In keeping with my newfound Stills obsession, this week's mp3 is a live recording of their first single "Still in Love Song", from their recent appearance on Conan O'Brien.

They definitely rock it up a notch compared the the album version, which is buried in the disc at track 10... not even the best song on there. If the chorus (and specifically the bass line) sound familiar, you get points for your knowledge of old school alterna-trivia. A hint lies right in the song's title. Ah, what the heck, here's your answer.

Picked up our tickets last night to their February 3rd show at TTs. Can't wait.

A gentle reminder: Only two days left to cast your votes in the Brainwashed Best of 2003 poll. Get on over there and get make with the clicky.

posted by brad at 9:45 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Spent the holiday up in Vermont, as usual, combining some relaxing family time with a couple days of work. Relaxation is just what I needed ... been fighting an unrelenting illness that just won't move on. Now that I'm back in Boston, it has settled squarely in my chest, and I'm coughing like a fiend. Brutal, but enough whining outta me. Not like I'm the only sickly one in the world. Hell, half of you reading this probably have infections to call your very own. I feel your pain.

If you were paying attention, you noticed I got a little festive with a couple of Christmasy mp3s on the songs page. Both come from the 1992 Velocity Girl / Tsunami "Season's Greetings" split seven inch single on Simple Machines. Yeah, they're kinda crackley, and are more novelties than great songs, but consider your curiousity satisified.

I'm in the middle of a full-on obsession with the Stills. We listened to their debut, "Logic Will Break Your Heart", non-stop on our drive north, then returned home to find them performing live on Conan O'Brien last night. To cap off the coincidence, I just checked their website and they've got a Boston date scheduled on February 3rd at TTs. Aces all around.

There's some other great stuff on tap for early '04, including Rilo Kiley playing acoustic at the Middle East next month, and shortly after that tickets go on sale for Jon Stewart's March appearance at the Orpheum. Check out the column on the right for more area events.

Alright, time to fend off another coughing fit, take some more Robitussin, and head back to the couch. DVD on deck: The Getaway.

p.s. Speaking of Rilo Kiley, go here to download one of their live shows from August in Austin, Texas. Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the link.

posted by brad at 2:53 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

An emotional rollercoaster of a music-filled weekend it was, bookended by Friday night's stellar Album Leaf / American Analog Set / Shenzhou 5 show at TTs and Sunday's melancholy yet quietly comforting afternoon of a tribute to Elliott Smith.

The Album Leaf took me to another planet entirely. The dimmed lighting, the sychronized video projections, the beautiful Rhodes keyboard stylings of super-genius Jimmy LaValle over trancey, rhythmic backing tracks (running on Windows ME, no less. risky!). The lulling strains of a subtle violinist accompanied him, along with two members of the American Analog Set (singer Andrew on keyboards and guitar, vibramaphone guy Sean Ripple on the drums). The songs ran together nicely, only a brief pause or two during the whole set, which helped send the crowd into perfect space. Found myself closing my eyes a lot, totally overwhelmed... it's rare that a band is able to do that for me, and when they do, it's like I'm hooked on a perfect drug. I've loved their recordings for awhile, but I'll be at every area A.L. live show from here on out. More please.


I've been listening to their new import CDEP ("Seal Beach"), which I picked up at the show, non-stop since Friday. Ranks up there with their best, and jumps into my best of the year list just in time. (speaking of best of the year... have you heard that Stills album? oh my goodness, now that's the stuff).

The Album Leaf's mesmerizing set sort of overshadowed the other two bands. Y'know, I think I've sort of burned out on American Analog Set. I've seen 'em maybe four times in the past year (I'm not complaining!... I've been spoiled.), and while the shows have been either good or mostly great, the lack of new material is leaving me just a tiny bit apathetic. They're one of my favorite bands, but I find myself hungering for a new AAS experience.

The Shenzhou 5 were very good, if a little loose, and it's the sonic extension of Seana Carmody's Syrup USA days. I love that she's got Deb on harmonies and guitary stuff... she adds a hell of a lot to the layers, as does the other slide (and sometimes regular) guitarist. Looking forward to some recordings, for sure.

