Empties Crushed

It's a hockey / Gooskis type of night

2011-12-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

We love it when 2 of our favorite passions meet on the same night. Gonna watch some pucks early...then heading over to Gooskis for some rawkin good times with a few local Pittsurgh bands.

Neighbours will be there. We first saw Neighbours earlier this year when they opened up for Mike Watt at the Brillbox, and we digged it. We later met their bass player Joe, who also plays with Amoeba Knievel. I believe he also plays in one of the other bands playing, City Steps.

Headlining will be The Love Letters. Word on the streets is the show starts at 10:00-ish, and the Love Letters will be hitting the stage @ midnight. We love our Pittsburgh bands, and love it even more when they are at Gooskis. Support local music, drink a beer, and be happy tonight.

Revenge Of the Nerds - Warhol Screening

2011-12-02T11:37:00.002-05:00

Tonight at the Warhol - a 7:00 screening of an original print of 1984's Revenge Of the Nerds. The coolest part: Curtis Armstrong (aka: "Booger") will be there to introduce the film and do a Q & A afterwards.

Easily my favorite scene from the film, a speech I like to use on special occasions...

Tonight like a bastard

2011-12-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

A lot of talk in Pittsburgh today as to whether or not this is still a rivalry. The Sid vs. Ovie debate is dead in the water. Actually, Pascal Dupuis (7g 13a) vs. Ovechkin (8g 10a) may be the newer and more fair debate.

That said, this is still a rivalry between the 2 organizations. And we always get jackt for it. The hiring of that dick Dale Hunter should even make it more interesting.

No Tanger again. Simon Despres gets the big club call up. Let's do it.

Sheriff Shanahan

2011-11-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Pacioretty gets 3 games. Letang, meanwhile, is heading back to Pittsburgh for "further evaluation." So much for that "having our entire team healthy" thingy. It was fun while it lasted for 4 games.

.

Empties Crushed concurs.

Some circles have poked fun at Shanahan and his demeanor in these videos. And that's cool. But we kinda like the new system and "Department of Player Safety." He may not always get it right, but at least he's explaining the thought process. And that's better than Colin Campbell's goonish response, which was always:

"What do you know?! You never played HOCKEY."

Stillers win, but are lame in doing so.

2011-11-30T09:10:00.000-05:00

What a shitfest of a game. Can't believe I passed up the season finale of The Walking Dead for this. I hate Sunday Night Football. Steelers were a play away from losing to the worst NFL team ever. If Dwayne Bowe had arms, they might have.

Pens stun Habs

2011-11-30T08:50:00.001-05:00

taken from Pensblog (awesome)

Kris Letang gets his head taken off and nose smashed by a completely legal head crunch from Max Pacioretty. He returns for the OT to get the game winner. Stud. Too bad he can never win the Norris Trophy since Niklas Lidstrom still exists.

Stupéfait...

young Sidney Crosby hater...

Nick Foligno wants to make out with your goalie

2011-11-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

Not sure who's more irrelevant, Nick Foligno or the Senators. Pens got back to kicking ass on Friday, taking down the Sens 6-3. #87 had 3 assists without even trying. Staal's a beast. Malkin's a beast. Gonchar was there. Konopka dropped a turd on the ice. Foligno accidentally tripped over Fleury 9 times. Sid elbows Foligno.

That's some brutal shit right there. So Brian Murray chirped, and slobbered, and whined...

A lot of hot air there mixed in with the spit, but to summarize: "Refs sucked and we're gonna dress Neil and Carkner next time because I hate Crosby." How do you know when nobody cares? When you have to beg a hoard of reporters to ask you a question.

ESPN utilizes the ear muffs, bleeps the "FCKYA"

2011-11-30T07:56:00.002-05:00

harking back on Sid's first game back, ESPN is concerned about your kid's sensitive ~~ears~~ eyes.

FCKYA! Think I actually heard some folk criticizing the Sid for this verbal reaction, one that is pretty common for him.

We made it to our first game of the year last Wednesday, and unfortunately, there weren't enough FCKYA's in Sid's 2nd game of the year. Puffy Ken Hitchcock (the original "Sid dives" whiner guy) has his new Blues team playing pretty good pucks. Our Pens lost and we were sad. So we boozed.

Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh

2011-11-30T07:40:00.000-05:00

catching up on the last week...

This must've been an exhilarating NFL game on Thanksgiving night. We didn't see it, but word on the streets:

Douche beat Dick by a final score of 16-6. Ray Ray probably danced and forced some shit in front of the cameras.

Jack Capuano

2011-11-22T07:10:00.000-05:00

at the 5:24 mark of last night's game...

Jesus.

2011-11-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

You said it man. Nobody f**ks with the Jesus.

All is right in the world again. Sid's back.

2011-11-21T12:03:00.000-05:00

Your captain returns tonight, kids.

The Pens insist there was no set date for 87's return, and it was simply a matter of doctor's clearance. We want to think this is the big F.U. to that dick Garth Snow. Yeah...remember last spring when the Islanders and their fans thought they were relevant for a couple of days?

One of the best teams in the NHL just got the best player in the world back. Meanwhile, the Isles are back in their normal position in the standings...the bottom of the barrel. This is an organization that wanted to celebrate their fight filled / cheap shot affair with Pens last spring, which kinda supports the league-wide theory that they are a joke. A peak at the Isles current roster shows that some of the neanderthals that took part in the thuggery aren't even around anymore. Zenon Konopka was exiled to Ottawa. Michael Haley is flipping burgers at Wendy's. And Trevor Gillies was deemed worthless and subsequently waived last month. But with a dildo like Snow at the helm, nothing would surprise. The Isles may have some other animals laying in the weeds. Let's hope Bylsma dresses Steve MacIntyre tonight just in case.

Just read over at Pensblog that Zibby Michalek is back tonight, too?!?!

Our first fully healthy roster since the beginning of time?!?!?!?

The NHL's collective bum just puckered.

3 Points!! (John Terry stunned)

2011-11-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

I love my Glen Johnson. A HUGE 3 points at Stamford Bridge. No...it's doesn't mean we'll win a title. But if you said in August that beating Arsenal and Chelsea on the road would help secure a Champions League spot, you probably weren't factoring in home draws to Norwich and Swansea. The latter sucks. But beating Chelsea today in the 87th minute was a glorious triumph.

Roman Abramovich doesn't own Chelsea. King Kenny does. 9-0-3 career record for the King against those wanker Blues.

btw: Andy Carroll was a waste of 35 million lbs. But at least it's still a net gain of 15 million from the more expensive waste of Fernando Torres.

Next Week: MAN SHITTY comes to Anfield for another 11am-er on Sunday FSC. Man U supporters are welcome.

Malkamania

2011-11-19T06:37:00.001-05:00

from those crazy kids over at Pensblog...

GENO!!!! LET'S GO PENS!!!!!!

Guided By Voices – Khyber 08/07/1993 Siltbreeze Show « Freedom Has No Bounds

2011-11-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

Guided By Voices – Khyber 08/07/1993 Siltbreeze Show « Freedom Has No Bounds

thanks to our pal Pete over on the facebooks for forwarding this to me. And bigger thanks to Freedom Has No Bounds for posting, as well as providing the video you see below. Audio files can be found on their blog HERE.

SO FCKYA!!!!!

a further search on Freedom Has No Bounds (scroll down) reveals a 1991 Beat Happening show at Maxwells. We need to add FHNB to the ole blog roll pronto.

More stuff we missed bloggin this summer...

2011-11-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

during our little vacation...

We did not miss out on the double record, though, which rocks. Empties Crushed is proud to say we submitted some of the live video you see in that clip.

We don't see the problem...

2011-11-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

Miller is WAY outside of his protective crease area. He's playing the puck. The hit isn't malicious, it's not high to the head, it's body on body. Lucic doesn't leave his feet. It probably would've caused more damage had Lucic tried to avoid the hit, and ended up having a knee-on-knee type of collision. For chrissakes, the dude is wearing a sumo suit!!!

I know Miller is embarrassed, because he looks pretty silly as he swings around with his stick flailing, and emo hair looking all sloppy and floppy. And it's unfortunate Buffalo doesn't have anyone to stand up to Lucic. But this appears to be a little bit of a whineberg moment for Miller.

Dry your eyes, and quit with the talk of a concussion. Our bet: now that Lucic has been dismissed by Sheriff Shanahan without a suspension, Miller will be back in net for the Sabs next game, and there will be no more concussion talk. He's fine...just some wounded pride from Mr Emo.

Steelers "Scoreboard Guy" angers John Harbaugh...

2011-11-13T12:50:00.002-05:00

...calls Ravens QB Joe Montana a little girl. Can't believe our "scoreboard guy" would do such a thing. John Harbaugh is known worldwide (outside of Baltimore) as the whiniest bitch-boy in the NFL. But in this case, we agree with him. "Scoreboard Guy" needs to choose his placement of Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes more wisely. We don't know what he was thinking. What a jerk.

read HERE.

Built to Spill - Benefit Braddock

2011-11-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

Awesomely swell times in Braddock last night. Seated show...no booze. But it was fun. Got second row, thanks to our new pal Liz. "Stab" was played. "Stop the Show." "Carry the Zero" ended the night with a slew of other nuggets in between. Some dude behind us kept yelling for the cover of "Cortez the Killer", but to no avail. Friendly and excited crowd, with an equally enthused Doug Martsch, who stuck around afterwards shaking hands and handing out setlists. We're not huge Atlas Sound fans, but there's no denying the talent of Bradford Cox, and I can see what the hub bub is about.

visuals from us...

You Were Wrooooooooooooooong!!!!!!

"Strange"....

FCKYA!!!!

more pics HERE from your truly.

That's Doo Doo!! (Built to Spill in Braddock tonight kids!)

2011-11-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

check out the dude in the aqua blue "Staff" tee at the 1:05 mark. Rock on!!

3-night "Benefit Braddock" thingy got under way last night at the Carnegie Library in Braddock with Andrew Bird and Kurt Vile. Tonight it's Atlas Sound (Bradford Cox from Deerhunter) and Built to Spill. We love our Built to Spills!!

