I Bring Her Home Everything I Want, Nothing That She Needs

Made my way over to Madison Square Garden the other night to catch Interpol playing their biggest NYC show yet. It's pretty crazy to think they are now big enough to play MSG, and not the Paramount Theater at MSG, but the main floor. You know, where the Knicks and Rangers play. To think, I remember seeing them 6 or 7 years ago at Brownies(R.I.P.) and Mercury Lounge. You have to give this band some credit, they've worked pretty hard and toured endlessly to get where they are. And what a great night for a fantastic show featuring the New York quartet. The band seemed perfectly at ease on the large stage at MSG. Sam, as always, was powerful and precise on the kit, Daniel's guitar soared all night long, as he was found doing his shuffling dance moves and White Guy rap on 'PDA'. Carlos, for once looked happy, posturing himself with his new urban cowboy look, all over the stage. Paul, always seemed reserved and never strained with his trademark monotone vocals, while busting out the black wristbands ala James Hetfield style. They rolled through a powerful set, trading new tunes from their solid new album, Our Love To Admire, with classics from the first two albums, such as 'PDA', 'Stella Was A Diver', 'Obstacle 1', 'Narc', 'Hands Away', 'Slow Hands' and 'NYC'. The audience went nuts when they played recent single, 'The Heinrich Manuever', and worked themselves up into a frenzy when they played singles from the first two albums.

Now, I will say, despite a great set from the band, I can easily do without seeing another concert at MSG for some time. At one point I found myself in a bar that wouldn't have been out of place in Hoboken watching the Yankee game. Strange.
And later on, as I tried to make my way down to the floor to meet up with friends, I ended up in some random hallway deep inside the Garden. I swear, I think the ghost of Ernie Grunfeld must have been following me around. Anyhows, a great show and certainly a good time had. I didn't see Liars open, even though I really wanted to. Cat P ower, seemed oddly out of place on the large stage, and I really don't understand what's up with that backing band. Makes her sort of sound like a bar band. Really it doesn't do her justice, as she's a great singer, albeit certifiably insane.

Listening Pile:
I've been meaning to write up something about the SoftLightes for some time now, but have managed to completely forget to even mention this band. Guys, I apologize. This band is great, as are their electro-tinged indie-pop tunes and videos. ‘Heart Made of Sound’ maybe their best jam, though it's one of many great ones, is a light tune with hints of faint piano keys embellishing the harmonies. The Softlightes, from San Diego, is the latest project from Ron Fountenberry, who's better known as The Incredible Moses Leroy. He put out a fantastic album a few years back, and has now resurfaced with a new band and sugary pop gems. Fans of Leroy will instantly absorb The SoftLightes, who continue where Leroy left off with their new album Say No! to Being Cool. Say Yes! to Being Happy. The album may have come out last winter, but it’s a great album and now there is a new ep w/ some remixes and alternate takes.

While we're here, I came acoross this Cadillac commercial the other day. I have to say, I was more than a little shocked to hear one of my favorite songs from the mid 90's as the background music. Yes, listen again. It's Hum, with their hit, 'Stars'. Very, very strange indeed. I was taken back by it. Add to that, the introduction by Grey's Anatomy star Kate Walsh and it's a strange moment in time. Cadillac is really reaching for a new crowd huh. I used to think only old men drove Cadillacs. Guess they are trying, desperately maybe, to change that.

And Your Words Came Just Like A Hard Rain

The Juice is loose, again! Seriously, from the Files of Police Squad:

"Thursday night just before 8 p.m., Las Vegas police responded to a call of a person as a victim of an armed robbery at the Palace Station casino," Dillon said. "The victim stated that one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J.
Simpson. The items that were taken were various sports-related products."

The items were in a hotel room at the casino, authorities said, adding that although they had seized many of the items they could not describe them.

Simpson told the Associated Press that the memorabilia were his and that he entered the room without breaking in to retrieve the items.

I bet he thought all that stuff was his. Didn't he feel the same way about his ex-wife? Was that out of line? Too soon? I kinda feel bad about that now. Man, has there ever been such a monumental fall from grace, as O.J.? Mike Tyson, Superman, Mike Vick, Webster or Wrestling? I think O.J. has got them all beat. Check out this timeline of his happenings since '94.

Anyhows, over the next few weeks we'll start seeing our favorite TV programs, and surely some new ones we fall in love with, debut on the tube. I have to say, I personally cannot wait for the new seasons of LOST, 30 Rock, The Office, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, How I Met Your Mother. Some new shows that look like they could be interesting, Chuck, Cavemen, Journeyman, Back To You, Pushing Daisies, and what could become something like the next X-Files, the Sarah Connor Chronicles, which has her on the run, trying to keep son John safe in order to save the future of humanity and hide him from the Governator. Also, looking forward to some old favs, like CSI and CSI Miami, Cold Case, Family Guy, and Law & Order.

