vs. Flyers - 2007/02/03

Wow, so that was another miserable effort by a team that looks like it's losing some of it's mojo, and for sure some of its lead in the standings. After trying to deal with terrible traffic and an even worse parking situation, I missed the entire first period. The first goal sounded like it was primiarily Kari's fault and we ended up catching the Kovalchuk tally and then somehow made our way through maze-esque parking lots and meandering through thousands of cars and other misled cattle, err, people.

I mean, we were able to score some pretty amazing seats for the game, but I just wish that the Thrashers gave us reason to celebrate. This game was mediocre, mildly stated. The power play is in shambles, any kind of special teams that we have really appears non-existant, and our defense seems to be more effective at planting roots into the ice at Philips than actually moving around and trying to work the opposition. What comes to mind with these problems is not the players - I really feel that there is something that isn't being activated by Coach Hartley. I just don't see how we have all of the talent in the world and we cannot do a damned thing on the power play, ESPECIALLY on the 5-on-3 opportunities that should be no-brainers. Luckily for us, we only took three penalties last night, so who knows how well the penalty kill units would've worked if they were actually put to the task. But the issue with the power play is mind-boggling.

It really does appear that the team is disintegrating or becoming disabled. We're not being figured out by the worst teams in the league, we're just not playing to the potential that we know we have. The last thing the Flyers are concerned about is watching hours of tape to try to figure out the first-place Thrashers and how to topple their system. If it was a legitimate playoff race, I could see the sense of urgency for the Flyers squad. Seeing how they are the WORST IN THE LEAGUE in terms of standings/points, the Flyers had nothing to lose, didn't care about what happened, and actually played. I'm sure if they were down a few goals, morale would've dipped and the game would've been our's. But then again, who knows, considering we have little evidence that the Thrashers know the definition of what a "comfortable lead" is!

Yes, I'm very frustrated. I'm neither a coach nor a trained hockey-wiz, but I know that something needs to be done to light a fire up the collective ass of the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team. Last night, I saw very little emotion brought to the ice and lack of spirit brings lack of drive. Why push for anything more if you don't feel it inside? All of the mistakes and mishaps this team has endured this season are purely mental errors. Maybe getting rid of Hartley and bringing in someone more qualified like, say, Dr. Phil would have more of an effect on the Thrashers mindset than what Hartley is currently exuding.

While it is hard to believe that there were any positives to the evening, GM Don Waddell's appearance to the crowd (regardless of how big/small) for the 680 post-game show was a bold move... commendable, even. A lot of fans would love to get their chance with DW and just put him up in front of a firing squad and the chance was there last night. Granted, I also missed a bunch of the post-game show due to the five-mile trek back to the core of the earth for my car, but what I did hear sounded like the situation was neutralized. DW mentioned that something needs to happen to bring either more defensive aspects to the team or a notable center to get this team moving in the direction that it should be. Funny, because I really thought the rotation of Kapanen/Rucchin/Metropolit at center was working for a while... hmm... right.

I did notice this morning that the great Thrashers Talons site analyzed some figures after the Islanders debacle from Thursday night. There are a couple of entries that bring attention to different aspects of the team and, as always, are very interesting and especially enlightening. This is good for someone like me who doesn't have the time to plug in numbers into my so-called "correlational calculator" and make connections from that. Another post looms on the horizon has The Falconer aims to be coach for a minute and make suggestions for the team that would not address any trade/player-movement issues. Sounds good to me! Keep your eyes tuned there as I'm sure that's coming up later on tonight.

Arcade Fire Sets Churches Across the UK Ablaze!

I just can't turn away from anything related to the Arcade Fire. Whether they are taking the collective bathroom break, or making a new record, or singing outside of churches - I will never be able to deny this band.

Speaking of the latter in that series, the Arcade Fire is currently on tour of the UK, playing the randomest of venues across the island nation - churches. While this trend is continuing across the seas in Montreal and New York in the coming weeks, let's hope that another trend of this tour manifests itself. After playing sets that probably last an hour or a little more, the band members take to the church steps for the encore.

Uh, yeah. You know, like the outside of churches... and how they all have steps into them? Those steps are the next stage for the band's performances.

Maybe it's an attempt to get to the fans who weren't as close as they could've been at the actual show (you know, with seats and a proper stage, etc.). Maybe it's an attempt to connect to new fans and be as intimate as possible by literally playing in a crowd. Or maybe they are just passionate about what they do and what they represent to their fans. Who knows, but whatever their motives are, I think it's just the coolest thing around.

I mean, the Arcade Fire aren't the world's most important band (yet), but to reach out and be cavaliers with their fans is pretty unreal. I've always heard stories about bands "returning to their roots" by playing dive bars or doing record signings or something - but THIS, this isn't even a retread of their past. This is something that everyone who was a part of it will remember it for quite a while. It's not every day that you have the opportunity to actually stand next to your favorite band (literally!) while they play for you and the few hundred (if that many!) that surround you.

To get a glimpse of what the Arcade Fire are doing across the UK, check out their encore from their gig at the Porchester Hall in London just last night:



And if you can tolerate Regine's wimpers, take a look at this vid from the 29th of January after the Arcade Fire performed at St. John's Church, also in London:

Oh yeah, here's a quickie...

And I can't believe I let this one slide for as long as I did, but I'm actually on the Thrashers website, all because of blog night! Check out the linkage here.

Of all the bloggers that partcipated and the entries that were made about the evening, a selection from your's truly was the leading quote for the rest of the blogs. Pretty neat, I say!

FIxation Focus: Fields

C'mon, let's face it here, kids - anything posted on here relating to music in the next few months is more-likely-than-not going to be affiliated with the much-loved, desired, envied, cherished Coachella Festival. And, it so happens that this is one of those posts!

After getting a few listens on Left of Center (Sirius 26) of "Song for the Fields" and "Heretic", I gave Fields a shot and obtained a copy of their EP, "7 from the Village". What I found on that EP is that, even though those two tracks definitely stick out, it has a sound that's kind of on its own. I've always been terrible with trying to classify things or grouping anything into specific genres, only because I listen to what I think is good. There's no need to go about the whole, uh, "proto-post-electroclash-punk" thing with labelling anything. I'm tired of it, and I've always been like that with regard to genres.

But with that all aside... geez...



It's just a nicely textured EP with some tracks that really live out the "Fields" name. For once, there's a band name that actually suits the music well. And maybe that was the intention? From their bio on their website:

...the pastoral idea behind Fields was something that was there from the onset. "I like the idea of having the folky pastoral elements, like the name," says [singer, keys, guitar - Nick Peill]. "But on the other hand it can be quite ambiguous, like fields of white noise, or static. That's what I was trying to allude to.

"Song for the Fields" starts out as something rather quiet, then really gets rolling and kinda makes you feel like you've gone back in time to some other period in your life when things just moved at a rapid pace... and then stopped. The rest of the EP isn't that momentous, but it does give a good taste of what's expected of the band in the future.

What's also worth noting about the band is that they are comprised of different backgrounds, as noted on their myspace. While most of the band is from London and/or Birmingham, UK, vocalist Thorunn Antoni is from Iceland and I'm sure that her input plays a role into the sound of the band. You can certainly pick up on the winter vibes that this band exudes.

With that EP as their first release, their debut full-length, Everything Last Winter, is released on April 3 (in the States) through Atlantic Records, I'm assuming.

Fields plays Coachella '07 on Saturday, April 28.

website: http://www.fieldsband.com/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fieldsband

vs. 'Duhs - 2007/02/01

After responding from some great mishaps (against the Isles - but with a win - and against the Flyers), the Thrashers had the momentum carry over from their great win over Jersey the other night... at least, you would think that would happen. Granted, I did get to the game about 5-10 minutes late, so I definitely cannot attest to how they came out of the gate. With Jon Sim coming up with an early goal though, it seemed as if the Thrash could finally get something started and perhaps finish it. Walking into Philips, I discovered that the score was already tied up even though I just heard the goal on 680 from the parking lot across the street.

Finally getting a seat, I was able to assess the situation and witness the game for what I thought it was worth.

For all the Dunham haters out there, the guy was the second star of the game and pretty much deserved it. Granted, the Isles played some trusty defense and killed off a bunch of penalties. That's not to say that the Thrashers had their chances though.

With five power plays (including an early 5-on-3), the Thrashers' power play unit that includes Hossa, Kovalchuk, and Kozlov - three guys you think would be able to outplay opponents' PK units and score in numbers - once again proved inept at the chances handed to them.

There were several moments during the game that the Thrash should've been up a few goals. There were fantastic opportunities to cash in on. There were attempts by Kapanen with great shooting angles - but this was quickly minimalized by Niko's lack of puck-handling in some intense situations. There was a penalty shot from Hossa that could've started something in the Thrashers' favor - but the goalpost let off a resounding "NOPE!" And Kovy had shot after shot that could've hit some kind of twine in the back of the net - but it seemed like for every shot fired, Dunham had an answer.

Yes, THAT Dunham.

