New Band Drives Me to Stalker Status

Go ahead. Ask me to stop. Demand that I "Knock it Off!" Forcefully pull my headphones from my ears or mute my amazing laptop speakers. For the last 5-6 days I have been listening to the first full length album of Brooklyn-based, piano-driven, rock/pop band Wakey!Wakey! ... and I simply cannot stop. Of the last four mornings, I have woken up with the chorus to 1876 - The Brooklyn Theatre Fire jammed into my head during three of them. Insert irony #1: I have a band called Wakey!Wakey! stuck in my head in the morning.

Based on a co-workers' recommendation (insert shout out to Laurie Ortiz), I verbally committed to check out their concert last Friday at a hybrid concert venue/bowling alley: Brooklyn Bowl. As we all know, a verbal commitment to a $5 show in a different part of town is worth...well...about five bucks. However, after spinning a few tracks the days leading up to the show (and a planned trip to the Brooklyn Brewery beforehand), I was truly excited to check out Wakey!Wakey! on their home turf. In the end, they delivered a 4-star show and I couldn't be more thrilled with my first concert experience in New York City/first trip to Brooklyn.

The truly ironic thing is that Modest Mouse was playing an outdoor concert just down the road from the Brooklyn Bowl on the East River front. I have wanted to see Modest Mouse for about 2 years and an outdoor concert with the Manhattan skyline as the back drop would have been a must-buy ticket for me. In fact, some of the people we met at the Brooklyn Brewery were heading in that direction. Insert irony #2: The first I heard of the Modest Mouse concert was about an hour before it was scheduled to start. Had I heard about it a month before, I would have been a ticket holder. Instead, Modest Mouse was sold out and my $5 verbal commitment was taking me to the Brooklyn Bowl. I was tickled with jealousy toward the guys heading to the river front.

God smiled upon me that evening friends...

After only 4 songs, the Modest Mouse concert was canceled due to significant lightning activity and an incoming thunderstorm. Cut to view of me at that point: Standing in a nifty bar...dry, comfortable, waiting through a below-average opening band, holding a fresh Bengali Tiger IPA. Not too shabby at all.

You could say God smiled upon Wakey!Wakey! that night as well. In fact, lead man Mike Grubbs was eloquent enough to recognize that fact: He literally thanked God and welcomed dozens of Modest Mouse fans (mostly identified by the wearing of a backpack) that had rolled into the venue looking for some drinks and live music. They received exactly what they were looking for (unless they thought $6 for a craft tap beer was too pricey...it most certainly is not).

Wakey!Wakey! delivered a delicious set and even treated the crowd to what they called an "unplanned" encore (I know what you are thinking, but I am 70% sure it was unplanned). After the show, I had the chance to chat with Mike and his new drummer (with the band 2 weeks, could have fooled me). It was all over their faces...they just had a really good time. It is an absolute pleasure to see a newer band truly enjoy a live show, displaying an aura of excitement after just killing a set.



Since that night, I have been rocking their debut disc Almost everything I wish I'd said the last time I saw you... And rocking it at an unhealthy frequency. Feel free to join me by streaming it online: Wakey!Wakey! Site

This is the section of the post where I could start breaking down the elements of the songs and giving reviews on specific pieces/moments of the album. I won't subject you to any over-explained details, leaving you only with that chorus that I woke up with in my head this morning:
"I don't wanna let you down, I don't wanna let you down...just when fire could take this town."

Sign up for the Wakey!Wakey! email list and get a free download HERE

Brothers without Sisters - The Black Keys

It's about that time. For the third post in my catalog I am going to make the move from Sports to Music. Over the course of history, this is a move that many have attempted. Some successful. Most not. I really hope to do this gracefully and avoid another Ron Artest moment in music. With that, a review of the new Black Keys album.

Just like their throw-back sound, The Black Keys have been churning out albums in throw-back style. With the upcoming release of Brothers in mid-May, the Akron blues duo will have 6 studio efforts in almost exactly 8 years. I wouldn't call myself an original fan of this rapidly-growing band, nor would I call myself a band wagon jumper. I will say emphatically that I grabbed onto these guys for dear life after hearing a few tracks off of their disc Magic Potion in late 2006. You can bet your sweet hiney that I am not letting go, either.

I originally corralled the advance release of the single "Tighten Up" courtesy of my go-to for much of my new music leads: Eric Hansen. Then, just last week found myself access to the upcoming release of Brothers. There really is nothing like getting your hands on a disc that you're really excited about before you are supposed to. I equate the feeling with flying up to the North Pole and hijacking Santa's workshop for presents the week before Christmas. I can't decide if it's more like a ninja attack, or just flying into Santa's crib with guns-a-blazing. I will leave that up to your imagination.