New shows that look like they'll be on for a month then disappear, Cane, Dirty Sexy Money(despite what looks like a great cast), Gossip Girl, K-Ville, Big Shots, and even though I want it to succeed, Bionic Woman, plus anything on WB or UPN, .. Check out this fall tv preview thingy AOL has up. One thing that seems good about the fall TV lineups, less reality. Yes! I think we can all agree we could use less reality in our lives these days.

Listening Pile:
I've professed my love for the Swedish band, The Shout Out Louds before. And I'm about to do it again. They are back with their new album, Our Ill Wills. Two years after hitting US shores with their debut album, Our Ill Wills, Produced by Bjorn of indie-darling Peter Bjorn & John, is 12 wonderful songs of bouncy, gleaming guitar hooks on deceptively up-tempo pop songs, self-deprecating lyrics in a vocal stylings very, very similar to that of The Cure's Robert Smith. 'Tonight I Have To Leave It' kicks off the record jangly guitars and bursts of waltzing strings. The band dips into darker territory when keyboardist Bebban Stenborg helms the mic on the standout 'Blue Headlights' to deliver a sultry tune laid gently over simple, spare percussion and guitar. The Shout Out Louds have always worn their beaten hearts on their indie pop sleeves, yet they provide just enough mystery and spontaneity is what keeps things exciting, like the album’s awesome ending, 'Hard Rain,' a song that methodically builds into a cataclysmic ending that matches its title perfectly. Of course my favorite track is the bouncy pop gem 'Normandie,' about falling for a girl and well...sailing away to Normandie.

It's Always Someone Else's

The Whole Foods by us, just made it that much better to go to. Last week they opened the Beer Room. With 200 different beers, from pilsner and weisse to lambic and porter, they've got anyone's beer needs covered.
You can also fill a 64 oz. growler with one of six local beers on tap. The first one I went for was, Bluepoint No Apologies Double IPA. Malty flavor upfront followed by a pleasant caramel sweetness and it's got a crazy 10% alcohol content. It was pretty good to say the least.

So glad that the NFL came back this week. There's no better thing to do on a Sunday than be lazy around the house, kick back watch some football and take naps. Seriously, I can think of no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Anyhows, if you watched any football this weekend, you noticed the Patriots and Colts looked pretty good, as expected, and everyone else is basically playing for third place. Huge disappointments from New Orleans, Kansas City, and both New York/Jersey teams. I keep reading lots of pre-season picks saying the Jets and Giants should win 8-9 games, which I'm finding really hard to believe. I can easily see both teams not winning more than 7 games. Rutgers easily won against Navy on Friday, to start their season at 2-0. Not too shaby. And how about A-Rod. Think he's got something like 7 home runs in his last five games. Sick! Hope he continues to hit well going into the last month of the season and hopefully, the postseason.


listening pile:
Definitely my favorite album of the year, Fil m School returns w/ Hide out. The band has mastered a dark pop sensibility that reminds of you of all the best qualities of new wave, shoegaze, and alternative rock. With the help of Phil Ek, who mixed the new album, the band found a dense, layered, dark texture with swirling guitars, dreamy production and instrumental flourishes that the band incorporate almost perfectly into every song. The guitar intro of 'Dear Me' pretty much leads you into the compressed, noisy guitar and synth-drone atmosphere of the entire record. To say this album is shogaze is an understatement. Not only are there are some female vocals, courtesy of new bassist Lorelei Plotcyzk, but guest musicians, like Colm O’Ciosoig of MBV, help deliver the best shoegaze album not born of the 90's. This album kills from start to finish and certainly dispels any concern of a sophomore slump. Where their last album suffered from being a bit uneven, Hide out is an ambitious effort and easily the best headphone experience of the year. Somehow, the album ends on it's best song as well, 'What I Meant To Say', which could be the most rocking and complex song on the album.

I'll Be Sitting On The Left Side, You'll Be Sitting On The Right

Headed down to Webster Hall last night for a fantastic show, featuring the Birmingham, England quartet, Editors. The band seemed at ease as its piercing rhythms kept pace with the strobe lights, and melodic theatrics when singer Tom Smith traded in his Telecaster for a seat at his custom-made piano, all Chris Martin style. The biggest cheer of the set came during the encore with 'Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,' a tale about death that impressively shifted from a soaring cascade of glacial guitar work into an anthemic chorus. They started off their set with the title track from their new album, An End Has A Start, which is one of the better songs on the new disc. They shifted through a powerful set, trading new songs with old favorites like 'Bullets', 'Munich' and 'Lights'. Even the new material sounded great in a live setting.