Not ready to write about the Elliott tribute yet. Maybe later...



posted by brad at 10:22 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

This weekend brings Boston's tribute to the dearly departed, and so much missed, Elliott Smith. I still have a hard time believing he's really not around, that he's not holed up somewhere recording a bunch of new songs. He meant so much to so many people, proven on messageboards and by memorials around the country. The Boston one, happening Sunday afternoon at TT the Bears, has been thrown together by his friend and sometime collaborator Mary Lou Lord. Details have been sketchy, but word is that over 20 artists (and fans) have asked to cover Elliott songs for those still in mourning. Mary Lou will be showing some personal tour footage along with the slightly surreal Elliott short-film Strange Parallel. Doors are at 1:30 pm, the video footage starts at 2, and the music kicks off at 3 o'clock. Any proceeds will go to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund for abused children. For a brief article on the benefit, check out today's Boston Globe online. There's also this great interview with Mary Lou talking about Elliott and the show at the Weekly Dig website. Get your tickets early, because tons of people are travelling from near and far away. Don't get left out from this sure-to-be-memorable memorial.

posted by brad at 10:16 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

All's been quiet on this northeastern blog ... been alternately too busy or too unmotivated to write. Rather than force it, I've just been taking a little break. Better a quiet blog than a blah blah blog, right?

Saw Return of the King yesterday, and you can probably guess what I thought of it. Took the day off and drove down to Randolph to meet up with my old friend Randy, just as we did for parts one and two. Hard to believe how quickly the years seem to have passed since I first heard Peter Jackson was planning to make it happen. I remember the first one feeling so far away... and here I sit the day after the final chapter. Freaky.

I won't go on and on about everything I loved about it... you can read gushing reviews all over the internet. No one could possibly have done a better job bringing those books to screen than Jackson & company did. I anxiously await the extended DVD (over an hour of cut footage!), which will probably arrive next fall.

Before it does, though, Boston gets a very, very special treat...

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy Exhibition at the Boston Museum of Science. Unbelievable. I've been reading about this thing for months, and it ends up the U.S. Premiere is right here in town. From the M.O.S. website ...

On August 1, 2004, the Museum of Science will open the much-anticipated The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy�The Exhibition. The Museum will be the U.S. premiere site for this international touring exhibition.

The exhibition features hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from the epic film trilogy including original costumes and jewelry, as well as the One Ring. Immersed in film props, visitors can explore the groundbreaking technology used in the films such as computer-generated special effects and animatronics, and hear from cast, crew, and director in exclusive �behind-the-scenes� interviews shown on videos throughout the exhibit.

The exhibit includes massive models, an �armor corridor�, and a display on prosthetics including Hobbit feet and Orc teeth. An interactive scaling activity reveals how filmmakers can make the actors appear to be tiny Hobbit-sized or large wizard-sized, using an ingenious mix of trick photography, forced perspectives, and props made at different scales. Visitors can also see themselves transformed as Hobbit or wizard-sized in their own photo.

The exhibit was developed by the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa in partnership with New Line Cinema, the producers of the film trilogy. Following its run at the Science Museum in London on January 11, 2004, the exhibit will show in Singapore before coming to the Museum of Science, Boston in July 2004. The next city on the tour after Boston is Sydney.

This exhibition was made possible through the support of the New Zealand Government. Check out The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.

The bittersweetness of the end of the trilogy is replaced with another year of anticipation. I cannot freakin' wait.

posted by brad at 2:05 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

A few weeks back I raved about the Twilight Singers' all-out rock assault at TT the Bears, but little did I know it coulda been even better. Come to find out they'd been covering Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting" on the tour, but skipped it here in Boston. Well, damn... that would have gotten me all giddy.

Happily, I got ahold of a live recording of the song from the D.C. show, and it made me long for a hi-fi studio version. Here's hoping for an eventual b-side / E.P. appearance of this sucker... it takes the beautiful original and rocks it up a few notches... I especially like what Bobby Macintyre did with the drum part. Hopefully Dulli's cool with my posting this, 'cuz he'd probably come and kick my ass if he's not.

everytime it rains,
you're here in my head
like the sun coming out ...
i just know that something good is going to happen

i don't know when,
but just saying it could even make it happen...

update 12-12-03: i've been asked to remove the link to the mp3, and the band's wishes are my humbly obeyed commands. keep your fingers crossed for a live album, or at least a studio version of that cover. so, so good.

posted by brad at 10:42 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

This weekend offers up two perfect alternatives to the shopping mall, two places to get cool gifts on the cheap.