AFTER A WHILE YOU KNOW THEIR STYLE AND THAT'S ENOUGH TO KNOW THEY SUCK!!!!!

Appears all 3 nights are sold out. Tomorrow it's the Hold Steady and Titus Andronicus.

We still hate the Flyers, buuuuuuut...

2011-11-10T20:26:00.001-05:00

we loudly applaud the delay tactics they deployed against the Bolt last night...

Teams that play this garbage trap are a joke. PLAY THE GAME TAMPA BAY...NOT GAMES!

OK Guys, Letestu is out. Who's gonna take his place?

2011-11-09T07:10:00.000-05:00

Is the answer Jesus?

No, but better. Sid.

Test Tube has been traded to C-bus for a 4th Rounder. Being an undrafted free agent signing in 2007, I'd say that's a solid ROI. Especially considering Testy was a healthy scratch the few occasions when we had a healthy enough roster this year. The emergence of crazy Joe Vitale obviously made this easier. In Ray we trust.

Kinda wished Testy woulda slugged Soupcan after the latter went down too easily and early.

I liked Test Tube. Solid face off guy, and chipped in some goals last year. A fond farewell, and best wishes to him in the future. He'll be easily forgotten though once #87 gets back on the ice, which sounds like it could be as early as Friday against Dallas. Gentlemen...start your boners.

Empties Crushed is officially done with Joe Pa and Penn State

2011-11-08T16:35:00.003-05:00

Sad, sick, and embarrassed. Pretty much sums up the feelings from this life long Penn State fan. No blind support here. This will be the second team we've disowned in the last 5 years, and the reasons surrounding this dismissal are brutally different than the last one.

Anyone want or need a 1993 Ki-Jana Carter jersey? I'd burn it, but Carter had nothing to do with this. We'll burn the flag instead. Lots of room has suddenly opened up in the man cave.

As soon as we talk to our EC banner gfx dude, that old dick will be removed.

Stillers lose. Ho-hum.

2011-11-07T10:21:00.000-05:00

John Harbaugh makes history by becoming the first coach ever to win 2 Super Bowls by Week 9. What a douche. Steelers 3rd down D sucked balls, and that was pretty much the story. Joe Montana completed 27 of 28 3rd down conversions and drove 170 yards on the final drive of the game. End of story.

Still doesn't mean we can't make fun of our rivals.

From the official box score, the stat line for Ray Lewis reads:

1 forced pregame on-cam diatribe
1 moronic dance
2 tackles

What a turd. Ray Ray was also heard post game giving himself credit for Torrey Smith's game winning TD grab and telling his team to "be in a positions to win the game, man."

Smith was having a rough game, getting called for a holding penalty on Ray Rice's opening play TD scamper, and then dropping a bunch of passes from Montana.

Smith then caught the game winning TD, and was happy his "team kept face in him."

the 3 Stars for the game:

Joe Montana
Terrell Suggs' upper gums
Ray Lewis. Just ask him.

Position Yoself!

Last note:

Can the NFL hire Brendan Shanahan to do his little videos over what constitutes helmet-to-helmet contact? Ryan Clark gets penalized for his hit on Dixon, while Ray Ray gets nothing for the same thing on Hines Ward. We suspect Clark will get fined, and Ray Ray will get nothing. Just sayin.

Top 5 Human Beings Ever

2011-11-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

Probably top 2...

MARIO!!!!! At the current injury rate, Mario will be lacing up the skates by Xmas, and then injured by New Years.

CAPSIZED! has arrived!

2011-11-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

Uncle Bob's 36th record of 2011. First spin is a WINNER!!! Leave the Knife Curtis!!!

nice little proper review over at The Fire Note. much more proper than we could ever do here. BUY at Rockathon.

This Jug's For You!

2011-11-04T13:26:00.000-05:00

Ben Lovejoy = broken wrist. The "Hockey Gods" can bite me. I'm an atheist.

Let's Play Hockey?

2011-11-03T21:32:00.001-05:00

First Pens game since forever (5 days) tonight. First one we've been able to watch live in 9 days due to weddings and stuff. let's go Pens!!!!

WTF? Kid on the right looks like a bad ass.

Wild Flag - "Electric Band"

2011-11-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

GBV - "Doughnut For a Snowman"

2011-11-01T08:56:00.003-05:00

more NEW stuff!! thanks again to gbvh, my #1 source for all things ILB. PLAY:

Guided By Voices - Doughnut For A Snowman by FIRE RECORDS

This 7" is being released on Fire Records, and can be pre-ordered thru Rockathon. Contains 4 non-LP B-sides (four!!!), and will ship November 28 (per Rockathon). $6.

The previously discussed "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" 7" from Matador can also be pre-ordered via Rockathon HERE. $6. Release date is November 22.

A 3rd 7" will be made available from GBV Inc, called "Chocolate Boy", also available from Rockathon, and it appears they will ship in December (pre-order HERE). This one has a non-LP Tobin Sprout tune as the B-side.

And finally...the LP!! Shipping from Rockathon on New Years Day. Pre-order Let's Go Eat the Factory HERE.

Happy Birthday Uncle Bob!!!!!

2011-10-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

ILB

Happy Happy Halloween...Halloween...Halloween. Happy Happy...

2011-10-31T07:33:00.000-05:00

Just for funsies, a little something I edited a few months ago, and premiered for our big day...

The Ramones + a lot of cool 70's and 80's horror films...

Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts (Live on KEXP)

2011-10-30T11:01:00.001-05:00

gonna be catching up from the lackluster summer for awhile here. seems like a good place to start. David Comes to Life will easily make my favorites of 2011 list...

One week = The OVER!!!

2011-10-29T06:39:00.000-05:00

Bas Rutten Bad Ass

2011-10-28T06:53:00.000-05:00

Word on the streets is that Capitals Winger Jay Beagle is attending Rutten's infamous self defense classes. Arron Asham would still kick his ass :)

Halloween Screenings in Dormont

2011-10-27T07:01:00.002-05:00

The original John Carpenter 1978 classic is being shown TONIGHT at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont: 7:00 and 9:30. It will screen again this Sunday 10/30 at 8:00pm.

This is pretty much the greatest horror film of all time...

Gee Bee Veeeeee!!!!!

2011-10-26T14:15:00.000-05:00

thanks to gbvh for the fwd. you can order a copy HERE: GBV Magnet issue

btw: i hear that new Kimya Dawson album is pretty not bad.

James Neal Scores

2011-10-26T06:15:00.000-05:00

That's all this guy does. He's becoming the fantastic bastard of a sniper that we all wished for last year...the goal scoring winger this team's been lacking since forever. He's on pace to score something like 65 goals. We'll be less optimistic and say he doesn't get to 60. But anything less than 50 will be a huge disappointment, and we will burn him at the stake. Along with Staal, Neal has been a beast 10 games into the season, especially considering we are sans 87 and 71. We will probably all poo ourselves when he starts playing with Sid. (Although I'd rather see him along side Geno, just saying).

Our only problem with Neal is his name. It's just way too proper, and let's face it...sounds kinda blahze. Someone probably called him "Jim" one time and he probably snapped, "It's not Jim, it's James." You know the guy. "My name isn't Ed, it's Edward." "I prefer Robert, not Bob." Those guys. Oh well. We would call him "Jimmy", but that sounds like something dickhead Pierre McGuire would call him. And "Nealer" as I've heard some people call him is dumb.

I think the perfect name for JN would be: "James Fucking Neal." The problem with that is we already have "Craig Fucking Adams." Maybe Neal could buy Adams a case of Moosehead, and take his nickname. But then we'd need a new name for CFA, and I don't recommend "Craigy."

BTW: Zibby Michalek out 4-6 weeks. The hits just keep coming.

“The Unsinkable Fats Domino” 7"

2011-10-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

sounds like Matador will be releasing this with a B-side of "We Won't Apologize" on November 22nd.

check it out on Consequence of Sound, and thanks to TB for the fwd!

Check Out: Guided by Voices – “The Unsinkable Fats Domino”

Sebadoh TONIGHT!

2011-10-25T07:47:00.005-05:00

Sorry late-comers. Snoozers are losers. Sold out show at the tiny little Brillobox in Bloomfield. I will be there because I rule and I have tickets. So jackt!!!!

btw...this video for "Rebound" will rock your lips off...

FCKYA!!!!!!

GBV - "The Unsinkable Fats Domino"

2011-10-24T07:27:00.001-05:00

NEW Guided by Voices!!!!!!!!!!!

Amoeba Knievel and the Moodswingers ~ Live at St James

2011-10-23T15:27:00.002-05:00

St James Place Tavern is your quintessential dive bar, and along with Gooski's in Polish Hill, is one of our favorite places to see live local bands. It's a couple of blocks off the main drag on the South Side, so you don't have to worry about knocking heads with the amateurs, or jumping over puke puddles courtesy of some sorority girl looking to lose her virginity to the first dude she sees wearing an American Eagle sweatshirt.

Amoeba Knievel and the Moodswingers brought the Visionary Rock n' Roll that was promised on this Friday night. We've been fans of Tommy Amoeba and his band for a long time, but we really enjoy the lads backing him currently. Joe (bass), Bill (geetar), and Bob (drums) form the perfect ammo that fuels Tommy's staple silliness and cartoonish frontman antics. All of our favs were played: "Mad Magazine", Cowboy Ed", "National Sport", and "Indigo Sandwich"...

"King of the Flowermen" was skipped due to a lack of a second mic for back-up vocals, but AK made up for it with a classic performance of "Broken Record" followed by a punk rock cover of "L.A. Woman" as part of an impromptu Doors medley. I never enjoyed the Doors more than during this 7-8 minute span.

As for my personal highlight of the night: one of the strings on Bill's guitar breaks, causing a break in the action. Bass slapper Joe starts strumming the opening chords to GBV's "Lethargy." I had just met Joe earlier in the night, and it turns out he's a huge GBV fan (not to mention a swell dude). So while Bill's attending to his injured guitar, Joe starts waiving me towards the mic. FCKYA!!! I obliged.... "ARE YOU HAPPY? HAPPY TODAY..." Afterwards, Tommy introduces the song as one from Joe's new side project, "Guided by Gary." We think there may be video existing of this. I don't think we pulled it off as good as this, but jolly good times it was...