The Scottish trio, Biffy Clyro opened and received a warm reception, enough so to keep singer, Simon Neil, bare-chested the entire set as the group blurred between aggressive rock and roller-coaster power pop. They mostly played material from their exceptional new album, Puzzle, also their fourth, but did include "Glitter and Trauma" and "The Ideal Height" from their previous two albums. This band killed it live. They are finishing up their tour w/ the Editors and then hitting the road with the mighty Queens of The Stone Age, how about that. I cannot wait to see them again, and I'd be even happier to see them play a headlining show to play more of their older stuff. Love this band and finally happy to see them get their fair due here in the US, after getting huge love in their native UK. Puzzle which is available now in the UK & Ireland, will be released on September 18th in America. The album features the singles 'semi-mental', 'Saturday Superhouse', 'Folding Stars', 'Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies' and forthcoming UK single 'Machines'.

is there anybody alive out there

Nice series win for the Yankees against Boston the other day, but what the hell happened last night. Big let down after a great 3 game sweep of the Red Sox. With about 29 games left in the season, each game takes on significant importance. Games like these against the Devil Rays need to be won. There's just no excuse. Phil Hughes did his best Mike Mussina impression last night. Ian Kennedy makes his major league debut today. Good luck to the kid.

The Bronx Is Burning concluded the other night, with the team winning the 77 Championship. Definitely thought the mini-series could have been a little better. Wish we would have gotten a little more Graig Nettles, Sparky Lyle, Ron Guidry and Lou Pinella. Some really colorful characters that were almost completely left out of the series. John Torturo was pretty good in the role of Billy Martin. That dude that played Reggie Jackson was not that great, in fact, i kept thinking of C. Thomas Howell as the Soul Man every time I saw him. I did think using actual news footage during the riots and blackout, the world series, as well as the Son of Sam slayings and the following of the case by police was a nice touch.

Rutgers football season started the other night against the mighty University of Buffalo. They won pretty easily, which is good. With all their success in the last two years, especially last year's Cinderella season, I think people have sort of forgotten that Rutgers was actually a pretty awful football team for some time. In fact, I think they won more games last year, than they did in the 4 years I attended Rutgers. I was talking to a buddy the other night about how lucky those kids attending now have it. We had nothing like that when I was there. It's gotta be a lot of fun. Hoping to get down there for the USF game in November. Bet that will be fun.

Listening Pile:
New Bruce Springstein track, Radio Nowhere is available as a free download at iTunes. It's a great track, from the Boss's new album, Magic. I really enjoyed his last album, The Rising too. This one is apparently a little bit more of a rocker and also features the E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced their first full scale tour of the US and Europe since 2002-03, starting in Hartford, CT on October 2, the release date for the new album. I have some friends that are all about this.

We play today, we win today, das it.

The other day, I found myself watching Mission: Man Band. I know, I know, what has my life come to? Well, I have always wondered what happened to the white guy from Color Me Badd. The band, which calls itself Sureshot, consists of four members:

* Bryan Abrams (Color Me Badd)
* Rich Cronin (LFO)
* Chris Kirkpatrick (*NSYNC)
* Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees)

Who are those three other clowns? Basically, they got the dude that's not JT from Nsync and the dude that's not Nick Lachey from 98 degrees. I guess the dude from LFO was picked to round out the crew. What the funny looking guy from the Backstreet Boys was busy? Honestly, this show is pretty bad, but it's just too funny to not watch. You know, in that unintentionally funny kind of way. Sorta like Flavor of Love. By the way, when I googled Color Me Badd, I came up with this tidbit; they are listed on Billboard as the 7th biggest musical act of the 90s. Really? Were the 90's that bad?

As for a good show to watch, I've really been into this show Mad Men on AMC. Good show about Ad Execs during the early 60's. From the executive producer and writer of "The Sopranos" Matthew Weiner, comes Mad Men. It's a provocative tv show about the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising firm. Good cast to boot, with John Hamm playing a really dark and introverted character, and the lovely January Jones(best known as Cadence from the American Wedding movie) as his wife. I like this show a lot.
It's probably the best TV show to debut this summer. While I'm at it, the other day I caught one of those VH1 Classic Albums shows. This one was about Nirvana's Nevermind. Pretty cool documentary on the making of that album. Includes interviews w/ Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, producer Butch Vig and Thurston Moore.

Yankees have been playing like crap the last few days. Losing two of three to the Angels didn't help. And so far splitting the first two games against Detroit. Not looking good going into a huge series against Boston this week, who have been playing well. This is that stretch where they really needed to play well, and they have played just OK. A few things that have hurt the Yanks are the starting pitching has been pretty bad lately, namely Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens. Wang and Pettite have both pitched well their last time out(hopefully that continues), and Phil Hughes continues to be an enigma. Fans are starting to hate on the Joba Rules, believing the kid should pitch when the team needs him, despite the strict rules to keep him from getting hurt. Big series against Seattle next week too. It's kinda funny because, the Yanks really have their own destiny in their own hands. Ask most teams and players, and that's what they would want. It's pretty basic, you play to win today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Where are those Mariano Duncan t-shirts when you need them.