First up is the 3rd annual Bazaar Bizarre on Saturday the 13th. It's such a great event, and this year promises to be the best of the three, with a ton more vendors, an expanded DJ lineup, and a brand new raffle for the masses. My only complaint is that it can suffer from some serious over-crowding, and I thought for sure they'd move to a bigger location this year, given the super-squeeze of the first two. They chose to stay at the Dilboy VFW building in Davis Square, Somerville, but they'll be open twice as long, so that's gotta help a bit. If you're like me, and crazy crowds get you down, show up right when it starts at 4 o'clock. You'll find tons of tables filled with random crafts, cards, artwork, and lots more. Say hi to Sleazy Santa and his Naughty Elves, and be sure to stop by the tables of my pals Erin, Audrey, Dan, Keira, and the Handstand Command crew. The event lasts until 10pm.

The next day, Sunday the 14th, brings the 4th annual Punk Rock Flea Market to the MassArt Gym on Huntington Ave. I've never been to this one, but it appears to be more of a free-for-all than the B.B., described as "an all-ages, sell anything legal, mega size swap meet / craft fair / yard sale. Vendors range from true-blue flea-market vendors to young punks with homemade clothing for sale." It's far less craft-focused than the Bazaar Bizarre, and probably way lower in the average-gift-quality department, but given that it's in the massive MassArt gym, it's bound to have more variety (and elbow room). No need to make a choice, though... you can visit both and make a weekend out of it. The P.R.F.M. opens at 11am and goes until 5pm.

posted by brad at 10:07 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

1.) Did I really just hear Pilot to Gunner's "Zero Return" during an episode of the Real World / Road Rules Challenge?

2.) Why exactly was I watching an episode of the Real World / Road Rules Challenge?

answers:
1. yes, i did. what th'?!.
2. i blame amie. she corrupts me.

posted by brad at 5:26 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Well, that was a strange couple of days, right there. Two feet o' snow trapping the world inside, giving everyone in New England a big honkin' something-in-common.

My car's still buried, I'm connected up to work from home, and digging myself out when the strength returns and the mood strikes me. The weekend was spent with a bunch of teevee, a dash of reading, and a seriously fun snow-trek to a near-deserted Harvard Square.



The Charles was a color I'd never quite seen it. A uniform, muddy, coffee-colored coating contrasted sharply with the whitewashed riversides ...



We caught the early Sunday showing of the Last Samurai at the Harvard Square theater, and I fully expected to be disappointed. Even though I'm a sucker for all things Samurai, I still laughed the first time I saw the preview for it a few months back. Mr. Cruise just looked so silly and out of place in the clips, but Edward Zwick in the director's chair and beautiful shots of the Japanese countryside are enough to get my ass in a seat. The film often walked a fine line of cheezy cruise-ness, shoe-horning in a love interest that threatened to push it over the edge, but it kept its balance and won me over.

The main reason was Ken Watanabe as the titular hero. He was so perfectly cast, gave such a brilliant performance, that he disappeared completely into the role and more than made up for Cruise's inability to do the same. Cruise is in that unfortunate position of being too popular ... even though he acted his ass off in this thing, he'll always be Tom, playing Tom, playing a part. He picked the right movie to work against that, though... a great director, solid script, stellar supporting cast. There was one split second where I almost forgot he was Mr. Hollywood. Almost. But not quite.

One other aspect of the movie that got me good was the fight sequences... some of the best I've seen in any recent Hollywood flick. They had weight, impact, consequences, and just the right amount of blood. The editing was exciting without being jumpy and confusing. I loved the battle scenes, the hand to hand (ninjas!), everything. Are you someone who gets a thrill every time Legolas lets an arrow fly in Lord of the Rings? Well, how about a whole heap of that? Yes, please.

So, yeah, the Last Samurai satisfied, and was the perfect winter weekend diversion, along with a ton of other in-house viewing...

