All Points West - Correction!

In an earlier post, I mentioned the All Points West music festival that's "set" to take place in New Jersey in early August. What I had wrong is the website, apparently. Here's the correct link:

http://www.apwfestival.com/

I signed up for the mailing list when the website was first online and I have yet to receive anything from Goldenvoice about it, so we'll see what actually happens with this website. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of the event though. I mean, I went to the two Radiohead shows there in 2001 and I have to say that the venue for this festival is amazing and the views from Liberty State Park are speechless. Usually, with Coachella, the scenery is a crucial part of the event. Tucked into the San Jacinto Valley, the Empire Polo Fields are surrounded by palm trees and mountains are the backdrop to just about everything. It's ridiculous. So it comes as no surprise to me that the "Eastern" Coachella boasts scenery that includes an amazing view of downtown Manhattan... and the ass of the Statue of Liberty. I mean, if you want scenery for a New York/New Jersey music festival, you just cannot beat this:



Needless to say, I'm hoping that this event does happen and doesn't turn into another Field Day fiasco that occurred in 2003. (Wait, it happened in 2005! Psych.) If Radiohead had two mindblowingly good shows in 2001 without a hitch, why wouldn't a music festival have the same luck, right?

vs. Pens - 2008/01/30

A-ha! It seems as if the Thrashers have returned to their winning ways, collecting two points against the Pittsburgh Penguins last nite at Philips Arena. For the first time in much too long, I was actually able to catch the entire game via the television broadcast. It's been fairly difficult to balance hockey with everything else going on and, needless to say, the girl and I haven't been to a game in, like, forevers. So when we realized that we had a free evening ahead of us to sit down, relax, and pay attention to the game, it was nice to return to normalcy for a change.

Personal things aside, I thought that the Thrashers played a great game. I don't think I can really add any more positive words about Kari's performance last nite. Seriously. It seemed like he was in the right place at the right time for every shot on him. The "no-goal" was a good call with all of the added examination, but I wasn't too happy about the defensive positioning during that play. If that Pens rookie would've made some "stick-and-puck" contact, it definitely would've been a different story. Zhitnik's rear got to see more of the action on that play than Kari, which clearly wasn't beneficial at all. Fortunately we caught a break and an off-ice ruling went in the Thrash's favor.

It's definitely unfortunate about the Kovalchuk injury. Initially, I thought Kovy was hamming it up to influence the severity of the call against Ruutu. I figured that the so-called "knee-on-knee" injury wasn't that much of a big deal and that Kovy would return later on in the period and continue to wreak havoc. Apparently I was incorrect when I made those assumptions... kinda. While Kovy did return later on (something that I expected), it was apparent that the injury he suffered was more of a bigger deal than both he and I envisioned. I'm sure it was more noticeable in the arena, but it was made clear to me when Malkin tried to take advantage of Kovy's lack of speed and attack the net. Kovy wanted to correct the situation and go after Malkin, but he just didn't have the extra "umph" that he normally possesses to continue on with the play. He subsequently left the ice after that play and wasn't to return again.

Don Waddell provided the news to the media this morning that Kovy would be out for the games against Buffalo and Washington this weekend and that he would hopefully return to action next week. This news absolutely affects the Thrashers as Kovy has been the player that has carried the team basically all season long. Early on when the Thrashers would go down four-too-many goals in a game, it was Kovalchuk who rallied the troops and potted a few to start momentum. The power play was looking incredibly weak in the first few games, then Kovalchuk's ridiculous slapper from the point often burned holes into the back of the net and between his goal-scoring and the amazing passing of rookie Toby Enstrom, the power play (before last nite's game) was ranked very close to the top 10 in the league.

When Kovalchuk disappears from the lineup, it's huge. Remember when he was out for that suspension against the Rangers immediately prior to the All-Star break and how the team responded? The score was 2-1, Rangers. Granted, Kovy's goal-scoring was staying a bit in the games leading up to that point, but I'm sure that it's a safe bet to assume that when Kovy is absent from the Thrashers lineup, the offense struggles to either gain control of the puck or create any kind of offense, often both.

Even though the struggling Sabres are in town tomorrow nite, they are nothing to take lightly. Recall when the Sabres didn't have a victory in the New Year... that is, not until they crossed paths with the Thrashers in Buffalo, which regrettably resulted in a 10-1, uh, thrashing of our beloved birds. Since then, Buffalo has still struggled and is nothing close to the team that they were last year. It will be interesting to see how the Thrashers (along with Moose Hedberg, who will get the start tomorrow) respond to such adversity as no Kovy.

