Spurs 96, Bucks 94
Manu and company strike again!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280301015
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Spurs Win!!!!
That's seven strait wins for the Spurs. It was a great game that had a definate "playoff feel". Tim Duncan was instrumental in the win, especially with two late free throws with just seconds left to go. Go Spurs!!
Those were the days.....
On the Wrong Side of Ryan Adams' Whiskeytown
Before Ryan Adams recorded every half-baked song idea he ever had, before he scored the model-actress girlfriends, before A.A., he was a mean, drunken son of a bitch.
He was also a hell of a lot more interesting.
March 4 will herald the release of a two-disc deluxe version of his former band Whiskeytown's sophomore album, Strangers Almanac. It will include the original album plus live songs, B-sides, covers and demos. Whiskeytown's performance at Trees on January 23, 1998, was a perfect example of just how powerful the band sounded during that era. It also showed what a self-destructive and vicious asshole Adams was.
His band had played Dallas before, and I hadn't been interested—until I read an interview where Adams talked about smoking pot and wanting the band to sound like Sonic Youth with a fiddle and lap-steel guitar. I bought Strangers Almanac, and it rarely left my stereo for months.
But that night at Trees, it was obvious from the band's sloppy, loud take on "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight" that Adams was shit-faced. The crowd was an uneasy mix of indie-rock kids, SMU Greeks and middle-aged country fans. My wife and I loved the energetic, Stones-like takes, but the other angry, confused faces in the audience suggested that our enthusiasm wasn't shared.
Between songs, Adams needled frat guys with remarks about renting friends. Then he put on a pair of black-framed glasses, forced a buck-toothed smile and picked up his acoustic guitar. "Look, we're the Old 97's," he said. "What a nerd!"
"Fuck you, David!" screamed a young woman standing next to me on the balcony, referring to Adams' dropped first name. "Fuck you!"
She stormed downstairs and returned a moment later with a cup full of pennies. During the next song, she hurled them by the handful at Adams. Others pelted him with ice. Whiskeytown played on. After a solo acoustic number, Adams smashed his guitar and threw the pieces into the crowd.
Soon the penny-chucker found more change and, after taking a penny to the face, Adams scanned the balcony for the source of the unwanted tips. I was grinning madly, loving the delicious tension. Adams pointed accusingly my way. I shook my head and pointed a thumb toward his antagonist. Unfortunately, he misinterpreted the gesture.
"Yeah, that's right," he shouted. "We'll go outside, motherfucker! I'll kick your ass!" Then he hurled a bottle at me.
The glass shattered against the railing. Two more bottles popped overhead as I covered my wife's head with my arms, laughing.
The assault soon ended, and the band started up an excruciating, feedback-laden cover of Sonic Youth's "Expressway To Yr Skull." The cover gave way to improvised nonsense as people in the unprepared crowd left in droves.
After the show, I stopped drummer Skillet Gilmore to ask what happened. He apologized, explaining that Adams hadn't been right since he had to replace his usual acoustic guitar. Drinking a fifth of Wild Turkey before the show hadn't helped.
"Well, I thought it was awesome!" I gushed.
And it was awesome. It was everything rock 'n' roll was supposed to be.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Damon Bramblett plays again....
Damon Bramblett, the pride of Bangs, Texas decided he'd grace us with a couple of shows coming up. I love this guys music, so much so that he played my wedding, and then my 30th birthday. He used to play all the time, and if there was one complaint about his shows, it was that he played the same songs all the time. I saw him again last year after many years away and yes, the set list was familiar, but the show was still a great one. Let's hope 2008 brings some new music from this talented singer songwriter. He's had one album released and I would encourage all of you that like good, Texas music to pick it up. He's definately more thant "that guy that sounds a lot like Johnny Cash". His "tour" dates are below.
More good news from Dando and company...
