Navigating the 2016 Newport Folk Festival

Making a plan for the Newport Folk Festival never works. I'd be better off just following Pokemon around Fort Adams and letting that dictate who I'm seeing.  But here it goes anyway 

Navigating the 2015 Newport Folk Festival

Inspired by the 10th Episode of the Newport Folk Festival podcast, I'm going to do my annual Navigating the Newport Folk Festival Post a little different this year.  After looking back on my past few years of these, my plan never sticks.  I could be hustling from the Quad Stage to the Fort Stage only to be stopped in my tracks at the Harbor Stage.  My favorite one last year was staying at Lake Street Dive as long as I could before heading over to get a good spot for Band of Horses.  I passed by the Harbor Stage as Robert Hunter broke in to Ripple.  I missed the first two minutes of Band of Horses and still got a great spot but Ripple was one of the highlights of the festival for me last year.

So this year I'm going in with a really loose plan.  Not even worth writing down.  I pretty much know I want to see Courtney Barnett, First Aid Kit and because of my FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) I want to be at the Fort Stage for the Unannounced sets.  Of course there are a ton of other artists I want to see, but I'm just trying not to prioritize too many of them.

My 2015 Newport Folk Festival Bingo Card

Yesterday the Newport Folk Festival started rolling out their lineup for this year which means it's time to unveil my Folk Bingo card.  For those who don't know, the Folk Bingo card is just some guesses, hopes and dreams of people who might be playing this year.

My strategy is as follows:

-Every year there are usually a few repeats from the previous year.  Last year it was Houndmouth and Shovels and Rope.  This year my guesses are Lucius and Dawes.

-John McCauley, Jim James and Colin Meloy are going to be involved in one way or another most years.  I almost put Diamond Rugs on there but opted not to.  My Morning Jacket and Decemberists both have new albums out this year so I think they'll be back.  Since I guessed Jim James and Taylor Goldsmith to be there....

-If there is a super group that would be perfect for the Folk Fest(i.e., New Multitudes 2012) they'd be a good guess along with their primary bands.  This year, I can't see how The New Basement Tapes aren't there. I've seen MMJ, Dawes and Rihannon Giddens on the festival circuit so they seem like a good bet.  Elvis Costello has played Newport before so he's family.  Marcus Mumford would be the wildcard.  Mumford and Sons would be an ideal headliner.

-Public radio station influences.  Last year I was hearing Take Me To Church on WFUV a lot prior to the festival.  I didn't put Hozier on my Folk Bingo card but this year I'm taking some cues from them among other public radio stations.  This year's have been Field Report, Elle King and Angel Olsen. (I heard Courtney Barnett on WFUV this morning)

-Hopes and Dreams.  My Morning Jacket is my favorite band so I wish they were there every year, Father John Misty is amazing live and the Deer Tick/Lucius conflict broke my heart last year so I want another crack at Lucius.

-Fill out the remaining boxes with Folk Fest Family.  The Lone Bellow, Apache Relay, Frank Turner, Seth Avett.

I was 3 out of 24 last year so I obviously know what I'm doing.
 

Bobs Top 5 Movies of 2014

Hello, yeah it's been a while. Not much, how about you? Lyrics from England Dan and John Ford Coley aside, it has been a while. I had what can only be considered a major computer issue followed by the paralyzing fear of losing data and purchasing a new computer consume the latter part of my 2014. That has rendered my contributions to this blog almost completely nil, but I am back.

And seeing as I am on the heels of some serious movie watching while off from work over the holidays, I had to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to keys for my best of list.

UPDATE: While writing this, it occurred to me that my list could only be taken seriously if I sampled enough movies to actually be able to rank them in any meaningful way. I decided that I would comb through every movie released in theaters this year and if I hadn't seen 20, I would not continue writing this post. Well, I just went through the list and I have seen 19. So I am deciding to post this intro to the list, while I attempt to watch at least one movie tomorrow. My goal is to watch any combination of Locke, Unbroken, The Skeleton Twins or The Drop and I will then complete this post.