Let's not forget about a crucial divisional tilt against the surging Caps in Blueland on Saturday. AO and Kovy are virtually neck-to-neck in the scoring race and when these two teams pair up against each other, it's a treat to watch two of the best players in the game battle it out because you know they both love the spotlight. This game is an even bigger deal as I just mentioned, they are divisional rivals. The playoff race within the Southeast Division has been quite the tag-team affair lately. Three to four teams all want the top spot because, in reality, it looks like that will be the only Southeast representation in the Eastern Conference when the playoffs arrive. Carolina is barely holding on, with the Thrashers, Caps, and Panthers all wanting to have their say in the battle for number one. Right now, Washington is pushing hard for it and we all know what the Thrashers have dealt with in the past couple of weeks. Everyone knows what's at stake and this game will be a crazy one. It must kill Kovy to be in the position that he's in and to watch such a highly competitive game from the press box as a non-factor.

Let's hope this Thrashers squad gets it in gear and keeps the greater end in focus. While every member of the Thrashers roster will tell you that it's best to concentrate on "one game at a time", they all know what they are aiming for and what is the common goal. Concentrate on the wins against Buffalo and Washington - yes - but collecting four points in those games is essential for gaining any ground in the playoff race.

State of the Thrashers?

A Temporary Remedy?
While the NHL event is long gone (bew!), I somehow found an airing of the AHL All-Star Game on CSS this evening. Initially I figured that the broadcast was live, then I found out that this was merely a taping of the event from last nite. And even though I know the outcome of this so-called "Triple A" exhibition, I still feel compelled to watch. A few Thrashers prospects were involved in the game, including those who received some NHL exposure earlier in the season (Brett Sterling and Joel Kwiatkowski).

After watching the first period (it's in between periods right now), the thing that stands out to me so far is the goaltending. Of course, the tempo of the game is a litte mixed (some lax play because of no consequences and some entertaining moves because of the same), but the goalies in the first played rather well. Toronto prospect Tukka Rask and Carolina journeyman Michael Leighton exhibited some strong play, with Rask actually coming out of the net at one point during the action to take the puck from the right circle while surrounded by a few players to gain control of the puck and clear the zone. Basically, it was like a move that Hedberg would do during a typical game situation. Something like that would garner some criticism because of the goalie coming so far out of the crease during what should be a pretty intense situation. In an All-Star Game setting, however, this is met with comments like, "Oh, what a showman!" It probably wouldn't be that "showy" if he bumbled the puck and that play yielded a goal. Either way, it's clear that the players know that all-star games are for the fans and they play up to that completely.

As the second period gets under way, I'll update some more tomorrow (fingers-crossed!) on how I feel about the rest of this game. It makes for pretty neat watching though.

Returning to the Fold
Tomorrow nite the Thrashers start to unravel the second half of the season. Well, maybe that wasn't the best of words to use. As of late, the Thrashers' play hasn't been the best... or even close. After an incredible win in Detroit a few weeks back, the Thrashers haven't been the same since. Actually, it seems that inconsistency is quite a consistent theme for our birds. They'll play mightily against some of the strongest teams in the league (as shown during matchups against Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and obviously Detroit) and then fold completely against weaker opponents, teams they should either matchup fairly evenly with or teams that they should really dominate (i.e. Columbus, Edmonton, Toronto, etc.). Team chemistry somehow went AWOL a few weeks after Don Waddell assumed the throne behind the bench. Kari Lehtonen was left out to dry in several of these matchups and was actually a good reason why the Thrashers defeats weren't complete washouts and complete massacres. Ilya Kovalchuk's hottness has definitely cooled in the few games prior to the All-Star break and then there's the omnipresent cloud hanging over Marian Hossa's head of "TO RE-SIGN OR NOT TO RE-SIGN?"

It's really not that hard to be a Thrashers fan. I mean, the team has some of the most potent offensive players in the league with Kovalchuk and Hossa. When the goaltending is on, Kari Lehtonen is up there with the league's elite between the pipes. And there's the bright star that is Toby Enstrom on the Thrashers blueline squad. There is always a bunch of promise with this team and when they perform, they are top-notch. However, when the other players appear sometimes during games (or not at all), it's more difficult to rush to put your Thrashers sweater over your head prior to walking into Philips Arena for a game. With the current state of the team, you often wonder which Thrashers team will show - the team that can easily win the Southeast Division or the team that will get crushed by the local Mites.

As the calendar flips to February and there is no re-signing of Marian Hossa, trade talks will certainly escalate as the trade deadline draws nigh. He is probably the most appealing free agent to the league once the season ends and July 1st arrives. But what to do with this sitation? Do we trade Hossa to a contender and hope and pray that we get equal (or greater?!) value for our superstar or do we pick up the play so that re-signing in Atlanta doesn't seem like a chore? Is there even "equal value" in the league to trade with to make something like the possible Hossa trade seem fair?

