NHL Playoff Preview

Matchups are set!

Eastern Conference:

#1 Boston vs. #8 Montreal
#2 Washington vs. #7 NY Rangers
#3 New Jersey vs. #6 Carolina
#4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Philadelphia

Western Conference

#1 San Jose vs. #8 Anaheim
#2 Detroit vs. #7 Columbus
#3 Vancouver vs. #6 St. Louis
#4 Chicago vs. #5 Calgary

my picks in bold.

I don't think montreal can beat boston right now. maybe last year, but not this year.

washington is too big up front for the rangers' d, but after green, there isn't much on the blueline.

NJD, playing like crap. who knows, they may turn it around. many times teams streak to get in the playoffs and then collapse. this is like the pennsylvania series. one team hot, the other playing like crap. pittsburgh will get the benefit of calls as well. best player in the league? he's russian and he doesn't play for an eastern conf. team.

maybe if this was anaheim of years past I'd pick them over the san jose chokes, but you got to figure sj can win for once. go roenick!

if detroit didn't have the two best players in the league playing for them, I'd root against them like they were the white sox. However, they do it right: they draft smart players. every 4 years or so, detroit chokes in the first round. maybe this year against the rookie goalie, but most likely not.

vancouver vs. st. louis. zzzz

perennially is there any team more scary in the first round than calgary? even if you make it out of the series, you'll be banged up. chicago, has too much talent though. and coming off a couple of sweet wins against the d-town boys. Go Hawks!


Here is some hard to find Codeine for every one:

Codeine - Demos/Peel Sessions

have you ever stopped to wonder why they forced your voice to turn from silence to a caterwaul?

What's better than one drummer on stage? Two drummers...

For years I have been billing Texas rock band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, as “the best band that nobody but me listens to. Luckily, there were hundreds of supporters as avid as I who convened on Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago Friday night for a stop on the bands tour to support their new album “The Century of Self,” creating another remarkably memorable concert experience from 2009.

During their 80-minute set, the band played tracks spanning their entire discography, from their self-titled 1998 debut to the recently released “Century of Self.” Some of the more rousing numbers included “Will You Smile Again?” and my all time favorite …Trail of Dead ditty, “A Perfect Teenhood.”

While the music was undeniably awesome, what I enjoyed most about this show was just being around people who appreciate …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead as much as I do. Outside of a few friends, I really never encounter anyone that likes or has so much as heard them. Even some of their live shows in the past have been peppered with people who didn’t even seem to care. Maybe that’s the benefit of seeing them in a big city as opposed to a small market like Urbana, Illinois.

I think it says a lot for a band that has been trucking along for over a decade being insanely under appreciated that they can still work up a show of this magnitude. …Trail of Dead has been through a great deal in recent years, from losing a major label deal to being forced to open for Dethklok, a band created by the Cartoon Network, yet on stage they still power through like a band hungry to explode. The time for them to achieve the success they deserve has likely passed and perhaps that is a driving factor for them to continue pressing on. I don’t know if that is true and honestly I don’t care. As long as they are touring and recording and pouring insane amounts of energy into their work, I will willingly come along for the ride.

Bad Dress Sense, I bought this because i liked the cover, it turned out to be OK rock music.

A crumpled yellow piece of paper, with seven nines and tens.

This has been sitting in the draft box for awhile....

Jeff's review of the HUM reunion show sums it up better then I ever could:

"The band played its erstwhile final show in 2000 on New Year’s Eve at the Metro, sharing a bill with the Flaming Lips. Three years following a hometown reunion at Champaign, Illinois’ Rockfest, Hum’s amplifiers remain set to eleven on a ten scale. If last year’s Cadillac commercial featuring the massive, slashing riff from “Stars” didn’t provide sufficient royalty income, the earplug industry should probably pitch in.

Guitarist Tim Lash strummed the opening chords to “The Pod” on his battered Stratocaster before erupting alongside frontman Matt Talbott with a wall of post-grunge cacophony owing a debt to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The track remains a standout from 1995’s “You’d Prefer an Astronaut,” although it feeds criticism which unfairly tarred Hum as Smashing Pumpkins clones.

The same album’s “I’d Like Your Hair Long” better displayed the band’s strengths, with an adventurous, two-ton groove anchored by drummer Bryan St. Pere and bassist Jeff Dimpsey. Talbott’s compelling melody, coolly detached delivery and oblique lyrical imagery completed Hum’s signature style. “I’d like your face gone and in its place the sun,” he sang, inscrutably. “Green to Me” seemed appropriate to mark the conclusion of a disastrous year for the economy, complete with a suggestion to move on. “We’ve all got wounds to clean,” sang Talbott. “Here’s a rag; here’s some gasoline. It's all green to me.”

The set favored Hum’s two albums for RCA, though the howling “Shovel” from 1993’s “Electra 2000” ignited the crowd. “Inklings,” one of the band’s final, unrecorded compositions sent diehards into rapture. It also incited a roiling mosh pit, which seemed inappropriate for a crowd with an average age approaching forty.

Hum’s music did the talking throughout its ninety minute set, though Talbott addressed the crowd beyond a self-conscious “thank you” or “happy new year” before the final encore. “You guys are so kind,” said Talbott unassumingly. “We don’t really understand it, to be honest.” While plowing through a gloriously noisy “Isle of the Cheetah,” Hum seemed to modify Theodore Roosevelt’s famous motto: Speak softly, and carry a really, really loud guitar.