The Moodswingers were next. Dennis Childers was back behind the drums for this night, and we love Dennis, along with bassist Dean. Jamie Moodswinger started the set with "Thrill", and then the playlist was up for grabs. Not sure I've ever seen a Moodswingers set that followed the set list. That's just the way they roll, which is ok in our book. Fan favorite "Heart Attack is better than a Stroke" was played, along with "World to Save"and my personal favorite "Hope You're Alright."

Got to hear a new tune, called "Die." And from first listen, it sounds like a keeper. We had some video footage of "I'll Wait", but unfortunately it didn't come out that well (stupid cameraman's fault). Probably the best compliment of the night came from some girl sitting at the bar, who told Moodswingers' frontman Jamie that he needs to learn how to sing better. FCKYA!!!! PUNK RAAAAAWK!!

The Moodswingers had another date with rock on Saturday night at Howler's in Bloomfield. Unfortunately, we had a previous engagement with Zombie.

Zombi 2 / Amityville Horror Screenings

2011-10-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

TONIGHT at the Oaks Theatre!

At 7:00pm:

So jackt to see this on the big screen!! I'm a proud owner of the 25th Anniversary DVD, but I've never seen this film the way it was intended. Word from Jables is there are limited theatres across the states getting the privilege of showing the Fulci classic. The Oaks is awesome!

At 9:00pm

Unlike Zombi 2, I saw The Amityville Horror as a kid and it scared the crap outta me. Here's the unimbeddable (how annoying) trailer:

The Amityville Horror Trailer

GET OUT!!!!

FCKYA!

I know what the Senator wants!

2011-10-22T07:57:00.000-05:00

thanks to TB for the fwd. gbvh LOVES this song!

Amoeba Knievel and the Moodswingers Double Bill TONIGHT!

2011-10-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite local Pittsburgh bands are back at it. TONIGHT!!! At St James Place Tavern on the South Side. The last time they played together, the bar owners told Amoeba Knievel that they were too original, which shocked the locals at the Regent Square establishment into a bewildered state of befuddlement and jerkiness. Confused, and sounding nothing like the Offspring, the Moodswingers followed an abbreviated AK set by rawking everyone's faces off.

Come out tonight! Drink some brews! See local and original music. Don't be square.

I'm back!

2011-10-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

Now that the Big Boring Wedding is behind us, Empties Crushed will be back in full effect. We've promised this before, but this time we mean it. Like a bastard.

speaking of BBW, I've never seen this before. Kinda cool. I don't get it, but cool nonetheless...

The absolute perfect tune to open a set with. So happy the dudes from the Textbook Committee played this, and pretty flattered they learned it especially for the occassion. They nailed it!

Sid Comeback Tutorial

2011-09-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

still week-to-week here. Pretty amusing little vid I found over on Pensblog...

More Malkmus ~ "Surreal Teenagers"

2011-09-05T13:15:00.001-05:00

unreleased tune!! classic SM prog...
thanks to gbvh for the forward and inspiring me to meet my post quota of once per whenever. we'll get this going once November comes around...I swears.

EMA ~ "Endless Nameless"

2011-08-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

WAIT...Nevermind had a secret track at the end?!?! WHOA!

pretty cool little piece from SPIN last month on the Nevermind classic, which included a free download of a bunch of bands covering the album front to back. SPIN's not-so-cleverly dubbed Newermind features a couple of good ones, including the Meat Puppets and the Vaselines. Go get it HERE. EMA played at Pitchfork a few weeks ago. I was there, but appears we got there too late on a Friday to see her. Kinda regretting it now...

Stephen Malkmus ~ Tigers / No One

2011-08-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

little solo SM acoustic style promoting the new album coming out this month...

thanks to TB for the forward!!

Superchunk ~ "Learned to Surf"

2011-08-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

pretty cool little montage of then / now live footage from the mighty Superchunk.

Half as much as I care about you,
I am learning to surf for you...

Superchunk - Learned to Surf from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Boston Spaceships ~ "Tabby and Lucy"

2011-08-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

So the 5 year anniversary month of this lackluster blog has come and gone without a peep. In celebration, I felt we needed to stay true to whole spirit of EC by not posting anything for over a month.

Thanks to TB from the now retired Rando Mango (tears) for this forward. Just got my vinyl copy of Let It Beard, and we're pretty jackt about that. This video for "Tabby and Lucy" is pretty much awesome...

Boston Spaceships - "Tabby and Lucy" NSFW from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

LIB is available on Rockathon NOW. Get it.

Sloan - TONIGHT!

2011-06-23T18:05:00.000-05:00

at the Rex Theatre. Can Rock! Tonight bastards!!!! Too bad our Can Pals aren't down here to enjoy it with us.

and thanks to the Nate Corner for tipping us on this band who were jackt to see as the opener...

FCKYA!!!!!

We love our Disco!!!

2011-06-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

We've been pretty fortunate around these parts with our head coaches. The Rooney family gave us Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and now Mike Tomlin. And while the Pens haven't had the same stability at the head coach position (said in ESPN expert voice), we're pretty blessed to have Disco Dan Bylsma leading our favorite team. Pure class guy. Dude is the epitome of a leader.

I surely thought that the NHL "brain trust" would mess this up, but Bylsma was the clear cut choice for the Jack Adams that he won last night. 106 points, only 1 point away from tops in the conference, considering: without Malkin for the 2nd half, Staal for the 1st half, a plethora of W-B/S dudes playing a major role, and without the best player in the world for the 2nd half...that's a solid effort.

When Bylsma first replaced Michel Therrien mid-season 2009, most of Pittsburgh was like, "who's this dude?" We soon found out that, not only could he pluralize words, but he could get the max potential out of the talent in organization.

this speech alone was worth the award...

(yes...we've played this a million times here, and will continue to do so)

Arrivederci Marco Materazzi

2011-06-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

The 37 yo central defender is being let out of his final year with my beloved Inter Milan. We will miss you buddy. In Marco's honor, we will retire my Inter #23 home jersey, the very first soccer jersey I got way back (a whole 5 years ago) when I fell in love with the game. It's going to be hung in the rafters of the man cave. Mr. Materazzi has not returned our phone calls about attending the ceremony.

Word on the streets: he may be moving to the Prem to join QPR or possibly could land in MLS. TFC, perhaps?!?!?! And then he'll be back at Inter in a management role after his final year of playing.

While the chance of him going to Toronto are pretty much nil, let it be known: I would be the first kid on my block with a Toronto FC Materazzi jersey...if that were to happen.

Pissy Vancouver

2011-06-16T10:01:00.001-05:00

Great effort, but then the guy pulls a LaPierre and embellishes with a dive and roll over the car...

jesus. history will be made. yes indeed.

Who, exactly, are these people pissed at? Aaron Rome, for the cheap shot that turned the series around? The Sedin twins, who were vacationing in Sweden during the Finals? Luongo for not grabbing his sack? Alexandre Burrows for being a little turd stain? Alain Vigneault, whose bitchy whines about Tim Thomas got brushed aside? Alexander Mogilny?

No better way to top the embarrassing way your team went down than to start wrecking shit.

I lost my loot on this series, so that sucks. But the longer it went on, the more difficult it was to cheer for these ass bags. Shame a dude like Ryan Kesler has to play on this team.

Props to the Bruins. Besides Brad Marchand, who needs to lose the diaper, this was a very enjoyable team to watch. Like Kesler from Vancouver, Milan Lucic is another dude we'd love to see in a Pens sweater. Tim Thomas played out of his mind, and appears to be a class act...the oppo of Luongo. Bergeron, Peverley, Krejci, Horton, Seidenberg...all solid dudes that we could cheer for.

Mark Recchi...meh. Mixed feelings there. Great memories of that first Cup in Pittsburgh, but he turned into kind of a whineberg during his last stint here. I wouldn't say I hate him...just meh. I won't miss him, put it that way.

3.5 months until they drop the puck again. We'll miss you hockey.

Peter Hook talks Ian Curtis

2011-06-14T08:40:00.001-05:00

#22 of the 50 Key Events In the History of Indie Music by The Guardian, Peter Hook discusses the time surrounding the making of Closer and Ian's suicide. Pretty good little read for the Joy Division fans.

chilling...

:07 Hook's bass line, :48 Sumner's riff, 1:40 Curtis loses control, all wrapped in a bow by Morris's perfecto drum beats. fckya.

Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour

2011-06-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

effin love Kathleen Hanna. Bikini Kill, the "Bull in the Heather" vid, Le Tigre, whatever it takes...I think we need a little more KH in our lives. Just ordered my copy of Who Took the Bomp?, which was just released a couple days ago.

here's a clip form the DVD, which highlights Le Tigre's 2004 tour. "Deceptacon" -

Weezer doing "Paranoid Android"

2011-06-11T07:42:00.001-05:00

checked out Weezer a couple weeks ago at Pittsburgh's new Stage AE on the North Shore (not a bad little venue). They did this Radiohead cover live, and gotta say it was pretty darn cool...

Craig Adams inked to 2 more years!

2011-06-10T13:19:00.000-05:00

Craig Fucking Adams. Yes indeed sir. I love this guy. With a middle name like Fucking, how do you not want this guy back on your roster. Do you remember the 5 skaters on the ice when the Pens beat the Wings for the Cup? I do. And Craig Fucking Adams was one of them. You know why? I do. Because he's a beast. Disco Dan knows this.

CFA will get $675,000 / year for the next 2 years. God bless Ray Shero. That's incredible value. True, CFA isn't going to get you many goals. You're not gonna put him along side 87 or 71. He's a 3rd / 4th line mucker, grinder, loose puck finder. He's a beast on the PK. He blocks shots. He wins draws. He's the smart veteran savy dude you need on Stanley Cup winning rosters. He's an Ivy League dude for chrissakes.

Bravo Ray. And welcome back, CFA.

