Didn’t know what to expect upon taking in my very first live “country music” show over the weekend. Especially once the Hispanic bouncer at the door asked if I was packing any knives as he patted me down.
But even that wasn’t as shocking as the mosh pit that broke out down front. Or that the show was so kick ass that it won’t soon be forgotten. You see, it wasn’t all that much of a “country music” show after all. Crazy drunks were jumping on stage, crowd surfing, getting thrown out after getting their asses kicked by bouncers, all in the name of a little southern-style hell raising.
Please, stop me from rambling on and on if you’re already familiar with this particular automobile device. It blinks, to the left and to the right, with the idea of alerting other drivers on the roadways of your intentions to either turn or switch lanes.
Ironically enough, it’s called a turn signal. It’s conveniently located in front of you as you drive, and happens to be more vital to your safety then even the seat belt. But evidently most people have no fucking idea where to find it, much less know how the fuck to use it. Thankfully, it’s quit simple to find though. Even easier to use. Join me as I walk you through a short tutorial.
When it comes to Mike Tyson the train wreck is never bad enough to make you want to turn away. Except for maybe that time Lennox Lewis made him bleed from inside his eyelids back in 2002. Throughout the past three decades the true human drama unfolding before you is as real as reality television gets. Sure, it gets uncomfortable to look at for too long, but more times than not it’s disturbingly easier to relate to than most of the shit we get force feed on the tube in the first place.
I wrote this whole thing on my Blackberry. I’ve been so fucking lame about writing and JC is such a slave driver that I was able to fuck off for weeks. My fans nearly rioted.
I’m at my friends Mike and Megan’s house, fat from some wicked seitan and rice. My vegan soul satisfied, I’m buzzing to The New Lows‘ practice session. CD release show means extra practice. For me, it means a free meal and loss of hearing. Good times.
For many, July 4th is all about fairs, fireworks, sex with carnis, and vinegar over fries. Did I mention fireworks? All I know is if you’ve seen one fireworks show, you’ve seen them all. So why not get blasted yourself before the grand finale goes down…
As I melt away in my first summer under the North Carolina sun it feels appropriate to post some of my favorite 9th Wonder tracks. Those that don’t know this cat can feel free to fall on something sharp…
Shadetree Films presents this 12-minute cat-and-mouse suspense thriller directed by Warren Provencal. The short features Jonda Bechter, with appearances by Steve P., Nickalaus Rutherford, and Provencal himself. And now, ladies and gentlemen, Rounder …
LIFESAVAS – “Hidden Scene: The Legend Of The Gutterfly”
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From the 2007 release Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book on Ninja Tune Records. Blockhead temporarily abandons the lyrical sidekicks he’s made backdrops for (Aesop Rock, Cage, Slug, Murs) in exchange for creating his own piece of artwork.
NINE INCH NAILS – “Only (EL-P Mix)”
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The original track can be found on NIN’s 2005 studio album With Teeth. This remix featuring Def Jux founder and producer/emcee El-P appeared on a the maxi single EP Every Day Is Exactly The Same.
WEEN – “Baby Bitch”
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Pretty funny stuff right here from 1994′s Chocolate And Cheese album. Not surprising though as Ween has made a career out of this kind of crazy stuff.
SAGE FRANCIS – “Conspiracy To Riot”
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From the recently released mixtape Sick of Wasting…, which can be (legally) downloaded at Strange Famous Records. The fifth installment of the “Sick Of” series features a variety of unheard gems from 1996-2009.
JON DOE – “The Mic Sounds Nice (w/ MF Doom)”
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Out of Atlanta, Prophetix DJ/producer Jon Doe released Meet Jon Doe in 2004 with a variety of underground emcees playing featured roles, though only a handful of tracks truly stand out.
Hop on the bandwagon while seats are still available. United States Soccer is the talk of the sports world (or should be) now that they wrapped up their first-ever trip to a world final in improbable fashion on Wednesday. It goes without saying though that many didn’t believe the U.S. had much of a chance against the best soccer team on the planet before the two faced off in the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Against Spain, the U.S. was matched against a team riding a world record 15-game winning streak, one that had not suffered a loss over the stretch of their last 35 matches. In short, the doubters were proven wrong to some degree. And Team USA saved themselves the embarrassment of explaining why they were even in the semifinals in the first place.
That the U.S., ranked No. 14 in the world, managed to back their way into this final-four matchup against No. 1 Spain was a miracle in itself. The fact that they backed it up with a 2-0 win to advance to the Confed Cup Final should go a long way in creating some excitement back here in the States before next year’s World Cup rolls around.
But should fans expect these types of wins on a regular basis? It’s unlikely that they will.
Despite how they got there, the U.S. showed signs of being a worthy opponent. But by capitalizing on two of just nine shots, the American team played with its back against the wall most of the way. Yet somehow it worked. Goalkeeper Tim Howard received plenty of help from teammates to help hold off Spain, who went for 29 shots on goal and 17 corner kicks.
As unnerving a sport as soccer can be, where every touch on every possession could play a deciding role in the outcome of any game, there was a feeling early on that whoever scored first will have netted the game winner no matter how much time remained.
For the American team, that came in the 27th minute when 19-year old Jozy Altidore peeled a defender from his back and sent a shot that deflected off the keeper’s hand, which then bounced off the left post and into the goal to give Spain it first deficit of the tournament. They never recovered.
As the numbers showed, Spain proceeded to miss out on opportunities time and time again throughout the remainder of the game. Even so, with each attempt at heckling the U.S. goalkeeper with shots you got the feeling that they would somehow find a way to eventually knot the score. That was until the 74th minute when the game all but came to an end once Clint Dempsey cleaned up on a deflected Landon Donovan shot for the underdog’s second goal of the game.
Such a sweet victory for a team that has managed only a handful through the years. This moment in U.S. Soccer ranks right up there among the brightest in the program’s history, alongside the likes of the 1950 World Cup win over England (1-0), 1994 World Cup win over Columbia (2-1), 1998 Gold Cup win over No. 1-ranked Brazil (1-0) and the 2002 World Cup wins over both Portugal (3-2) and Mexico (2-0).
Spain advanced to the Confed Cup semifinals by sweeping through group play (against South Africa, Iraq and New Zealand) behind the efforts of David Villa and Fernando Torres. Both lined up against the Americans having already scored three goals each. They left the pitch after hardly playing a factor.
The U.S. squad went a lousy 1-2 in group play, dropping matches to Brazil and Italy by a combined 6-1 margin. They advanced to elimination play, over the Italians, based on an improbable goal differential tiebreaker after Italy lost by three goals to Brazil and the American team defeated Egypt by three goals a couple days earlier.
Take a deep breath and process that for a moment. For now, the U.S. is assured its best finish in the Confed Cup after previously wrapping up third-place efforts. They’ll meet up in the championship game against the winner of Thursday’s Brazil-South Africa match on Sunday at 2 p.m.