Did he play outstanding tonight? Not necessarily, as there were moments (but not many, unfortunately) that he would find himself in poor positioning or unsure as to what to do with the puck. For the vast majority of the game, however, Dunham was everything that he was not during his tenure with the Thrashers last season - a reliable asset that the Isles pretty much banked on for the duration of the evening. Did he play solid hockey for close to 60 minutes? I'd say so.

And with his history with this Atlanta team, for the Isles to get that kind of win in our building, with him manning the nets - it's really unforgivable. It makes you very angry as a Thrashers fan. After all of the misery and hardships the team and its followers had to endure last year, the one person we hoped would pull through would be the back-up goalie. Mike Dunham really gave no evidence of that to the team last season. And for him to just casually walk out of Philips knowing that he played his heart out to prove himself in front of probably close to 13000 people (maybe I'm being generous? It was a week night) - it just boggles my mind how this kind of player didn't show up AT ALL last season.

So looking at the game from that viewpoint, I'm pretty much disappointed, frustrated, and pretty pissed. I'm disappointed that our team, with as much fire-power it possesses, cannot get itself started on any kind of roll lately. I'm frustrated because it's really appearing that our team isn't used to being in the position that they are currently in - as one of the top teams in the NHL - and that they can't seem to handle it (or that kind of respect) in game situations. And I'm livid because of Dunham and how this kind of talent and promise didn't present itself during a season when we needed it the most... and now he seems to be thriving in the role as someone who can be relied upon.

We'll see how things turn out against the Flyers on Saturday.

OFFICIAL: Atlanta 2008 All-Star Game Logo

How exciting! I hope that I can figure out some way into the game, besides doing season tickets. Unfortunately, I can't do that due to money, but maybe if there are other plans that allow for opportunities for tickets, maybe I can look into that. But knowing that we're one step closer to the actual event... I'm so stoked!

I guess that the logo is ok, too. I mean, compared to the '05 one, next year's looks a little more modern (obv):

vs. 'Duhs - 2007/01/26

So the last entry started out how I intended it, but then it just turned into a retread of the blog night... which is fine, because that definitely deserved to be put out there. And since this wasn't mentioned ANYWHERE in that entry, I just wanted to thank Ben, Micah, and anyone else of the Thrashers who was responsible for putting together the blog night because it was something that I'll always remember whenever I go to a game or event at Philips. Not all teams are doing things like that for their fans/internet contingency, so for the Thrash to take the next step is just great and I hope it happens again.

As for the game, it started off somewhat akin to how the first Islanders game this season began - DiPietro turns to swiss cheese and coughs up a few softies to give the Thrash a decently-sized lead. A few things were not similar to the first meeting though - the soft goals did not hold up and DiPietro got yanked in favor of the much-loved, appreciated, and celebrated goalie in Thrashers history, Mike Dunham (uh, note the sarcasm).

Yes, yes - everyone knows the significance of this, but we'll get past that.

I wished Ted Nolan stuck it out with D.P. for a little more because, unlike most everyone else, this season I really do have a bit of fear in Dunham. Last season's stay with the Thrash was more of an aberration on his career. While never a true, reliable number one goalie in the league, he definitely did have some power years with Nashville and even with the Rangers. Somehow, things were off last year, including injuries, and Dunham was cast out of Atlanta in favor of Johan Hedberg. But with comments like, "Just put the puck on Dunham and he'll take care of the rest," or, "Get him moving and he'll be out of position like he usually is," or really anything negative, this isn't the year to say that about Mike. Unfortunately for us Thrash fans, Dunham is having an average year and being a suitable backup.

After letting in three goals on five shots in about six minutes' worth of play, DiPietro's bad work was negated by solid work by Dunham. The Thrash put on some quality shots and Dunham was there to answer. With a combination of a little slacking off after the three-goal barrage in the first, Hossa's absence throughout most of the second, and Dunham, the Islanders were able to creep back into the game and made it more exciting than it should've been. The game should've been over after the third goal of the night and the Thrashers should've kicked their game into high gear. Fortunately, there were only two penalties against the Thrash, so the Isles PP units weren't able to apply that much pressure.

As a whole, started the game off with a bang, but the team hesitated to either jump start themselves or jump over a few hurdles between the astonishing start and incredible end.

What still amazes me is the HOSSA chants that blow off the arena's top each time he does ANYTHING noteworthy. When he goes down with an apparent injury, HOSSA heats up. When he comes off the ice with an injury, HOSSA. After coming back from what appeared to be a career-ending (sarcasm, *knocks wood*) injury, HOSSA. After he scores a goal 19 seconds after coming back... eh, that's implied. I mean, it's getting to the point that if Marian Hossa has exact change when paying for a hamburger, a HOSSA party will ensue. It's ridiculous... but you know it's true. There's no denying the passion and the energy that Hossa brings to the lineup and it's even more amazing that the fans bring that same spirit right back, trying to get him off the ice, trying to get him to score that game-winner, trying to get him to do anything for the win. He's the true team player and he deserves any kind of HOSSA (yeah, respect works here, too) he can get.

Recap: Blog Night @ Philips

Maybe it was fate... destiny... or really just poor goaltending from D.P. Who knows - but on the Thrashers' inaugural bloggers night, the Thrashers set the tone early (like, "six minutes" early, too), made Rick DiPietro believe he was swiss cheese, and led to a few glares directed towards me from other bloggers in the press box. I don't really think I need to clarify that.

I could do an entire narrative-style post about how the night progressed, but I won't do that. Seems more personal and, eh, livejournal than what I think should be represented. I mean, what I was a part of on Friday night was pretty amazing.

Aiming to be more progressive with their audience (primarily their internet audience), the Atlanta Thrashers opened their press box to anyone with an Atlanta-area blog - to see what it's like to be a member of the press, to tell the story of the experience, to just spread the word that there's a pretty damned good hockey team in town and to look at how some of their most important fans are treated. I'm sure that there are teams around the league that open their doors to bloggers/outsiders as much as the Thrashers did the other evening (the Capitals instantly come to mind). But to have this kind of respect and responsibility bestowed upon a few faceless bloggers is pretty damned trustworthy and forward-thinking. We were handed personalized press passes (with access to nearly everywhere, at any time, although I didn't take advantage of the latter), massive amounts of literature about the game/players/stats from around the league, and given a seat on the ninth floor of Philips Arena to watch the game.

I don't have a laptop, so I initially felt awkward being a blogger, but unable to immediately represent myself at the game. So I sweet-talked the ladyfriend and used her's for the evening. Turns out that I actually felt more awkward WITH it because I couldn't pay attention to the game. To actually devote a few minutes of typing during a fast-paced hockey game was a little more difficult that I thought and, in the end, it wasn't the way I wanted to go about the evening. It was pretty neat to be at the game, have any kind of information at your side (by way of all of the papers that were dished out), and check out instant updates online of what was happening. For example, when Hossa went down in the second in anticipation of an injury, minutes later it was brought to my attention that news of it made it to the NHL wires that Hossa was out indefinitely. This was probably no more than five minutes later after the incident. That's something I would've missed if I were watching the game on TV or anywhere else. With the internet, it's pretty ridiculous how fast things develop... and unravel. I mean, the same article that was very quick to report that Hossa was out is now reporting that he did go down, but came back to score the fourth Thrashers goal of the night (link).

It was also great to have the chance of being a member of the press. I really felt like wearing a press hat, but I'm assuming that wouldn't have gone over too well. It was weird enough wearing a jersey or trying to NOT cheer/yell/etc. or be "just a fan" in the press area. Other than those aspects of it, it's basically a dream job for me. To have that kind of positioning during the game, the kind of freedom around the arena, and just write... especially about something I'm fairly passionate about (ha!)... I couldn't think of anything there that's negative. So to say that my experience on Friday was anything short of amazing would be a complete lie. I had a ton of fun doing something that maybe I'll do again, maybe not (only of that opportunity never arises).

I wish that the bloggers could've either talked some more or that there was an opportunity made to talk about what they represent online and how they feel about the position they were in on Friday (i.e. bloggers with press credentials?). That would've been nice, but then again, we're not talking college classes here... we're only talking about hockey games.

But as a whole, it was pretty awesome Friday and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I took a few pics of stuff that happened that evening, and the album is found on my flickr site. Take a look and see what I saw!

THIS JUST IN - OMG - HOCKEY GAME 2NITE!!!1

Yeah, rumor has it that there's a game at the city arena tonight... who knows how that's going to go down. Riiiiight.

We're about to find a way to get around the sans-laptop scenario I'm dealing with and it does appear that I won't be the odd-man-out at the Thrash game (meaning, the only one who won't be feverishly (?) typing away), featuring bloggers from around town. Here's a list of some of the blogs that will be represented tonight. No formal names (sorry!) as this is a perfect example of snippetry - list courtesy of The Web Guy:

http://ptbigadventure.blogspot.com

www.ugascubadawg.blogspot.com

http://carolan.org/thrashers/

http://www.godsendjen.com/ and http://southeastshootout.blogspot.com/

http://thrasherstalons.blogspot.com

http://girlslovehockeytoo.blogspot.com/ and http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=4985

http://www.americanangst.com

http://erbystang.livejournal.com/ and http://thrashings.blogspot.com/

http://www.kitbaty.com/ssw/

http://www.manoeuvrebored.com/

I look forward to meeting y'all tonight and let's have some serious fun with this! Yeah!