Had a little Carnivale marathon, too. Watched the entire second half of the just-ended first season, and disappeared right into it. Six episodes, not a whole lot of payoff in the end, with one hell of a cliff-hanger until next season... but what a ride it was. Quality television right there.

Let's see... what else? Ah, Netflix helped pass the time, too. Watched Spike Lee's 25th Hour, which was just ok. Well done, well-acted, but a definite downer. I expected that going in, but that still didn't make it any less depressing. Followed it up with the Quiet American, which wasn't exactly the feel-good movie of the year either. I liked it more than 25th Hour simply due to Michael Caine's stand-out performance, and the amount I learned about the years leading up to the Vietnam war. Fascinating stuff, and something I was glad to know more about. Now that's edu-tainment.

Alright, time to head back outside for more snow shovelin'...

posted by brad at 10:16 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

The abrupt retirement and self-imposed seclusion of Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson left a hole in the comics page that may never be filled. I loved his strip like no other, bought every collection, and I keep listening for any word of a reappearance, however small. But all we get is the occasional tasteless, infuriating 'peeing Calvin' on some moron's truck.

This excellent new article on Watterson from the Cleveland Scene raises more questions than it answers, and offers no real hope for a return of Calvin & Hobbes, but it's worth a read, if only to help understand why Watterson may have abandoned his creation. No matter the reasons, you have to respect someone who will leave at the top, ignoring the call of the fans or the lure or merchandising money. And as much as I miss C&H, there's always the collections...

"It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!" - Calvin, in the final strip

posted by brad at 10:47 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

The Oni Gallery's Past Forward Film Series returns on Saturday, December 13th with their 16th event, a showing of the documentary PULLOUT hosted by the director herself, Jyllian Gunther. In a real-life take on a slice of High Fidelity, Gunther appeared on the doorsteps of five ex-boyfriends to delve into "what went wrong?". Sounds... messy. I'm there.

From the Oni site...

Oni Gallery Presents ...

PAST FORWARD #16
"where film + fine art meet"
$7 suggested donation - food & beverages included

Saturday, December 13, 8pm

PULLOUT
with Director Jyllian Gunther, in person

"15 years. 5 wrecked relationships. 1 girl's reckless idea: go back and find out why..."

Over the course of one long, hot summer, filmmaker Jyllian Gunther showed up on the doorsteps of her most significant ex-es to pose the question: what went wrong? From New York to San Francisco to Paris, PULLOUT pulls out all the stops - what happens along the way includes a rekindled romance, tattooing, rejection, a stakeout, tarantulas, sex, accusations, indifference, and a nostalgia that climaxes with the realization that the past is subjective and memory is selective.

The Oni Gallery is at 684 Washington St, on the 4th Floor, between Kneeland & Beach Streets in Boston's Chinatown. For more info call 617-542-6983 or visit the Oni website at www.onigallery.org. Tickets are at the door only, and as usual, refreshments and freshly baked goodies are on the house.

posted by brad at 11:26 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Seems that the virtual blog-stock market known as BlogShares has packed it in, with developer Seyed Razavi moving on to other things after a major database failure. He decided not to try and recover from the setback, so after 9 months, his excellent experiment disappears. The final update from the Blogshares site:

Dear BlogShares players,

I am sorry to announce that BlogShares will not be reopening after the current technical difficulties are resolved. Currently, the database server is dead and looks to be for the next few days.

The latest system crash has highlighted to me that deliverying a fun, useful service for the BlogShares community requires an active operator and developer. As most of you are no doubt aware I've been neither for the past couple of months. That has led to a decline of quality service, new features and ultimately income for the site and it looked likely that there wouldn't be enough to pay for next month's hosting.

It's been an interesting and very rewarding nine months bringing a bit of entertainment to bloggers (and blog lovers). I'd like to thank especially all those people who donated money or their valuable time, those who became premium subscribers, those who worked on cool toys which made use of the fledgling API and all those who could be found on the forums and IRC channel. You turned a silly fun idea of a mad monkey coder in London into something worthy of the attention by thousands of bloggers and the press.

My goal with the project was always to embrace the power law and to provide a new way of highlighting blogs with a little bit of fun. I've been pleasantly surprised of how well it did and stupefied it did it for so long. Now, however, it is time to move on to other things. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me in the not so distant future. You can also find me at my perpetual home: monkeyx.com.

