You can’t manage to say, “I’ve been spending a lot of time alone,” without people looking at you with sympathy. There’s something a little shameful about it, and also something that makes people wary or nervous, like a trail of blood leading to the trunk of your car. Some people might say things like, “How do you stand it? I’d go crazy!” and if you’ve been spending far too much time alone, those people might be throw-pillows, and you might be considering forming a barbershop quartet with them–or at least the three with mustaches.

Then I was about thirteen or fourteen, I remember spending almost an entire week of the summer alone while my parents and little brother were on a trip. I loved it. Twice a day I walked over the hill to irrigate Mom’s field;  I took one of the  four-wheelers if I was in a hurry or if I wanted to do little spin-outs on the sandy road on the way over.  I think this must have been early summer, before the deer-flies rose out of the swamps during the day to feast on the blood of their mammalian neighbors, because I don’t recall wearing heavy jeans and long-sleeved, collared shirts in the heat.

I don’t remember much of what I did at all, only that I loved listening to music while I made little meals for myself. I’d lift weights in the backyard and make my daily 500 basketball shots or whatever the hell it was. In the evenings I’d work on stories I posted on the internet and read what other tween shut-ins wrote.

After dark, I locked the doors and double-checked them before I went to sleep. Towards the end of the week, I started going around to each room and looking in the closets in case someone had hidden while I was out. I think I kept a steak-knife by my bed, or maybe I’m thinking of the time I house-sat for a man who lived out near the highway with no locks for his doors and the biggest non-tarantula spiders I’ve seen in my life darting behind  the coffee grinder or just lounging around on the wall over my bed.

“Oh, hey there,” their casual postures suggested. “You might be noticing my colorful markings. What? Are you thinking of clubbing me with that shoe? You could try. You’ll turn it over to check the heel and expect to see me squished there, or you’ll look for me all crumpled up on the ground. And maybe I’ll be there. Then again, maybe I won’t–and if I’m not, where did I go? You probably won’t know for sure until they amputate something. If you wake up at all, that is. Or you could just go to bed and mind your own business.”  

As you can imagine, I hardly slept at all. More than the spiders, I felt a pervasive sense of “not being alone.” Maybe it’s the kind of feeling that people assign to haunted places. You might be washing dishes when you become quite certain that someone is sitting at the table behind you; you may even think you see their shadow move across the tiles in the corner of your eye. Yet, you know, when you turn around, the chair will be empty, in the same way that I knew–although, with less conviction–that nobody was hiding in the closets.

The more time people spend alone, the more frequently they seem to sense these “presences,” and the more certain of their legitamacy they become. 

Maybe you wake up one day, and on the wall above your bed, you see a spider the size of your hand. His name’s Edgar, and the doctors said he won’t hurt you. But your socks say he’s planning something–biding his time. At the same time, you’re never really alone while Edgar’s around. Your image, reflected in his eight, tiny eyes, looks like eight different people, walled off from each other and looking more lonely and desperate with each day, staring at you as if you’re all they’ve got.

Matt Holliday, etching his name in post-season lore

I went to the gym last night, leaving with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth of the Cardinals-Dodgers game with St. Louis holding a 2-1 lead. Bad timing on my part, you could say. Anyway, I came hold to find Matt “the new Buckner” Holliday had taken the rest of the night off too, misplaying an easy game-ender to spark a Dodgers rally that ended in a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead.

Holliday, who homered to give the Cards a 1-0 lead in the second, attempted to catch James Loney’s looper with his jock strap but had little luck. Loney reached second and was run for by Juan Pierre, who scored on Ronnie Belliard’s single two batters later. After a Russell Martin walk, Mark Loretta drove home the winner on a bases-loaded single.

I’ll tell you, if I was a Cards fan, I’d still be in bed now. One out away from splitting in Los Angeles and heading home with momentum, they now find themselves having to win three straight against the NL’s best team to advance. Yikes…

Anyway, elsewhere in playoff action, the Rockies hung on to beat the Phillies 5-4 to send the series back to Colorado at a game apiece. Also, the Angels rode seven-plus shutout innings from John Lackey to a 5-0 win over the Red Sox in the opener of their series. A roided-up David Ortiz struck out three times for Boston.