"So, yeah, I'm this blogger..."

As I've mentioned in the past, Friday night the Thrashers are hosting their first blog night. Basically, anyone who has a blog in the Atlanta area (and actually applied for it) will be given press credentials for the game against the New York Islanders Friday and will be allowed to tour the arena, live it up in the press box, and attend the post-game press conference. Needless to say, I'm in for the ride and while I'm unsure if you can expect an actual posting session from the event, definitely expect a follow up on the events that transpired that evening this weekend. I'll have my camera, so I can at least take some pics of things that the typical "commoner" (which is what I thought I was...?) would not be exposed to.

Speaking of this, though, definitely brings on a pretty good topic of debate. I've never given it a second guess because the blogs I read are pretty credible in terms of who they are and what they represent. While this appears to be a one-night-only deal (and that's fine with me!), AJC Thrashers beat writer Craig Custance, uh, blogged about the validity of bloggers and, moreso, wondered if giving press credentials for sporting events to bloggers was acceptable.

Where do I stand on this? Obviously, I'm quite biased, but I still don't feel that "bloggers" need official representation in the press box for events like this. Now, as we've read on Hockey Buzz, Eklund is over at the All-Star Game in Dallas and is writing about it. Now clearly, he is not a member of the press. His main claim to fame is that he somehow has connections in the hockey world and is able to throw out rumors about anyone in the league and provide his readers with a pretty good insight on things that might go unnoticed. But what gives him the right to attend such a high-profile game with such limited credentials, since he also prides himself on being so anonymous in the hockey world?

One can debate that there need to be guidelines established for what determines who can apply for press access to games. That could be quite lengthy, and, as with the internet, those such guidelines will have to change each and every year in order to be on top of changing cultural climates and technology. As a psychology major, I often dealt with trying to be up-to-date when it came to citing sources that originated from the internet, only because it was a constant battle to stay on top of everything and maintain some sort of credibility of what's cited. The same would apply with press guidelines for bloggers.

But in cities like Atlanta - that isn't among the most hockey-friendly places in the country - that already include minimal RECOGNIZED press coverage as it is, you'd be hard pressed to find any other stories about your favorite team locally. Any outsider who reads the paper and maybe watches the 11 o'clock news (on a game day) is exposed to hockey only through those means... maybe spotting a billboard around town, too. That is it! So if someone could get more information about the Thrashers from outside sources - like bloggers - that's definitely a plus for the organization.

So do we reject this and stick with the bare minimum or actually take a gamble and see what the army of bloggers can unleash? The way I see it, it will be a constant battle for upkeep of proper media guidelines for internet-based writers who are not recognized professionally for what they do. Of course, there are the stereotypical "lustful bloggers" who seem to focus all of their energy onto one player, obsess about them, and want to get closer to the action (which this viewpoint seems to be the most popularly held, and that's sad). Do I actually think this represents the majority? Absolutely not. Looking at the blogs that I link, I'd have no problem with them attending a game and writing about it, with press access allowed. But for a full-time thing, I don't think that bloggers should really have thing kind of pull. Yeah, we do collectively have large voices in the community and can provide some great opinions on matters that, whether they are important or not, affect how we feel about our team, and even possibly how the team performs. But with no real boundaries for bloggers to stand by, it would be difficult to control what they say. To allow that kind of liberty into such a highly regarded place as a press box with PROFESSIONALS in the field just doesn't mix to me.

The blog night on Friday is a great event for independent writers in the area. I'm standing with the viewpoint that it's more of an opportunity for me to see what that kind of lifestyle is like and weigh the options on whether I'd like to pursue something in that field. It definitely doesn't hurt that I'm also given all-access (well, close to it) to my favorite team and that I'll probably drool over that alone. If I found MYSELF seeking credentials for every home game (or even half), I think I'd be out of line for doing such. It's just not my place. Could it be in time? Sure. But as someone who's as informal about this (i.e. blogging) as I am, the last thing the Thrashers organization needs is someone who represents that kind of mindset in the mix with reporters from the AJC, or even from other places across the country/continent. People are paid to do the job that I would do, and they deserve the spot when the time arises, not myself. Besides, I'm sure that they'd do a better job with writing about the game/whatever than I would... because they are qualified to do so!

But for moments like Friday night, I'm all about it. It's definitely something new and I'm super excited. More to come on this for sure.

'06-'07 All-Star Week...?

For a minute there, I wanted to say All-Star WeekEND, but then I caught myself. Maybe an event like this should take place on a weekend... and on a channel that I can watch. BUT! That's for another story.

I won't be watching the NHL's All-Star game. I won't be taking in any of the pre-game festivities that include the Skills Competition or the YoungStars game. I won't actually hear any sound files on the television about the NHL's new direction when it comes to the uniforms the plays will wear next season. And I'll have to read about the results and live vicariously though pictures.

I remember growing up as a kid, probably 10, maybe 11 or 12, and watching the Skills Competition on TV (readily available, what?!) and watching players dance around pilons on the ice, timing their trials. I remember watching players fire ridiculously fast slap-shots and being amazed that a puck can travel in excess of 100 MPH (ask Al MacInnis!). And who can forget Ray Bourque's accuracy on net? All of those festivities, including the game itself, make for an amazing All-Star event... possibly the best of its type among the other sports leagues in this country. While I did get into the Quarterback Challenges during the mid-90s, those weren't directly tied to the NFL Pro Bowl (not that I can recall) and they only focused on one aspect of the game - the quarterback. The NHL Skills Competition takes players from ALL positions and puts their abilities to the test - for the benefit of bragging rights around the league and for the bewilderment and excitement of the fans watching. What other sport does that? Baseball has the Home-run Derby, and the NBA has a Slam Dunk Competition (and even a 3-point Shootout, too?). But where the other leagues miss, the NHL nails it perfectly.

After watching these kind of events, you immediately become tied to players who excelled in certain areas. You instantaneously remember facts like what I mentioned earlier. That's what also makes these events special - you learn more about the players in the league that you wouldn't normally be exposed to, whether it be because of scheduling or because you're just the "casual fan". Putting a face/name/number to a particular skill makes that person noteworthy and you'll be hard-placed to forget them for at least excelling in that particular skill. I mean, we all know that Ilya Kovalchuk has a wicked-fast slap-slot from the point when he can hit the one-timer, but if for one night we can put a number attached to that slap-shot ("OMG, he just put a 110+ MPH slapper in the net from in between the circles/on the blueline/etc.!!!"), we know what to fear and what to be proud of as fans.



I'm just a bit sad that I'm going to miss these events that I think I've seen only a handful of times growing up. I was sooooo excited when I heard that the All-Star game was coming to Atlanta in the '04-'05 season. And yeah, like everyone else, I was pretty letdown when the lockout happened and cancelled the season. What really hit hard, though, was that I was going to miss the All-Star festivities AGAIN. Even when it comes to where I live, I miss out on it somehow. Now that it WILL make its stop in Atlanta next season, it's really pointless to say that, "I'm excited about this!" I know what happens when these events take place - the city gets transformed as the best hockey players from the best hockey league in the world converge in one area for a few days and everyone celebrates their abilities. Of course, there are the things I mentioned, but there are many more things for the fans to take in. I could just imagine the GWCC opening its doors to hockey fans from across the world and exposing them to every single facet of the game - from the uniforms, to the Stanley Cup, to All-Stars of yesteryear, to collector's items, to apparel from every team... you get the point.

Just be glad that you have this opportunity, Dallas, and soak it up. But come next year, I'm going buck-wild during those days that the hockey world puts all of its attention on Atlanta.

For a magnitude of information about the events going on this week in Dallas, the NHL website has a whole area devoted to just this (and rightfully so!).

NHL '06'-'07 All-Star Game in Dallas: http://www.nhl.com/allstar/2007/index.html
All-Star festivities for fans: http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=285594

OFFICIAL: Coachella 2007 Lineup!

I wish I could pin down an official press release from Goldenvoice, but it seems that I cannot. Not like you need one anyway...



As was mentioned last night, some leaks occurred and it eventually led to the inevitable, which happened probably around 11AM on the east coast. While I did have a good dose of rumors from the past few months about who was gonna be where during the last weekend of April, I still had no idea who would actually decide to make an appearance at Coachella this year. I hoped for the Lily Allen rumors, the Explosions in the Sky rumors, the Air rumors, and so on. While they seemed legit, I remained skeptical. Fortunately for me, all skepticism came to an end this morning... or afternoon, when I really found out about it.