I know, I know....you are all waiting. And by you all, I mean no one. Sadly, no one is waiting.

Okay, I am ready. Truth be told, I really needed to solidify a 5th and final movie for this list. I was locked in on 4, but I couldn't pull myself to put Wild, Unbroken, This is Where I Leave You, or Begin Again as my 5th so I needed to watch a few more to safely round out the list.

5. Chef - I very easily could've made a case for this to be higher on the list, because frankly I loved everything about this movie. Jon Favreau wrote, directed and starred in this feel good movie about a man who loses his restaurant and is on the verge of losing his family. Great casting of all the leads, including the young Percy (Emjay Anthony) and terrific supporting roles by Robert Downey Jr., Dustin Hoffman and Bobby Canavale make this one of the most well rounded casts I have seen in a while. Why this hasn't shown up on more "best of" lists is beyond me.

4. Locke - This was the movie I needed to see to complete my list. This is a clear top 5 for me, not just because of the incredible performance by Tom Hardy (essentially a one man show) but also because of the daring and innovative filmmaking. You feel the pressure building along with Ivan Locke throughout the 90 minute car ride.

3. Foxcatcher - Fantastic performances by Carell, Tatum, and Ruffalo put this movie on the list but some questionable storyline decisions by Bennett Miller keep this from being the best movie of the year. It's one of those stories that is actually weirder and more interesting in reality versus the onscreen depiction, which chooses to gloss over some very significant details.

2. Grand Budapest Hotel - For some reason, I was not excited about seeing this. I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom and consider Wes Anderson to be a top 3 director for me. But the setting and the casting made this not seem like an ordinary Anderson film, so stayed a way for a while. I shouldn't have. GPH has the standard cinematic beauty and deadpan wit that you've become accustomed to, but it also has a Tarantino like suspense that really lands. To me, it's a classic.

1. Whiplash - This should be on every top 10 list this season. While Carell, Ruffalo, Hardy and Fiennes all give tremendous performances, what J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller do in Whiplash is unmatched. Two tour de force performances in one movie is hard to come by, and Whiplash without question provides them. Miles Teller is getting overlooked with the awards discussion this year, but in my book this performance puts him in a new level of elite young actors.

Best of 2014 - Music

At the end of each year I read a lot of those "Best of The Year" lists.  At the end of each year I always feel like I've missed a lot.  In an effort to get ahead of that feeling, one of my New Year's resolutions was to listen to one album a week that was released in 2014.  Fifty-two(I think I'm actually at 54 now) albums is not nearly enough to make me an expert in this year's music but it was a goal.  So based on my modest pool of music I've heard this year, here are some of my favorites:

Top 10 Favorite Albums (No particular order):

Jack White - Lazeretto

New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers

Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

Ages and Ages - Divisionary

Lake Street Dive - Bad Self Portraits

Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The End

Hozier - Hozier

The New Basement Tapes - Lost of the River

First Aid Kit - Stay Gold

Top 10 Favorite Songs (No particular order):

Slow Motion - PHOX

You Go Down Smooth - Lake Street Dive

Our Demons - Ages and Ages

Low Key - Tweedy

Take Me To Church - Hozier

Alone In My Home - Jack White

Blue Moon - Beck

Kansas City - The New Basement Tapes

Push It - Delta Spirit

Don't Leave Me Now - The Apache Relay

Some notes:

-My inclusion of The New Basement Tapes might not be totally fair.  I was going to own it no matter what because of Jim James' involvement but my enjoyment of the album has been greatly boosted by the documentary about the making of the album.  The documentary probably cost Delta Spirit's 'Into the Wide' a spot.

-Choosing an album a week was largely influenced by my preparation for the 2014 Newport Folk Festival.  I have to thank them for Ages and Ages and First Aid Kit, Lake Street Dive, The Apache Relay, Delta Spirit.