I remember when this record came out. A buddy of mine from high school turned me on to this group. I was stuck on Husker, The Replacements, and Soul Asylum from my short stint in Minneapolis. He made me listen to the cassette tape he had and of course, I loved it. I don't think I took that tape out of my deck for months. I also remember the show they put on at Liberty Lunch. I'm not sure of the date although I am sure I could find it....all I remember was that I crowd surfed from the stage that night and it was a blast. I also remember Mr. Dando was under the influence of some acid that night. He actually announced it to the crowd...I quote.."I'm on acid....BLAH!...there, I said it". And then they proceeded to rock my world. I'm really looking forward to this show....BLAH...there I said it!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
THE LEMONHEADS PLAY "RAY" AT SXSW
THE LEMONHEADS PLAY "RAY" AT SXSW
Band Will Play It's A Shame About Ray Album In It's Entirety To Commemorate
Collector's Edition CD/DVD Version Set For Release March 25 From Rhino
For the first time in their career, The Lemonheads will be playing the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Their official showcase will take place at Emo's Annex on Wednesday, March 12. The band, fronted by Evan Dando along with Vess Ruhtenburg (bass) and Devon Ashley (drums), will be performing their seminal album It's A Shame About Ray in its entirety to commemorate the upcoming Collector's Edition CD/DVD release of the set.
This deluxe package features a remastered version of the complete album with previously unreleased demos along with the DVD debut of the 1993 video Two Weeks In Australia. The Collector's Edition of It's A Shame About Ray will be available March 25 at all physical retail outlets and www.rhino.com for a suggested list price $24.98. A digital version that includes all the CD content will also be available the same day for $10.99 from all digital retailers.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
THE LEMONHEADS PLAY "RAY" AT SXSW
THE LEMONHEADS PLAY "RAY" AT SXSW
Band Will Play It's A Shame About Ray Album In It's Entirety To Commemorate
Collector's Edition CD/DVD Version Set For Release March 25 From Rhino
For the first time in their career, The Lemonheads will be playing the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Their official showcase will take place at Emo's Annex on Wednesday, March 12. The band, fronted by Evan Dando along with Vess Ruhtenburg (bass) and Devon Ashley (drums), will be performing their seminal album It's A Shame About Ray in its entirety to commemorate the upcoming Collector's Edition CD/DVD release of the set.
This deluxe package features a remastered version of the complete album with previously unreleased demos along with the DVD debut of the 1993 video Two Weeks In Australia. The Collector's Edition of It's A Shame About Ray will be available March 25 at all physical retail outlets and www.rhino.com for a suggested list price $24.98. A digital version that includes all the CD content will also be available the same day for $10.99 from all digital retailers.
It's not a shame about the Lemonheads....
From The Lemonheads Myspace page...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The Lemonheads Revisit "Ray"
It's A Shame About Ray Is Remastered and Expanded for a Special CD/DVD Collector's Edition That Includes Evan Dando's Unreleased Home Demos, Plus the DVD Debut of Two Weeks In Australia, Featuring Videos and Live Performances
Available March 25 from Rhino
The Lemonheads' second album for Atlantic Records was an unforgettable gem. Powered by infectious melodic hooks and a mix of sweet and subversive lyrics, IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY helped put the band on the map in 1992. Rhino honors the album with the label's special Collector's Edition treatment, remastering and expanding the original for a CD/DVD set that includes unreleased demos along with the DVD debut of the 1993 video Two Weeks In Australia. IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY will be available March 25 at all physical retail outlets and http://blog.myspace.com/www.rhino.com for a suggested list price $24.98. A digital version that includes all the CD content will also be available the same day for $10.99 from all digital retailers.
The album features the trio -- Evan Dando (guitar, vocals), David Ryan (drums) and Juliana Hatfield (bass, backing vocals) -- breezing through 13 songs in just under 30 minutes, including the title track, "My Drug Buddy," "The Turnpike Down" and a romping cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic "Mrs. Robinson."