All the best,

Seyed Razavi

Thanks for the diversion, Seyed.

posted by brad at 2:01 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

The boys at Downhill Battle are taking the fight against the Recording Industry Association of America to the streets (and malls) with a new anti-RIAA stickering campaign that kicked off last week.

Using the excellent RIAA Radar as a resource (a site that lists which record labels are RIAA members, and therefore help fund all their misdirected lawsuits), the DB guys are stealthily (if not anonymously) placing their own warning stickers on RIAA-associated discs at their local mega-marts.


Check out the site for the photographic evidence (taken with a digital camera they 'borrowed' from Walmart for the day), and order up some stickers of your own if you want to get in on the action.

It'll be interesting to see if the RIAA, or the stores in question, get their panties in a bunch over this and decide to take action against the Downhill Battle crew. By putting themselves out there, posting pictures, taking payments, and using their real names, they may be setting themselves up for a bigger fight than they planned on. Or maybe that is their plan. Either way, wish 'em good luck and good lawyers.

posted by brad at 9:19 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

I've got a special place in my bruised, battered, but still-beating Red Sox heart for Mr. Curt Schilling. I've always liked the guy, but since the 2001 World Series, when I saw and read tons of interviews and stories on him, he's been my favorite non-Red Sox player in the league. And now he's coming to Boston. Whaddya know.

He's a self-declared computer geek and a rabid gamer, well known for spending many, many hours in the online PC world of Everquest (a game I lost a good two months of my life to in 1999.) What other baseball player would even admit to being a dwarven cleric named Cylc or a monk named Scythehands Voxslayer? He's also the official endorse-guy for High Heat baseball, but doesn't take a cent for it. Check it out ...

"A lot of these endorsements are cash endorsements and I don't need any more cash," Schilling said with a bit of an embarrassed smile.

"But I saw tremendous opportunity for awareness for the cause," Schilling added.

The "cause" is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gehrig was the former New York Yankee who died of ALS in 1941. Schilling and his wife started Curt's Pitch for ALS, an organization dedicated to fighting ALS, about 10 years ago.

The thing I like best about Schilling, though, is that he's open, he's a talker, seems to be just one of the guys. He chats on the internet, gives lots of interviews, speaks his mind. It's in clear contrast to a certain Red Sox ace, and he's going to be like a breath of fresh air around here.

Just look at the last few days, since the trade talks began... he's already been chatting with Sox faithful. He got online to feel out the fans' perception and potential reception of him, took some questions, weighed the pros and cons, and after the deal was done he logged back on to take more questions and congratulations. How cool is that? He's unfiltered, sharing details of the new contract, front-office be damned. Baseball needs a guy like him out there, just like football needed someone as up-front as Ricky Williams (whose blog seems to be going through a redesign at the moment). Love it.

Over on the Sons of Sam Horn Red Sox fan site, Schilling took part in a live chat after the trade was finalized, and has been hanging around the message boards (as user CurtSchilling38) ever since. Here's the (cleaned up) text from the chat, along with some other questions and answers that I've pulled from the SoSH board...

Q: What was the deciding factor in your agreeing to waive the "No Trade" clause and come to Boston?

CurtSchilling38: There was no one "Deciding Factor" for us, when we put the pieces of the puzzle together that they had presented to us, it all added up, we negotiated the "little things" congruent with the contract to keep the talks progressing, we didnt' want to end up at Friday 2:59 and not done due to something little being unfinished, ultimately though it came down to an agreement on the contract and the financial terms.

Q: How would you characterize your relatuionship with BK Kim while in AZ?

CurtSchilling38: Hmm I think BK is as talented as any 24 year old pitcher I have ever seen. I am hoping that the last few months he's learned some things, and that being on a WS champion, again, is something at the top of his priority list With him in our rotation I don't see alot of teams out there that can hang with us over a 162 game schedule.

Q: Do you think the Sox should go after Foulke, Flash Gordon or stay put? My feeling is that we should get Flash, let Foulke resign and make the NYYs get someone they don't want as much as their set up guy. Your thoughts?