Listening Pile:
I downloaded Bishop Allen's new album, The Broken String the other day after I clicked on a banner by accident linking me to their song"Rain". I have their 2003 album, Charm School, which I thought was a pretty good listen, but a little uneven.

The band released an EP every month for a year, and they ended up with some 4 dozen songs, of which they picked 8 and added two new ones to make up this album. After years of underground rumblings with their self-released debut the Brooklyn by way of Boston - based group should command a bit more attention for their new masterful album, combining cinematic lyrics, plaintive, passionate vocals and jangly indie-rock. "Rain" is a bouncy, new wave-ish track, and the rest of the album is playful, capturing life's fragile, beautiful moments.

Holy Cow!

It's been a very sad two days in my household. We lost a very close friend in the Scooter, Phil Rizzuto. He was beloved for this off-beat announcing, giving people shoutouts on their birthday(before they were shoutouts), his love of canolis, his wife Cora, and of course of the game. He was the voice of the Yankees for many a generations. To this day, just about every game I watch, I think to myself, this would be so much more entertaining and insightful if the Scooter were doing this game. He holds a dear place in my heart. Here is a greatMike Lupica Article about the Scooter.

I was saddened at Old Timers day when they announced the Scooter couldn't be in attendance. That day, was the first time it even dawned on me that he might be gone one day soon. I had the pleasure to meet him once when I was about 8 years old. I used to live in the same town as him in New Jersey and we went trick or treating in his neighborhood. I remember ringing the doorbell and none other than the Scooter answering the door. I'm sure we weren't the first kids that night to ring his doorbell, nor the last, but he treated us as if we were friends. He just said, "Holy Cow! Look at those costumes and put a bunch of pennies in our bags. I actually kept those pennies for years, and kinda still wish I had them. '

Listening Pile:
No music today. Just listening to the voice of the Scooter. So glad Mike and the Mad Dog played an interview from June of 05 on their show yesterday. He sounded old and beat up, but still full of life. Go to youtube, the yes network and listen to some old play by play by the Scooter. One of my favorite stories by the Scooter, can't remember who it was with, but they were talking about an oval shaped hotel room. The Scooter just said something like, "I couldn't stay in a room like that, I'd have nowhere to corner Cora." Go here to read some more.

And my dreams all fade away

Pete Abe at the Lohud Yanks Blog posted this earlier:

Received this press release from YES today:

The YES Network is enjoying its highest New York Yankees ratings ever, with its primetime Yankees telecasts ranking No. 1 in New York on 27 of the past 29 game nights. YES’ primetime telecasts have regularly outperformed ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and all other New York broadcast and cable stations this summer.

Tuesday’s Yankees-Blue Jays telecast on YES registered a 7.4 TV household rating (715,000 viewers), the highest-rated and most-watched program on YES since September 29, 2005, when the Yankees-Orioles telecast scored a 7.6 TV household rating (731,000 viewers).

This suggests two things to me: People really like how this team is playing and there’s not much on in the summer.

Um... yeah, you think. Last night I found myself watching The Nine and Top Chef. Seriously, what has my life come to. There are times I pray for death looking for something to watch on TV during the summer. I also have been watching Survivor...er... Big Brother Season 112. Things are bad. I literally watched Feasting on Asphalt for the 2nd time in 3 days last night, while the Yanks were getting killed. I will say, one good thing that came out of the Bonds home run chase, was getting to watch all his games on ESPN2. As an East Coast baseball fan, I never get to see any of the NL teams play, especially the NL West. That was kinda nice. The parks in LA, San Diego, Arizona and SF are sure nice too. Some of the best out there from what I've seen.

Anyhows, here is when the Yanks' schedule gets ridiculous. 17 out of 20 games against the Red Sox, Angels, Indians, with 3 each, and 8 against the Tigers(and Placido Polanco's misshaped head), who beat mercilessly on the Yanks last year in the postseason. You can come out of those games two games over .500, and win two of out 3 against the Orioles, who have given the Yanks fits all season, and we have a very good shot of getting into the postseason.

Listening Pile:
Just saw that UNKLE is playing a show in NYC at Webster Hall on October 18th. I am totally blown away by this information. With his U.K. label Mo' Wax, James Lavelle helped launch the instrumental mid-'90s downtempo breakbeat era, eventually dubbed trip-hop. Lavelle has always found a way to make some of the most interesting electronic music out there, with lots of guests on his records singing their parts, from Josh Homme, Thom Yorke, Ozzy, to Ian Brown and Ian Astbury. My man's technique is sick. Psyence Fiction and Never, Never, Land were outstanding albums, and so far from what I've heard of War Stories, it's top notch too. Plus, you need to see the video for "Burn My Shadow" w/ the Eastern European dude from ER.