This lineup is incredible. I mean, Bjork is making her first US appearance in a few years, as is Jarvis Cocker (uh, nine years?!)... and a full-on Rage Against the Machine reunion...?! This doesn't even take into account the fact that The Jesus and Mary Chain, Crowded House, and Travis are coming out of retirement or extremely extended hiatuses (?). And let's not forget about the soon-to-be triumphant returns of Air and the Arcade Fire to the polo fields.

I mean, I could keep going on and one about this lineup. I really could. There are huge things to talk about and discuss until both parties in the discussion completely pass out from tongue fatigue. Let's see - do I start with an appearance from the Comedians of Comedy, or a DJ Shadow set, or how much pot Willie Nelson is going to smoke, or how hot Lily Allen is going to look with a dress and Chucks on, etc. Let's face it, gang, this will be talked about for a loooooong time.

And to know that additions will be made. Of course, everyone remembers how three additions to the bill last year basically determined the festival - with those additions being Madonna, Massive Attack, and Daft Punk. We all know that Goldenvoice has something else up their sleeves. In time, we'll find out and more pieces of the puzzle will be revealed. But as of right now, this lineup could go down as the best yet in the name of Coachella. Sure, Radiohead/Pixies/etc. in '04 was pretty damned good... but I don't think that holds a candle to this year's variety. And we're still missing suitable big names for the Sahara/dance-themed tent for at least two nights.

There are months ahead of us, kids. One of these days I'll get to posting my wishlist, who I hope will avoid conflict, what kind of expectations I have for certain artists, and how I plan on things panning out. For right now, however, I have to keep things to a minimum because, hard to believe, this is not a Coachella-only blog!

The true passion arises...

UPDATE: Coachella 2007 Lineup Leaks! (clicky)

More is sneaking out by the hour. Looks like stuff's gonna break tonight for sure. A blog hosted by the LA Times is reporting now that Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is making a desert stop, along with local artists Silversun Pickups (yay!), and UK has-beens Travis.

Yeah, THAT Travis. WTF. This is getting intense right now... and it's only going to get worse.

Linkage: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/buzzbands/2007/01/coachella_lineu.html

OFFICIAL: Coachella 2007 Headliners Revealed! (clicky)

This just in - Coachella 2007 headliners have been announced by the LA Times here:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-coachella22jan22,1,6747076.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bjork, and a one-off reunion of Rage Against the Machine will headline the three nights of the festival, with acts The Arcade Fire, The Roots, Interpol, The Decemberists, and Sonic Youth (among others) mostly playing a role as sub-headliners. 80s Australian act Crowded House will also wax nostalgic over a reunion slot during the weekend. For a teaser-list, click the above link.

There have been rumblings about the lineup being released in its entirety this evening. When I can get a hold of it, you'll be sure to know.

Coachella 2007 - The **** of the ******

Something just needs to be said about what's happened in the past 24 hours of Coachella news. Upon getting home last night at 3AM, I found an email in my inbox from Coachella stating that a presale was going on as I read it, and that the password was, well, ROXANNE. While the news of the presale was a pleasant bit of info to come home to, the password let loose a major hint of something to come.

You see, this story broke earlier this month about The Police stirring the pot about reuniting (and feeling so good?). This would be huge if it did happen because The Police are pretty international and pretty mega-star. And we all know about Coachella's ability to pull off reunions like nobody's business. So rumors started to swirl about The Police headlining a night at the first three-day Coachella this year. Then there was some more talk... and then there was the password to the presale in the email that I just mentioned. Could this really be a sign? Or could Goldenvoice have a little humor by steering the Coachella faithful in the wrong direction as we steered the general public off course when people posted a fake lineup in 2006? We'll see, because the next bit of info is pretty big.

After the news of the presale (that's pretty exclusive, BTW - if you want info, email me or leave a comment), I found out that Los Angeles mega-station KROQ posted on their website (as of today, 2006/01/20) that their morning show would announce the 2007 lineup, in its entirety, on Monday morning. Is all of the speculation finally coming to an end or are we being spoon-fed bands as we were last year? Time will tell, but I know there are a ton of people who will be turning their dials to 106.7 FM in California. I know I'm prepared for whatever comes out this time around. Last year I was caught off guard completely with Tool and the lack of knowledge of any of the other lower-tiered bands. Even that none of the headliners are glaringly obvious to outsiders yet (despite the bit about The Police that's still not confirmed, just - uh - speculated), I'm sure we're in for a treat in April.

On my checklist so far, I can sign off on everything. I'm basically committed on every end possible. I'm taking my first venture to LAX in quite a few years (especially since I've travelled to Palm Springs for the past three years) and driving into Indio that night on Tuesday. It'll no doubt be weird to drive a minivan solo for about two hours in lands that I am completely unfamilar with. Let's just hope that I don't somehow ride into Compton with a sky-blue minivan, listening to Nada Surf's newest record or something.

Next is the condo that we secured. Once again, after staying in hospitable Palm Springs, we're moving to Indio, to a place that's actually a block away from the polo fields. Too bad the blocks in Indio are HUGE. Note here:



"C" denotes the polo fields (the big 'L' on the lower left) and the green arrow provides a general area of where we'll be staying (I have the road correct, just not the actual location). Pretty tight, right? Hopefully the walk back is worth it to not sit in traffic for about an hour and then drive back about 30-45 minutes to Palm Springs. I think walking that distance will be accomplished in less than an hour and a half.

And let's not forget that Coachella is three days this year. To adjust our stay, we're staying in Indio from Wednesday to Monday, with me chillin' it up in Los Angeles Monday evening and catching an early flight out on Tuesday. I just have to figure something out for that Monday - do I do touristy things since I haven't been to LA in over 10 years or do I find a decent show going on and do that? Seeing how I have a few months to figure that out, I'm really not worried about this aspect of the trip yet.

With everything said and done, all that needs to come is a lineup and that seems to be imminent. Hard to believe that this is happening so soon, and it's even more difficult to swallow that everything is going to speed up as the event comes nearer.

Like everyone else with a blog or is on the message boards, the lineup will be out on Monday and everyone and their mother will have it posted. I'll follow suit, surely with a big grin on my face to finally cement the fact that I'm on my way west, baby!

Back on Track

So I've attended the past two Thrashers games, with no recaps presented. Well, can't really account for that (or I really can?), but this past week has been a little more testy/difficult/heart-breaking/etc. than what I'm accustomed to. I even took some pics prior to the contest versus the LA Kings, and didn't even post about that. A bunch of things have happened this past week and I'm glad to say that last week is officially behind me/us. Yes, you should be thankful, too. Now, onto other things...

Yeah, I did mention that I took some pics Tuesday evening. They can be found by doing a clicky-dance o'er here. They are mostly of the arena (since I've wanted some good wallpaper and could only do the job myself, apparently) and of the pre-game skate, including a few of an NHL first - Yutaka Fukufuji, the first Japanese-born player in the NHL. So take a gander of those if you feel so inclined (which I would appreciate, BTW).

No pics from Thursday's debacle against the Canadiens. Solid goaltending by Huet (and a plus for my fantasy team, ugh) was the difference, and a little luck on their side definitely didn't hurt. It would've been a different result if Fukufuji was suddenly dealt to the Habs and started that game, too... but no such luck.

There was a change of pace this afternoon when the Thrash took on the Rags in MSG... and actually took it to 'em. I mean, sure, Havelid's goal was a softie, but I know that I, as well as he, will take it! While we didn't have the luck in the game from Thursday, Havelid's mark was a stroke of luck and I'm glad that we finally had an ounce of it. We sure needed it before the All-Star Break, that's all I gotta say. Now I'm sure some players will take their frustrations out on the paintball field like they always seem to do when there's significant downtime.

Can I really say that with 20 more wins this season, the Thrashers can actually reach the 100 point mark? I mean, that didn't just jinx the team, right? Well, here's to hoping that it doesn't, because that would be a sign of big things to come. That's definitely a bold thing to ask of a team with 32 games remaining. Even with .500 hockey, to know that Le Thrash can break 90 points is pretty amazing. We'll see if that happens (and hopefully it does) as the second half seems a little tougher on the team that apparently loves to take their game on the road. The "circus trip" that occurs when the team travels out west while the circus is dominating the arena will prove to be the difference-maker. Even though there are 10 divisional matchups from February to early April, I think the challenges out west are big for the Thrashers. To take their best game out there for a week, matching up with some of the West's strongest teams is no picnic. So for them to skate away with two wins on that trip is huge. If they can pull off something like that (or better), they will return to the east coast charged up and ready to plow through the competition, especially that from the members of the Southeast division (who will hopefully not prove to be much of a threat with as much points as the Thrash have accumulated up until after that western swing). Interesting stuff indeed!

In the meantime, congratulations go out to All-Stars Marian Hossa and Bob Hartley and YoungStar Kari Lehtonen for cracking the squads and getting the recognition that they deserve for their stellar play/strategizing this season! Best of luck to ya in Dallas, guys, and come back in one piece so that we can continue to tear it up for a couple more months!