On tap today: Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03) and the Twins face A.J. “big game” Burnett (12-9, 4.04) at 6:07 and Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86) and the Red Sox face Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75) and the Angels at 9:37.

doesn't take anyone's mess...

hiii guys.

A virus has been detected…

I had a virus at the beginning of this week. Gross, I know. But one friend of mine really pulled through for me and provided me with home cooked meals and even brought my medicine to me! However, she also got aggressively angry when I ate a quarter-sized piece of chocolate. Another friend of mine barked at me for eating ONE cookie because I had a virus. Apparently I was only allowed to eat plain chicken breast, rice, and crackers. Whatevsssss. Either way, I’m thankful to these friends, because, well, they care for me…and this week, they showed it through their acts of kindness…so to my amigas, muchas gracias

DJ Characteristics…

So what exactly makes a DJ a DJ? Is it the certificate that you get from your course? Not all DJ’s learn to spin and scratch in an institute of learning. I simply pose the question because  I had my DJ course this week and witnessed quite the spectacle. In my class, there are an array of various “types” of DJ’s I see…ready to be molded into their respective genres without even knowing as much as how to properly beatmatch 2 tracks. I see the dirty house, progressive DJ type, the  old guy type that will spin just for Quinceañeras (the latin version of a sweet 16, but at age 15), the reggaeton and top 40 guy, and an array of DJ’s for the pickin’. However, my favorite character in class to watch is one guy in particular. He refuses to sit on the stool when he spins, and he dances when he spins. Yes, you read that correctly…dances. But, he feeeeels it.  The music, obviously…I mean, he is feeeeeeling. iiiiit.  I wish you could see the way that he pumps his fists forward and shakes his hips. I mean we all have to do what we need to in order to keep time to properly beatmatch, but c’mon. This was the second class. All that we are doing is beatmatching. He’s messing with the equalizers as if he’s going pro…and it just looks silly. I mean, all he’s doing is changing the intensity of the bass and vocals for less than 2 seconds at a time. It doesn’t make sense. Nor, is it impressive. I’m not sure what type I fall into…but I’m already pegged as the foreigner in my class, even though of course there’s this guy from like Peru or Ecuador or something. The teacher didn’t remember ANYONE’S name in class when he called roll…just mine. Why? Because I’m the American. and I have the American name…well, first name. He will ask me questions about me in front of the class, like any of them could really care. I’m not sure if I need to be flattered or embarrassed. He doesn’t ask anyone else. They’re not pegging questions, just things about where I’m from…the culture, blah blah. Either way, I’m not used to it and I’m not sure if this is true awkwardness.

Swedish Folk bands…

I felt better, and as a thank you to my friend, I took her to a Loney,Dear concert. A local band (well, from Argentina) named Rosal opened. But when Emil took the stage, and his group of Swedish band beauties, it was purely intoxicating. His vocal range is extraordinary to say the least, and his charisma made me feel like we were friends since grade school. They played a great set… and I finally marked my first concert experience in Buenos Aires. The only problem is, I wish I could go to more shows, I just don’t ever know where to look to find dates… being in another culture at times can be so bittersweet.

I also had the opportunity to meet Emil afterwards… and use the little Swedish that I do know and to of course, let him know what a big fan I am. Yes, very original.

me + emil = happiness.

So, surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, there were like no locals at the show. It was like an international hippie paradise. There were more large black eye frame glasses than you could shake a stick at… note: I did not wear mine!

I was glad to go to the show…it was a positive point to my not so positive week. It’s amazing how a couple of hours of music therapy can just make you feel better. And of course, buying a Loney, Dear band shirt with a silhouette of him eating a banana. That always helps.

If you haven’t listened to Loney, Dear before, please, by all means, check out the song… I am John…

Ok guys! Thanks for catching up with me yet again! I appreciate all of those who do read my scattered thoughts. And, as always, I do appreciate your feedback. I look forward to the week ahead…a lot going on! Yes, yes, I will keep you posted.

Remember, you guys are quality.

Peace.

Fo’ Realzzzzzzz.

<3

Toda sexta-feira você encontra aqui agendas de shows atualizadas de São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro e Recife. Se você sabe de algum show que vai rolar em sua cidade, mande um comentário e nos ajude a montar a melhor agenda da net.