The 10 bonus tracks feature "Shaky Ground," which was originally released as the B-side to "My Drug Buddy." The remaining nine songs are unreleased demos that Dando recorded in 1991, including early renditions of album tracks "Confetti," "Rockin Stroll" and "Hannah & Gabi," plus "Bit Part," which includes vocals from Hatfield.
The DVD contains 45 minutes of videos and live performances that were previously released only on VHS as Two Weeks In Australia. The disc features videos for several songs from IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY, including the title track, the breakout single "Mrs. Robinson," "My Drug Buddy" and more. Also included is a video for "Being Around," a song that would appear a year later on the follow-up to RAY and "Half The Time" from the Lemonheads' Atlantic debut, Lovey. A trio of live performances include "Alison's Starting To Happen," "Ride With Me" from Lovey and "It's About Time" from 1993's Come On Feel The Lemonheads. The DVD also features candid commentary by Dando recalling the band's wild Australian antics.
IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)
CD Track Listing
1. "Rockin Stroll"
2. "Confetti"
3. "It's A Shame About Ray"
4. "Rudderless"
5. "My Drug Buddy"
6. "The Turnpike Down"
7. "Bit Part"
8. "Alison's Starting To Happen"
9. "Hannah & Gabi"
10. "Kitchen"
11. "Ceiling Fan In My Spoon"
12. "Frank Mills"
13. "Mrs. Robinson"
Bonus Material
14. "Shaky Ground"
15. "It's A Shame About Ray" Demo *
16. "Rockin Stroll" Demo *
17. "My Drug Buddy" Demo *
18. "Hannah & Gabi" Demo *
19. "Kitchen" Demo *
20. "Bit Part" Demo *
21. "Rudderless" Demo *
22. "Ceiling Fan In My Spoon" Demo *
23. "Confetti" Demo *
* previously unissued
DVD Track Listing
Two Weeks In Australia
1. "It's A Shame About Ray" Music Video
2. "Ride With Me" Live
3. "Mrs. Robinson" Music Video
4. "Being Around" Music Video
5. "Alison's Starting To Happen" Live
6. "Hannah & Gabi" Music Video
7. "Half The Time" Music Video
8. "Rockin Stroll" Music Video
9. "Confetti" Music Video
10. "It's About Time" Live
11. "My Drug Buddy" Music Video
The Lemonheads Revisit "Ray"
It's A Shame About Ray Is Remastered and Expanded for a Special CD/DVD Collector's Edition That Includes Evan Dando's Unreleased Home Demos, Plus the DVD Debut of Two Weeks In Australia, Featuring Videos and Live Performances
Available March 25 from Rhino
The Lemonheads' second album for Atlantic Records was an unforgettable gem. Powered by infectious melodic hooks and a mix of sweet and subversive lyrics, IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY helped put the band on the map in 1992. Rhino honors the album with the label's special Collector's Edition treatment, remastering and expanding the original for a CD/DVD set that includes unreleased demos along with the DVD debut of the 1993 video Two Weeks In Australia. IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY will be available March 25 at all physical retail outlets and http://blog.myspace.com/www.rhino.com for a suggested list price $24.98. A digital version that includes all the CD content will also be available the same day for $10.99 from all digital retailers.
The album features the trio -- Evan Dando (guitar, vocals), David Ryan (drums) and Juliana Hatfield (bass, backing vocals) -- breezing through 13 songs in just under 30 minutes, including the title track, "My Drug Buddy," "The Turnpike Down" and a romping cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic "Mrs. Robinson."
The 10 bonus tracks feature "Shaky Ground," which was originally released as the B-side to "My Drug Buddy." The remaining nine songs are unreleased demos that Dando recorded in 1991, including early renditions of album tracks "Confetti," "Rockin Stroll" and "Hannah & Gabi," plus "Bit Part," which includes vocals from Hatfield.