Next on my "want list": Pascal Dupuis. Actually, Pascal was first on my want list, with all due respect to CFA. Word on the streets: Pascal wants a 3-year deal, while Ray rarely gives 30+ dudes more than 2 years. Do it Ray. Do it. Sometimes, you gotta step outta the box. Remember that time you traded for that big stiff Ponikorovsky from Toronto? That was out of the box. OK...so that didn't work out too well....bad example. But anyways...we want Super Duper back in the fold. The flexibility he adds...you can play him with 87...71...any line you want. Sure, he's more suited as a 3rd liner, but he can still get you 15 or so goals while killing every penalty ever committed. Get him back Ray. Do it. Do it.

more Times New Viking stuff

2011-06-10T07:57:00.003-05:00

Times New Viking loves their GBV and Fleetwood Mac. from Off Modern (thanks to gbvh for the forward)

Beth Murphy, on touring with GBV:

"A dream come true. We all lost our voices, not from singing our songs, but from singing along to them every night."

new video for "Try Harder", the song Adam "dedicated" to GBV in Iowa...

Times New Viking - Try Harder from Merge Records on Vimeo.

a couple of live soundcheck tunes in Atlanta, courtesy of Paste Magazine can be seen HERE.

and finally...i got pretty jackt when i heard jables was coming down from Canada for the Pittsburgh show. was rawking some TNV with the TV on mute late Saturday night when I got the news...

Times New Pittsburgh from Almost Human on Vimeo.

Archers of Loaf Reissues

2011-06-09T09:06:00.000-05:00

in case you haven't heard...Merge Records is reissuing all 4 Archers of Loaf studio albums, starting with our favorite, 1993's Icky Mettle. FCKYA! You can pre-order a limited edition copy on blue vinyl thru Merge now.

Also...set yer calendars for June 24th when they'll be playing live on Jimmy Fallon.

thanks to jables from the Nate Corner for the heads up!

Those Darlins ~ Brillobox this Friday

2011-06-08T12:09:00.000-05:00

a few shows playing around the Burgh this Friday night, including a couple of Chicago bands - Smith Westerns at Mr Smalls, and Sarah and the Tall Boys at Peter B's Dance Barn (thanks Jerry!). One that caught my eye a while ago was this Those Darlins band, playing at the Brillobox.

Those Darlins have been touring around with another of our favs of recent times, Best Coast. And now they invade our favorite venue in our fair city. Just heard the title track from their new album Screws Get Loose over on XM, and I think I'm sold. Tickets available HERE.

fun little tune, released as a 7"...

another catchy one, and a super cool animated video...

Propeller # 125 up on eBay

2011-06-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

No...not mine. Not sure who this individual is, but he's got 100% positive feedback. And this one appears to be a nice one with an A+ rating. Sounds like he just got it signed by everyone from the "classic lineup" as well, so that's kinda cool. At the time of this writing, it's got 7 + days left and currently sits at $510.

Happy bidding.

Look, it's hockey

2011-06-07T10:52:00.001-05:00

Been pretty quiet on the hockey front around here, but this got me outta my bean bag chair pretty quickly last night.

Godspeed to Nathan Horton. This blatant attempt to injure cheap shot had us kinda grossed out last night. Puck is long gone, Aaron Rome sizes up Horton, leaves his feet, and tries to end Horton's Stanley Cup Finals early...which he most likely did. Not wishing the worse for Horton, but what if he wasn't reported to have been moving his extremities afterwards at Mass General Hospital (and, as Don Cherry added, his arms and legs). What if Horton was paralyzed before a national audience on the NHL's biggest stage? Would that finally force the NHL's hand into doing something about this garbage?

Brendan Shanahan...your move.

My money is backing Vancouver this series, which has put me in a weird place. I'm finding this team pretty hard to cheer for, especially after last night's episode with Rome. Maxim LaPierre continues to flop all over the ice like a crippled seal. Obviously, this part of his game hasn't left him from his days in Montreal. And Alexandre Burrows is doing his best impersonation of a giant turd stain. He's pretty annoying, but in the grand scheme, fairly harmless...unless consumed.

Claude Julien, using his best coach speak, did not approve of Milan Lucic taunting Burrows, but we thought it was hilarious. End of the 3rd period, Burrows takes a "hit" from Lucic, and proceeds to act like he took a hacksaw to the jugular. So Lucic responds with a "I'll give you something to cry about" punch to the head. We say Bravo. Then, with two linesman between them, Burrows imitates the angry batter who gets plunked and wants a piece of the pitcher...only after he can't get to him due to others impeding his progress. Tough guy.

So Lucic sticks his finger in his face, offering Burrows a little snack to chew on. Absolutely hysterical!!!

I've always been a big fan of Milan Lucic, but he climbs the ladder even further with this move...

The 8-1 Bruins trashing of the Canuck makes this a series, which is probably a good thing for the neutral hockey observer. And again (Jay Caufield), I'm in a perplexing situation rooting for some guys I really don't like. Although I guess Brad Marchand is kind of a worm, too. And that Chara hit earlier this year in Montreal was pretty cheap.

Go Canucks, I guess.

been busy listening to the Birdcage. ILB.

2011-06-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

The 2-3-whatever week EC hiatus is over. Call it a mini-slump. I'm back...ready to come outta my shoes. Back in the box and ready to rake! Sorta like a bastard. It's time to get this stupid blog going once more. Gonna feed it a ribbon of fat. Speaking of...

Been listening to Robert Pollard's new album Lord Of the Birdcage pretty much non stop since it arrived last week. Mixing in a little Times New Viking (playing the Burgh Friday July 22!!), but it's been mostly Bob and the Birdcage non stop.

I'm officially placing it atop my favorite Bob albums of the year, ahead of the Mars Classroom record from the previous month. I've heard the term grower, but there's some instant hits throughout. If I had to rate the 12 tunes off of LOtB, I would probably place the following somewhere in the middle...

Not saying I'm not a fan of "Silence Before Violence", this record is just that good. Not since We All Got Out Of the Army, can I remember taking a record and just flipping it over and over and over over...

btw: don't know who mordantfilms is over on the YouTubes, but props mate. Actually, "Silence Before Violence" may move up my personal LOtB chart after watching that.

and thanks to gbvh once again for the forward and the motivation :)

buy Lord Of the Birdcage at Rockathon.

Dirty Beaches - Brillobox - Tonight

2011-05-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

DIRTY BEACHES - Like Dreamers Do from Moduli TV on Vimeo.

been away for a short time, and for that, we suck. lots going on, including tonight's show at the Brillobox.

Dirty Beaches is a one man thing ~ Alex Hungtai. Appears he plays with a band on occasion, and other times by himself. I'm not sure what we're getting tonight. "Lo-fi rockabilly" is what I've heard, and I'm kinda digging the few songs I've listened to. But I'll try to capture some vid, and promise to post more tomorrow.

Pretty kewl blog he has...go HERE.

DALGLISH!

2011-05-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

King Kenny has just been given a new 3 year contract to remain at Liverpool. Steve Clarke also given another 3 years.

We're on the rise!! The rest of the Prem can piss off!! Back to the glory days!!

EC is calling for a glorious triumph over a slumping Spurs side at Anfield this Sunday. The Europa League spot will be all ours! Piper's Pub calls.

Devo - Stage AE - June 17

2011-05-11T07:23:00.001-05:00

Devo was forced to cancel their last show in the Burgh last summer. Good news for all good spuds out there - this one will be rain or shine (or so we're told) at Stage AE. FRIDAY (!!) June 17th is the date. I have yet to check out the new Stage AE next to Heinz Field, but may get a tester when Weezer plays there the Sunday before Memorial Day.

get Tickets HERE via Ticketbastard.

I'd rather be in Philly this same night to see GBV and WAVVES. But I've never had the chance to see Devo live, so this would be a nice back-up plan.

this makes me very very happy...

Times New Viking - Ever Falling in Love (PITTSBURGH date!!)

2011-05-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

new video...

and guess what...

THEY'RE COMING TO PITTSBURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just announced (or maybe I just noticed it). Friday, July 22nd. At the intimate confines of the Warhol!!! FCKYA!!!!!

This place is pretty tiny, kids. 100 seats + some aisle seating. Seats are going to be tough to use for this one. So what I'm saying is...don't wait on getting tix. Do it now. Do it. GO HERE.

R.I.P. Lemonade Guy (aka Cotton Candy Guy)

2011-05-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

Sad news outta the Burgh. Word on the streets is that the Lemonade Guy, or Cotton Candy Guy as he's known at Consol, is dead. Still waiting on confirmation and other details, but going to the ball game just won't be the same any more. I believe his name was Ken. Ken was intense. And you always heard him coming.

Thanks to long lost contributor Yast for this tidbit. More on this story as it develops.

Lord Of The Bird Cage

2011-05-10T07:22:00.000-05:00

Another month, another record release by Robert Pollard. By our count, that's 4 albums in 5 months. The Boston Spaceships record Let It Beard should be the next one out some time this summer, and there's even more rumors of more to come from RP later this year. The release date on this one is May 30th, and is up for pre-order over at The Factory of Raw Essentials HERE.

Word on the streets is this one was done a little differently. Uncle Bob took a dozen or so previously written poems, and then transformed them into the songs. Further word on the streets is it's another gem. Mars Classroom will be tough to beat.

The Feet Continue to Dance

2011-05-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

saw this over on Hudsonia the other day. Hopefully, the blog that celebrates the genius of Ray Hudson is back after a little hiatus.

Awesome stuff, featuring the brilliant Lionel Messi and the wit of Ray...

thanks to TheWizardofOxDotCom over on YouTube for that.

And C'Mon Barca!!!

The Craps Crap Out

2011-05-05T18:10:00.000-05:00

I love having a good laugh at the Capitals expense. Maybe it's because their HC is a whiny slob who doesn't know how to wipe his face. Maybe it's their turd-like GM, or owner Ted Leonsis who feels everything is owed to him. And I'm sure their are some cool Caps fans out there (hell...I even know a couple), but most of them come off as self-deserving poodles.

I like a few of their players. Brooks Laich seems like a cool dude. Jason Arnott is a stand up guy, I think. But a lot of them seem like little bitchy puke stains with no heart when it comes playoff time (here's looking at you Nik Backstrom and Alex Semin). And Mike Green is way too emo for my tastes. Then there's Ovie.

I won't deny Ovie's talents. He's one of the best players in the game and a great offensive threat. I'd even say he's one of the Top 10 players in the game, with potential to be Top 2. And he definitely doesn't disappear in the playoffs like his other "skilled" teammates (Backstrom, Semin, Green). The dislikable part of Ovie's game is his clownish goal celebrations and sometimes selfishness in trying to take opponents out with cheap highlight reel runs. Take last night...

1st period, Ovie takes one of his patented runs, leaves his feet, trying to plaster some dude into the glass. 2 minute penalty for being a dick, Ryan Malone scores, and the Bolts never look back. Good riddance Caps. Ovechkin's guarantee fails.

No one is questioning is want. But maybe if Ovie took some of the selfishness out of his game, I could be more of a fan. Until then, I say good day.

The Crapitals, Rashard's Opinions, Disco Dan

2011-05-04T07:48:00.003-05:00

It shouldn't be a big surprise that the Craps are struggling in the 2nd Round of the NHL playoffs. They've simply run out of gas. After all, no team has ever won 2 Stanley Cups in the same calendar year, like Washington is trying to do in 2011. Hats off to BBQ Bruce and Boyz for winning their 1st Stanley Cup on January 1st at Heinz Field. But coming back from an 0-3 deficit against Tampa Bay this series will be a tall task. They should be proud to raise their Winter Classic banner at the end of the year right next to last year's Presidents' Trophy banner.

btw...Vinny's Game 2 OT goal celebration was pretty hilarious. Remind you of anyone else who likes to celebrate goals in this building? Yeah...eff that guy.

******************************************************

The word around some camps is that Rashard Mendenhall is entitled to his opinions. The Steeler RB who fumbled away the Super Bowl has a few opinions that he wants you to hear, such as:

Playing in the NFL is the equivalent of slavery.
If your girl doesn't perform orally, she deserves what she gets.
Osama Bin Laden might have been a cool cat if you only heard his side.

Sure, Mendenhall is entitled to his opinions...just like everyone else is entitled to theirs. I side with the majority of people whose opinion on Mendenhall is he's a dumb ass. My other opinion is that everyone who had signed up for his Twitter page is now dumber for having read his Tweets.

***************************************************

And finally...

Big congrats to Disco Dan Bylsma for being nominated for the Jack Adams award, as the NHL's coach of the year. Playing with a short deck the entire year while amassing 106 points...well, we don't think it's close. But who knows? Nashville's Barry Trotz, one of the other nominees, probably won't get it because he has a huge head and resembles a turtle. Vancouver's Alain Vigneault is the 3rd candidate, and we're betting Bylsma gets snubbed for him. Blame Canada :)

As Mario Lemieux once said about his hockey accomplishments: they don't vote on Stanley Cups or scoring titles. Or something like that.

Disco buries it...

Ted Leo at the Warhol (tonight!!!!!)

2011-05-03T13:43:00.001-05:00

TONIGHT!!! $12. with local guest Karl Hendricks. 8:00 show!

solo set from Ted, so while you may not see this...

you might see something more like this...

Ted Leo "Bottled In Cork" from Matthew Perpetua on Vimeo.

we'll be there. fckya!!

Guided by Voices ~ Grand Rapids

2011-05-02T22:23:00.002-05:00

One of the greatest 36 consecutive hours I've ever experienced, thanks to a bunch of beautiful friends and the greatest band of all time.

huge thanks to Rich T for the set list from Friday night (Captain's Dead!!!!!!). Much more on these shows in the next couple of days once we regroup, including some video we took. Camera was forgotten in the Burgh, so props to our good pal Brittany Greene for this shot...

and this video from Saturday night...

EuroHEEDFEST Ohio Heedburger

2011-05-01T07:54:00.002-05:00

There's a HEEDFEST in Europe?! fckya! this is pretty good...

hope to have some good footage from Grand Rapids posted in the next few days, pending hangover.

You can suck, and still rule (GBV content)

2011-04-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

per Bob.

FCKYA!!!

Grand Rapid Hour

2011-04-29T07:10:00.002-05:00

from that crazy bastadge over atRagman Productions...

Grand Rapid Hour [Tickle Your Ass With A Feather Trailer] from Ragman Productions on Vimeo.

YES!!!!! Tonight! Tomorrow Night!! Every night!!

Pens dun. Day of remorse.

2011-04-28T19:08:00.000-05:00

hey...we found Kris Letang...

GBV this weekend. More review on this next week, I think.

Game 7. Do it.

2011-04-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

I'll save the soliloquy about how the PP blows, Kovalev needs to be less lazy, Engelland needs to play ahead of Lovejoy, it's not Fleury's fault, Talbot should change his name to Big Game Talbot, Colin Campbell screwed us with the Matt Cooke suspension, Ryan Malone is a useless turd, Guy Boucher needs to quit whining about Orpik, Roloson has been awesome (but still looks crazy), I wish we still had Kris Letang playing for us, CFA has balls bigger than your head, Michalek and Martin need to be better and more physical, James Neal (insert something here)....but you still need to believe in Disco Dan and the heart of this effing team.

LET'S GO PENS!!!!

Devo - "What We Do"

2011-04-26T11:46:00.002-05:00

gotta get the brain off hockey for a day...

for the complete interactive experience, go here:

Click Around & Buy Things in Devo's Interactive Video [PREMIERE]

thanks again to Rando Mango for the forward.

Pens Crap the Bed; Free Candy Break Down

2011-04-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not even gonna try to recap Game 5. And I spent most of the 2nd half burying my face in some tasty chicken fajitas (grilled by yours truly), so any "analysis" on my part would be half-assed. All I know is this: we better get it done tonight. I don't want a Game 7. Not because I don't think we can win a home Game 7 (which would be against the trend), but I really wanna see Mogwai Wednesday night (go sports!).

Illegal (?) and suspendable (?) hits have been the talk of the 1st round. Mike (leadership) Richards' boarding call which injured Tim Connolly (out for Game 7) was one of the latest. And then there was Bryan Bickell leaving his feet last night in Chicago (but anything behind the net is legal, from what we've learned). Colin Campbell (hey guys!) is not the greatest professor of Legal Hits 101, so this lesson has been pretty confusing to say the least. But from what we can hypothesize, this is the perfect legal hockey check...

Elbow stays down, feet never leave the ice, not in the back, and not to an un-expecting player. Not boarding, didn't use his stick, and didn't punch him in the face afterward. ~~Hit took place behind the net~~. Didn't trash talk his opponent. Colin Campbell said, "hey guys, it was a good hit, haven't you ever played hockey?" after watching the replay. He isn't Matt Cooke, and he doesn't even wear the same # as Matt Cooke. How could he? He's on the same team. The player getting hit is not Marc Savard. He doesn't propel himself. He doesn't launch himself. ~~The player being hit isn't a star player~~. He's not a repeat offender. He doesn't have a reputation for this sorta thing. It's a hockey play (c'mon guys). ~~He's on an Original Six team, and he's from Canada~~. (c'mon guys).

Learn the rules, ass clowns.

Mr Irrelevant

2011-04-23T08:19:00.001-05:00

this is the picture of a man with a rally drum inserted inside him

Let's Go Pens! Finish this. Do it.

"My Team" Saturday

2011-04-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

It may not get any better than this line-up:

10:00 am: Liverpool vs. Birmingham - FSC. The day starts out at Anfield. Nothing more fitting to start out my day with my teams than "You'll Never Walk Alone."

12:00 pm: Game 5 - Pens vs. Bolts - ROOT. The Beloved looks to close out Tampa Bay. Seeing I've got a Mogwai show to see on Wednesday (same night as a potential Game 7), let's close this pig and move on!!

2:00 pm Barcelona vs. Osasuna (your Built to Spills of La Liga) - GOL TV. We'll have to DVR this and start it a little late, most likely. Barca needs to regain some confidence after being Mourinhoed in the Copa Del Ray Final. A Wed semi-final clash in another El Clasico looms Wednesday.

4:00 pm Toronto FC v. Columbus - internet viewing. Hopefully, we can find this on justin.tv as we've seen previous TFC matches this year. TFC sits in 7th out of 9 in the East, and is looking up at rival Columbus. Home wins are a must, and 3 points are needed.

8:00 pm Inter Milan v. Lazio - FSC (debut broadcast - delayed). #3 (good guys) meets #4 (bad guys) in Serie A. Inter looks to build on their midweek Coppa Italia victory over Roma, but another Scudetto appears to be along shot at this point (back 8 pts).

Sprinkle in some more NHL playoff action throughout the day (Rags / Caps at 3:00, Bs / Habs at 7:00, and Sharks / Kings at 10:00). Supposed to be another shitty day outside with rain storms. My couch is going to hate me.

Andrew Ference doesn't like Habs fans, I guess...

GBV - Watch Me Jumpstart (more from Iowa)

2011-04-22T08:22:00.002-05:00

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

unlike some others we've posted, this one is unedited and raw. brilliantly shot by "Tripod."

GBV - Watch Me Jumpstart from Almost Human on Vimeo.

thanks to mad man mike for the "I'm so damn happy" sound effect :)

It just takes one...

2011-04-21T15:01:00.002-05:00

that didn't take long.

What if James Neal never scored another goal...

2011-04-21T10:06:00.004-05:00

History will be made. "All it takes is one," Bob Errey. You effin said it.

And all James Neal does is score HUGE double OT playoff goals. Y'alls thought this guy sucked :)

Check out the kid to the left who just soiled his Underoos.

some dude named brentjohnsonFTW over on the YouTube has the Mike Lange radio call. No image necessary. Pure GOLD...

Overall, (and, yes, we know it was only a 1 goal OT win) the Pens were pretty dominant for large chunks of that game. 50+ shots on net, so kudos to crazy face Roloson for keeping the Bolts in the game. Official stat you didn't know about: Dominic Moore has gotten kicked out of more face off circles than anyone in league history. He's pretty much a dick and this is his mom...

Again, 1st goal of the game dictated the game. But upon further review, Tampa Bay doesn't play hockey until they are down TWO goals. What a shame. Once the Pens had a 2 goal lead, it was actually a really entertaining hockey game. Then they tied it, and they went back into hibernation mode with their trap. No wonder the Tampa Bay fans suck. They've got nothing to cheer for. I'm assuming Guy Boucher plays that style to mask the deficiencies on the blue line. But still, for all the talent they have up front, what a snooze fest of a style.

my 3 Stars:

#1 James Neal. Welcome to the team. For the first time since he's donned a Penguin sweater, we can say James Neal played great hockey AND scored a goal! (Yeah...we know he scored one other, but can't even remember that one anymore).

#2 Arron Asham. This dude is all over the place. He added his 3rd goal of the Series, and it could've been 4 or 5. The entire 4th line deserves props. Rupp, CFA, and Asham are monsters right now. And Asham has cemented his spot in the lineup, even when 87 eventually comes back. The depth on this team

#3 Orpik, Letang, Michalek, Martin. I have zero fear when one of these 2 tandems is on the ice. Absolutely stifling D, and more importantly against the 1-3-1 happy Lightning, pin point puck possession.

Other props:
TK - playing with a TON of confidence right now. Kennedy is morphing before your very eyes right now.
Fleury - solid, again.
PKers - Talbot, Duper, CFA, Staal - back to being beasts. Killed 4 Tampa PPs, and including a huge kill in OT (somehow, the refs forgot they put their whistles away).
Tangradi - Big Dog made himself big for the first PPG. Wait...did I just say PPG?!? holy shit...we scored on the PP!!! fckya!!!

This is not Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, so let's all not act like Washington Capitals here, and keep things in perspective. But this was a big win. And this brings a baby tear drop to the eye...

Anyone else get nervous watching Geno shoving dudes towards Sid? Imagine when 87 comes back.

Penguins fans applaud the idiocy of Colin Campbell

2011-04-20T11:36:00.001-05:00

YES!!! The complete incompetency of Colin Campbell has played in our favor!! Chris Kunitz only gets 1 game for his brutal and blatant elbow to Simon Gagne's head. The NHL Wheel of Justice could have easily spun to the 2 or 3 games penalty.

We love Kuni. This is his 1st offense, and we seriously think this was a once-off deal for him. He's a pretty smart player, so this move was kinda weird for us fans. Still, 1 game appears kinda light. But nobody should be surprised by anything Campbell does. Expecting anything from the NHL was your first mistake. Maybe Kunitz got off light because Campbell thinks Simon Gagne is a "little fake artist." Maybe Kunitz is a distant cousin who might play for the Bruins one day? Maybe Gagne touched his daughter? Who knows, and who cares at this point. The Pens will rejoice this "decision" by the NHL "brain trust."

Then there is Steve Downie. Unlike Kunitz, Dildo is a repeat offender. Downie got 20 games a few years ago for this...

That was in the preseason. The NHL has scientific proof that a hit like this in the preseason is more likely to cause injury than the same hit in the post season, so it should be punished more severely. Reason why this hit in the post season...

resulted in only a 1 game suspension.

But for Pens fans, that is also AWESOME news! Steve Downie is more likely to cost his team a game than he is to win one. We WANT Steve Downie in the Tampa Bay line-up. We NEED him on that wall.

GO PENS!

The Playoff Rollercoaster and Colin Campbell Coin Flips Continue

2011-04-19T11:03:00.001-05:00

The Pens and us fans are back on top of the world. At least until Wednesday night. No more gloom and doom, at least for a couple of days.

Big Game Max Talbot got the ball rolling with a huge goal on a delayed penalty. And in typical series fashion, the first goal led to a 2nd shortly after. All Arron Asham does is score goals in the playoffs. And the Top 2 defensive pairings, led by Kris Letang and Z Michalek logged HUGE minutes last night.

The Penguino had to battle a lot more than the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. Once again, the officiating sucked. Steve Downie, who launched himself into the head of Ben Lovejoy in a blatant attempt to injure, was going to be given a 2 minute minor before Talbo scored. Should have been a 5 minute major. He'll be meeting with Colin Campbell this morning for his coin flip to determine whether he'll be suspended or not.

Upon further review, Downie doesn't appear to leave his feet. It looks like he scales the boards like Spiderman, so we're not sure if that's illegal or not.

Then there was the call that led to Tampa's 1st goal. Alex Kovalev gets cross checked into crazy faced Roloson, as James Neal is praying for a puck to go into the net. But Kovy gets called for goalie interference, and the Bolts would get a St Louis PPG shortly after.

3rd period, Vinny does the center drive thingy, barrels into Paul Martin, and Martin gets called for interference. Questionable. Tampa adds another PPG courtesy of Root Canal. BTW: when the Bolts aren't playing non-hockey with their 1-3-1 trap, and have a 1 man advantage, they actually look pretty entertaining. Shame that Guy Boucher feels the need to strangle all the talent out of that team for the majority of the game.

So the game is tied briefly, thanks to the refs. TK time. Eff the refs. Eff your dumb ass rally drums. Buries it. 30 seconds after St Louis ties it with his 2nd of the game, Mr Kennedy gets the GWG. Eff your "green men" too...

STUNNED.

These dorks have nothing on the dudes from Vancouver. If you're going to copycat something, don't half ass it. Go full retard and leave on the face gear. More proof the game needs to get out of the South and back to Canada. I bet they also have cheerleaders.

Speaking of dorks...I used to think Dominic Moore was a quality hockey player. This guy spends more time flopping around on the ice and snapping his head back than the best divers in the game. He's Sean Avery, minus any balls.

And while we're on the subject of players we're growing tired of...simmer down Ryan Malone. Your irrelevance in the series is not forgivable by acting like you're doing something in front of the net. Skating by MAF every time he has the puck so you can smile at him isn't a nuisance. It's a cry from being homesick.

Oh...Chris Kunitz will also have a coin flip this morning in Colin Campbell's office this morning. We love Kunitz, but if we were the NHL, we'd suspend him for his blatant elbow to Gagne. Fortunately, for us Pens fans, it is the NHL and a suspension isn't inevitable. We'll know the results of the coin flip later this morning. Dumb play by Kunitz, nonetheless.

After Raffi Torres escaped suspension yesterday, we looked up Rule 48, which Colin Campbell conveniently used as his explanation for the non-suspension ruling. Per the NHL rule book, Rule 48 reads as follows:

Illegal checks to the head by Matt Cooke, defined as "a lateral or blind side hit to an opponent (other than Marc Savard) where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted," will now be subject to a five-minute major penalty and automatic game misconduct, as well as possible supplemental discipline if deemed appropriate by the father of a son who plays on the Bruins.

So if you read that rule above, by the letter of the law, it is foreseeable that Kunitz could get off here without a suspension.

Our 3 stars:
#1 Kris Letang - led the D, and looked more like 1st half of the season Letang than 2nd half of the season Letang. Logged 24:30 TOI, had 2 assists, with 5 SOGs.

#2 Max Talbot - Max loves to show up in big games. As we've been preaching, the 1st goal will win, and Max provided it. He was also huge on face-offs.

#3 Shared by our 2 goalies on the ice: Marc-Andre Fleury and Michalek Island. The only goals given up by MAF were aided by 2 questionable penalty calls, and were great goals by St Louis. Michalek had 57 blocked shots in the game, and added 5 SOGs. Despite the PP not scoring again, he appears to be getting comfy in his new role at the point on the 1st unit.

Let's Go Pens! In Colin Campbell, we trust! Free Chris Kunitz!

btw: if you would like to play: Will He Not, or Will He Be Suspended, play along with the NHL Wheel of Justice.

thanks to Rando Mango for tipping us on that one.

other notes:
Sidney Crosby is skating with the team this morning.
James Neal will never ever ever score another goal.
PP is now 0 for April.

Pens suckiness; Draws

2011-04-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

The better team won Friday night in the CEC. We'll toot our horn again, as we've been saying, the 1st goal wins the game. The Bolts got it, and they trapped it up the rest of the game. Also doesn't help that Tampa Bay can seemingly do whatever they feel like defensively, with no fear of taking penalties, because the Pens power play is now 0-for-37 in the series. Puke.

Whine mode:
(Keeping in mind the first sentence of the post), adding to the frustration was the way the refs got down on their knees for Guy Boucher after Game 1. Boucher cried about the officiating after Game 1. In typical NHL fashion, they got the calls in Game 2. A minute into the game, Max Talbot puts a shoulder into some jag's chest, which sends him flying into the boards. Perfectly legal and clean hit according to everybody but Dominic Moore. Moore goes bitch boy, and starts jousting with Talbot on the face-off, the refs send Max to the box alone. Piss poor.

St Louis takes a penalty shortly after that, 4-on-4, Tampa scores. GAME OVER.

2nd period, Tampa doesn't care to play hockey so it was all Pens for the majority of the period. Pens buzzing before Craig Fuckin Adams scores. Hope is alive. Then right before the end of the period, the refs give Brooks Orpik a penalty for something. Apparently, this is the first cross checking penalty ever given to a player who wasn't even on the ice. PPG Tampa, GAME OVER (for reals this time).

A look at the box score will show an even amount of penalties on both sides. Bullocks.

MAF did not stand on his head, as he has been. Someone will surely be calling for Brent Johnson in Game 2. A look at Fleury's goals against:

2 on 1 rush by Tampa as the result of a bad decision by Letang. Forgivable.
PPG by Vinny. Forgivable.
Not sure what happened. ROOT Sports was showing a shot of James Neal holding his lip on the bench when Tampa scored. Questionable.
PPG by Root Canal. Bad goal, but a PPG nonetheless.
empty netter. who cares.

Fleury was not the blame, but he will need to be better. He needs to carry us on his back.

Embarrassing moment of the night: Dominic Moore flopping to the ice at 19:17 of the 3rd with his team up 5-1. Joke city. Have some pride, dude. Was even more embarrassing than his no goal celebration from Game 1...

According to reports this morning, James Neal is NOT on the ice this morning with the team. Not sure what the scoop is. Without Neal, the Pens will have to do without another ~~goal scoring~~ forward.

Pens need to take 1 of the next 2 in Tampa Bay. Do it.

**********************************************************

Only Jose Mourinho could dumb down El Classico into a defensive stand still. The 1st of 4 matches between my beloved Barcelona and Real Madrid over the next couple weeks was kind of a dud. Two PK's, one by Messi, the other by Ronaldo, and we were left with a 1-1 draw. From a Barcelona standpoint it was a victory. Playing at home, RM had to get the full 3 if they had any hope of catching them in La Liga. Fail. Hopefully, Wednesday's clash in the Copa Del Ray final will offer more excitement.

***********************************************************

Liverpool / Arsenal 1-1. Play of the day: Arsene Wenger goes full cry baby after Lucas is taken down in the box by Eboue. The referee makes the correct call, one that was just made at the opposite end minutes prior, and awards Liverpool the PK. Dirk Kuyt buries it. Kenny Dalglish tells Wenger to piss off...

Classic!!!!

Record Store Day is HERE

2011-04-15T15:28:00.001-05:00

There are approximately 1500 independent record stores around the nation participating this year, and there are 3 right here in the Burgh that we will be perusing Saturday afternoon.

Dave's Music Mine - South Side
Dave's will be carrying a few of the limited edition releases that people will be lining up for early in the morning. There are a few nice ones to be found (see the complete list HERE), including a Foo Fighters LP of cover songs (previously unreleased), a Green Day / Husker Du collaboration, a Rolling Stones 7" of "Brown Sugar" (only 5,000 pressed), a Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" single, and a Ramones / Red Hot Chili Peppers 7" of Havana Affair.

Upon the last time I checked, they were supposed to get a New Pornographers release as well, but that no longer appears on the list (sigh). Further more, it sounds like the Dave's people are a little upset over the quantity of these releases that they rec'd. Of the aforementioned releases, this is what they have in stock:

Stones - 5 copies
Havana Affair - 2 copies
Husker Du / Green Day - 1 copy
Foo - 9 copies
Beach Boys - 10 copies

Dave's will open the store at 9:00am (I imagine the line will form outside prior to this), and sales will start at 10:00am. Everyone will receive a # upon entry to the store. The limited edition RSD releases are sold at one copy / person. From the quantities I've seen, these could be sold out with the first 5-10 customers in the store. Not Dave's fault, mind you, so please don't go into the store and be all bitchy will store personnel. Remember, it's a joyous occasion and a day to celebrate records.

editor's note: I have no affiliation with Dave's Music Mine, and don't know a single soul who works there. we just believe in being nice (until it's time not to be nice, and Dalton will tell you when that is).

So with this unfortunate news, I doubt I'll be one of those ambitious crazies lining up before 9:00. I'll concede. However, we will definitely be making our way to Dave's at some point, most likely after a hearty breakfast and the hangover wears off (let's go Pens!!).

Jerry's Records - Murray Ave

Jerry's will be another place who will be receiving some of my hard earned cash tomorrow. While Jerry's is not participating in the limited release thingy, they are doing something special. They are giving away 10,000 records tomorrow, in 100/bx quantities. I'm a long time math guy, so what that says to me is: the first 100 people through the door will get a box of free records. Now surely, these aren't going to be the greatest records (at least I'm assuming), but a few gems outta your 100 is a possibility, no? Kudos to Jerry's for this. So go to Jerry's and adopt some records! (And buy some, too!!!).

There is also another store somewhere in Pittsburgh called Stedeford's. However, the word on the streets is that they are taking their limited releases, and selling them on eBay before RSD. Those bastards. This is a definite no-no for the stores who agreed to participate, and we can understand RSD for being a little upset about it. Needless to say, Stedeford's will not be receiving any of our disposable loot for vinyl. More on this subject in a later post.

And finally, if you'd like to see a rather extensive list of the records being released for this grand occasion, GO HERE. A lot of great shit on there, and most likely, stuff I won't be able to obtain. One I would love, obviously, is the Guided by Voices tribute record, Sing For Your Meat, released by No More Fake Labels and curated by Misty Dawn Briggs. This calls for a time to rely on your friends. And hopefully (hope, hope), someone can snag me one of these.

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT RECORD STORES. SUPPORT ARTISTS AND THE VINYL CREATIONS THEY MAKE. BE HAPPY. IT'S EASIER AND MORE FUN.

Tsunami Benefit at Shadow Lounge

2011-04-15T10:33:00.000-05:00

TONIGHT!! So if hockey ain't your bag, go check out on of the city's best jazz artists perform at the Shadow Lounge. Phat Man Dee will be headlining the gig with Miguel Sague III & Carlos Peña of Guaracha Latin Dance Band.

Also playing will be one of our favorite Pittsburgh acts, Amoeba Knievel.

Other artists include: Geña y Peña, Gene Stovall, Onya Grounz, Christina Springer, Ben Shannon, Daryl Fleming, Alba Flamenca with Carolina Loyola-Garcia, Jon Bañuelos and Barb Kress, Lady Elizabeth Couteau of Bridge City Bombshells, Ivivi Mori (Dj Soy Sos & Geña) Christine Andrews of Zafira and Emay and Erin (fire dancers).

8:00 tonight. All proceeds will benefit the International Medical Corps relief efforts in Japan.

Win # 1 of 16

2011-04-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

taken from Savage_Beast over at Pensblog. thank you!

Jesus. Welcome to the NHL Playoffs Mr. Stamkos. That hit pretty much set the tone. Orpik looked possessed all night, and Stamkos disappeared after that, with only 1 SOG the entire night. Although the Pens brought the physicalities early and often, The Bolts were actually outshooting the Pens after the 1st period. But any chances they had were voided by Marc-Andre Fleury. MAF's play didn't miss a beat, and the Flower's head is swelling with confidence right now.

From the 2nd period on, the Beloved owned the game. It was apparent that the early hits were taking their toll, and their cute little 1-3-1 trap would only hold up so long. Besides Ryan Malone skating around like he actually mattered, little was heard from the talented forwards from Tampa. Vinny had probably their best chance on the night (with a pretty little between the legs manuever), but Fleury was better.

Although the score was Nils after 2 periods, there was a strong sense that the Pens were taking over, and Tampa Bay was wearing down. It would have been kinda sucky to lose this one.

3rd period, some guy named James Neal shows up in a Penguins sweater. Not sure where he came from but he looks like a keeper. He takes the pass from Paul Martin, who made a great play pinching down the left boards before dishing it back to Neal, who makes this nifty little slap pass to Kovalev. Buries it.

EC isn't the the type of blog to toot its own horn, but someone on these pages said yesterday the 1st goal would be HUGE MAJ (or something like that). 18 seconds later, Arron Effin Asham (not to be confused with Craig Fuckin Adams). Buries it. What a beast. Game.

BTW: what the hell is Dominic Moore celebrating?

I was going to say it was a perfect game. But then I look at the Power Play stats. 0-6 on 9:32. If we can ever get that thing going, we will be a very dangerous squad. Maybe that'll have to wait until 87 puts down the headset and returns from the rafters. But as long as they play the way they did last night, this Pens team will be a-ok.

My 3 Stars:

#1 Star - Fleury. On top of his game. The Flower's head is so big right now. We're talking Chris Neil big. Again (in Jay Caufield voice), Fleury is going to be difference in this series. Crazy faced Dwayne Roloson simply can not outplay MAF in 7 games. And if the Pens continue to own the majority of shots and chances, we'll get through.

#2 Star - Brooks. The hit on Stamkos set the tone. And Orpik has a history of shutting down the Lightning stud. #44 and the rest of the D-corp are key #2 to winning this series. And along with partner Letang, as well as Michalek / Martin, these guys were studs all night. Orpik also assisted on 2 goals.

#3 Star - tough call. A great team performance, with big ups to Neal (1 A), Kovalev (1 G), Kunitz (EN), Staal (A, 6 SOG). But I'm gonna give it to Arron Asham. The Bolts didn't even have a chance to get out of stunned mode before Asham started flying around the ice. The coast-to-coast effort was an opportunistic effort that my pizza stealing dog would appreciate. He was also part of a great night for the 4th line. Happy 33rd birthday to Arron Asham.

Props to the fans in attendance last night, as well. As a season ticket holder, I've been pretty disappointed all year with the lack of enthusiasm in the new building. Last night, I was really impressed.

ROOT Sports. Just like FSN...will you please tell your director to STAY ON THE GAME CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!! How many scoring chances do we have to miss before you realize the quick takes to all your other ice level cameras SUCK. Use them for replays you F*$*@N DOUCHE NOZZLES. I'm so sick of this shit. Your 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 9th cameras are not enhancing the action for us fans during live action. And they are not why people are tuning in. THEY SUCK. STAY ON THE GAME CAMERA, PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF SWEET BABY JESUS CHRIST. STAY ON THE GAME CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally: we preach the sheer awesomeness of the Pensblog here all the time. We have no affiliation, and I don't even know who these dudes are. I do know it's great stuff and pretty essential reading for any Pens fans out there. Another great recap from last night's game. We highly recommend it. Bookmark it. Do it.

Around the rest of the NHL:

The Pens win, along with all other games were meaningless as well. Apparently, Alexander Semin and the Washington Capitals just won Game 7 of the Finals. Season is over.

Starring Will Forte as Ryan Malone and Ryan Phillippe as Jordan Staal...

(warning...swear words)

LET IT BEARD! (NHL Playoff content)

2011-04-13T12:43:00.001-05:00

My beard starts today. And I'm doing it for charity (completely serious!). You can too: Raise money for the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which supports cancer research, by growing one for the team. Go HERE, for info on how to join the Pittsburgh Penguins Beard-A-Thon, and start raising money.