CurtSchilling38: I can't really say...Iooking at Keiths numbers I can tell you I wouldn't mind being at 140 pitches in the 8th and knowing he was out there warming up. Gordon is a competitor, and a stud, I am pretty sure that the Front office will address the bullpen issues to the best of their abililty. Contrary to your popular beliefs, you don't think about these things more than the GM's and these scenarios you play out, have already been played out in their minds 100 times over. Unfortunately its not rotisserie baseball and they cant just sign who they think is great and will help, there are a ton of factors that go into bringing people in and with the exception of one team I think the real good teams measure all these things.

Q: Curt, I've been asked by some reporters what I thought it was that gave you the itch to use the internet as your communication vehicle these past few days. I speculated that you did this to control the context of your statements... was that a safe assumption? Care to elaborate?

CurtSchilling38: I am not real sure how it came to be, other than the fact that I stopped by the MLB.com site to check out the take on your guys end of things and then had an email from someone telling me about the SoSH board so I dropped by and read up, and it was pretty cool knowing that an entire "nation" of people was rooting for us to make that decision to come to Boston, and as i said the other day, I am human, it's pretty cool to see people wanting you to be a part of "their" team so badly. So I read around, and saw the chat, figured what the hell and started chatting. After a bit, when I convinced some of them that it was me, it was pretty fun and it was actually more fun to read the naysayres.

Q: What about the importance of context to an athlete? Taking to power of the pen away from reporters?

CurtSchilling38: That is important to me, that the fans do understand that most times we are not misquoted, rarely if ever atually, but its pretty damn easy to misinterpet us on a regular basis and I feel; that in this day and age the media, not all, but alot, have forgotten their responsibility to the fans. They think its their job to scoop, instead of report, and somewhere in their the real story is lost and the personal agenda of that writer comes out

Q: Curt, what were your impressions of Shea Hillenbrand from the 1/2 season he was your teammate?

CurtSchilling38: Shea is an AWESOME guy, awesome, I love having him as a teammate, damn he's strong too.

Q: Francona took a lot of criticism from the people at Baseball Prospectus for line-up construction and overworking pitchers..was he much of a data hound in his term with the Phillies...what do you see him doing differently if/when he takes over the Sox?

CurtSchilling38: AS for Francona...Tito got a less than great situation his first go around. He was not a data hound, but he was not blind either. He was given a team that was being brought along to eventualy compete, and somewhere along the line the agenda changed to win as many games as you can now, and he got caught between them. He's as sincere and honest a guy as I have ever been around, and IMO if he gets the job, he will be great, and let me clarify one more thing...IF Tito gets this job, he will do so on his own merits. I spoke with the Red Sox at length on this and I never asked them for a commitment, and they never offered one, its their jobto asssemble a guy that fits the players and vice versa, but its a showing a great amount of disrespect to him to assume that me signing here is why he wouyld get this job.

Q: Have you contacted any Red Sox players yet? You said you tried to call Trot Nixon thanksgiving night but couldn't get through. I was wondering if you had gotten through to any of them yet.

CurtSchilling38: Not yet no, am hoping to talk to Pedro soon though, and Derek, Jason and a few others

Q: Curt - you played against the Yankees in the World Series, how do you think that will compare to playing them on this end of the big rivalry? Does that fire you up as a competitor knowing that Fenway will be shaking to its foundation when that time comes?

CurtSchilling38: Not sure I can tell you much other than the rivalry that exists between these two teams is a MAJOR drawing card for me, to be a part of that and possibly have an impact on helping the Red Sox beat the Yankees and win a world series was the one major challenge no other situation presented to me.

Q: What do you know about Jason Varitek? How do you feel about having a catcher as meticulous as he is in preparation calling your games?

CurtSchilling38: I have heard that Jason is a meticulous planner, and does a ton of preparation, which was a seriously important selling point, and I was assured that, like pedro, they are very interested in him remaining here, which was VERY important to me, so I am pretty pumped to get to work with him. The Red Sox are flying out a nutritionist, at my request, and their video people, at their offer, this next week

Q: Felix Mantilla asks how you think the adjustment will be coming back to the AL? will having to face a DH effect your daily prep?

CurtSchilling38: The DH will be a significant change. I'd love to face someone that sucks as bad as I do at the plate 3-4 times every start, so In my mind I am going to find one guy in each lineup that to me presents the easiest and most holes to exploit, and treat that guy as my "pitcher" over here.