Theres no bathroom, and there is no sink.

things have been crazy the last few weeks. lots of work crap to deal w/ last week as i was taking friday off to have wrist surgery, also took monday off. yay short workweek. the surgery hurt like a mofo. i was totally out of it on friday, the day of the procedure. i don't know what it is about hospitals and doctors, but i have no idea why they keep you waiting around so long. like, for no reason. just sit there and wait, and wait, and then more waiting. then you go somewhere else, and wait more, before you see a doc for five minutes, then you go and wait more. ugh! so, like injured baseball players, i guess i'm just day-to-day. or, dunno, would i be on the DL?

somehow the yanks went from 9.5 games out of the wildcard on july 7 to .5 games out today. that's 9 games they picked up on the indians,or the tigers, whomever is not leading the central. phil hughes looked pretty good the other day in his first start back from the D.L. i really hope that kid can start to finish off batters and not mess around so much and nit-pick when he has two strikes on a guy. he threw way too many pitches in only 4 and 2/3 innings the other day. but, lots of people have been saying that having a kid like him at the back of the rotation is like trading for a solid starting pitcher. plus i came across a stat the other day talking about how clemens and pettite are two of the winningest pitchers of all time in the month of august. good, we'll need it!

joba chamberlain is up too, which is kinda nice, and not just because the dude's first name is joba, which opens up endless possibilities for a nickname and theme music, but also because he's been lights out since his conversion to the bullpen in AAA ball.. The 21-year-old, 2006 draft pick, has been lights out all season, going 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA over 3 organizational levels. In 88.1 innings, he has allowed 62 hits and struck out 135. Just the other day, he struck out 5 in two innings of work. I dunno, I like this team a lot better than the old, slow, stumbling team we had in April and May. I hope bringing back Giambi doesn't hurt the team. It's strange, but it seems the team has played so much better without him and you have to hope his return doesn't impede the development of Melky and Andy Phillips, who have thrived in their new starting roles.

i've been watching this big brother 18, or whatever season it's in now.(isn't there like one every six months now or something?) i know one of the guys, eric. nice guy, met him once when we went out for drinks w/ some friends. he's america's player, so america, gets to pick stuff for him to do. i hope someone asks him to punch that tommy lee looking dude(dick) in the face, or at least that jen chick. that would make for must see television. i mean, seriously, do they turn off the AC in that place. why are people standing around in their underwear? who cooks in a bikini? this show is so irrational, but people love it.

Listening Pile:
I'm not sure yet, but I really think I like this new Rilo Kiley jam, Silver Lining It's from their upcoming fourth album Under the Blacklight. "Silver Lining" has got some 60's am pop vibe to suck you in and cute little Jenny Lewis just sucks you right in. Damn her! I have to say, I've never been into the Rilo, nor her solo stuff, but she always manages a way to make me at least want to check out her records.

By the way, has anyone noticed Silverchair is back with a new album, that apparently is only available from Newbury Comics? Apparently, it's their best selling album, which is hard to believe, since Frogstomp seemed to be everywhere back in 95. I dunno, why I'm talking about this. Just seems weird.

And they all want you to change

I came across this post the other day on Stereogum . What's really strange is I had not really paid any attention to it, aside from thinking, man that was a great album. Easily one of my favorite records from the early 90's, this album continues to be a great listen, no matter the disastrous albums that have followed, or the craziness that Billy Corgan has dreamt up in his own mind. And seriously, James Iha has to stop following me around the Lower East Side. Anyhows, that thought just crossed my mind, listening to the album. Where are the two girls from that album, then I remembered the post. Even the Pumpkins posted this on their site. Where are you oh siamese girls?

While I got Billy Corgan on the mind, what is up with that album cover for Zeigeist? Did they think that no one would notice it's so obviously a Shepard Fairey job, even though it looks like a Fairey rip-off. Nice way to mail it in Shep. And why does NYC have to be underwaters. Billy, are you still mad at James, and as a result, subsequently mad at the city he currently lives in? Let go man, just let go. I have only heard a song or two, and it doesn't make me want to listen to the rest of the record in any way.

While I'm on a rant about Shepard Fairey and his great Obey the Giant images, I'm reminded of all the imitators and rip-offs. My favorite play on the Obey the Giant images has got to be the Dogs Of War shirts and designs. Seriously, these kill me. I recently purchased a Obey the Schnauzer magnet for my fridge at home.

Listening Pile:
Today, we're listening to the album Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins. Truly a great album, and the breakthrough album for the band. i remember spending many late nights listening to this album. Great from start to finish. Go listen.

At the end of the day, one shall stand, one shall fall!