Music + Hockey = Bringing Out the Jams?!

For a while, I've wanted to write something BRILLIANT about this topic. I know some music and I feel that I have a fairly good taste in what I choose to listen to. I am also well-aware of hockey and follow it religiously. I figured that there would be some time that I would have this stroke of brilliance and bang out the best piece on music and how it relates to hockey... or the perfect hockey music... or SOMETHING having to do with the two topics.

And you've yet to see such a thing on here. Such a shame, really.

If you're a fan of hockey, you're a fan of the aggressive, in-your-face tunes that get you riled up and ready to tear into the opposition. Typically, I'm not a fan of such music. While I do tend to stray from the main alternative station in Atlanta to either some hard-rock or top 40 stuff, I do (on occasion) get into some of the more, ehhh, mainstream stuff that kinda plagues humanity. However, when hockey is involved and becomes mixed with such music, I get energized and really pumped up. I guess that's the point of that kind of thing. You know, I guess you can call it the, ugh, "jock jams effect." I definitely do not support listening to this music outside of the sports arena (because most of it is schticky and just terrible, IMO), I am pretty much in favor of using it to the fans' advantage. Such songs include:

Trapt - "Headstrong"
Foo Fighters - "All My Life"
Any Metallica
Any AC/DC

It's been a while since I've been to a game (if a week classifies as "a while," heh), so I cannot immediately recall any concrete examples of music used during stoppages of play. And some of the things I listed above aren't even that terrible (nothing primarily the Foo and AC/DC), but a vast majority of what gets played isn't exactly the best thing out there, music-wise. We all know this. Just face it - deep down inside, we're all tired of hearing Nickelback and Green Day and Puddle of Mudd. So why let it fly at something like a hockey game? At least we aren't subjected to Creed EVER.

But seriously, what makes for a good hockey soundtrack at games? I mean, I don't know if this even qualifies as "good hockey music", but apparently the Europeans dug it TONS. During the Torino olympics and their hockey games, all I ever heard during the breaks was Daft Punk's "One More Time". It was just odd for me to hear that in such a setting, and even more difficult to imagine Alexander Ovechkin gettin' his groove on to French robots.

So I challenge everyone who reads this to recommend something that really suits hockey well - be it catered for hockey or hockey-themed. For example, I will forever appreciate Trapt's "Headstrong" because it was the opening music for Thrashers' games in '03-'04 and I also for some reason attach that to Pasi Nurminen. For these things, I validate "Headstrong" and it's presence in the hockey arena. As a result, I often get into the song whenever it's on the radio, because of the memories I have attached to it. While it's a song I would never in a million years accept, because of hockey, I really dig it.

The same also applies to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Blur's "Song 2". I have a hate/love relationship with these two tracks because I feel like whenever they are played anywhere, at any time, the Thrashers are being scored upon or tearing it up in a land far-far away, respectively. This often occurs during the summer when I hear these songs on the radio. When "I Won't Back Down" comes on, I instantly turn off the radio and know that Kari was beat somewhere and this song only rubs it in. I get overly ecstatic when "Song 2" is playing because, in all probability, we just housed a goalie somewhere in the world and we're letting everyone know it; I let loose the biggest smile when this song appears.

So what does it for you in the hockey arena? Do certain songs make you feel OK inside when you hear them, but you really know that they're terrible for you? What's that special tune that you will forever have attached to your beloved team (that's the Thrashers, by the way), whether it be positive or negative? Is there anything out there that you think is just PERFECT HOCKEY MUSIC?

I have yet to actually track it down, but I know I'm going to. The Zambonis are all music, all hockey, with no middle ground. The write songs about hockey and are actually recognized for doing it. I'm assuming that the song played during intermissions is by The Zambonis, "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni". I'll forgive them for their "show of support" (being nice here) for the Bruins and the Sabres, but they totally make up for it for making a living off of writing songs about the best sport in the world. I know I'll check them out soon enough, but I strongly encourage you to visit their myspace and give a few of their tunes a listen. They just did a split EP with Harry and the Potters, for cryin' out loud! Show the love!

website: http://www.thezambonis.com/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/zambonis

Let's get this party started!

Hey, Blueland Blog, maybe it's time to do a feature on our organist, Chuck. I hope that's his name, at least that's what I've heard from STHs in 310. He brings the tunes out and starts jammin' each and every time. I love what he brings to the atmosphere. Maybe for Blogger Nite?

Why can't we sit and wait?

So, just take a minute and go over to coachella.com and, when the shockwave/flash stuff loads, click "MESSAGE BOARD" on the right side of the site. Hell, if you don't even want to go that far, just click here. Aside from the cliquey Coachella Lounge, the two most active areas of the board are Line-up/Artists and Rumors/Gossip.

Why?

This is the time of year that everyone who has paid a stop to the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival looks forward to... at least in ths present time. (Things will actually get much worse when festival time rapidly/slowly approaches.) Everyone is FREAKING OUT about who's going to play this year's rendition of the best music festival in the States... and even the world.

You know, typically with events like this, you can usually pick out a sure-fire headlining act that will most-likely be there. With my knowledge of the event, I know that in '04, it was announced New Year's Day that The Cure were headlining a night of the festival... and eventually news leaked out that the Pixies were ending their first tour in 12 years (and obviously reuniting) at Coachella. 2005 was met with a ton of speculation about Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails, eventual headliners. There was a lot of hype around those two acts as they both had new releases in that year. Festival-goers were even spoiled for the '06 lineup when it was announced that Depeche Mode were headlining a night... all the way back in November of '05.

We really should've known something was up though when it was pretty much a surprise that Tool was brought on to hold the other half of the weekend down last year. Really, no one saw that coming, because there was a ton of speculation that surrounded the recent (at the time) announcement that Billy Corgan made about The Smashing Pumpkins getting back together. So many just assumed that was the case.

I mean, just look at how crazy us Coachella lovers are. Of course, there's always speculation and gossip and rumors about who's gonna play, who should play, who won't have a chance in hell playing, who is dead and will play, etc. Last year, a Coachella message board member actually took things another step and made a mock-poster that included all of the bands (at the time) who would've been good bets at Vegas to be at Coachella. And I guess when it comes down to it, it's not that hard to come up with a fake poster, especially when the lineup looks pretty damned realistic and, well, good. Here's last year's real lineup, with the fake beneath it.





Uh... pretty good right? But also... pretty damned obsessed, no? Exactly.

With that said, the chaos that's going on currently over at the boards is pretty intense. People live for this annual event, myself included. So to say that Coachella fans are passionate is probably the biggest understatement of the day (hey, it's early). But where one aspect of it stops, another picks right up. If there's no lineup, there's intense questioning and ruling out. If there is a lineup, the next step is figuring out who you can see if sets do not conflict (which those aren't announced until a few months later). When set times arrive a day or two before the actual event, people just go apeshit when they realize that the two bands they wanted to see the most were playing simultaneously.

And then there's Coachella.

And then there's the following year and the cycle repeats itself!

Basically, it's a shame that we all have to pull our collective hairs out each winter to try to figure out who's gonna be where come the end of April. This year is even worse because no one has any kind of clue who the real marquee bands are. Smaller bands have been "confirmed", and that's even worse than being on the bill. When something's "confirmed", that basically means you're going by word of mouth or myspace or something. Kids ask bands at shows, "Hey, you guys going to Coachella this year?" When the answer is, "Yeah, we'll see," that's kinda like a "confirmation", which is kinda ass. That's word of mouth, and never to be 100% trusted. And then there's the new method of proving something's gonna happen - bands posting Coachella on their concert itinerary. Yeah, that doesn't work for me either... basically because it's myspace. Sure, it might be as official as a website if the band is running it, but I still don't buy into that as something to get invested into. Artists that are "confirmed" through these means as of right now are Silversun Pickups, Hot Chip, !!! (chk chk chk), and, what's worse, The Arcade Fire.

There's also the next step of "confirmations" that includes bands that are actually strung through the media and put into print. Some of these can be pretty solid, as they come through reputable sources. Pitchfork, for example, is pretty reliable and they are not there to drag themselves through the mud, all in the name of speculation. On the opposite end of the spectrum is NME. Last year, they didn't know any better and actually reported the fake lineup and put it into print. (Click here for NME running the story that TSP are back... but I cannot come across the actual story about the fake.) So when bands are rumored through online publications that they are playing (this goes out to you, Lily Allen, Lupe Fiasco, and Fountains of Wayne), this is one step closer to being confirmed, but you still cannot strip them of their "confirmed" nature just yet.

Lastly, there's the highly formulaic method of proving someone will be at Coachella. Sometimes bands tour California when it's convenient to the dates of the festival. Apparently there's some sort of agreement that bands sign when they are contractually-bound to performing at Coachella that they cannot play in the Los Angeles area a few weeks before or after the festival. So people often figure that if a band is touring southern Cali near the end of April and that there's the omission of any dates near Los Angeles that said band must be playing Coachella. This currently applies to Explosions in the Sky, Blonde Redhead, and Kaiser Chiefs. All of these bands are making stops in Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, or elsewhere during April trips out west.

So, the moral of my story? Why don't we just wait for things to happen? It's kinda like clockwork that the lineup gets posted at the end of January or early February at the latest. Tickets then usually go on sale a week or two following that announcement. So why freak out about who's playing, get excited about rumours, then get pissy about the actual lineup because RUMORED BAND isn't playing at all? I've just exhausted myself of the whole entire thing with waiting and hoping and crossing my fingers. C'mon - it's Coachella, people. There's always something for EVERYONE. To really put forth significant effort into looking in the deep recesses of the internets for a glimmer of hope or NOTHING, that's just fruitless. If nothing's come out now (and considering we're about two to three weeks away from the lineup getting posted), I really don't think anything's going to change until the day arrives. And, kids, it'll be soon! No need to be all scientific and put on your lab coats and figure out systematically the formulas for what makes a "perfect Coachella fit".

With all of this said (haha), I'm going to offer my own wishlist. If none of these bands make it, I'm sure that there will be better acts. If some of them make it, I'm ecstatic. We'll see.

Smashing Pumpkins
The Arcade Fire
Air
Lily Allen
Explosions in the Sky
Do Make Say Think
Mono (can you tell I'm on a big post-rock kick right now?)
Silversun Pickups
Portishead
Cold War Kids
Caribou
The Breeders
Supergrass
Stars
Emily Haines
¡Forward, Russia!
Doves
Eels
Spiritualized
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Sean Lennon
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Les Savy Fav
Harry and the Potters (!)
Imperial Teen
Feist

If even five of those bands are there, I'll be pretty damned happy. I wanted Supergrass so bad last year, I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to see them sometime... and at Coachella, that would be awesome.

But until then, I'm just holding out until the day of days comes and THEN that's when things get interesting.

Photos: Harry and the Potters (clicky)

By the way, I love my camera.

So here are some of the pics I took of the show from the 6th. Click on any of 'em to bring to you the set of 17.







Enjoy! Don't let Voldemort know, though.

Recap: Harry and the Potters (clicky)

Yeah, you read that title correctly. I actually saw Harry and the Potters tonite at the Masquerade (note: this place is closing when...?). I intended on trying to catch Somebody Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, but apparently I left too late and ended up arriving in perfect timing for the anti-Voldemort rock show.



You see, I don't really read... at all. I'm lucky that I pick up and open and digest issues of The Hockey News whenever they're in my mailbox periodically. And I also read the Thrashers articles in the AJC, even though they are becoming more and more pitiful in nature (primarily because of the subject of the writings, ehhh). But Harry Potter? I never got into it and I certainly don't understand any of the passion which its readers have for the topic. I do not have any intention on picking up those books and going head first into 'em. I saw the fourth movie with my girlfriend last year and I thought it was a disaster... only because NONE of it made any sense. And that's just me here.

So when I found out that SSLYBY (longest acronym ever?) were coming around, and that they've been a favorite of fellow Atlanta blogger Cable and Tweed, I figured I'd try the show out. It's been a while that I've gone to a show completely unaware of the band who's there. And then I heard that Harry and the Potters were the main draw for the show... that it was their tour. I kinda laughed it off, but was confused about whether they were schticky or not... so I decided to see exactly what kind of thing they did and how the crowd would be.

Well, I definitely missed the band I intended to see, only because I never show up late to shows and I figured that when the Masquerade advertised that the doors were opening at six, I could get there at 730 and still have plenty of time before SSLYBY. I did end up getting there are 730... only I realized that I missed nearly everything... everything OTHER than Harry and the Potters.

The dudes closely resemble Harry Potter and they are basically dressed like they are straight out of Hogwarts. They played for over an hour and really brought it. The kids in the crowd (and some were kids, with moms and stuff) ate it up and had a field day belting out the lyrics to these songs that I had no familiarity with... because I know NOTHING about Harry Potter! Regardless, I still had a great time being a part of the crowd and living vicariously through Harry Potter, the rock stud. It was a great way for me to start my year with regard to live shows. Even though I missed the act I *really* wanted to see, I still came out of the venue with a smile because you couldn't leave with anything else on your face.

I must also say that after I had a solitary PBR before the show, I felt incredibly out of place. Drinking beer and trying to immerse yourself in a crowd with Potter-philes who could've been half your age was a little awkward. I wish there was a pic of me with my beer, next to some 15 year old kid who's all about HP. Ridiculous.

Pics coming shortly!

Official site: http://www.eskimolabs.com/hp/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/harryandthepotters

vs. 'Yotes - 2007/01/05

So all the Thrashers had to do was hold a lead for a little less than nineteen minutes. I mean, we're talking a THREE GOAL lead... in front of a SELL OUT crowd... at HOME... against one of the LOWER RANKED teams of the high-and-mighty Western Conference. With Exelby back in the lineup (and Steve McCarthy sitting out for a few due to injury), the defense should've been raring to go, chomping at the bit, ready to tear the 'Yotes a new one. And it started out that way. Slowly, slowly, slowly things tricked into the Thrashers' net and 18,545 fans, old and new, felt betrayed and let-down.

There are issues all the way around with the team. I mean, from one penalty after another and repeating this process, oh-I-dunno, three times at the end of the second period (and bleeding into the third for a minute or so)... you just can't do that... against ANYONE. Imagine if that happened against, ugh, the Hurricanes or Buffalo? We would've been lucky to leave with a point after all of that. Fortunately, Phoenix's power play wasn't that much to talk about last night. Then there was OUR power play unit... or lack thereof. With an opportunity of a lifetime in the third (i.e. five-on-three), and a man-advantage late in the third, surely something should've happened to put the game away... a game that was our's with 18 minutes to play. But whatever...

And then there's the always-dicey play of Johan Hedberg. You know, I really adore his style of play. He really puts it out there whenever the game's on the line and he's incredibly passionate about what he does. He's a quick thinker and is not afraid to take the initiative at all during awkward situations. But as many times as this kind of thing works for you, it'll bite you in the ass as many, for sure. And there were at least two Phoenix goals that were due to Hedberg's risky-business puckhandling. A botched pass/clear/WTF-ever behind the net resulted in a goal that gave the 'Yotes something to cheer about in a game that had ROUT written all over it. And the OT killer? Hedberg did a move that works 50% of the time - a high-pressure situation that involves a one-on-one breakaway and a split-second decision that determines where you're gonna take the shot. Moose thought it was beneficial to come out of the crease and take one for the team and see what happens... in other words, he wanted to cut off the shot as much as possible and hoped to make the save out in between the circles. We all know what happened next.

Cue pic @ top.

I mean, I love this hockey team. I couldn't be any more passionate about them - unless I delve into the season ticket world. But there are aspects that I love about them that do not even manifest themselves. I mean, I know I could love their potential power play manhandling of the opposition. I know I could love the tandem of Kari/Moose. I know I could love this team all over when they play like the talent that's on their roster. But with craptastic games like last nite's, they definitely make it hard for me to talk about the team with pride and try to engage new fans and even comiserate with current die-hards.

After the disappointment, I overheard a group of new fans. Apparently they were brought from someone who was quite familiar with the team, sporting a jersey to boot. But one of the new girls says to her other girlfriends, "You know, he said that there's no way they could lose that game, being up that much... And before I knew it, I was getting back to my seat, and the score was 4-4! What was up with that, dude?!"

Atlanta Thrashers - that's how you win fans.

So disappointing. They have to make up for it tonite in DC - there is no question. If they lose, it's a huge downer for the squad. We'll see what happens.

Gretz, who's your money on tonight?

Here is something wonderful that is being put together especially for Thrashers bloggers, but also for bloggers in the Atlanta area, from the Atlanta Thrashers:

Basically, we are extending an invite to anyone with an Atlanta-area blog to join us at the arena, bring your laptop, and live blog your experience! This is an open invitation to anyone who enjoys writing about their lives, their favorite teams (hopefully us!), or their areas of expertise to come down and give your thoughts on a night at the rink, completely uncensored!

This is going to happen January 26, against the Islanders (uhh), and is looking to include the following:

- free entry to the game
- a tour of some of the highlights of the arena before game time
- a meal (free food - who can beat that!)
- a comfortable seat where you can use the arena's wireless to give commentary on the game as you watch it
- potential access to postgame coach press activities

Sure looks like a treat to me! Do I really have to say that I've put my name into the hat for this thing? I mean, c'mon now. I'll let you know how it pans out as more details come in, but how awesome!? I've always wondered about tours of Philips, and it was pretty cool to walk through the Thrashers' locker room during the Face Off event prior to the current season. I remember doing a behind-the-scenes tour of Madison Square Garden for a birthday way-back-when, and that seemed out of this world (especially when I was busy being a bandwagon-jumper and pulling for the Rangers when the Islanders were beyond repair, but shhhh!). To actually be into something like this, and know that everything for that night is being catered towards Thrashers fans... I couldn't ask for anything more. So we'll see what happens! Needless to say, I'm ecstatic!