Q: Foxy asks how much was Theo and Co's approach to statistical analysis and prep a factor in selling you on the Sox

CurtSchilling38: Their preparation was awesome, I think to someone like me, who realizes how important it is it was even more so, i recognized the work and effort put forth prior to them arriving, and that left an indellible impression to say the least, that and the fact that they were very clear and sincere in their feelings about what I meant, or would mean to the organzation, and what their plans were during the length of the deal.

Q: how much pressure do you feel on bringing a championship to boston?

CurtSchilling38: Pressure? Thats a great thing, Its what makes my clock tick I think

Q: Curt, how much of a factor do you think "clubhouse chemistry" is to a team's success? / Curt, lots of fans make much about 'team chemistry' and it's effect on winning. In your experience, do you think chemistry contributes to winning teams, or do you think winning creates good chemistry.

CurtSchilling38: If we dont win a WS or 4 while I am here then this didnt work, period. The two Teams I have been to the WS on, both had incredible chemisty in the clubhouse. In 1993 we had 7 fights in spring training, 4 with the cardinals, we knew we were the best. In 2001 we just NEVER, and I mean never, let anything bother us so that comes down to the upcoming ST in my mind, we need to understand from day one that we are the best team in the world, and conduct ourselves accordingly, on and off the field

CurtSchilling38: OK am heading out.

CurtSchilling38: Thanks everyone!


and more Q&A from the message board...

Q: Thoughts on "dipping addiction" ...

CurtSchilling38: I'd rather just quit. I stopped for a year once and started again because a "friend" told me I could do it one more time.

Q: You've proven to be very durable over your career. With about 12 weeks before Spring Training, when do you get started on your physical preparation for the season? Plans for maintaining strength/durability during the season?

CurtSchilling38: I actually started my off season program on November 3rd. I worked hard at the seasons end with Dave Page, our strength coach, to put together a day by day plan for this winter. I wanted to take a different angle this winter and instead of preparing for next year, I wanted to put a plan in place for the next 4 years of my career. That's also the reason for the nutritionist coming out next week.

Q: Past experience with Dave Wallace?

CurtSchilling38: None, but I have heard some fantastic stuff about Dave and am looking forward to meeting him if he does in fact end up the pitching coach.

Q: Who helps you re-locate the family? Do the Sox provide a "corporate" re-location package?

CurtSchilling38: Kinda, actually I asked for that issue to be addressed in the contract, it's not unprecedented, and they were accomadating in many ways in helping.

Q: Curt, I've got a 2002 TSN Strat team (not sure if you've played 2002 yet, great new features) and going with a 4 man rotation in Fenway of Unit, yourself, Millwood and Clement. Team is 39-39 but you're struggling at 6-12 5.54 1.45. If you were me, do I keep you or drop you?

CurtSchilling38: AAA at best, or flat out release me, I suck.

Q: Curt, What do you think of the Bill Jamesean (stats) approach this ownership has embraced?

CurtSchilling38: Statistics have their place, for everyone I think. It comes down to the players comfort level IMO. There are a few key stats the I actually can make pitch selection from, and those are stats that will always impact an at bat and pitch selection. Hitters, like pitchers, are creatures of habit, one of the things that Pedro is so damn good at, that I never have been, is adjusting on the fly by what he sees. I can't do that very well, so IMO it's more important for me than alot of others to head to the mound with the info and the plan in mind, and work from that and adjust off that based on how I feel or how the game goes. But let's be real clear here, we are judged by fans, for the most part, on our stats, unfortunately the stats that alot of fans tend to focus on are not the stats that I think matter the most. Batting Average? Nice stat, but I'll take a hitters OBP into account way before Avg. Same thing with pitchers. A low ERA is great, but baserunners per 9 to me is a much more important stat.

Q: You mentioned that you were impressed with the preperation that Theo had done. Can you give some examples?

CurtSchilling38: Not really, lets put it this way, every question I had for them they had something in hard copy as an answer.

Q: What did you know (if anything) of the Jimmy Fund before sitting down with the Red Sox? Did you realize the extent of how much it's woven in the fabric of the region?

