Toronto rocker DANKO JONES recently launched a column at Canada's Huffington Post. Following is an excerpt from his latest article:

"There's been a movement over the last few years to refine the palates of the populace.

Principal players in this plot like Gordan Ramsey, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver and shows like Iron Chef have overhauled the image of the grizzled gastronomist into the rugged alpha-male rockstar, creating refined cuisine meant to seduce and inspire awe, all with a nagging sense that whatever they feed you makes you a better person. The trickle down effect has meant a marked shift in even the most base of fast food and family restaurants' menus where healthy alternatives have quietly replaced the goulash of fried delights.

For the touring band this works in their favour. I don't know how many times on the road our only option for miles around was a McDonald's restaurant. We've all heard the jokes and the rumors, but before Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me documentary, which acted as an atomic bomb to the Golden Arches, their monopoly on food served fast made them unavoidable for hard-travelling rockers. These days, though, there are leafy replacements, grilled substitutes and calorie-counting alternatives for the lowly band driving around in their van.

Still, despite this ongoing food revolution, I can't help but whine about the fallout. When NIRVANA decimated the musical landscape and ushered in the alternative '90s, what seemed at first like a music renaissance only left a residue of bands like PUDDLE OF MUDD and DAYS OF THE NEW in the aftermath. Much in the way Nirvana begat Puddle of Mudd, these top chefs of the food renaissance have brought with them a new sub-group of preening, self-important windbags. I'm referring, of course, to people who call themselves 'foodies.'"

'Foodies' are people who feel the need to distinguish themselves from the rest of us who eat food. Haven't met one yet? I'm sure you have. These are the people who, when invited to your dinner party, can't help but loudly lament why you chose to serve Doritos as snacks rather than a brand of 'organic,' 'bio-dynamic,' 'low-fat' pork rinds only they know about. They'll also announce, later in the evening, that they don't own a television set even though no one asked. In other words, they're assholes."

Go to this location for the complete article.

Danko Jones (the band) are currently on the road in Europe in support of their new album, Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue. They have posted soundcheck footage from their October 18th show in Gothenburg, Sweden and time-lapse load-in footage from October 21st in Hamburg, Germany. Check it out below:

Catch Danko Jones live in Europe at the following shows:

October

27 - Komplex - Zürich, Switzerland
29 - Arena - Vienna, Austria
30 - Longhorn LKA - Stuttgart, Germany
31 - Theaterfabrik - Munich, Germany

November

1 - Postbahnhof - Berlin, Germany
2 - FZW - Dortmund, Germany
3 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
13 - Mavericks - Ottawa, ON
14 - The Casbah - Hamilton, ON
15 - Call The Office - London, ON
16 - Virgin Mobile Mod Club - Toronto, ON
17 - The Oak - Winnipeg, MB
18 - New City Legion - Edmonton, AB
20 - The Gateway - Calgary, AB
21 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC