Photo courtesy of Us Kids Know
In all honesty, I've really got a lot to look forward to these coming months. Cold War Kids/Tokyo Police Club in Madison in March...Brewers start up in April...and as of yesterday, tickets to go see The Arcade Fire in Chicago on May 19th. I didn't get on the internet to buy tickets to the show until 1pm yesterday, and by then they were sold out on Ticketmaster. Luckily, I was able to pick up a pair for a fairly reasonable price elsewhere considering the band has a history of selling out venues in an incredibly short time.
Sports
Broncos running back Damien Nash dies
DENVER (AP) -- Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in suburban St. Louis on Saturday, less than two months after the slaying of teammate Darrent Williams.
"We have been informed of the passing of Damien Nash," team spokesman Jim Saccomano said Saturday night. "We are attempting to get more details. ... We do know it's true."
Officials at Christian Hospital in St. Louis said the 24-year-old Nash died early Saturday evening. The cause of death wasn't immediately determined. [READ FULL STORY]
Wisconsin, Ohio State Set for Championship Caliber Battle
An avalanche of hype has hit No. 1 Wisconsin and second-ranked Ohio State heading into their Sunday showdown for supremacy in the Big Ten. Both teams are trying to dig their way out of it.
"Treat it the way you want to treat it," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "We know how we're going to treat it. We both got ranked because of things we've accomplished. So, play on."
The matchup is the first time that either team has been involved in a 1 vs. 2 game. It's the first time that Big Ten teams ranked 1-2 have ever met.
Should Ohio State win, the Buckeyes would lock up their second consecutive outright Big Ten title and would likely climb to No. 1 in the Associated Press rankings - feats they haven't accomplished since Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and, yes, Bob Knight, were wearing those tight, short shorts back in 1962.
"It's going to be a crazy atmosphere," Ohio State freshman point guard Mike Conley Jr. said. "The Big Ten championship is on the line. It is a rematch with the two top teams. Wisconsin is a great team. We played them at their home and now we get to play them at home."
The Badgers (26-3, 12-2), ranked No. 1 this week for the first time ever, won the first meeting 72-69 on Jan. 9 in the Kohl Center. But they dropped behind the Buckeyes in the standings due to a 64-55 setback at Michigan State on Tuesday night.
Wisconsin needs a win to square things in the conference heading into its regular-season finale at home next Saturday, a rematch with Michigan State. The Buckeyes, winners of their last 12, close at Michigan...[READ MORE]
No. 1 Wisconsin (26-3) at No. 2 Ohio State (25-3)
SI.com's Seth Davis breaks down the matchup:
The good news for the Buckeyes is they don't have to play Penn State again. After almost losing to the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley two weeks ago, Ohio State trailed at home Wednesday night with eight minutes to play before pulling away for a 68-60 win. Penn State has had success against OSU by slowing the tempo and playing a lot of zone, and I expect the Badgers will apply much the same formula. Then again, Ohio State has improved more than Wisconsin since the Badgers beat the Buckeyes in Madison on Jan. 9. Remember, that was Greg Oden's eighth college game, and he wore a thick wrap on his right hand that day as opposed to the less cumbersome splint he sports now. Still, Ohio State's youth continues to nag at me, and you never know when their shooting hands will go cold. Unlike a lot of teams, Wisconsin has several big bodies it can throw at Oden. In a bona fide tossup, I'll take toughness and experience by a hair.
Davis' pick: Wisconsin 74, Ohio State 73
Music
Featured Album: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) Myth TakesI stopped over at my friend Grego's house for a little while last night to catch up on our shared love of indie music and to do a little belated-birthday celebrating with their half barrel of Miller Lite. One of the bands that we ended up talking about was !!!, otherwise known as Chk Chk Chk.
I had heard the name tossed around on the various music blog aggregators, but until last night I hadn't heard any of their music. Lucky, Grego had some on hand for my first introduction to the electroacoustic indie progressive house band.
As their Myspace site states, ! ! ! is pronounced as any three repetitive sounds. Common interpretations are chkchkchk, powpowpow, uhuhuh: unlimited possibilities.
Warp Records says the album "combines an enhanced focus on incredible song writing with all the intricacy, freedom and shear dance floor swagger that made Louden Up Now such a delight". Dodge says, "Dance Muthafucka, Dance!"
The new album "Myth Takes" is FINISHED and will be released on 5th March 2007.
As a treat, we here at VLM have a bit of a sampling of that album to wet your tastebuds (or should I say earbuds?) in anticipation of the upcoming release.
!!! - "Myth Takes"
!!! - "All My Heroes are Weirdos"
!!! - "Must Be the Moon"
Featured Artist: Inneke23 and the Lipstick Painters
Musical whirlwind Inneke23 is already more than 10 years active in the Antwerp (Belgium) music scene. As bass player in legendary garage rock band De Bossen, as member of all female punk band Hari'kiri, and now as team leader of alt. country band Inneke23 and the Lipstick Painters.
From the start Inneke23 has been singing and writing her own songs. She toured Europe with (ex-Jayhawks) Mark Olson & the Creek Drippers, a band that also included singer songwriter Victoria Williams. Next she hitch-hiked through the USA and discovered the America she'd always dreamt about. That included spending the night in the desert of the Joshua Tree, near the mythical "grave" of her idol Gram Parsons.
These experiences resulted in a new collection of songs, that Inneke23 decided to record with a bunch of enthusiastic musicians, who shortly thereafter became her new backing band; The Lipstick Painters. The results of that songwriting and those sessions became their debut album 'Elephant Crossing'.
Download "Guitar Jesus" (mp3)
from "Elephant Crossing"
by Inneke23 & The Lipstick Painters
Corazong Records
More On This AlbumFeatured Artist: The Parish
The Parish is from Oakland. Zac & Kim Stanley's previous band from Minneapolis - Little Dirt- garnered local press attention and opened for The Wrens, David Thomas (Pere Ubu) and Mark Mallman. Zac and Kim continued on when Little Dirt broke up, and spent a year recording their debut album, "The Way We Bend."
Released on their own Cavalry Recordings in December 2006, this record puts sound in a place not quite romantic, not quite nervous. Pursuing an off-center line, walking off-balance while balance remains in sight, each song feels like various songs and possibilities co-existing at once. Crescendos reverse themselves, open up and close in. The music might be moving to a peak, but the peak turns out to be a clearing - and quickly it's back into traveling.
Zac remains on guitar/vocals and Kim's on keyboards/vocals. Graham Hill (Roman Ruins), the drummer, adds well-watered southern roots. Andy Asp (The Pattern, Nuisance) is on first guitar. He loves motorbikes and California. Frankie Koeller (Jim Yoshii Pile-Up) eats egg salad while listening to PIL; he plays bass.
Download "Mountaineer" (mp3)
from "The Way We Bend"
by The Parish
Cavalry Recordings
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album