What is certain is that the Thrashers absolutely need to pick up the caliber of play and make a push for the playoffs. Eric Perrin has proved his worth during shorthanded opportunities, but what about even-strength play or even on the man-advantage? For a while there, Todd White was racking up points like woah. His production has since dropped and it appears as if he has plateaued. And what about Slava Kozlov? These players definitely need to pick up their game in the next two months in order to play a little longer in April. I know they can do it just as much as you do. Do these guys feel the same fire though? We'll see, starting tomorrow nite against Pittsburgh.

Update in Un-Deux-Trois... and Quatre

NHL All-Star Weekend
So this weekend was the All-Star Weekend in Atlanta. While I wasn't able to attend any real events, I did make the trip up for the trading card and memorabilia stuff yesterday. It was just awesome to walk into CNN Center and just know that hockey is all around you... and food, as the event was oddly held in the middle of the CNN Center food court. Regardless, the atmosphere was that of a card collector's convention, something I haven't revisited since my teens. Looking at various rookie cards, the game-worn jersey cards (and quickly realizing how ridiculous that concept is), and other hockey-related goodies brought me back a few years and I was beginning to feel like I wanted to haggle a little bit and get a few bargains. Seeing how I didn't do any of that, really, I did make a few purchases, which Maal over at Fire Wagon Hockey would certainly approve of. This will be a nice treat for the soon-to-be Mrs.!



Trading cards aside, I took a few pictures of the memorabilia show as well as some of the surroundings of Philips Arena, including bunches of All-Star-related garb. As is the norm, they are at the flickr site.

Coachella 2008 - Let's go?
Last week, a bunch of chaos circulated around this year's Coachella Festival lineup. Because of the veteran that I am, I certainly had an interest in how it would shape up even though I wasn't flying across the country this year (at least not for Coachella). Apparently there was some press conference in Mexico City and bit-by-bit the lineup started leaking to the masses. This year's headliners include Jack Johnson, Portishead, and Roger Waters (performing Dark Side of the Moon).

Can I just say that while it's exciting that Portishead is coming to the desert, it's a bummer that they are headline material? They would be a great warmup for an amazing headliner (i.e. how Pixies into Radiohead worked in '04). And the other two are pure throw-aways for me.

With this festival, it's typical that the second-tier acts and anything less than that make due for an amazing event. In past years, Air, the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Bloc Party, etc. often made the biggest impressions on show-goers because of their standing in the music community or because of the strength of their set. This time around, there are definitely some strong acts, but nothing that makes you want to really fly five hours to California. I love some of the bands playing this year (Stars, Metric, the Breeders, Spiritualized, Les Savy Fav), but their presence at Coachella doesn't make me want to get on a plane and jump across three time zones for an abbreviated set in the desert.

I don't know, maybe it's damned maturity or something, but this year doesn't do that much for me. Maybe it's also because there's the completely uneven scale of "Hawaii vs. Coachella"... or, better yet, "HONEYMOON vs. Coachella, Round Five". Thanks for trying, Goldenvoice, but I'll have a little faith in your so-called "All Points West" (website down at the moment) festival that is apparently slated to run in New Jersey's Liberty State Park in August.

Either way, have a look at the Coachella 2008 poster and see what you think of this lineup.



Weddings-r-Us!
With less than a month before the wedding, things have actually calmed down for a change. We're waiting on responses to boomerang back to Georgia and then time to freak out in a couple more weeks and then, just like that, we're hitched! I can't wait. This is something we've worked towards for 4+ years and, while things aren't exactly how we planned them to be by now, the timing couldn't be any better. I'm just glad that this is all happening and I'm with the best girl possible. I really don't know who else would put up with my schtick for this long and, now, a lifetime. Crazy how these things work out, eh?

Fixation Focus?
To a milder extent, the Fixation Focus returns. Since the end of July, I've seen this band start it up and play a few gigs. They're like nothing I've heard from the Atlanta area and they are just great people that are doing this. The band is Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun and you should definitely keep a lookout for them in 2008. Described to me as "indie-guitar-electro-fuzz rock", this band is completely awesome. They've already opened for The Comas, Great Northern, Fiction Plane (Sting's son's band), and IAMX and are poised for more recognition. They are currently putting down tracks for a seven-song EP that will probably get out there in April or May (fingers crossed!). They have a show at the Star Bar in Atlanta on March 1st, so definitely mark that on your calendar and be ready for a complete aural assault!