![]() ![]() There was an employee who, taking a page from Japanese pro wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, gained a reputation for creating champs by slapping them. In those earlier days, Decibel’s punk roots merged with performance art. “I recommend that they go to Kato Sake Works or Brooklyn Kura,” where they can try draft sake,” she says. While most do not know much about sake, Yuri notes that “almost every day” someone will come in who has tasted sake at one of the many craft sake breweries that are opening across America, wanting to learn more. Over the nine years or so that they have worked at Decibel, they’ve noticed that regulars are becoming younger, moving from mostly a mid-30s crowd to guests in their 20s. Operating hours have been shortened as well. They’ve had to winnow down what was once a 100-bottle list or so to 50, while Decibel’s staff has shrunk from 15 to five people. The Covid-19 shut-downs and curfews have been hard, Shintaro and Itakura admit. Recently Decibel has spotlighted Senchu Hassaku from Tsukasabotan Brewery in Kochi Prefecture, Suishin from Hiroshima, and Kikusui’s izakaya food-friendly Funaguchi from Niigata. Top-selling sakes at Decibel change along with what the featured sake of the week are. Sometimes Tamagawa (from the widely admired Kinoshita Brewery in Kyoto led by British master brewer Philip Harper) comes on too strong but this is really rich and smooth.” “It’s so awesome you can’t stop drinking it. ( The first was during my visit to Los Angeles, when I finally-after long hoping to buy a bottle-managed to track one down from True Sake.) “It’s good, right?” asks Shintaro. ![]() What are the chances? Within the span of two weeks, I’m lucky enough to get my second taste of Shinkame’s delicious junmai. Shintaro announces that his current favorite sake is Saitama Prefecture’s Shinkame, one of the pioneers of the revived junmai (pure, uncut with brewer’s alcohol) style. In which case, it sort of makes sense.Itakura says that she likes ojisan-style sakes (lit., “uncle” style, but basically rich and robust old-school bottles that eschew big fruit and floral aromas-impeccably brewed brands like Kenbishi or Tengumai. ![]() In all likelihood though the rule has probably been brought in to avoid too many people shouting over the noise and potentially risking the spread of droplets into the air. Now, perhaps, this has been added to ensure that the arts aren’t entirely killed off by coronavirus, or maybe because Jacob Rees-Mogg belts out a cracking rendition of ‘Por ti volare’ down The Jubilee room after a few too many crème de menthe. However, this doesn’t apply for some reason to “any performance of live music”. For reference, a vacuum cleaner is 70db and an alarm clock is said to be around 80. So here are the takeaways, music over 85 decibels is now illegal. (1E) In paragraph (1C), “db(A)” means A-weighted decibels.”. (1D) Paragraph (1C) does not apply to any performance of live music. (1C) A person responsible for carrying on a business of a public house, café, restaurant or bar (including a bar in a hotel or members’ club) must, during the emergency period, ensure that no music is played on the premises which exceeds 85db(A) when measured at the source of the music. ![]()
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