Finally, got to see Transformers. Loved the special effects, the robots, Megan Fox and it was a half-way decent plot.
However the real actors totally brought that movie down. Why the hell was John Torturro in that movie? He's an amazing actor and he played a horrible part, as agent Simmons. Megan Fox was lovely, as expected. So, was Rachael Taylor. Where the hell did she come from? Shia LaBeouf plays that same annoying goofy character he always plays. Blah, Blah, Blah... But seriously, the stars of the movie, were the Autobots and the Decepticons. The fight scenes were sick! The fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron was unreal, and a great way to cap off the movie. I am soooo getting this movie on DVD to watch through it on HD at home. I wondering if Megan and Rachael seem more real?

Came across this the other day and totally had to share it. You, can go to the Simpsons Movie site and make your own avatar in your likeness. As you can see to your right, it may not come out looking exactly like you, but hey, close enough.
I don't think anyone ever thought there would be a movie, none the less a website to make yourself into a character, or Simpsonized as they like to call it. I remember, when I moved to Springfield, NJ from Hillside in 1990. Every kid, including two of my best friends, Mike and Adam, were wearing Bartman t-shirts. Jeez, how far things have come in 17 years. Really sad to see that our Springfield lost out to Springfield in VT, in the movie premiere contest. That's a bummer. But I bet it could have something to do with the lame movie we entered and the lack of an actual movie theater in the town.


On the baseball front, the Yankees have won 6 out of 8 to start the 2nd half of the season. With four more games against the Devil Rays this weekend, then four more against the Royals leading to a three game series against the Orioles, plus the last two innings make up of a game from a few weeks ago, the Yanks have a real good shot at getting back into the postseason race. If they can win those 3 series, they'll put themselves in a really good spot leading into August. We've been getting pretty good pitching lately from our starters and the bullpen, with the exception of Krazy Kyle Farnsworth, aka the Farnswacker, has been pretty good too. That guy is worthless, unless there is a brawl brewing on the horizon. We do play the Red Sox a few more times this season, not that that's really enough reason to keep him around.

The bats, I have to say, have been pretty lukewarm against the starters lately. It seems they don't get going until the starter is almost out of the game, or the bullpen is in. A-Rod hasn't really hit well since the break, but has a few homers to balance it out. Seems like he's pressing for the homer a bit too much, when he should be looking to hit the ball the other way. And don't get me started on how sedentary our baserunners are on the basepaths. Can Torre call for a stolen base every once in while. Have we not learned anything from the Championship teams of the last few years? Manufacturing runs is always the best way to get an offense going and disrupt a staring pitcher. Serenity Now! Read this article about Dontrelle Willis and his problems lately. The D-Train has been derailed. He can't win a game if his life depended on it. And... he's been killing my fantasy team. I had the choice to keep him or Justin Verlander. Ugh! Also, came across this SI Feature with their picks for best athletes by number.

The easiest choices? Pele (10), Michael Jordan (23), and Lawrence Taylor (56). Numbers that lacked star quality: 65 (Elvin Bethea), 67 (Reggie McKenzie) and 69 (Krumrie).

Runner-up: LeBron James.

Worthy of consideration: Kirk Gibson, Pete Maravich (college), Calvin Murphy, Ryne Sandberg.

Um... #23, you ever hear of a guy by the name of Don Mattingly? Anyhows, there are some great debates, and certainly some no-brainers. Clemente and #21. Robinson and #42. Joe Montana and #16. LT and #56. Check out, it's a cool little feature.


Listening Pile:
BRMC is back with new album, Baby 81. It's a return to form for the San Francisco threesome. While their last album, Howl, wasn't a disappointment, it did lack that gritty, raw rock sound the band had become known for. That album was mostly acoustic, with an americana and rootsy twist. The new album sees them return to the howling(no pun intended) guitar wall of sound and pounding drums. A great piece of work work that reminds many of their early work, with dark textures, sonic soundscapes, and oozing sexuality. For the first time since their S/T debut album, they sound like a cohesive band that enjoyed making this album. With drummer, Nick Jago back in tow, after some addiction problems saw him leave right before the recording of the last album, the group has rejuvenated themselves, with a record that captures much of what initially made them such a great group.

How Are Things On The West Coast?

Things have been strange lately to say the least. July 4th hit me hard in the middle of last week. I keep reading all this stuff about how people want to move a holiday like the Fourth to the first thursday of the month. Now, theoretically, it sounds like a great idea. Like how Presidents day, MLK, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving are always fixed. Plus you get the extra day off, for a Thursday holiday. Lets give it up for the four day weekend. Last week was just a pain in the ass. The holiday did nothing for me, as I had to work half the day anyway, with one of the artists I work with playing a show that day. It killed my day. Killed it. Plus the weather didn't hold up and that just made things worse.