The DVD contains 45 minutes of videos and live performances that were previously released only on VHS as Two Weeks In Australia. The disc features videos for several songs from IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY, including the title track, the breakout single "Mrs. Robinson," "My Drug Buddy" and more. Also included is a video for "Being Around," a song that would appear a year later on the follow-up to RAY and "Half The Time" from the Lemonheads' Atlantic debut, Lovey. A trio of live performances include "Alison's Starting To Happen," "Ride With Me" from Lovey and "It's About Time" from 1993's Come On Feel The Lemonheads. The DVD also features candid commentary by Dando recalling the band's wild Australian antics.
IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)
CD Track Listing
1. "Rockin Stroll"
2. "Confetti"
3. "It's A Shame About Ray"
4. "Rudderless"
5. "My Drug Buddy"
6. "The Turnpike Down"
7. "Bit Part"
8. "Alison's Starting To Happen"
9. "Hannah & Gabi"
10. "Kitchen"
11. "Ceiling Fan In My Spoon"
12. "Frank Mills"
13. "Mrs. Robinson"
Bonus Material
14. "Shaky Ground"
15. "It's A Shame About Ray" Demo *
16. "Rockin Stroll" Demo *
17. "My Drug Buddy" Demo *
18. "Hannah & Gabi" Demo *
19. "Kitchen" Demo *
20. "Bit Part" Demo *
21. "Rudderless" Demo *
22. "Ceiling Fan In My Spoon" Demo *
23. "Confetti" Demo *
* previously unissued
DVD Track Listing
Two Weeks In Australia
1. "It's A Shame About Ray" Music Video
2. "Ride With Me" Live
3. "Mrs. Robinson" Music Video
4. "Being Around" Music Video
5. "Alison's Starting To Happen" Live
6. "Hannah & Gabi" Music Video
7. "Half The Time" Music Video
8. "Rockin Stroll" Music Video
9. "Confetti" Music Video
10. "It's About Time" Live
11. "My Drug Buddy" Music Video
Manu....still the man
My good friend and huge Spurs fan Trevor sent me this from ESPN.COM
Lets hope his stellar play continues tonight against the Mavs.
LINK: Manu as The Man in San Antonio
The defending champion Spurs are up to their usual tricks, lying in the weeds for half a season only to make a late run. Once again they're on top of the Southwest division, and nobody will be surprised to see them make another deep playoff run. However, one thing has changed: the team's offensive focal point. For years, the Spurs' primary weapon has been Tim Duncan and, to a lesser extent, Tony Parker.
Not anymore. This season, it's the Manu Ginobili show. The sneaky southpaw leads the team in scoring at 20.6 points per game, but even that understates things. Ginobili's usage rate this season has climbed all the way to 28.0, the sixth-highest figure in the league.
This has escaped people's attention because Ginobili only plays 31.5 minutes per game. But to see how much he's getting the rock, and how productive he's been when he's had it, let's compare Ginobili's per-40-minute stats to those of another prominent player: Kobe Bryant.
You think he can't hang? Guess again. Kobe averages 29.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per 40 minutes; Manu gets 26.2, 6.4 and 5.9.
Wait, it gets better. Kobe plays on one of the league's faster-paced teams; Manu is on the second-slowest. Plug Bryant's numbers into the Spurs' sluggish pace and you get 26.9 points, 5.9 boards and 5.2 assists, making the comparison a dead heat.
Additionally, Ginobili has done it with a spectacular 61.7 true shooting mark that ranks fourth among all shooting guards, and trumps Kobe's 57.7.
All this helps explain why Ginobili ranks fourth in the league in PER. Not that it's anything new -- he was ninth in this category a season ago. It also explains why the Spurs can continue to win despite off years from most of their role players and declining numbers from Duncan and Parker. If every time Ginobili comes off the bench you think to yourself "Kobe Bryant is checking in for the Spurs," their success becomes a lot easier to understand.