Now for the much anticipated NHL Playoff WINNERS from EC:

EAST

PENS v. Tampa
Obviously, the heart looms large here. And that's what we're going with. First goals will be huge in this series. If Tampa gets on the board first, they'll go into their stupid little 1-3-1 trap, which could result in a snooze fest. Sans 87, Tampa obviously holds the edge up front with St Louis, Stamkos, Vinny, and a now healthy Gagne. But I've got a lot of faith in our 2 top D-pairings. Orpik / Letang and Michalek (BEAST) / Martin form one of the best blue lines in the NHL. It's weird going into a playoff season saying the Pens will rely on their D. But I think we can. Add in quality defensive forwards like Staal, Duper, Talbot, and I think we have enough to hold Tampa's top 2 lines at Bay. Everyone pitches in on the offensive end with TK and Kuni leading the way, and I think we'll be alright.

But the main reason I'm going with the Beloved: Fleury. Carey Price and Tim Thomas hand-job givers will tell you different, but no goalie was better in the East the 2nd half of the season. Provided we don't pound Roloson with pucks to the gut the entire series, and maybe pick a couple of corners, I think this is the huge edge that will eventually win the Pens the series.

James Neal. Take a mulligan, my friend. Your account with Pittsburgh opens now. Do it.

Pens in 6. WINNER.

Washington v. Rangers
I will be rooting for New York, simply for a healthy hate of the Caps and their whiny owner Ted Leonsis. Washington will be without Alexander Semin, who never shows up this time of year, but I must admit I like (hate) the additions they made at the end of the year. Arnott and Knuble are veteran studs. If there was another guy on this team I might actually like, it would be Brooks Laich.

I would have given NY a better chance with Ryan Callahan in the line-up, and maybe Queen Henry can stand on his head. The coaching edge is also huge here, with Tortarella over BBQ Bruce. So I would not be surprised if the Rangers won this series, and we'll be pulling for them. But if I have to put $$ on it, I'd say...

Caps in 7. WINNER.

Philly v. Buffalo

There will be upsets in the playoffs, and this is one I'm taking. Sergie Bobturdsky was brutal down the stretch. The Sabres were on fire. And while the Flyers have a lot of depth up front, they have no superstars capable of taking over the game (Giroux may be the closest). Pronger is supposed to return, and that should help. For some reason, he's allowed to interfere and cross check opponents more than other D-men in the NHL, so that also helps. But in the end, we like Ryan Miller over the dingle berries that Philly have in net. Add in the pressure on the Flyers from all the "experts" picking them to win the East, I'm sensing bums puckering.

Buffalo in 6. WINNER.

Boston v. Montreal

While this could be a good series because of the rivalry, I think it's going to be a slaughter. I wish the Pens would've taken a page out of the Bruins book when they faced the Habs last year. Get physical with them and their tails go between their legs. Boston definitely has the muscle to do this, and they will dominate this series. Montreal apparently folds when you get in their face, or take a cheap shot on one of their guys into the turnbuckle.

The Prime Minister of Canada won't be able to help.

Bruins in 5. WINNER.

WEST

Vancouver v. Chicago
I think this will be competitive, with all the pressure on the Canucks. I'm not taking anything out of the fact Chicago backed into this. The slate is clean. But while the Hawks have a lot of quality, the salary cap dealt them a serious blow to their depth. Bolland and Brouwer are also questionable, adding to their lack of depth. If the Canucks get by this series, it could launch them into a long Stanley Cup run. I'm apologizing to my Chicago friends, and saying they will...

Canucks in 7. WINNER.

btw: I'd love this dude on my team...

San Jose v. LA
Great spot for the Shark. They're not the favorite. And the loss of Kopitar will be too much to overcome for LA. The Shark finally has a proven G in net with Niemi. I love Patty Marleau (said in Pierre McGuire voice) and Big Joe Thornton. Logan Couture has added even more scoring punch. The Kings will try to make this into a scrap fest early with Ryan Smyth, Dustin Brown, and Wayne Simmonds, but they simply don't have enough. What the hell happened to Drew Doughty this year?!

The Shark in 5. WINNER.

Detroit v. Phoenix

The Red Wings have apparently gotten healthy at the right time. I don't like their G situation with Howard (he sucks), so there's a huge edge with Bryzgalov for Phoenix. Howard will most likely doom them in the end of the playoffs, but not this round. Detroit has too much pedigree and will get by a tough series.

While I don't care for the Swedish SCUBA team of Zetterturd, Franzen, and Holmstrom...I respect their game. I'm also a fan of Lidstrom and Datspuke, and appears the latter is healthy.

Detroit in 6. WINNER.

Anaheim v. Nashville
This is the year they get to the chopper. The Predator behind Pekke Rinne finds a way to win a playoff series. They were close last year, but this year it happens. I love Corey Perry and that line with him, Getzlaf, and Ryan is top notch. But too much reliance on them will be their fall (apologies to Teemu).

The Predator in 7. WINNER.

btw: not giving credit to gbvh on this one for the headline. He won't read this anyway, and I would've eventually have thought of that myself :)

Mountain Goats - TONIGHT at Mr Smalls

2011-04-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

Plenty of good seats still available. Bring the whole family.

I've got a few albums from the Mountain Goats, but I've never been able to catch them live. The only time I've seen MG leader John Darnielle perform in person was last fall in Brooklyn when he sang back-up for Superchunk on "Digging for Something." The addition of Jon Wurster to the MG line-up in 2007 is a welcome one for me. Jon is one of my favorite drummers of all-time, so that'll be a special treat for us tonight. Also looking forward to picking up their new record All Eternals Deck, which was released a couple of weeks ago. It is available through Merge Records (free shipping). Buy the vinyl and get a free download. Do it.

Megafun opens at 8:00 (doors at 7).

From 2008's Heretic Pride...

Find more The Mountain Goats songs at Myspace Music

From my favorite MG album that I own, Get Lonely, this is "Woke Up New"...

Mike Watt & the Missingmen at the Brillobox (revisited)

2011-04-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

I think the Brillobox is my favorite place in Pittsburgh. Missing out on tickets for this show because I'm stupid, we decided to wing it and go anyway. The Plan (keeps coming up again): If we find someone with extras, FCKYA! If not, we enjoy some pints and grub in a great atmosphere on a lovely Sunday evening. So we sat at the bar, and put a sign on my back...

Halfway through our hummus (which, btw, is the most incredible and delightful hummus in the city), along came our pal Mr Tommy Amoeba. Tommy knew the opening band, a local act called Neighbors. One of their friends had an extra, and then another friendly dude from down the bar had another...and WE WERE IN!

btw: we also recommend the shrimp tacos.

I missed out on the first few songs from Neighbors, due to those shrimp tacos, but this is a band you should try to catch around the city. A lot of fun! They are playing THIS THURSDAY at Lava Lounge. Also playing will be local bands Ash Dinosaur (Italian pop) and City Steps (indie pop). Go. Support local bands. Do it.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://neighborsmusicpgh.bandcamp.com/track/coming-soon"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Coming Soon... by Neighbors&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Met a couple of these guys from Neighbors, very friendly chaps. "like" them on FB. Sounds like they have an EP coming out this summer. Also appears they're going through a minor name change, adding the (u) to Neighbours, so don't let that confuse ya.

The Brillobox is pretty small room for those who've never been there. sidenote to a few people of interest: we heard the Shit Mayor / Amoeba Knievel show there a few years ago was the last time Shit Mayor has performed. It was jam packed last night. But that would not deter from the awesomeness of this show. MW, Tom Watson, and Raul Morales (the Missingmen) are simply phenomenal live.

Admittedly, I am not that familiar with the first two "operas" from Mike Watt ('97's Contemplating the Engine Room, '04's The Secondman's Middle Stand), outside of a few tracks (or parts as they're referred)...and only heard a couple from the new record Hyphenated-Man (which I am now the proud new owner of). Watt referred to it as his "rock opera," and I may be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain it was played start to finish, which makes sense. This rock opera is quite the treat, and we can't wait to give it a few spins at home.

Raul Morales (Killer Dreamer, F.Y.P.) kicks ass on the drums, and we'll be anxiously looking for more of him. And once Hyphenated-Man was over, and the trio came back for an encore, Tom Watson seemed to be unleashed as he morphed into a thinner version of D. Boon. It was one of those rare shows where everyone in attendance just kinda looks around, stunned...like, holy shit....that was AMAZING. Absolutely incredible show from start to finish, and we can't thank enough the people who helped get us in.

Mike, Tom, and Raul stuck around to meet people, took pictures, and signed records. Really nice guys.

Get Hyphenated-Man now, over at Mike Watt's Hoot Page, via his own label Clenched Wrench.

Less than optimistic we'd get into this show, we forgot the flip vid and the "good" camera, so apologies for the lack of visual proof. Thanks to mcgervey on YouTube for posting this...

try it. it works...

Don't Tase Me Bro

2011-04-11T08:48:00.001-05:00

I think gbvh and jables were supposed to visit this weekend, and I believe this was the Pirate game that was on the agenda. Probably the most exciting the thing to happen at a Pirate game since 19-something-and-5.

U-S-and-A! U-S-and-A! U-S-and-A!

Mike Watt & the Missingmen - TONIGHT at the Brillobox!!

2011-04-10T13:53:00.003-05:00

TONIGHT!!!! SUNDAY NIGHT...at our favorite little room in the Burgh. Much to my disappointment, this show is sold out (FAAAAAACK!!!!!!) I don't believe I've ever bought a ticket for the Brillobox in advance. Maybe Pittsburgh is less lame than we once thought...so that's a good thing. I think we'll go anyway, and try to score a ticket outside, or in the bar while eating some tasty grub.

Been hearing a lot of great things about this new record from the former Minutemen member.

Find more mike watt + the missingmen songs at Myspace Music

a couple of Wire covers...

Also gives us a great excuse to pay some Minutemen...

Mike Watt likes Richard Hell and squid, per Thurston Moore. Pretty funny little segment that was left out of the We Jam Econo documentary on the Minutemen...

Hey...speaking of Wire. Bought their new album Red Barked Tree the other day, and it's pretty effin awesome. Get it.