Today’s

lead food story

features a recipe round up, decorating tips, and a playlist to make your end-of-summer barbecue a party to remember. Included within are contributions from locals chefs like Nate Crave and musicians like

Brent Amaker

, who share tips–Sweet Corn Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and a backyard party soundtrack, respectively–to sweeten your Labor Day gathering. In addition to his favorite grilling tunes, Amaker and his band kindly offered a new track from their latest release, Year of the Dragon, for exclusive streaming here at Reverb.

The songwriter explains he penned “Footsteps Lead the Way” for his barbecue-loving dog: “I wrote this song. And yes, this is a self gratuitous plug for my new record Year of the Dragon. But you’ve gotta admit this track is a fun summer jam. I wrote this one for my dog Frida. Frida is my buddy and I wish I could take her everywhere. Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way. Folks inevitably bring dogs to barbecues, and I love watching them run around looking for dropped food. So this song is for all the dogs who happen to make it to the next barbecue you attend. If you happen to run into Frida, watch out. She’s a mean little bitch.”

Writer’s note: Amaker’s partnership with Proletariat Wines and their resulting “Rodeo” wine, which recently won Seattle Weekly’s Best Music/Wine Pairing, goes great with backyard barbecues, too.