes, the theme music from the TV show, which Roger penned. They were cooking. (But, as I recall, so were we!)

-Jessie Scott