More details can be found here, courtesy of the super-cool Blueland Blog. It's the fifth entry down, right after "Bits and Bites".

I'll be at the game tonight with some family members (and the ladyfriend, of course!), but I think I'm going to try out the new camera and see how well it works out. We have seats in 318, I believe, but we'll be right by the overhang, so our view of CuJo will be pretty good, to say the least. It's about time my girlfriend's family gets a taste of the Nasty Nest.

There was something else I was going to add, but I'm drawing a blank here. Eh... see y'all at the game! Recap either later on today or tomorrow evening!

vs. Sabres - 2006/12/30

So you've got to hand it to Buffalo in their win last nite over the second best team in the Eastern Conference. It's clear that Buffalo's the better team in matters like this. More depth, more speed (like woah), and some amazing scenes of great teamwork all account for what could possibly be the best team in the NHL. While I missed the last contest between these two teams, it's a sure thing that when these two squads match up, it's going to be close and incredibly hard-fought.

Kari Lehtonen's ability to see the puck and anticipate where it's (most likely) going next keeps the Thrashers in contests that could easily be slaughters, i.e. Buffalo's first period onslaught earlier on this month against Washington. Of course, there were times that you simply cannot beat a scoring tandem like Afinogenov/Briere/Vanek, as displayed here (sorry, Kari):



Did I really think that the Thrashers outplayed Buffalo last night? To a degree, I can say yes. But there were times when Atlanta were putting the pressure on Miller and Co. and after a few minutes of heated pressure in Buffalo's end, there would be an amazingly quick surge of blue and gold heading towards Kari and getting off a chance or two. It was like for every five minutes Atlanta spent in the Buffalo zone, there was at least one or two high-quality changes Buffalo had immediately after to follow suit. Eventually things evened out over the duration of the game, but it was proven to me last nite that Buffalo has a knack for turning plays around to their advantage... and really making something happen from that. Between the Briere goal and the unnecessarily high amount of three-on-one opportunities Buffalo had (and eventually capitalized on with the second goal from Pominville on one such play), Buffalo's talent lies in how well they play as a team and that's kinda the most important thing.

But after speaking this much about the Sabres, it kinda makes me sick to an extent because I'm just gushing about the opposition, right? Ugh. I had to catch myself there.

Le Thrash did come out from the beginning and somewhat carried that kind of momentum thoughout the game. Early penalties from Buffalo created great chances for the Thrashers to come out on top in the first few minutes of the game... and that got me particularly excited. The Thrashers' power play, however, remains to be quite stagnant in these high intensity situations when, if there's an opportunity to make a powerhouse like Buffalo pay, you take the chance and put it on and get something out of it. I'm not discrediting their power play teams, but something's not clicking and it needs to be worked out. We all know the power play can turn it on (as was evident during their October rout of the Ice Cats), there's no doubting that. But to compare power play abilities against teams like Buffalo and Florida... that's ridiculous. Atlanta needs to keep this a constant element of their game in order to be regarded as one of the better teams in the conference, if not the league.

And there are always these questions about Atlanta's depth... about how they aren't deep enough once you get past Kovy/Hossa, or even Kozlov... and that their defense isn't that strong. Well, compared to the fortress that Anaheim has in Pronger/Scotty Nieds (don't want to spell it out, egh) or the tandem of Toronto's McCabe/Kaberle or Montreal's Markov/Souray, sure, Havelid and Sutton doesn't look that intimidating. But judging from the defensemen's recent play (and not just those two), they are keeping the Thrashers in games and playing a complete game. Goals from Havelid, Vishnevsky, and especially Shane Hnidy are holding up... from their own play (and probably the play of Kari, too, but whatevs) in their own zone. To talk about Le Thrash's defensive corps as something even close to high-and-mighty is astounding.

It's a shame that the score turned out to be 4-1 because that was not representative of a team that put up as much of a fight as the Thrashers did last night. What's not a shame is that the next two times the Thrashers meet Buffalo will be at Philips, February 6 and March 18. Depending on what happens in the next few months, those games will be huge regardless, but for positioning purposes in the playoffs and possibly home-ice advantage as well.

Can a Thrashers fan really talk about the playoffs and not be talking too much...?

Down and Out Again?

Here's a few quick points to get me started again since I've apparently fallen off the writing wagon:

1. While getting excited all day for the upcoming Thrashers/Sabres game "tonight" and turning on Turner South at seven and watching 10 minutes of lame college football, I finally realized that the game is TOMORROW night. Apparently I want 2007 over sooner rather than later.

2. Speaking of the Thrash, they're quite the streaky punks, aren't they? They either win five in a row, or lose four consecutively, or win five more... and then decide to have another five-game winning streak and attempt to go through Buffalo while in the process. Of course, we all remember what happened the last time the South invaded the North earlier this season... dare I say repeat performance? Ehhh... hush.

3. Games I've gone to in the past few weeks: the Anaheim game was unfortunate but could've been our's, the Pittsburgh game was lucky (and that pesky Crosby... ugh!), New Jersey was testy at the beginning but eventually went in our direction, and the Tampa Bay contest was something else (despite gnatty St. Louis getting his way for a goal). Up next on the agenda? Phoenix, at home, on the 5th. I really should look into getting season tickets.

4. Yeah, Christmas was unreal. After a few days of tweaking and getting pissy, it seems like I've finally gone the route of satellite radio (Sirius, seriously) in my car. It looks like I won't have much hockey going on (that's XM's thing), but it's still pretty neat. And I have yet to play around with my new camera that'll surely be something amazing. It also looks like I have to turn into a bowling professional with all the bowling supplies I acquired.

5. It was never in doubt that I'd make a return to Coachella next April, but trying a secure a place to stay for the thing is looking testy at this point. With the lack of announcements of any bands playing as well, I hope I'm not biting my nails come February when everything gets finalized in terms of the whole entire trip. Of course, there are some hopefuls that I'd love to see there, but we'll get to that in another post that's closer to the big day.

6. I'm a downloading fool lately because of OiNK not caring about ratios for the holidays. Initially, I had no idea what to do with all of this freedom, but I overcame it when I realized I was being a tool for not taking any action. Here's what I've got so far:

Emily Haines - Cut in Half and Also Double
The Knife - Silent Shout and Deep Cuts
Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
Final Fantasy - he poos clouds and has a good home
Goldfrapp - Supernature and Felt Mountain
Keane - Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea ("they're for the girlfriend/sister/mom/female" - haha)
Ladytron - Witching Hour
Mono - You Are There
Silversun Pickups - Pikul EP
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
The Stills - Rememberese EP
The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity and Life
Supergrass - I Should Coco and In It For The Money
Talking Heads - The Best Of
The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Air - Pocket Symphony
Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Do I think I'm done? I really don't think so. But I've gone effing crazy.

7. Sorry about the lack of posts... hopefully when things settle down in the next few days/week or two, there will be some more time to spend writing. Ugh.

8. And back to hockey... I'd like to congratulate Britt (of Nasty Nest fame, really) for making the cut over at Hockey Buzz and becoming the Thrashers' blogger on the site. That site definitely has some great people up there providing some great pieces on teams around the league and just on hockey in general, so for her to be a part of that is great. Check her column out here: http://v2.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=74

We're working our way back, kids. Just hold tight for the immediate future. We'll be back in full force in the coming weeks.

Recap: The Comas

It always keeps surprising me how often The Comas mix up their live lineups. The first time I saw them, they were a three-piece. The last time (which was a few years later) was a few months ago and they were... ugh... something... I probably can't remember because they were so effing loud then. But memory makes me want to say a four-piece. Cannot immediately recall. Well, last Wednesday, they were a five-piece... and probably the best I've seen 'em.

I got to the Drunken Unicorn a little early (as is the customary standard for shows when I'm flying 'em solo), downed a few beers, and got ready to be met with... something. The main draw for the night was New York band Asobi Seksu, with The Comas bookended by 1986, a band from Austin (by way of New York). I was not familiar with Asobi Seksu, only the fact that I've seen their name thrown around the blogosphere and there was never anything negative about them. And I never even knew of 1986 until they got on stage. Apparently they've had some arrangement problems because 1986 only appeared as a duo. According to the singer, some of their members were from Mexico and couldn't make the trip...? Don't know how legit that is, but that is what was said. Regardless, whether they were more than what they appeared to be on stage, they sure as hell rocked the place out and I certainly didn't expect it. You can only do so much with two band members, and they made the most of it, basically opening up the Unicorn and causing it to overflow with pure rock.

The Comas quickly set up and were on a mission to really win over the audience. When they last came around, I remember the set being really punctuated, crazy loud, and completely dominated by tracks off Conductor. Thankfully that wasn't the case this time as they mixed up the set and provided some great added elements to the older tunes.