Yet because of Ginobili's low minutes and his team's low Q rating, he's failed to get his due as one of the game's biggest stars. He's been amazingly slow to get a superstar's acclaim, with his puzzling All-Star snub being the latest example.
One common misconception is that he benefits from playing mostly against opponents' second-unit players because he comes off the bench. First off, this defies common sense -- nobody else is playing their subs 30 minutes; if Ginobili gets 30 and the opponents' sub at his spot plays 15, it's at most a 50-50 split (and that's only if the minutes align perfectly).
More importantly, the data doesn't support this hypothesis. Check out Ginobili 's splits, folks. Ginobili has been far better as a starter this season, shooting 49.5 percent against 44.5 percent while averaging six points and two assists more per game. This isn't unusual -- the vast majority of players perform better as starters, because apparently the disadvantage of coming into a game cold is greater than the advantage of getting a few extra minutes against the other teams' scrubs.
In short, Ginobili's ability to dominate isn't because he's coming off the bench; it's because he's a flat-out superstar and has been for two years now. The prospect of he and Kobe going shot-for-shot in the conference finals is one of many reasons to be excited about the upcoming playoffs.
The defending champion Spurs are up to their usual tricks, lying in the weeds for half a season only to make a late run. Once again they're on top of the Southwest division, and nobody will be surprised to see them make another deep playoff run. However, one thing has changed: the team's offensive focal point. For years, the Spurs' primary weapon has been Tim Duncan and, to a lesser extent, Tony Parker.
Not anymore. This season, it's the Manu Ginobili show. The sneaky southpaw leads the team in scoring at 20.6 points per game, but even that understates things. Ginobili's usage rate this season has climbed all the way to 28.0, the sixth-highest figure in the league.
This has escaped people's attention because Ginobili only plays 31.5 minutes per game. But to see how much he's getting the rock, and how productive he's been when he's had it, let's compare Ginobili's per-40-minute stats to those of another prominent player: Kobe Bryant.
You think he can't hang? Guess again. Kobe averages 29.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per 40 minutes; Manu gets 26.2, 6.4 and 5.9.
Wait, it gets better. Kobe plays on one of the league's faster-paced teams; Manu is on the second-slowest. Plug Bryant's numbers into the Spurs' sluggish pace and you get 26.9 points, 5.9 boards and 5.2 assists, making the comparison a dead heat.
Additionally, Ginobili has done it with a spectacular 61.7 true shooting mark that ranks fourth among all shooting guards, and trumps Kobe's 57.7.
All this helps explain why Ginobili ranks fourth in the league in PER. Not that it's anything new -- he was ninth in this category a season ago. It also explains why the Spurs can continue to win despite off years from most of their role players and declining numbers from Duncan and Parker. If every time Ginobili comes off the bench you think to yourself "Kobe Bryant is checking in for the Spurs," their success becomes a lot easier to understand.
Yet because of Ginobili's low minutes and his team's low Q rating, he's failed to get his due as one of the game's biggest stars. He's been amazingly slow to get a superstar's acclaim, with his puzzling All-Star snub being the latest example.
One common misconception is that he benefits from playing mostly against opponents' second-unit players because he comes off the bench. First off, this defies common sense -- nobody else is playing their subs 30 minutes; if Ginobili gets 30 and the opponents' sub at his spot plays 15, it's at most a 50-50 split (and that's only if the minutes align perfectly).
More importantly, the data doesn't support this hypothesis. Check out Ginobili 's splits, folks. Ginobili has been far better as a starter this season, shooting 49.5 percent against 44.5 percent while averaging six points and two assists more per game. This isn't unusual -- the vast majority of players perform better as starters, because apparently the disadvantage of coming into a game cold is greater than the advantage of getting a few extra minutes against the other teams' scrubs.
In short, Ginobili's ability to dominate isn't because he's coming off the bench; it's because he's a flat-out superstar and has been for two years now. The prospect of he and Kobe going shot-for-shot in the conference finals is one of many reasons to be excited about the upcoming playoffs.
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