CurtSchilling38: Not much. What I did know is that it was incredibly important to the ownership group of this franchise, in the same way the United Way is here in Phoenix to Mr Colangelo. When I came to Arizona SHonda and I committed that same amount to the United Way to make sure Mr Colangelo knew that involvement in the community was something of MAJOR importance to us. We asked for his support in helping THE SHADE FOUNDATION (www.shadefoundation.org) and the ALS Chapters we are involved with. The Red Sox have a matching policy for charities with Players, and that is completely understood and IMO the smart way to do it, and it has a ceiling. We didn't do this to force their hand to give money to our charities, but we did ask for their support as we know we will dive headfirst into the Boston ALS Chapter, and we hope the SHADE Foundation will now have a presence on the East coast as well. But to put it bluntly we will be a part of this community, much as we are in Phx and in Philly, and that won't change due to the uniform I am wearing, nor will that be dependant on me being an active major league baseball player. I will initiate Curts Pitch for ALS in Boston sometime soon I am sure, which is a fan based program where you all can sign up and donate money to the local ALS chapter based on my strikeouts and wins, we give 100 a K and 1000 a win to the local chapters in Az and in Philly, and I am planning on that being the case in Boston as well.


and finally, his thoughts on the age-old Shark vs. Bear debate...

CurtSchilling38: Ok, one last thing, and it's a no brainer. Bear beats the dogshit outta shark anyday. Sharks are stupid, they eat, they swim, they eat, they swim, the don't stinking sleep and they reproduce at an almost asexual rate. Bears are cunning, bad ass looking, and they are smart enough to take what I would consider a legitimate nap. If I could sleep from game 7 of the world series to opening day I would, wouldn't you? Whatever tactic a shark took, bear standing on rock or not, the bear would figure it out, and kick his ass. Bear, in a landslide.

So someone takes him to task on siding with the bears ...

Q: It is not to be sir. Bears can be fooled by sausage hung from a bag. Sharks are swimming death machines.

Curt replies...

CurtSchilling38: And a fish that chomps down on stinky bloody chum with a 6 foot steel trebled hook sticking out of it is what? Einstein?

PLease, sharks have stinking flippers, FLIPPERS for cripes sakes. Bears have HUGE arms and paws with razor sharp claws. Take away a sharks teeth and you've got a large dolphin, you've got FLIPPER HHAAHAHAHAHAAHA! Take away a bears teeth and you've still got two massive arms with razor sharp claws, vs Flippers hehe, total mismatch on all accounts. Sharks suck, Bears rule. Game Over.

Yes, he wrote that. I'm so psyched that we can officially say "That's our Curt!" Head on over there to read more and see which sox fan asked each question. I'm sure he'll be back at some point to answer more. Spring with Mr. Schilling can't come soon enough.



posted by brad at 2:16 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Prod Design has unveiled their beautiful new design for (Cambridge rock club & restaurant) the Middle East's website. The virtual trainwreck that was the old MidEast site has been replaced with slick, speedy, user-friendly goodness. It's damn purdy (and no more annoying sounds!). The calendar is now divided between upstairs, downstairs, and the corner (with a swanky streetside interface), plus the full restaurant menu, easy directions, live photos, and even merch are all available. Check it out.

(and take note... Buffalo Tom is back. The Middle East schedule shows them playing on January 24th. How 'bout that?)

posted by brad at 10:50 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

For anyone paying attention, I slacked a bit in the Mp3 of the Week department. House stuff, work, and the holiday threw a kink in there, and it seems I missed a week or so.

Hopefully two songs from a long-out-of-print Slowdive flexi-disc will more than make up for it. I put the a-side, Beach Song, up here last week, and now I've posted its partner, another lost gem called Take Me Down. The sound quality isn't exactly stellar, but it's probably the best you're going to get a 10 year-old, wafer-thin disc. The blue-coloured flexi was the fourth release on Illinois-based Sunday Records, and came with the lyrics printed on the cover.

According to Slowdive bassist Nick Chaplin: "They were from the original session for the 'Slowdive' ep. Two songs from the same tape, 'Slowdive' and 'Avalyn' were used on our first ep. We didn't re-record them." Kinda wish they had.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 9:18 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |