VINYL + CANNABIS

ALBUM:

WORRY. by Jeff Rosenstock (SideOneDummy, 2016)

PRODUCER:

Jack Shirley Genre: Indie punk, power pop

STRAIN:

Ay Papi, Whitethorn Rose Live Rosin

EFFECTS:

Energetic, euphoria, creative, relaxation

AROMA:

Fruity Pebbles, spicy strawberries, roses, orange slices, lavender, earth

CULTIVATED BY:

Huckleberry Hill Farms

Police brutality. Gentrification. And an ode to why corporate music festivals suck. I’d expect nothing else from Jeff Rosenstock, the 42-year-old, NY-bred musician with a penchant for cannabis, who’s spent the past decades proving you can find joy in rage and existential dread.

WORRY. is Rosenstock’s second solo album following his ska-punk releases with bands The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb the Music Industry!. Recorded in 2016, WORRY. spawned the earworm single “Festival Song,” a blistering three-minute sprint with a sing-along chorus that will help eviscerate any residual feelings of post-work-week blues. The pipe organ keys of “Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment” will never fail to put a smile on my face, ironic, given its lyrics paint a painfully depressing picture of Rosenstock’s eviction in Brooklyn. Drawing inspiration from The Clash, Less Than Jake, and Neutral Milk Hotel, it should come as no surprise that hipster music critics (me?!) like Anthony Fantano love this guy, who gave his fifth album, HELLMODE , a coveted Album of the Year nod.

Equally revered is the award-winning cultivar Whitethorn Rose, which, if you ask me, will leapfrog Blue Dream in popularity. Whitethorn Rose has a reputation for delivering potent, nuanced effects, much like singing the final lines of “We Begged 2 Explode” at the top of your lungs. My favorite expression of it is Ay Papi’s Live Rosin badder, a meticulously handcrafted concentrate that will leave you feeling blissed out, a bit like your first exhale after getting off of a rollercoaster. As you run a dab of this through your e-rig, try to savor its bouquet of unique terpenes. Even if you’re a novice taster, it will be easy to detect the floral and candy-like aromas gathering in your sinuses.

ALBUM:

The Big Lebowski , Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Polygram, 1998)

PRODUCER:

Various

GENRE:

Various

STRAIN:

Maison Bloom, Watermelon & Pink Peppercorn Beverage

EFFECTS:

Easygoing, relaxation

AROMA:

Watermelon, fresca, earthy, herbal

CULTIVATED BY:

Sonoma Hills Farms (cultivar of Pink Jesus)

While The Dude would undoubtedly pair this immortal soundtrack with one of his signature Caucasians, Maison Bloom’s Watermelon & Pink Peppercorn infused beverage affords a Cali-sober-approved method to unwind your mind. And you can suck them down all day long without guilt. If you’re new to the world of cannabis beverages, consider this an ideal starting point.

This low-dose (3mg THC, 7mg CBD) elixir is easily one of the best-tasting drinks out there, brought to market by a team of culinary experts who helped power chef Michael Mina’s restaurant empire. Cannabis users of all tolerance levels will appreciate that this all-natural beverage features strain-specific cannabis, in this case, the divine Pink Jesus of Sonoma Hills Farms—and, yes, how perfectly this works as a nod to John Turturro’s character in the film.

This album is one of my all-time favorites to sip a daytime cocktail to, and a cold Maison Bloom delivers a similar fix, leaving you with a “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” (a song, fittingly, not included on this compilation). Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me” is him at his country-rock finest, though you’d be forgiven around my house for preferring Say Anything’s pop-punk cover. Speaking of covers, “Hotel California” by The Gipsy Kings will have you dancing around your living room like you just bowled a perfect 300. Even if you’re based outside of California, you can now have hemp-derived Delta-9 variants of this beverage delivered straight to your doorstep.

The Dude abides.

ALBUM:

Portishead by Portishead (Island, 1997)

PRODUCER:

Portishead, Dave McDonald

GENRE:

Goth, trip-hop

STRAIN:

Durban Mints

EFFECTS:

Sedation, relaxation, heightened appreciation for the iTunes visualizer

AROMA:

Sweet and sour lemons, minty earth

CULTIVATED BY:

Frogville Farms

Do the kids know Portishead? Have they been featured in any Netflix movies or gone viral from a TikTok dance yet? Equal parts ethereal and haunting, British trip-hop trio Portishead have crafted a sound that is distinctly their own. Sexy and sauntering, their second album demands to be ingested in its entirety, without interruption, and piped through the best speakers you can access. “Only You” is one of the greatest tracks of all time, supported by an unforgettable music video from legendary master of the weird, Chris Cunningham. Singer Beth Gibbons has a voice channeling both an imperiled maiden awaiting her bloody end, and Elizabeth Bathory waiting to deliver it. For music this trippy, I’m reaching for the potent sun-grown flower of Frogville Farms as an appropriate travel companion and their award-winning Durban Mints. This cross of Durban and Girl Scout Cookies is a pairing of two classic heavyweights, delivering a deeply indica high that lulls you into a state of zenful meditation. You know who I trust to grow my cannabis? A husband and wife duo in the Sierra Nevada foothills with 45+ years of experience. Aesthetically, Frogville Farms is the antithesis of Portishead, bringing a relentlessly upbeat appreciation for nature, frogs, and the power of plant-based medicine when it’s been stewarded by cultivators who feed love into their craft. I mean, their tagline is literally “Don’t worry, be hoppy.”

But if we end up getting nuked by Russia, you can bet I’ll have this doomscape of an album spinning to help cover the sound of the siren’s blare. Give me a joint of Durban Mints, and I’ll be fine with it.

ALBUM:

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company (Columbia, 1968)

PRODUCER:

John Simon

GENRE:

60s blues, psych rock

STRAIN:

Pink Boost Goddess

AROMA:

Herbs, lemons, clean laundry

CULTIVATED BY:

Emerald Spirit Botanicals

Dad Grass, meet Mom Grass. Let Mother Nature’s greatest gift soothe your body, mind, and soul. But I know what you’re thinking. More Nor Cal sun-grown? Yep. Another second album spearheaded by a powerhouse songstress with a signature voice? You betcha. Rest assured, this pairing is not more of the same. Effects-wise, this couldn’t be further apart from the aforementioned Durban Mints. Pink Boost Goddess will remind you that you get high without freaking out, thanks to its high THCV content. THCV has often been described as “diet weed,” not only helping with mood, pain relief, and focus but also with appetite regulation. It’s been reported that Jamaican fishermen use it for enhanced night vision.

PBG is one of the few cultivars my wife will imbibe, as it delivers a potent pop of energy. The perfect daytime smoke is truly the pride of Mendocino County’s craft cannabis scene, winning the Golden Bear for Best Flower at the State Fair. It’s fitting, as this is essentially California in plant form. When I think old-school style Nor Cal cannabis, I think of Emerald Spirit. With its rough, “farm cut” trim and low THC levels (10%), PBG is as close as you can get to the flower the band would have enjoyed on Haight Ashbury Street.

“Turtle Blues” is my favorite track on this album, another Nor Cal classic that’s been a road trip staple of mine since high school. Their cover of Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball and Chain” features a scorching guitar solo by James Gurley that will leave you speechless. If you’re reading this, it’s a safe assumption that you’re already familiar. Drive the coast this weekend. Throw on Cheap Thrills . Throw down a bongload of Pink Boost Goddess. And dip your toes in the water.

Jake Kuczeruk is a cannabis expert for the Budist platform. He has been immersed in cannabis culture for over 20 years. His passion for old-school strains and landraces is unmatched.