"Tighten Up" was the obvious choice on this disc for the single. It grabs you. The tune starts with a little whistling line that has serious "get stuck in your head" potential. Dan Auerbach's vocals are exactly what you want on this song and Patrick Carney shows off his unusual drum rhythms that truly drive a song. I have heard similar types of beats from Carney in the past and just can't get enough (i.e. "Back Door" and "Just Got To Be" from the aforementioned Magic Potion, or "Have Mercy on Me" from their EP Chulahoma). My favorite part of "Tighten Up" is the switch at around 2 and a half minutes. You think it could be ending and sadness begins to set in, but then sure enough, JOY!!! The song goes on and just gets funkier. LOOK OUT FOR THAT FUNK, KID!

When I first had the chance to listen to Brothers in its entirety, I listened to it out of order (The shuffle feature is both a blessing and a curse and could be a blog post on its own). I feel as though I should slap myself in the face for this music fan miscue. Bands invest buckets of time into selecting the order of their art and I disgraced it. Shame on me. It could even be the reason why I was underwhelmed after my first listen of the disc. However, I have given it a good 5-6 spins now and am completely digging it. Dan and Patrick have really found ways to keep their sound dirty as shit, yet refined and unique. When I first listened to these guys, I would introduce their music to friends as "Dirty Garage-Blues. Leave the Girls at Home." Now, when I listen to songs like "Sinister Kid" and "Next Girl," I still hear those dirty undertones that I love, that I need. Yet they definitely have placed a different twist on their music since they created Attack & Release, something the Keys can call their own. From the opening track "Everlasting Light" to the closing track "Unknown Brothers," the Black Keys deliver exactly that: Dirty, Yet Refined Garage Blues (patent-pending).

If I had to place a bet on the maturation of their sound, I would gamble big on their work with Danger Mouse for the Attack & Release album in 2008. Danger Mouse makes an appearance in the production credits on the new disc for the single "Tighten Up," but his influence has clearly been strong on the boys from Akron. I would not have been the least bit surprised if his name were tied to every track of Brothers. While his influence on the band is definitely good, I would be lying if I told you that I never yearned for a little less production and a little more of that original Black Keys' raw sound. If you are like me and love that side of the band, feel free to quiet that addiction at your local The Black Keys concert, coming this summer.

If you buy music (whichever format) and like rock, get onboard with Brothers. There really isn't a reason not to. We need to support bands like the Black Keys in an era of unoriginal rock and American Idols. These guys deliver what we want and what we deserve and I thank them for that. I raise my glass and say "Here's to growing and being unique...but...if you ditch that dirty-as-shit-garage-blues sound, so help me god I will freak out." Although, after seeing them live a few times, I am confident that a freak out will be unnecessary.



Highlights --
- The Jack White "Aggravated Assault" Tracks (that grab you right away): Tighten Up, Everlasting Light

- The Al Green "Feel Good" Track (that slows it down): Unknown Brother

- The Grammy Award Speech One-Liner: "That's me...the boy with the broken halo"


Dedicated to Loris and GK for helping me find the Black Keys

Dip, Duck, Dodge, Retire

Most people lose sleep over popular topics such as relationships, jobs, family and health issues. Here I sit, dead tired at 5:23pm on a Monday because I lost sleep last night. Over which of those topics you ask? RJ, is everything ok? Yes. It is. I lost sleep over dodgeball.

For the last 2 years I have played 3 seasons of dodgeball in the West LA Dodgeball League as co-captain of "White Goodman's Package." I will get to the team name later. Last night marked the culmination of my West LA Dodgeball career as we lost in the championship game to our rival: Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner. Before we get to the lost hours of sleep, let's take it back to the beginning.

It all began with my friend Trina (don't worry, none of us can pronounce it). She mentioned that one of her friends heard about an adult dodgeball league. "It would be a fun way to get together on week nights." She proceeded to invite me to be "co-captain" because:
a) I know a lot of people
b) I am "good at organizing things"

Thanks for the homework Trina.

Despite my distaste for homework, I obliged. Tell me which part of the following does not sounds fun: Whipping spongy balls at random people with 19 of your friends. Yes, the game features teams of 20 and is played on a basketball half court. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, it's madness for the first few minutes.

Trina and I proceeded to round up a group of people that included friends, friends-of-friends, and co-workers. Then, the next challenge: what to name our team. All of the obvious signs pointed to naming the team after balls (which would follow juvenile giggling). Some other team names are Blue Balls, Naughty Balls, and Kenny Dodgers (I like that one). However, I decided that we had to name our team after the most ridiculous figure in dodgeball lore: White Goodman...and his package. White Goodman is Ben Stiller's character in Dodgeball: An Underdog Story. His package, is cartoon-esque. We then themed our colors and logo after UPS (get it? packages?) to really capture the essence of delivering packages - aka spongy balls at the other team.

When we showed up for our first game, we had no idea what was in store. People in short shorts, costumes, mustaches, tank tops. It was like an 80's party on a Tuesday without a bartender. Which was odd to me, being from the Midwest. We played our first exhibition match against a team of ragweeds that honestly looked like a group of drop-out teenagers from high school. Two of them had jeans on, one guy that we came to call "beard" had a big temper and a scraggy beard (shocker), and about half of them had those chain belts attached to their wallets. Apparently they were worried about being pick pocketed during a dodgeball game. I studied the game closely over the next few seasons and saw no pick-pocketing. This group of the most uncoordinated looking castoffs absolutely destroyed the WGP debut, beating us 7-0.

The funny thing about that first night was that it completely proved dodgeball as a legitimate sport that requires:
- Strategy
- Teamwork
- Athleticism
- Agility
If that band of alternative teenage wannabe's could play this game, we certainly could. WGP adapted to the game quickly and went on to win back-to-back championships over the next two seasons. The first trophy (The Golden Hen) was claimed after absolutely blowing out that very same band of misfits that destroyed us before we understood what the hell was going on. We won 8-1 and they tried to pick a fight in the parking lot while smoking cigarettes next to an open car trunk. Damn 30-year-old teenagers. The second trophy (The Golden Parakeet) was rounded up after taking down our soon-to-be rivals: Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.

This bring us to my lost sleep. Season 3 came to a close last night after losing the championship game - a match that was played at The Staples Center (yes, the very same one as the Clippers and Lakers). As a 3-time team captain (with Trina and then THE Dan Frazier), I have played my last game with WGP. I am moving to New York City in 2 months and have come to the realization that dodgeball had became a great part of my weekly life. I certainly never would've done anything on a NBA court in my life, let alone play a fun sport, if it wasn't for dodgeball and WGP. Dodgeball had a funny way of bringing out that competitive spirit that we all loved from our youth. Plus, I was on the court after a Clippers game! That is cool even if the Clippers lost by almost 30 to the Mavericks.

After seasons 1 and 2, I thought I wouldn't play another season. Even during this season I said to Frazier, "This is gonna be my last season." Yet, as I laid in my bed last night, all I could do was think about our loss in the championship game:
"How could we have played differently?"
"Where did we screw up?"
"Why didn't I chose the better side to start?"
"How did I not catch that ball in the 4th game?"

If I lost a few hours of sleep over an adult dodgeball game, I can only begin to imagine what starting pitchers go through after losing a playoff game, or what a College Basketball player goes through after missing a game-winning shot, or what Troy Williamson goes through every day.



At the end of the day, I certainly feel like I am retiring from LA Dodgeball on top. WGP won 2 golds and a silver during my tenure as team captain and we hosted a couple of solid league-wide parties. I leave the team in good hands and am looking forward to hearing about how the team rages on. Like all crusty athletes, I now am stricken to the stands, sipping my beer, eating my nachos, and yelling at my team whenever they F-it up. The joys of being a fan. Hopefully, now I will get some sleep.

Holiday in March

Some of my coworkers may have heard this last week as I strolled into my office on the 3rd floor of Building A in the Yahoo! Center in Santa Monica:

"Merry Christmas Everyone! Best Day of the Year!"

Hopefully they weren't offended. It was pretty early for my office.

Most people would probably disagree with me when I say that the first day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is the best day of the year. That is quite a statement...probably an overstatement. But what the hell, I am an emotional guy who gets riled up easily. You can try to debate the statement, you can squash my positivity, or you can just not be an A-Hole and bask in the warm, warming glow of March Madness.

Like all holiday seasons, March Madness' first day is merely part of the holiday. Like some sort of awesome hybrid between Christmas and Chanukah, it spills into multiple days of glory and presents. Most importantly, like all holidays, the NCAA Tournament has its high points and low points. The 2010 First and Second rounds were no exception. Let me take you through a few of mine.

High Point: Walking into a place of work full of TVs and the DirecTV March Madness On-Demand program on the first day of the NCAA Tournament. I really do enjoy my job.

Low Point: Receiving a phone call in the afternoon on Friday, March 19th from a co-worker in Atlanta who could care less about the NCAA Basketball Tournament and needs me to brainstorm ideas with her. At this point, all my ideas are oddly around Happy Hour and basketball. She apparently doesn't know that Michigan State and New Mexico State are playing now.

High Point: Living vicariously through a group of my friends (all University of Minnesota Alumni) that have taken Friday off of work to go to Milwaukee, WI to support the Gophers in their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. I receive the following text from my collegiate roommate at 8:23am on Friday, March 20th: "Tickets secured. T-minus 1 hr until tipoff. Sh** talking to Xavier fans has already started."

Low Point: 3 hours and 5 minutes later I receive the following text from another college buddy who made the trek to Milwaukee: "Ugghh...I don't know which game was worse, this or iowa state in 05." Our alumni had fallen to Xavier 65-54 as the Muskateers simply outplayed the Gophers in the 2nd half. We are humbly returned to the "better luck next year" phrase.

High Point: I receive a text from my equally sports-obsessed friend on Saturday, March 20th at 4:45 pm PST: "Get to a tv dude. KU down 1 w/ 42 seconds left."

This represents the "madness." Northern Iowa has a VERY late lead against Kansas and could send the tournament's overall #1 seed home to Lawrence, which would effectively destroy almost half of America's brackets. Roughly 45% of all people playing some type of Tournament Bracket game said that Kansas would win the National Championship. All of those people, including myself, and my previously mentioned friend, were wrong. I listened to the text on my cell phone, found a TV, and watched as the #9 seeded Panthers ousted the mighty Jayhawks. While my bracket was destroyed and my pride (Def: pride) was sent down the drain, this was a great moment.

Low Point: I send a text to the same friend on Sunday, March 21st at 4:19 pm PST: "F***in CBS! Xavier/Pitt is 3 pts with 20 seconds left and they won't leave Cal/Duke (20 point game)."

This represents the wrong type of "madness." To me this is exactly what it felt like to be a kid and get a crappy sweater from your grandma or aunt. This is just ridiculous. No kid wants a sweater. No College Basketball viewer wants to watch Duke hold Cal over the coals in a 20 point massacre. Not even Cal fans. Granted, I realize I live in California and that Cal is a California school. Pretty obvious. Just to be sure, I polled three of my coworkers that are Cal grads on the following Monday: they verified that, yes, they wished the other game(s) were featured. Keep in mind the Texas A&M-Purdue game was tied and went into Overtime. But yeah, let's keep showing the Duke-Cal blowout. Genius.

Sure, I could have opened my laptop and used CBS' March Madness On-demand product to watch the end of both of the other games online. In fact, I did just that. However, I think 99% of people would agree that it is much more fun to watch the close games in HD on a 47" Flat Screen and render the blowout games to the 15" screen in LD (Def: Low-Definition) Stupid CBS.

High or Low Point (depending on how you view it): Early on Sunday afternoon I am catching up with my favorite aunt that lives in Chicago. She is a sports fan, but could care less about the NCAA Tournament (she likes the Chicago Bears - yuck). In the middle of talking to her, #5 Michigan State and #4 Maryland (aka the Greivis Vasquezes) decide to absolutely slug it out for the last couple minutes of their epic Second Round game. As if I wasn't distracted enough already, Michigan State's backup point guard Korie Lucious hits a buzzer-beating 3 pointer (0:51 seconds in here) to render me speechless with my favorite aunt. So, depending on your point of view, this could be a High or Low point of this epic "holiday" season. Is it an amazing moment that encapsulates all that is the NCAA Tournament? Or am I just a crappy nephew? I think we know where I stand.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or nothing, if you are a sports fan, you love the first day and the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. If you don't love it, you frickin' should. Oh the highs! Oh those lows! There is a river of emotion and pride involved (Def: pride) both on the court and with the fans that try to predict every David vs. Goliath upset. It's one of the only venues in sports where the small guys even get a chance to take down the big guys. Even if you are anti-collegiate athletics (cough-mydad-cough). Even if you believe that they shouldn't be "training grounds for professional athletes." You need to watch one game (exception: #1 v. #16 games) and tell me that these teams are not trying as hard as they can. Tell me they don't want it. I can't think of one time in sports where you see more players cry or show such raw enthusiasm. This is all bottled up over four great days. And just like Christmas, only a week later we get another holiday: Four more nights that we know as the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. Happy New Year...in March.