Chicago-based post-rock trio Dianogah opened the bill, helmed by noted graphic artist Jay Ryan and distinguished by its double bass guitar lineup. Kansas City, Missouri’s The Life and Times followed, led by former Shiner guitarist Allen Epley. During “Ave Maria,” Epley’s math-rock riffs updated the clarion guitar sound of U2’s “Boy” album, while bassist Eric Abert played stuttering bass reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days.” Before saying goodbye, Epley appealed to single-minded Hum fans that his own wares might be worthwhile. “We’re loud, too,” he offered with a smile."
- Jeff Elbel



Angus MacLise - Astral Collapse, the last of the three releases of Angus MacLise's material pieced together and mastered by Tim Barnes on his Quakebasket label. The other two being The Invasion of the Thunderbolt Pagoda OST and Brain Damage in Oklahoma City. This was a bitch to find... Enjoy!

Nothing better than standing in a basement, in 15 degree weather, listening to great rock

I saw something Friday night. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Thinking back upon this delight fills me with feelings I cannot begin to describe. On my deathbed I will conjure up this vision as an end point to a life well-lived. I've seen things. Friends, I have seen wonderful things! But this! This thing! My stars. Phenomenal.

Salut, My Canadian Girlfriend!


Salut, The Columbines!


Salut, .22!


Salut, Midgett's beard!

I could not have had a better time.


Unrelated: If you like Negativland and old school hip-hop, you will love this. What a fantastic party mix.

Steinski - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective - Disc 1
http://www.sendspace.com/file/zcqd7d

Steinski - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective - Disc 2
http://www.sendspace.com/file/5ocdq1

sorry my soul, it was easy but i got there first

18th dye is back after disbanding in 1999. Yes, they are back and touring! Based in Berlin, the German/Danish the band formed in 1992 with Sebastian Büttrich (vocals/guitar), Heike Rädeker (vocals/bass), and Piet Bendtsen (drums). 18th dye has the soundings of Wire's post-punk & Sonic Youth's noise, but with their own style of math rock.

This tour comes on the tails of their first studio release in 13 years, Amorine Queen. With their 3rd stop in the States on Friday, we heard a fantastic show at the Empty Bottle. This record was added to the collection, but unfortunately it has not had much playing time (ECON final on Wednesday will not defeat me). However, I did recognize the opening song on Friday as "Song for Helen" which got the very small crowds attention and held it to the end of the set. Mike & I had to give them a lesson on American football and Da Bears in-between songs, and in turn we learned of Die Bayern, the Munich soccer club. "Whole Wide World" kicked in next and Rädeker, she plays an excellent bass, she plays the bass so good.

The majority of the set came off the new album, so I’m not too familiar yet the titles, but we were special enough to hear “Pool House Blue”. This falls into my top25 songs of all time:

Mark was not a big fan, but I think it was mainly because of the amps they rented. I agreed they could have been louder, but the show was very enjoyable.

I highly recommend downloading this album:

18th dye - Tribute to a Bus

When the blacktop and the buildings start to move...

We hit up the Hideout on Thursday night for the Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel show.

It was my first time seeing San Gabriel since the purchase of Duel Hawks and I have to say they didn't disappoint. The group consisted of the same lineup from Centro-Matic plus 2 guests. They focus more on Will Johnson’s quieter collection, but we really enjoyed the instrument selection. The drummer was fun to watch and threw in some maracas & brushes to give a nice percussion. The pedaled steel guitar was a nice touch too.

We took a break for some drinks and skipped the (1) Baptist General set, but from what I could hear through the doors they sounded a little sub-popish. Maybe next time…

Centro-Matic opened with Flashes & Cables and really set the stage for a tremendous set. This flowed right into The Rat Patrol DJ’s which is by far my favorite off the new album. I posted the video for your viewing pleasure. Danborn swapping among bass, keyboard, violin & synth, as well as singing backing vocals was amazing to watch. It was nice to hear some older tracks rather than a complete set of Duel Hawks songs. They ended the show with a outstanding cover of English Beat’s “Save it For Later”, which included a lot of dancing and singing along.

Centro-matic - Rat Patrol and DJs from Undertow on Vimeo.

I also found out some fantastic news about two good friends, but I'm not sure if I can share it yet...so until next time enjoy the link below:

Centro-Matic - Love You Just The Same

Oh yeah, Tim is trying to get tickets to the AC/DC show next Friday in Columbus. That ought to be an interesting night before The Game.

Like thousands before me, I came with a glance...

Tre Orsi, I think took a few songs to "get going" (or else I just didn't care for the first two songs) but I liked what I heard after that...this caused me to walk out with a a few records.

Bottomless Pit, they were great as usual - and especially great sounding (I think the soundguy or whoever really got it right, whereas it may have still been just a little off for Tre Orsi - very boomy in the roomy) - I am listening to Hammer Of The Gods while at jury duty right now and these songs are coming back to me how much I was enjoying them at the show...

Magnolia Electric Co. - wow - they kind of put a spell on me, to be honest... we were going to just stick around for maybe 2 songs, but ended up staying for 4 or 5 (and some of those were long) - I wasn't expecting what they were putting down, but I really liked it - will have to research further for sure.

And stolen from Mr. B's blog -
Africa Funk - The Original Sound of 70's Funky Africa

Vecchio is particularly amazing.