This past weekend was also a baseball induced blur, with old timer's day on saturday, then a marathon 14 inning game, then a regular 9 inning blow-out on sunday. The all-star break landed at just the right time. Those two games in two days, plus 2 games the previous Sunday and Monday proved to be way too much in such a short period of time. Which makes me think, those Ultimate Roadtrip folks have kind of got to be out of their minds. 4 games in 8 days made me kinda go nuts, I can't imagine what 162 games in 6 months would do to me. I'm thinking at some point it starts feeling like Groundhog's day and you're just begging for the toaster to fall into the tub. I ""mean, I LOVE baseball, but really, that's got to be just mind-blowing. I got to a point, when I could not even look at another hot dog. I was literally trying to figure out what beer I hadn't had yet. I'll say this, the Beers Of The World stand they have is a total rip-off. You literally pay $8 for a 12 oz beer, that if you bought at the grocery store, would cost you, no more than a $1.25. And, there's nothing special, it's Pilsner Urquel, Blue Moon, Amstel Light, Grolsch, and Corona. Nothing special really. Meanwhile, you could just go to the Heiniken booth and get a 24 oz. beer for $10. Now, which one sounds like the good deal. hmmmm. That's one of those things that drives me crazy. It's not up there with the great subway challenge, but it's up there.

So, while I'm on the subject of baseball, I'll throw this out there. The Yankees have 77 games remaining. It's been said that they would have to win about 95 games to make it to the postseason. The Yankees currently sit at 42-43. That means they would have to win approximately 52 games out of 77 to end up in the postseason. Aside from those two weeks in early June when they won something like 12 out of 13, they have not looked like a team that could win 52 out of 77. But here is where it gets tricky. 54 of those games are against teams below .500. 14 against the Rays, 10 against the lowly Royals, 12 against the Orioles, 10 against the Blue Jays, and 3 more versus the stumbling White Sox. There's some room to really get back into the swing of things. Now, I know the Yanks can win against those teams, but honestly it seems the Yanks have played pretty poorly against bad teams this year. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can see a big let down if they don't get going fast after the break. And, if they don't get off to a good start and get themselves 7-10 games over .500 before mid-August, they could be done for. As maybe their toughest stretch starts August 16th when the Yanks, start a series against the Tigers, followed by the Angels and then the Red Sox. That's 14 games against 3 very good teams, and possibly the 3 division winners. If the Yankees can pick up those 7-10 games, and play decent ball in those 14 games, this season has a shot, otherwise, we'll start looking towards 2008 a lot sooner.

Wow, now that's kinda depressing huh!

Listening Pile:
Interpol's new album, Our Love To Admire, has been in heavy rotation on the iPod. Their third full length, sees them sort of pick up right were Antics left off. It's dense, dark and brooding album, with the usual vague lyrics and swirling guitars. My biggest beef with the album, is that the production, while a bit excessive at times, tends to drown out a stellar drummer in Sam Foggarino and a superb bass player in Carlos D. In fact, it's a distraction because while Interpol have never been ones to beat you over the head with a sharp melody, the dense structure of the low end on most of their previous work, kept things intact and flowing with ease. I hear a few songs that sort of go nowhere and miss that deceptive low end. However, the record is pretty darn good. I love the melodramatic first song, "Pioneer To The Falls", as well as the confessional, "Rest My Chemistry". "Heinrich Maneuver" is a great first single, but lacks a solid follow-up. This album needs one more really solid rocker. Mammoth", almost pulls that off, but just lacks a catchy hook. There are a few other solid tracks on the album, but a good portion of the record sort of just sounds like filler. It almost seems like they came up a few songs short and just came up with a few uninspired tracks to finish the album.

Well I always loved your accent.

Had some nice food the other night at Mole. I had walked by this place a few times and it looked pretty interesting. So glad, I tried out this new Mexican joint, located on Allen St in the LES. Someone mentioned to us that it was pretty good and they make guacamole right at your table. We waited almost 40 minutes for a table at the bar. We brought our own beer, as it's BYOB. Can't go wrong with that. They even make virgin Margaritas, which you can add your own tequila too. I had these delicious scallop tacos, Erika had some tasty carne tacos, and we split some great taquitos, with potato and chorizo in em. Pretty tasty. It's funny, but people from the West Coast always say it's impossible to find good Mexican food in the city. Think I found a good joint tho. Just stay away from going during the peak hours. It's a tiny place and there's not much room to maneuver around. This along with, E.U. and Tapeo 29, are two of the best restaurants I've eaten at in the last month. Tapeo 29, is a tapas bar, and we ate there on my bday. It was awesome. The E.U. was great, had steak and eggs there a couple weekends ago. Very good.

Went to Connecticut last weekend for Father's day, and came home with one of these, from the Berkshire Brewing Co. It was a fantastic, light ale with a nice gold color. It was good. Erika and her dad got a Coffeehouse Porter, which seems really interesting. Also, found a couple of bottles of the Post Road Pumpkin ale from the Brooklyn Brewery. One of my favorite pumpkin ales. Strange that I found some in a liquor store in Connecticut, and could never find it bottled in New York. Also, picked up a sixer of the Brooklyn Brewery's Summer Ale at Whole Foods this week. Pretty good. I always love a good Summer Ale.