-I consider The New Pornographers to be my third favorite band.  Challengers and Together might not have cracked my Top 10 lists in the years that they were released.  Brill Bruisers is amazing and I hope it's on a lot more Best of 2014 than mine.

-I've long been a fan of Jenny Lewis' voice but I have not been a big fan of her solo stuff since Rilo Kiley broke up.  Voyager was one of the nice surprises of my year.

-I almost bumped 'Take Me To Church' off the list after hearing a remixed EDM verison on a Top 40 station.  It almost made my ears bleed.

-This didn't seem to be the best year of music releases.  I am able to really tell by the fact that I came dangerously close to putting a Taylor Swift song on my top 10 (and it's not Shake It Off).

-Here is a list of all the albums I've listened to this year.

A Sweet Halloween Party Mix

Making a Halloween play list is obviously harder than making a Christmas play list so I've taken the work out of it for you.

Some notes:

-I purposely left Monster Mash and Thriller off this play list.  I feel like they have been overdone on Halloween mixes.  I feel Ghostbusters has as well but I kept it on my play list because it's my play list.

-I know Halloweenhead by Ryan Adams isn't really about Halloween and is probably a metaphor for something that I don't understand, but it has Halloween in the song and if 2000 Miles from the Pretenders can be a Christmas song just because it has the phrase "Christmastime" in the lyrics, Halloweenhead can be on my Halloween mix.

Enjoy

2014 NFL Over/Unders Game

We made our picks last week before the first game of the year but am only getting around to posting now which actually works out since I can now have a little reflection on my selections after seeing these teams play a real game.  I, of course, can only speak to my selections.


Baltimore Ravens(Over) - I honestly now can't stand this pick.  I don't really think much of this division.  If you told me that the other three teams in this division other than Cleveland would finish 9-7, I wouldn't be surprised.  I had a gut it would be Cleveland.  After Week 1 and the Ray Rice thing it looks like I potentially chose poorly.


Dallas Cowboys(Under) - The Cowboys usually finish 8-8 when their defense is okay.  This team's defense has a chance to be historically bad.  I see a 6-10 type season for them.


Indianapolis Colts(Under) - The offensive line is terrible and on paper I don't think they are better than they were last year but I think every other team in the division is a little better.  I don't see them going 6-0 in the AFC South again this year.


Kansas City Chiefs(Under) - I think they are closer to the 2-5 team that finished 2013 than the 9-0 team that started 2013.  Not a bad team but I don't see a 9 win team when I look at them.


New Orleans Saints(Over) - The Saints are a good bet to be right around that mark.  I like the fact that they play two of their harder games (Green Bay and San Francisco) at home. 


New York Jets(Over) - The QB situation should be better than last year with either Geno Smith improving or Michael Vick playing.  With that defense its not unrealistic to see at least and 8-8 season.

*The bet "prize" will be paid up with a three hour open bar for the winner that will be split between the 2nd place and 3rd place in a (1/3 and 2/3) split. 

New Pornographers at the Brill Building 9/4/14

What was the Destroyer song “Kaputt” originally called? #DanBejar #TriviaForNewPornosTix
— nprmusic (@nprmusic) August 28, 2014

Over the course of two separate sessions, I had tried tirelessly to answer a New Pornographers trivia question on Twitter from @NPRMusic for the chance to go to last night's show at the Brill Building.  This was the question I that I answered to get my entrance to the show.

Entering the area of the Brill Building where the New Pornographers would play, my expectations were that they were going to probably play their new(and fantastic) album in it's entirety.  What I didn't expect was that I would be seeing them in a space that looked like it was getting remodeled years ago but stopped just after the demolition phase.  There were holes in the floor, holes in the ceiling, exposed beams and random shapes of metal hanging from the ceiling.  If I was asked to sleep there it'd be off-putting, but since I there to see one of my favorite bands live, it made the experience more interesting and memorable.