The tandem of "Employment" into "Hologram" opened the gig and led into the always-charming "Tiger in a Tower". The set featured a couple of newies and they seemed alright, but it's hard to really invest anything into such tunes when you've only heard 'em once and that was it. "Sweet Sweet 69" featured Andy doing the vocals through a megaphone and that really made the live rendition come off rather true to it's album version. They bought the rock back, kicking everyone's ass with a red-hot "Wicked Elm" and ended with some more new material and then they were done. With the incorporation of those new tracks into the set, that lends hope to the idea that maybe a new record is on its way. Fingers crossed for that one.

And I did stick around for Asobi Seksu's set. Some of what I heard, I liked... other things I heard, I really didn't understand. It's apparent that most of their sound derives from the shoegaze type of rock, but other than that, I found that probably a lot of the appeal is that there's an Asian girl fronting the band and that sometimes she sings in Japanese. We all love us some Asians, and, granted, she was cute, but other than that and the crazy guitar work going on, I really couldn't find much to their act that I really appreciated. Maybe if I was more familiar with their material, I would've liked the show some more. And maybe I should've done my homework with regard to them. But if they were expecting to win over some new fans from the show who would've been "BLOWN AWAY" by 'em, I really couldn't say that. And maybe there were some people there who instantly became a fan of their thing. I wasn't one of 'em. Depending on who they are playing with the next time they come to town, I might get a better understanding of what they do.

Fortunately, the main draw of the show for me was great.

Goin' Twisted Sister on TO's ass!

It's been a while. And I just thought I'd finally add my two cents and raise a pint to the Thrash for, well, going Twisted Sister on the Maple Leaves' rears and silencing them after all these years (you know, the Thrash aren't going to take it? Ugh, c'mon here!). A magnificent home shutout sure was nice, and the kicker was going absolutely bonkers in the Air Canada Centre and getting the home crowd to send the Leaves to the showers with a nice cacophony of BOOS. As a Thrashers fan, I greatly appreciated the victories and revelled in 'em for a few hours... until Atlanta got housed by Tampa Bay... yet again. When is this team going to get over the hump and persevere? Sure, a five-game winning streak is awesome and all, but to come off of that with an 8-0 defeat from a seemingly mediocre division rival? Something more competitive would've left a nicer taste in my mouth... but whatever. And I guess you can erase "seemingly mediocre" from Tampa's squad when Lecavalier and St. Louis and RIchards all showed up and really stuck it to us Thrash. We've all known that those three have amazing potential... and that they've kinda-sorta let a few down so far this season... but they sure came out of their shells for that game last week. Ugh. Hate to see things like that... especially against Tampa.

And not seeing any of that game on top of missing the Penguins matchup altogether really makes me feel like I've missed out... but not really. Sure, I'm there for everything Thrashers, whether it comes in the form of thrilling, life-changing victories or really bad hangover-esque massacres at the hands of hated division rivals. But I really can't say much about their play from the past two games... and I'm not ashamed of that realization... it just hurts that I can't be there for every second of it. Damned work commitments, I swear. This week proves to be quite different though. Well, kinda.

I mean, I am going to the critical matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. And just thinking about that game gives me fits. Is it the fact that we're going up against the West's (and possibly league's) best team? Is it the fact that we're going up against the league's best defensive pairing in Pronger-Scott Niedermayer? Or is it also a lingering bitter taste in my mouth knowing that we lost one of the league's top emerging young stars in Chris Kunitz early last season? It also could be that I have two people from the Ducks on my fantasy team (one of them being Kunitz, ugh). But whatever combination of all of that mess, a nervous anxiousness still casts over that game and really will see how the Thrashers matchup against the league's elite. The Ducks are no joke anymore (were they ever, really?). All the hype that surrounded them during the preseason has appeared true as the Ducks have met up all expectations and appear to be the clear front-runners in the Western Conference and do not look to be coasting any time soon.

What's also great about this game is that it is one of three which the Atlanta Spirit are handing out vouchers to fans who bring in unwrapped toys for those less fortunate. Through the Toys for Tots program, the Atlanta Spirit are letting fans have the opportunity to attend a game in January for free. It's always better to give than to receive, right? Sounds like a win-win situation for everyone involved to me!

And don't forget about the game on the 21st when Pittsburgh returns to Philips - it also marks the return of the Snyders to Atlanta on their tour across North America. Definitely not something worth missing, for sure.

Show Update! The Comas!

Even though the holidays are all over the place and my work situation is appearing to be a constant hell for the rest of eternity, I'm still finding time to, a) attend Thrashers games, and, b) even go to the occasional show. This week looks to be a little relaxing on the Thrashers front, but what I'm lacking with the Thrashers, I'm gaining in shows. As mentioned earlier, there is the AA Bondy/Duquette Johnston show at Bottletree Cafe in Birmingham on the 8th that I'll be attending. And there is also something else noteworthy that caught my eye last week, I totally forgot about it, and when I was printing out my calendar for next week, I suddenly realized what I was forgetting all this time.

And, wow, longest sentence ever. Or not.

Anyway, Wednesday night features the return of The Comas to Atlanta, and they are coming with bloggers' darlings Asobi Seksu to the Drunken Unicorn. Granted, I'm completely unfamilar with Asobi Seksu (but won't be after the gig), but I've known The Comas back to early '02 when they opened for the Breeders at the Echo Lounge during their comeback tour. Ever since that performance, I've attempted to follow the band as much as I could, getting their great albums A Def Needle in Tomorrow and Conductor, their most recent recording and possibly their best. Originally hailing from Chapel Hill, it seems as if they've relocated to New York and base themselves out of there. But I just love The Comas and hopefully they'll bring something new to the stage since it's been a while that Conductor's been out there.

For more on The Comas, check 'em out here:

website: http://www.thecomas.com/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecomas

On their myspace profile, "Tonight on the WB", "Invisible Drugs", and "Moonrainbow" are all noteworthy and definitely worth the listen, FYI.

Asobi Seksu / The Comas @ Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta - Wednesday, December 6 @ 9PM

Detroit? Toronto? Next! Carolina?

So let's see here - it looks as if the Thrashers are hitting their stride yet again. Following a four-game skid in the red, Blueland Nation is as vivacious as ever with four wins in the last five games, picking up nine out of 10 possible points in the process. This past week was nail-biting and completely triumphant with great wins against some hyped Original 6 teams in the New York Rangers and the (UGH) Toronto Maple Leafs. Marian Hossa just keeps getting better and better as the season progresses with two conescutive four-point performances during the two matchups and Kari Lehtonen has two shutouts in his past three games, including the amazing show he put on against the Panthers last Saturday.

With all the notoriety that Hossa gets for his stellar play, it makes you wonder if it has any impact on the ego that is Ilya Kovalchuk. In years past, Kovy was the apex of the team, trying to do everything (well, everything offensively) to win and/or score points (mainly crazy-ass slappers from the point that seemingly never are on net). He was the face of the Atlanta Thrashers and the youth of the NHL. Now, with his early season goal-scoring slump (that he eventually carved out of) and more defensive style of play, Kovy is still a tremendous asset to the team, but some of his contributions aren't necessarily showing up on the scoresheet each night. And with all of the fanfare that Maid Marian is receiving, do you really think that things like this make Kovy feel left out and looking to make the fans start up "KOVY" chants in Blueland? Let me say that it does make me scratch my head a little, only because I know how competitive that Russian is and how he lives for the team. It has to have an impact on him to an extent, but you start to think, you know?

Also, it cannot be said that it was such a pleasurable experience at the Arena Thursday night when the Leaves fans were silenced COMPLETELY. After going more than three years without making things competitve against the punks of hockey, the Thrashers started chipping away slowly, then had enough of that crap, and exploded in the third for a most triumphant win over a bitter rival. If you've ever been to a Leaves/Thrash game at Philips before, you know how the Toronto crowd makes their presence known. They are the most arrogant, in-your-face, and pig-headed fans out there (at least in the Atlanta area) and it just blows my mind how much representation they have here. But to actually give them nothing to cheer about was a complete treat for the Blueland faithful Thursday night. Darcy Tucker was silenced. Andrew Raycroft couldn't stop a beachball if he tried (in the third, at least). Mats Sundin's life was spared (due to the lack of Exelby on the bench). And there was absolutely no sign of Tie Domi, Ed Belfour, Eric Lindros, OR Pat Quinn - THANK GOD. Whatever... it just feels good to rip into the Leaves for a bit and not have any reservations about it either. Finally.

Up next on the schedule is a tiny road trip that features stops in Florida, Toronto, and Tampa Bay, with a matchup against the Penguins at home on Saturday to close out the week. Judging from the Panthers' recent play, Kari and Co. will be looking to hold back Florida even more. Florida's been scoreless in the past three, which included 1-0 defeats against Le Thrash and a shootout loss to Montreal. And we all know that Toronto will come out banging on home ice across the border, so we'll see how that one pans out. Hopefully the Thrashers will seek revenge/lucky bounces against the Lightning and try to make up for last week's miserable loss that occurred when the deciding goal in OT came off of Andy Sutton's shoulder and into the net. Gotta hate it when you're on the short end of plays like that.

Let's go Thrashers!