Got the Yankees in San Francisco this weekend. Hoping we can win tonight and pick up the series win. Moose on the hill versus Noah Lowry, who I had on my fantasy team last year. He always managed to kill me when I thought he was just about to turn a corner. Hoping the Yanks can get to him tonight. Barry Lamar cranked one out the other night, wonder if he's getting one out today. Just say something about Rod Beck the former MLB closer, dying. Strange, he didn't seem that old to me. He always had a fantastic mullet and the fu-manchu stache.

Listening Pile
Heading over to McCarren Park Pool to see Superchunk now. Should be fun. Haven't seen them since CMJ like 6 years ago or something. This will be my first time at McCarren park pool. used to live right by there, for like 3 years too. Ha. Wish me luck.

Looks Like Someone Woke Up On The Wrong Side Of The Rock

So, I know this may be a little old by now, and the way MTV operates, maybe it will never happen. But, during the 24 hour Human Giant marathon. Did anyone hear Michael Showalter announced that a DVD set containing the entire series of one of the greatest sketch comedy shows, ever, The State, would be released by MTV sometime this year? The first season has been released on iTunes and is pretty great, but there are a whole bunch of other episodes still missing. Speaking of the Human giant, how about that show. It kicked off with a sick song by Mastodon. Someone needs to give those guys a weekly shows, like Friday at 10pm. I loved how they had live music, and aired old clips of great MTV tv shows and skits. Lets go guys, make it happen. Tom Selleck can't stop you!

And, while we're on the subject of great TV shows, can't believe they are creating a show around one of my favorite TV ad campaigns in recent memory. Yes, the Geico cavemen, are getting their own, tv show. I cannot wait for this show. I think it's going to be hilarious. The summer is dragging on, and really you can only watch so much Top Chef and Yankee games, and contemplate who was in the casket on the season finale of LOST.

The Yankee game on Sunday was fun. I always get a real treat out of seeing the Yankees play the Mets. And, it's not really because of the rivalry, but rather the ridiculous people at the game. There were fights, people throwing beer at Mets fans, and just general idiocy. As I was telling my buddies at the game, it's a lot harder to hate the Mets when one of our own is their manager, Willie Randolph. Plus, I read that 11 page feature on Omar Minaya in Sports Illustrated, and I like the guy more and more every day. And, the Yankees win. Well, we were happy to get the win and skip town with 2 out of 3 versus the Metropolitans.

Listening Pile:
Been rockin that new Queens Of The Stone age album, Era Vulgaris. Not sure why so many critics are hating on it. I love the record. It's not quite as catchy as some of the more recent records, but this one totally reminds me of the R record. Crazy, eclectic jams with strange vocals, strange time changes, ands lots thrown into one song. I like, I like it a lot. Especially love the single, "Sick, Sick, Sick", which is a great rocker. Also, love that they threw in one of my favorite Dessert Sessions tracks, "make it wit chu". That is a jam!

A quite alarming knack of knowing when to twist the knife .

Went to the Doc the other day to have him look at my wrist. He said everything looks good. The distal radius fracture is pretty much completely healed and the scaphoid crack is looking pretty good too. Strange thing about breaking bones he told me. Apparently once the bones heal, you still have to let the tendons heal, which can take twice as long. So, looks like I have another 4-6 weeks of strange pains and weakness in the wrist. But at least I'm finally getting use of the hand and wrist back. It was pretty tough for a few weeks there. The first week, I had to be helped putting clothes on.

Crazy all these ads they are running for the new iPhone. From the ads, it looks like a really neat gadget. I know it's got a pretty hefty price tag on it, but really, at some point soon, I'll have to buy a new phone and iPod, plus, really, I only use my iBook at home for email, web and very little else. For the price of the phone and ipod, you get something that does all three, and it takes pics. Not too shabby. Gonna have a lot of folks breaking their contracts to get on board with Cingular and the iPhone.

Listening Pile:
Been rocking the new Travis album. Man, did the return with a fantastic album. Honestly, I really didn't feel the last album, 12 Memories. It was a darker and politically leaning album. This one, produced by old friend, Nigel Goodrich, and also helped by Brian Eno, sees them return to form. The Boy With No Name has a handful of absolute gems, proving that Travis are still capable of penning a tune that wraps around your ears and captures perfect pop tunes with that nonchalant British knack. Single, "Colder", feels like it could easily have been one of the songs from the first two records. I find myself humming it hours after listening to it. And if you listen carefully to "Selfish Jean", you may hear a bit of Hall & Oats' "Maneater" in there, not that there's anything wrong with that. Even more good news, they are coming to the US to play some shows. I'm hoping to be able to check out one of the two Irving Plaza shows.