SÃO PAULO

SEXTA – 18/09

Jerry Lee Lewis
Credicard Hall – 22h
R$90 a R$400 (inteiras)

Conexão PE (Nação Zumbi / Guisado / Ortinho)
Citibank Hall – 22h
R$40 a R$110 (inteiras)

Mombojó
StudioSP – 1h
R$25 (R$20 com nome na lista)

SÁBADO – 19/09

Gasolines
CB Bar - 23h
R$??

Mundo Livre S/A
StudioSP – 1h
30 reais (25 com nome na lista)

SÁBADO e DOMINGO – 19 e 20/09

TITÃS
Citibank Hall - 22h
De R$50 a R$130 (inteiras)

QUARTA –  23/09

Cachorro Grande
Fnac Paulista (Pocket Show) – 19h
Grátis

QUINTA 24/09

Invasão Sueca (Those Dancing Days, Loney, Dear e Britta Persson)
SescPompeia – 21h
R$30 reais (inteira)

Instituto
StudioSP – 1h
R$25 (R$15 com nome na lista)

Links das principais casas de show de São Paulo:
StudioSP, Clash Club, Neu Club, CB Bar, Clube Berlin, Clube Outs, Inferno Club, Livraria da Esquina, Milo Garage

RIO DE JANEIRO

SEXTA – 18/09

Luiz Melodia – 23h
Circo Voador
R$40 (inteira)

SÁBADO – 19/09

Sebastian Tellier 
Circo Voador - 23h
R$60 (inteira)

Transmissor 
Cinemathèque – 21h
R$20

Quinta – 24/09/09 

Brasov
Estrela da Lapa – 23h
R$30

RECIFE

SEXTA – 18/09

Céu
Teatro UFPE - 21
R$30 – R$15

Sábado – 19/09

Otto
UK Pub – 23h
R. Francisco da Cunha, 165, Boa Viagem.
R$25 Homem – R$15 Mulher

SEXTA e SÁBADO – 18 e 19/09

Festival No Ar: Coquetel Molotov

Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco - AUDITÓRIO TABOCAS

Sexta – 18/09 – 17h 

Ex-Exus (PE)
Dead Lover’s Twisted Heart (MG)
Britta Persson (Suécia)
Those Dancing Days (Suécia)

Sábado – 19/09 – 16h
François Virot (França)
Radistae (PE)
Sweet Fanny Adams (PE)
Zombie Zombie (França)

Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco - TEATRO GUARARAPES

Sexta – 18/09 – 21h 

Jam da Silva (PE)
Thiago Pethit e Tiê (SP)
Sebastien Tellier (França)
Percpan apresenta:
Beirut (EUA)

Sábado – 19/09 – 20h

Jr. Black (PE)
São Paulo Underground (SP)
Loney, Dear (Suécia)
Lô Borges convida Milton Nascimento (MG)

Ingressos: R$40 (inteira)

Mais informações: (81) 3363-0138

LIGHTS. CAMERA. SOB STORY! Err… What?

With the X Factor starting this weekend I’d like to quickly express my inclination. These days you can’t make it anywhere in a reality show unless you have a sob story. A terminally ill granny, a paralysed twin or a comatose mother should do it. There are men everywhere pushing their wives off bridges just so they can make it to the X Factor auditions singing “All By Myself”…

I don’t hate the show itself, the concept is a good one. However the vapid, clichéd reminder every week of how much THEY want this, how much their NAN wants this, how much their bloody DOG wants this. Every week means more than the last. In the penultimate week, it means the world to them! It means more than anything in the whole universe! They would give away their own children just to get into that final! …However when the final comes, THAT’S what means the most to them and we have to sit through yet another banal few hours of what this means to them and how if they win they can pay off their mothers health bill or whatever.

The auditions are reminiscent of any late 1800’s freak show. Yes, the contestants do this to themselves. Nevertheless, when that 28 stone, short, balding, factory worker comes on and says “My names Dave and I see myself as the next Michael Jackson”, followed by him doing the moonwalk (albeit fairly impressive for a 28 stone man, the fact he can move at all is a small miracle). This is then proceeded by poor Dave having his dreams shattered as he’s snickered at by the judges and audience alike for expressing himself. Hmm, tasteful.

Loney, Dear is the work of Emil Svanängen who records solo and performs live with a full band.  There most recent album, “Dear John” was released on Sub Pop.  It’s the fifth album from this supremely talented Swede and has finally begun to get the press in America that should have arrived many years ago.

Due to Emil’s busy tour schedule, this interview had to be conducted via email and there wasn’t enough time for follow up questions (In other words, I didn’t want to bother him anymore.).  His tone in his emails is one of great humility and passion.  What follows is the bulk of the interview questions…

TDOA:  With each album, you’re getting more and more publicity. With the new album you’re starting to get noticed by “mainstream” music magazines and blogs. Do you feel more pressure when you’re playing live knowing that you’re performing to a new crowd? Will you feel more pressure writing the next album?

Emil: I always feel a great pressure but it never has to do with any major labels or magazines. Im just worried that i wont be able to create something great and love it myself.

TDOA: You’re about to do three dates of this tour as the headliner. Obviously this isn’t new for you, but do you have a different approach for these shows, knowing that people came just to see Loney, Dear?

Emil: To be honest, those shows are more about filling the holes when the big tour is having days off, BUT it is always magic to come to a new place and play in front of new people. The Houston show was really nice, apparently, the bartender working there for 7 years, has never cared for a band before during those years and that night she came to buy my records. Thats big!

TDOA: Please talk about the transition of going from recording by yourself to playing these songs with a full band. You’ve done this throughout your career and I’m curious why you never use the band in the studio. In interviews you’ve said that you don’t like the sound of bands in the studio. Do you worry about losing control of the sound of a record by allowing a full band and a producer into the creative process?

Emil: Maybe not worrying bout losing the power, rather worrying that the special ideas would be rubbed away. I don’t like it when music sounds ordinary. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be great, there hasn’t been a great time for it yet though.

TDOA: Continuing on this line of thinking: you get great reviews for your live shows. Do you enjoy the sound of the band live given your hesitancy to record in a studio with a band?

Emil: Sometimes the live situation is a struggle when you need to think of all the wills and make sure everyone is feeling happy on stage. I guess I just want to put the music in the first room.

TDOA: Our website jokingly (sort of) asserts that listening to bad music makes you dumber. Prime culprits are the Nickelback and American Idol spinoffs of the world. If there was one band that you could eliminate from this world, who would it be?

Emil: Oh good question.  Your average garage rock band.

TDOA: You’ve talked in other interviews about your music becoming more acoustic-based in the future. Sub-Pop made it’s name as a grunge label and has made an amazing transition to “quieter”, less angst-filled music. How did you become involved with Sub-Pop and how has it been working with them?

Emil: I started working with them after I played my first show at the SXSW festival. that was a huge thing for me.

TDOA: You’ve said that music comes first and then lyrics. Did that hold true for this album? What part of the music comes first? Guitar, vocal melodies, drum beats?

Emil: I really try hard to do all together as much as I can. the more at the same time the merrier.

TDOA: I read an interview where you said that you are sad most of the time. Yet, your lyrics seem to vary from desperation to hopefulness. Does songwriting provide you with a catharsis for the sadness you feel?

Emil: Its not true anymore, but I thought things were sort of difficult a couple of years ago.

TDOA: How did you feel about the United States when Bush was President? Do you perceive a different feeling with Obama in office?

Emil: Sure, its a big differece. I hope it can last.

Here’s a taste of what you get with live Loney, Dear.  Thanks for taking some time with us Emil.

Personal note:To the ones who get me, I salute you.

Remember when there were lots of bands previewed?  I wouldn’t touch any of those I (what happened to It Hugs Back?!), J or K bands no matter how many JaggerBombs you gave me.  Fortunately, the L’s have four great bands.  ’bout time!

Lenka- A little bird clued me in on Lenka and I’m charmed!  Imagine Lily Allen with a better voice, writing her own songs, better vocal melodies and less drama.  The words catchy and cute have been used to describe her music.  As someone who grew up listening to Joy Division this might not seem like a logical fit for me.  But, it’s all about the melody and chord progressions for me and Lenka’s are brilliant.  Guaranteed Lenka will draw a crowd at SXSW.  Get there early and prepare to fall in love.

Longview- Technically they’ve had to change their name to Long-view because some tiny bluegrass band has the name.  But just as I review to call Verve, The Verve, I’m sticking to Longview.  Shouldn’t there be some law that says you get to keep your name if you suck less than the other band?  Just asking…

Loney, Dear

As previously discussed, Loney, Dear are the tremendous work of Swedish singer/songwriter Emil Svanängen aka the Bill Callahan of the new millenium.  Loney, Dear just released their fifth album, Dear John on Sub Pop and it continues the upward trajectory of Emil’s work.  As hard as it is to write one good record, Loney, Dear have produced five flawless records.  Quick; name another band that has made five records of equal greatness.  I can’t think of anyone either.  That Loney, Dear aren’t on the cover of every music magazine is a sure sign of TDOA.  We’ re thrilled to report that we just completed an interview with Emil (tonight!) which we’ll publish in the next day or two.  In the meantime, go see the band, get on your knees when they go on stage and start chanting “thank you” until you receive permission to stand.

The Living Things- For some reason, the Pitchfork’s of the world don’t think Living Things are “cool”.  This means the band must have not paid Pitchforks bar tab as often as Foals did (because there’s no other explanation for Foals success).  They’re political (they hated Bush and got shot at during their show in Dallas), they sound like Iggy at his best and they are tight as hell.  Best live performance at SXSW 2009?  Don’t be surprised.

Chad Billingsley has already thrown seven bullpen sessions this year. Jason Schmidt has tossed almost as many.

Monday, Hiroki Kuroda threw his first.

via Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda says his shoulder is pain-free – Los Angeles Times.

So, it seems that Joe Torre has narrowed it down to Kuroda and Billingsley. In my previous post, I talked about the fun that the battle for the Opening Day spot is during spring training.

That was somewhat of a lie. You can ask my brother because we used to argue about this year after year.

I consider the Opening Day spot to be somewhat a distinction of honor. So, I would lobby for the players who had been with the team the longest or had an especially phenomenal previous season.

That being said, I’m putting my early support behind Chad Billingsley. His 16-10 performance last year is enough for me. He also has Hiroki Kuroda’s ERA beat by about 60-points.

Plus, I think we have a good opportunity this year to depend on “the kids.” It would be a good start to let the 24-year-old pitcher get the Opening Day start.

It would be a great tribute to the time I fell in love with the Dodgers. Of the nights that I would stay up until my mom came home from her night shift, and I would read to her the notes I had taken about the minor league games of the day. She had to suffer through stories of Adrian Beltre (long before he made it to the majors), Adam Riggs, Jeff Kubenka and on and on….

But, I digress.

I think a team that is hopefully going to rely on Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and James Loney, putting stake into Billingsley would be a great step in the right direction.

Multiinstrumentalisten Andrews Birds 11. album med titlen ”Noble Beast” udkom d. 20. januar og er blevet taget godt i mod. På albummet gæsteoptræder bl.a. Loney, Dear (der iøvrigt gæster Lille Vega den 5. april). Track-listen ser således ud:

1. Oh No – 4:20 *
2. Masterswarm – 6:35
3. Fitz and the Dizzyspells – 3:36 *
4. Effigy – 5:06
5. Tenuousness – 3:51 *
6. Nomenclature – 2:54
7. ouo – 0:20
8. Not a Robot, But a Ghost – 5:37 *
9. Unfolding Fans – 0:57
10. Anonanimal – 4:47 *
11. Natural Disaster – 4:18
12. The Privateers – 3:24
13. Souverian – 7:18
14. On Ho – 1:08

Numre markeret med stjerner kan høres på hans MySpace side. Billetsalget til Andrew Birds kommende koncert på Lille Vega den 4. maj er i fuld gang. Billetter kan købes på Billetlugen!

Loney, Dear’s album Dear John was released this week under Sub Pop records and has the priviledge of being the first album on my Top Ten list of 2009.

Loney, Dear is comprised solely of Swedish singer-songwriter Emil Svanangen who records all the instrumentations himself and gathers friends together to play on tour.

I was a big fan of his 2007 release Loney, Noir but since it was a re-release from 2005 it missed out on the top ten list due to a technicality. I also stumbled upon this video from the same album that, even if you don’t like the album, you have to like the video for the single Saturday Night.

Obama is in and I couldn’t be prouder of my country. I watched the Inauguration online at my desk at work and had it playing for my entire shift. There is a beautiful and moving photo collection here that I highly recommend.

Some things I love about the Obamas:

• The way Barack looked at Michelle while they danced, every single time at every single ball. You can tell from their body language that it’s not just for show like it is with other political couples (*cough* Clintons *cough cough*). He is constantly reaching out to take her hand, he pulls her close when they’re dancing, and that is so refreshing to me.
• I will admire Michelle Obama forever for going through that entire day, (and it was a long day,) wearing heels. She stood for most of it, walked part of the parade and was still able to dance at the end of the night.
• The way they have managed to inspire people all over the world. It felt like the whole world stopped to watch him get sworn in.
• How Barack is pretty much the total opposite of our last president.
• Their kids are down-to-earth and seem genuinely happy. They also sported J Crew when they could have worn just about anything.
• The Hawaii connection.
• Their first dance as the first couple was completely appropriate and to one of my all-time favourite songs, “At Last”. Even Beyoncé got choked up while singing and she’s usually all pro.

I can’t stop beaming when I think about it all. Nothing remotely political has ever caused this sort of reaction in me, so that’s got to say something.

Ninja-star tacks. Yes, I want some and so do you.

This 13 year-old girl is not someone you would expect to be a Rush fan. Or a ridiculously good drummer for that matter.

I don’t know anyone who actually hates Coldplay. You can not be into their music, sure, but I think most can appreciate them on some level. Their new video, I love.

I’m not sure how I feel about the Microsoft Songsmith. Interesting. Kind of cool. But WTF. You make the call.

On the other hand, I am fully digging new Animal Collective.

Also digging the new Loney, Dear.

That is all.

Multi-instrumentalisten Emil Svanängen, bedre kendt som ”Loney, Dear” kommer til Danmark og spiller på Lille Vega søndag d. 5. april. kl. 21:00. Billetter kan købes på Billetlugen. Jeg missede ham desværre på Roskilde i 2007, så har ventet længe på en ny koncert i Danmark.

Jeg håber vi ses!

So after the Gregory and the Hawk show I realised I could probably make it to the Old Blue Last in time to catch Loney, Dear. Conviniently Kings Cross and Old Street are located close to both venues and are both on the Northern Line, which allowed me to get door to door in 20 minutes. Pretty good!

I went upstairs and saw it was quite busy, but not too busy. I got a spot on the second row at the edge of the stage (as CrazyBobbles always says, the left of the stage is always best!). I arrived just as the band before Loney Dear were finishing, so I had to wait around a while for the show to start. I saw Padraic who had gone to see Women at Rough Trade, I saw them at Pure Groove and would have liked to have gone, but alas, too many free gigs and too little time. Rich from The Line of Best Fit was also there giving out shots, you can see a couple of my Loney Dear photos on the website.

Then it was time for Loney Dear. The people in front of me were all quite short so I ended up having a pretty great view. If you haven’t seen Loney Dear live, I really recommend it. Emil is really cheerful and chatty and involves the audience and creates a great atmosphere. He’s got a beautiful voice and his songs are great. He played the Meter Marks Ok which is one of his songs I especially like, which was fun to sing along to.

To conclude, Loney Dear is fantastic, go see him play at St Giles in January. It’s probably going to be really epic, especially if he gets us all to sing notes and stuff for him. St Giles is one of my favourite places to see bands play. The lighting and ambience make shows there really special. Plus they’re really good at letting you in on time and getting bands to start when advertised. The only downside is the pews, they’re really uncomfortable. Especially as I have a problem sitting still for longer than 20 minutes, so I end up fidgeting loads. Nevermind.

I was perusing posts at WW and read the following:

The last time the Yankees had a need at first – due to an aging former-star leaving the team – they went out and made a trade. You remember that one, right?

On December 7, 1995, New York sent Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock to the Seattle Mariners for Jim Mecir, Jeff Nelson, and some guy named Tino Martinez.

I would love to see the Yankees make a move like this again. In his feature, Joel Sherman suggests a Phil Hughes for Joey Votto type deal. I’m not sure, as much as they need pitching, that the Reds would deal Votto. But, there are other young guys that the Yankees could target to play first base for them, next season.

These players include: James Loney of the Dodgers, Adam LaRoche of the Pirates, and Chris Davis of the Rangers. Or, the Yankees could look at some other young players, from other teams, who could be converted to first base. These players include: Kevin Kouzmanoff of the Padres, Corey Hart of the Brewers, and Mark Teahen of the Royals.

From these players mentioned, Chris Davis of the Rangers excites me the most. He’ll only be 23-years old next season. He bats left-handed. He’s good around the bag at first – as he’s a converted third baseman. And, he’s got a great track record of hitting. I know that he’s a local boy for the Rangers – as he was born in Texas. And, when you have a local kid with star potential, those are hard to trade. But, the Rangers need pitching – and pitching prospects.

If I’m the Yankees, I would offer the Rangers Ian Kennedy, Zach McAllister, and Brian Bruney in exchange for Davis. And, if that didn’t work, I would then offer them Phil Hughes, George Kontos and Jose Veras.

If the Rangers reject those offers, then I would start talking to the Dodgers about a Hughes for Loney deal – straight up.

And, if L.A. was not interested, then I would start to target Adam LaRoche and Kevin Kouzmanoff – offering some package along the lines of Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves, and a relief pitcher from the bin of Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez.

And, if that failed, I would start talking to the Royals about Mark Teahen in exchange for Ian Kennedy, Phil Coke and Brian Bruney. Next, I would start talking to the Brewers about Corey Hart – just to see if he would be available.

I wonder if the Yankees would take this same approach?

Steve makes a great point in regards to giving Tex a longterm, big money deal. I wrote a similar post a few weeks ago and suggested that the Yankees nix the Teixeira run and go after someone like Joey Votto, of the Cincinnati Reds, who Steve also brings up in his post. While he loves Davis, and why not, Davis is a strong and powerful hitter, I’m a huge Votto fan. Votto is just starting to earn respect from the higher ups in the Reds organization after platooning with Scott Hatteberg for much of last year. With Adam Dunn gone, the Reds have given Votto more opportunities and he’s certainly delivering on the season. He’s similar to Davis (maybe not as powerful), however I think Votto is further along in his development and he’s a bit more versatile, as he’s also able to play the outfield if necessary (which could help give our cast of regulars a break on given days).

Steve also suggests James Loney and Corey Hart (an outfielder), who are two great, young players. Loney is an RBI machine for the Dodgers, although I don’t think he’ll ever be as powerful as Hart or even Votto. Hart is a great player with a ton of power and great speed. If the Yankees could somehow wrangle either player away from their respective teams, I’d be very pleased. Of course, why either club would want to trade them (the Dodgers could sign Teixeira in order to replace Manny’s output, which would make Loney expendable)? The Yankees would definitely have to offer up some of their premium pitching prospects. The Brewers have actually wanted to lock Hart up for a while now (longterm), and it’ll be interesting to see what they do with that this offseason. Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder are reportedly available, but I haven’t heart anything on the Hart front.

Steve’s other suggestions aren’t as bulletproof as these guys. Adam LaRoche is miserable in the first half, but a great hitter after the AS Break (we already have a guy like that on our team). Kouzmanoff could benefit from a new home ballpark as he’s been handicapped by Petco and, in regards to Mark Teahan, eh, he doesn’t really excite me as much and hasn’t developed into the hitter people projected him to be after his solid 2006 campaign.

yeah i’m working a lot today, hopefully i’ll turn out some good results. only a few more months of this lifestyle;).

in other news, here’s what got me through. 

Beirut – My Night With The Prostitute from Marseille

Andrew Bird – Plasticities

Loney, Dear – The City, The Airport

Arcade Fire – Ocean of Noise

just oldies today

Første gang jeg stiftede bekendtskab med den svenske sing-songwriter Loney, Dear var da han genudgav hans tredje album “Loney, Noir”, som han før havde udgivet på egen hånd i 2005. Et af de mest kendte numre fra det album er “I Am John”. Hør den på hans MySpace side eller se videoen nedenunder.

Når jeg opdager nye dygtige musikere som jeg virkelig er oppe og ringe over, bliver jeg nødt til at eje alle deres albums, men det er ikke altid lige til. “Sologne” der kom i 2006 var let at støve op, men hans to ældste albums som han selv har udgivet, kan jeg næsten med sikkerhed sige… de kan ikke  købes på nettet. Jeg har været alle vegne, også på diverse aktionssider. Hvad gør man så? Man skriver da til manden selv… Jeg sparkede en e-mail af sted til ham og havde egentlig ikke regnet med et svar, men blot 20 minutter efter modtog jeg en positiv e-mail tilbage hvor han skrev, at han med glæde ville sende mig de to albums, “The Year of River Fontana” fra 2003 og “Citadel Band” fra 2004, for den nætte sum af 80 danske kroner. Fedt – det havde jeg slet ikke regnet med.

En lille uge efter modtog jeg de to albums, og de var tilmed signet

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/loneydear
http://www.loneydear.com

It’s another week, and another stress-filled Vanderbilt party!  Tests have not gone well, but I press on, eager to please those who listen to my show on Wednesday Nights.  Don’t fret, my music will stay great.

In case you had not heard, I did another show on Thursday, taking over for the Pocket Ninjas.  It went well, as usual.  I had two hours that night, and while I don’t feel like listing what I played, you can find it at wrvu.org, by searching for Jambalaya Jam under the Playlist Archives.  But for now, the list!

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1 Sonic Youth 87

    Ok, so I’ve decided that Sonic Youth is actually a great band.  I’ve only been listening to their song from the Juno Soundtrack,  Daydream Nation, and Sister, but they are great albums.  I suppose I should listen to people more often when they tell me to listen to a band.

2 The Shins 30

    Gotta love the Shins, even though that one commercial absolutely butchers “Sleeping Lessons”.  A guy in my hall was obsessed with that song, so he inspired me to listen a bit more.

3 David Byrne 19

    Been listening to his latest album, which was actually recorded for the 1984 Olympics, but the live show never really took off.  This is a strange, but rather listenable, album.  Oh yeah, it’s called “The Knee Plays”

3 My Brightest Diamond 19

    Saw them opening for Sufjan Stevens in 2006, and almost forgot about them until I received their album.  It is really good, quite criminally underrated.

5 Mute Math 18

    Their live show at Bonnaroo in ‘07 was great (Even though it included a streaker of the male persuasion).  See them live if at all possible.

5 Beck 18

    Honestly, I don’t know how I listened to Beck this much.  He’s ok, but I’ve just never really gotten that into him.  Maybe it’ll be a Sonic Youth thing, one of these days.

5 Johann Sebastian Bach 18

    Listening to him for class, the Baroque master that he is, at least according to my professor.

8 Explosions in the Sky 16

    This is my study music.  I like it, but study music it is.

9 Loney, Dear 12

    “I am John” is a great song, a friend alerted me to it and I played it on my radio show Thursday.  So why am I sad?  Because I can’t play it any more this semester…

10 White Blue Yellow and Clouds 10

    I just can’t get enough.

____________________________________________

 So that is what I’ve heard this week.  Next time, on Stalker Anonymous, we learn how to find people on Facebook, and use their identity for your own personal benefit!

Cheers,

Mikil

]]> http://shortcummings.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/what-i-mogged-thurs-jan-10/ Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:41:01 +0000 collinevan http://shortcummings.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/what-i-mogged-thurs-jan-10/

I write all over the place. I blog for a living, I write for my business, I write about music, and I very occasionally enter my thoughts here.

MOG is the site I use to blog about music. It’s a social network for the uber music geek inside. It’s a place that all my obsessive compadres like to gather and discuss and dissect music to a level that is unbearable to the common man. Really, it’s brilliant.

Since music is an inseparable part of me, I decided to force feed my personal blog readers with the occasional helping of my MOG blog. Read it, love it. Listen to the music I put up there.

What I Mogged – Thursday, Jan 10

A ginormous comet of pure awesomeness struck last year and music was declared good. I’m having trouble letting go of stuff I listened to at the beginning of the year.

Loney, Dear put out probably what is the most genius record I think I have heard in a long time. The only thing I can think of that rivals it last year was Arcade Fire’s “Neon Bible” release in the latter part of the year. Either way, I’ve been rocking both albums sufficiently for at least 2 days.

The average music fan hits that point in their life where nothing gets better. Some dudes are still only listening to Boston. That’s awesome, but things evolve and retract. There are musical ebbs and flows, but each time something is reinvented it has it’s own style and attributes.

Those of us who are pure music geeks need a chance to branch out and hear something new. We evolve in our tastes.

Could this signal the end of my evolution? Have I settled on the year 2007?

Bah, no. Those were just some wicked good albums.

-collin