My expectation was that they'd just play Brill Bruisers start to finish since they were promoting the new album and we were in the Brill Building.  Those expectations got shattered when they opened with Moves and then continued on to play a great fourteen song set.  They played six off the new album but also hit on some old favorites like The Laws Have Changed, Twin Cinema, Mass Romantic, Testament to Youth in Verse and closed the encore with the always fun The Bleeding Heart Show.

I can't wait to see them again in November.

2014 New York Jets - ESPN's Dumb Game-By-Game Predictions

Using Advanced Football Analytics (formerly NFL Stats), ESPN's projection for the Jets upcoming season is a 7-9 record.  As a Jets fan this is not something that is particularly enjoyable to read, yet at the same time, if someone asked me if I would be surprised if the Jets finished 7-9 I'd say no.

It's not so much the record that bothers me.  It's when I looked at it game by game that the ridiculousness started to stand out.  Look at some of these scores:

-The Jets are going to be outscored 63-17 in their 10th and 11th games at home against Pittsburgh and then in Buffalo?  They are more than capable of losing those games but that doesn't sound right to me.

-Did Advanced Football Analytics predict and some devastating injuries before the Nov. 9 game vs. Pittsburgh?  I thought that was a pretty favorable part of their schedule.  In their last 4 games they have Minnesota, Tennessee and Miami who are not good football teams and it's their game against New England at home.  Not only were they predicted to lose those games; they are predicted to allow over 30 points to both Tennessee and Miami.  3 out of 4 of those games are on the road.  I'm not saying they will win any of them but all of a sudden they are going to go from giving up 17 points a game in their first 9 games to giving up almost 30 in their last 7?  And in those 9 games they average giving up 17 points a game they are play Green Bay, Chicago Detroit, Denver and New England in there and in their last 7 they play Buffalo, Miami (twice) and Tennessee.  These don't make any sense.

I hate game by game projections before a season starts.  I get that the guys who write the season previews have to provide content but it's probably the most useless information you can provide.

*the image to the left will link you to ESPN's NFL Preview

Some Top Moments (for me) from the 2014 Newport Folk Festival

It's hard for me to pick out my absolute Top 5 or 10 favorite sets from this year's Newport Folk Festival since my plan for this year was to keep mobile and seeing as many acts as I can see even if it meant leaving a set early or showing up late to another.  But what I can share is some moments from the festival that will stick with me for awhile.

-I didn't get to see Lucius's whole set.  I really wanted to but Deer Tick is one of my my favorite bands.  I showed up late to Deer Tick to see as much of Houndmouth as I could so leaving them early wasn't an option for me.  But as soon as they were done I, for the only time all weekend, legit ran over to the Harbor Stage and was able to catch the last few songs of Lucius.  They closed with Two of Us On The Run which was one of the best moments of the festival for me.

-My friend and I were at the bathrooms at the Quad Stage when Jack White walked by.  There was a group of three women who just said hello (in a non-intrusive way, to their credit).  Jack White said hello back without breaking stride.  He then turns around and takes a Polaroid camera out and takes a selfie with the three women and gives it to them.  I hung around to see how the picture came out.  It made those three women's festival.  The one person whose festival wasn't made was the 4th friend who just came out of the Port-A-Potty to the sound of her three friends waving the picture over their head yelling "You'll never believe what just happened!"

-With all the collaborations that happen at the Newport Folk Festival you are going to see alot of unique versions of songs played.  As a big Deer Tick fan getting to see Lis Isenberg come out for Friday XIII was a treat.  Seeing Deer Tick be on the main stage for the first time playing such a live rarity was something I'll never forget.

-I've been in to Ryan Adams since roughly 2003.  I was 25 years old and was really taken with the song playing over the opening sequence for the movie Old School.  I stayed around for the credits and found out that it was To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) by Ryan Adams and that's when it started for me.  Musically I was a fan.  I bought up all his albums as they came out but everything I ever read about him made him seem like I dude whose music I could enjoy but not someone I would not want to hang out with.  This year's festival was the first time I've ever seen him live and he obviously won me over musically but the best thing for me about hit set is that we saw a guy who was funny and with a personality.  The moment for me was the Michael McDonald impression.  Out of all the sets I planned on watching at the Newport Folk Festival this year, the one I did not plan on laughing the most during was Ryan Adams.

-After Jenny Lewis, whose set list was "festival flawless¹" by the way, the plan was to high tail it to the Quad Stage to see as many songs from Lake Street Dive as we could before heading back over for Band of Horses.  So in a hurry my friend and were hustling back to the Fort Stage.  We passed the Harbor Stage just as Robert Hunter started playing Ripple.  Stopped me in my tracks.  It was very moving to see and listen to.  I can comfortably say that it was my favorite moment of the festival.  Two minutes one way or another and I miss that.  I feel very lucky to have caught that.

---

1 Festival Flawless - playing a set list that is accessable to a crowd of people who might not be familiar with you're entire catalog. Opposite of a "Festival Clueless" set list. An example being The Black Crowes 2008 Newport Folk Festival set.^↩

What The Newport Folk Festival Means To Me

This is now my third Newport Folk Festival post.  I guess it can now be considered my "2014 Newport Folk Festival Series."

Part 1(Navigating the Newport Folk Festival)
Part 2(10 Songs I Hope To Hear at NFF)

For me, the Newport Folk Festival is not just a three day weekend at the end of July.  These three days are just the culmination of an almost six month journey of music discovery.  This will only be my 5th time since 2008 but this festival has earned my trust and has become my main source of new(to me) music.  I may have come across them on my own one day but I can say that bands like Apache Relay, First Aid Kit, Kingsley Flood, The Last Bison, Hurray For The Riff Riff, Houndmouth, PHOX, The Oh Hello's, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Lucius and Ages and Ages (to name a few) are now go-to albums for me and will be long after I see them at the Fort.  I give most, if not all the credit, to the Newport Folk Festival for that.

The first time I went to the NFF, I went with my future wife and some friends(the co-author of Exploding Slacks).  I now have a 4 year old and a 2 year old who have been to the festival three and two times respectively.  I love the idea of raising "festival kids."  My parents started going a few years ago too.  I'd be chasing my kids around while my parents hopped from stage to stage.  I'd get a text from them with a picture of them with Apache Relay or a picture of my dad and Jim James.  The NFF has gone beyond creating just musical memories, it's created family memories as well.

An Insiders Guide to the 2014 Newport Folk Festival

First and foremost, I would not consider myself an insider. But this will be my 6th NPFF so I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two. This year we will be attending the festival without kids (despite one of my 5 "tips") with some festival first timers and I hope to impart some of my wisdom on the neophytes. So, in no particular order check out 5 helpful tips to maximize your fun at the best fest on the planet.

1. If you've opted to go without children, next year, bring 'em. As I mentioned earlier, this is my first year going without kids since 2008 and I am very excited about the prospect. Attending beer gardens and maneuvering my way towards the front of the stage are now options that were previously off the table. That being said, this festival is great for families. Don't expect a Bonnaroo or Firefly kind of scene, the NPFF is a family friendly environment with plenty of kid options to keep them entertained. So enjoy your weekend, but next year, pack the kids. I have a feeling I will.

2. Pack two different forms of footwear. I'm not necessarily advocating for two pairs each day, but come prepared with 2 pairs for the weekend. The obvious reason is just in case it rains. But even if it doesn't, after 2 days of standing/walking on cheap flip flops, you may want to switch it up on Sunday.

3. Be mobile. This is harder with kids, but don't be content staying in one spot between sets just because you are comfortable. Bounce around to the rest of the grounds checking out artists that you may not be familiar with. Some of the best sets I have seen have come by stumbling on them as I walked around. This is the best way to truly get a feel for where the energy of the festival is at that moment.

4. Do not over pack your cooler. Although there aren't hundreds of choices, the food at the festival is SOLID. The falafel in years past has been some of the best I have ever had and every year new entrants come in and up the culinary game. Its good to have snacks packed, but don't limit yourself to whats in your fridge at home. You can eat well at the fest for under $20 a day, and it will also provide you some additional local flavor.

5. Water taxi it to/from the festival. Driving is for suckers. I have done both, and sometimes when I am on the water taxi line I curse myself for not driving. But consider the water taxi an extension of the festival with people bustling with excitement on the way in and deconstructing the days highlights on the way back. Throw in a couple of boat sodas (beer) and you can close your eyes and pretend you are one of Newport's yachting elite. Even just for a moment.

2014 Newport Folk Festival - Ten Songs I'd Love To Hear

 

Picking only 10 songs that I want to hear over the course of what promises to be a great full three days of music was a silly exercise.  A silly exercise I chose to do:

In no particular order:

Our Demons - Ages and Ages

I'm not going to lie.  I've only been listening to Ages and Ages since April 22nd at 10:13am which is about a minute after the Newport Folk Festival announced them.  Since that time, Divisionary is easily on my Top 5 most listened to albums.  They have a lot of good candidates for the song I most want to hear from them but I think this one will really have the audience clapping along...and it's going to be awesome.

Take Me To Church - Hozier

I've been singing this song to myself at least once a day ever since I heard it even on days where I don't hear it.  I have a feeling that if you want to see Hozier's full set at the Harbor Stage then you are going to have to get their early.  I anticipate a crowd to big for the Harbor Stage to handle with the way this song is taking off.

Slow Motion - PHOX

There are a few PHOX songs I'm really looking forward to hearing but how could I not be most looking forward to the one with a clarinet solo!  I used to hate the clarinet.  I wanted to play saxophone in elementary school but they didn't have any left so I got stuck with the clarinet, hated it and dropped it as soon as I could.  If only Slow Motion was around back then maybe I wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the instrument.

Heavy Bells - J. Roddy Walston & The Business

I've only been going to the Newport Folk Festival since 2008 but I've never been able to hear anything from the Harbor Stage while standing over by the Fort Stage.  I'm pretty sure that Heavy Bells could be the loudest song ever played at the Harbor Stage and I bet those people waiting at the Fort Stage waiting for Shovels and Rope to come on are going to be able to hear this.

Casino(Bad Things) - Houndmouth

I love From The Hills Below The City.  There is not a skippable track on it but this is the songs I always turn up a little bit louder when I hear it in my car.  I couldn't be more excited for this set.

Two of Us on the Run - Lucius

Turn it Around and Hey Doreen might be the songs that will get the crowd up and moving around but I just think Two of Us on the Run will just be a pretty thing to hear at Fort Adams.

You Go Down Smooth - Lake Street Dive

I've told anyone who will listen to me that if can listen to this song and not  at least start tapping your foot, you're probably dead inside.  There is a lot to look forward to for this set but I can't in good conscience head over to Band of Horses without hearing this.

Big House - Deer Tick

I could pick a bunch of songs from these guys I can't wait to hear.  I went Big House because of the stage.  Maybe at the Quad Stage I pick something, else but there is something about this song that I just want to hear permeate out into Narragansett Bay.

Alone In My Home - Jack White

Since the day it came out I have devoured this album.  Like most of the artists who have songs on this list I could have picked a ton of songs I'm looking forward to but I really enjoy this one.  I loved what he did with it on Conan and I'm looking forward to seeing it live for myself. 

La Cienega Just Smiled - Ryan Adams

The one problem I have about seeing a Ryan Adams show is that he has such a big catalog of songs to play that trying to pick one single song you want to hear is tough to do.  La Cienga Just Smiled has long been one of my favorite Ryan Adams songs.  Gold is now 13 years old(!!!) and many albums ago so I know the chances are slim I'll hear it, but my 22 year old self is still really hoping for it.

Navigating the 2014 Newport Folk Festival

It's my third year doing my "Navigating the Newport Folk Festival" post (see 2012 and 2013 here).  So that's enough of a sample size for me to officially dub it my "Annual Navigating the Newport Folk Festival" post.

Like every Newport Folk Festival lineup it's very, very deep.  After reading my last two years of these posts(in which I realize that actually planning this is an exercise in futility), it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot more zigzagging around Fort Adams and splitting sets than in years past.

So I'll be getting new comfortable walking shoes and seeing if I can execute this plan:

I'm driving up from Long Island on Friday morning so my hope is that ferries and traffic all cooperate but assuming I'm there for the gates opening I think the move for me might be hitting up the Tretorn Backyard while taking in some Mandolin Orange.

The first band I'm excited to see is PHOX at 1:50.  Their iTunes Festival album joined me on a lot of bike rides the last few weeks and I've been listening to their first studio album a lot since it came out a few weeks ago.  If there is time I would like to hop over to the end of The Devil Makes Three. 

I've been in to Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley to Jenny and Johnny to her solo stuff.  But this is where it gets tough.  I'm looking forward to this set but I will probably bail towards the end to see Lake Street Dive.  You Go Down Smooth is a song I feel like I need to hear played live.  If I hear that before 4:45pm then I will probably high tail if from there over to Band of Horses. 

After Band of Horses the priority is obviously Ryan Adams but in that window of time between their sets I'm going to try for a few Jimmy Cliff songs over at the Quad Stage.

I'm thinking about starting Saturday at the Museum Stage before heading to the Quad Stage to see The Oh Hello's.  I'm always on board with seeing a band that has a lot of pieces on stage.

After The Oh Hello's it gets crazy.  I'm probably going to the Harbor Stage for J. Roddy Walston and The Business, leaving before the end of the set to check out the end of Benjamin Booker, watch a few songs from Shakey Graves before settling in for Houndmouth.

This brings me to the biggest conflict of the whole festival for me.  The Houndmouth/Deer Tick/Lucius trifecta is just brutal.  I really wanted to see as much of Houndmouth as possible which will probably have me showing up to Deer Tick a little late (which as my #2 favorite band on earth is shocking and annoying).  I'm seeing Deer Tick that night at the Newport Blues Cafe so I'm hoping that lessens the sting.  Finally, I've been listening to Wildewoman a ton so I'll high tail it over to the Harbor Stage and hopefully see enough songs to be satisfied. 

From there it's over to Nickel Creek for a bit and then to Puss N Boots before settling in for Jack White.

My early Sunday priority is Ages and Ages.  I'm been loving Divisionary these last few weeks.  Looking forward to them a lot and it looks like I'll be able to relax and catch their whole set without clock watching.  After them I'm open to Caitlin Rose or The Lonesome Trio so I'll make that a game time decision.

Since I probably will not have gone to the Fort Stage beer garden yet, maybe I'll take in the rest of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down from there and wait for Dawes to come on.

Now for my second biggest conflict of the festival.  Dawes into Hozier into Hurray For The Riff Raff.  I love Dawes live.  I've seen them a bunch of times now which today probably doesn't work in their favor.  I'm thinking as long as Dawes doesn't close with When My Time Comes and plays it at least a few songs from the end I can split Hurray For The Riff Raff and Hozier.  I'd really like to at least see Take Me To Church if I can swing it.  That song has been in my head non-stop.

From Hurray For The Riff Raff it's going to get back to zigzagging around the Fort.  Conor Oberst to Trampled By Turtles to Jeff Tweedy to Rodrigo y Gabriela.  Although there is a chance I'll get hung up at the Harbor Stage listening to Lucero so I'll end up splitting the two sets before going over to check out the last hour of Mavis.

If that doesn't sound like the best three days a person can have then I don't know what does.

The 2014 NBA Draft

 Don't like the NBA but love the NBA Draft...go figure.

Some pre-draft thoughts:

- I watched a lot of Kansas basketball last year and I'm still not sure what I'm missing on Andrew Wiggins.  I do think he belongs in the Top 5 somewhere but I'm not as convinced as a lot of people that he will be the best player that comes out of this draft.

- I do like Jabari Parker and Julius Randle a lot.  I think both of those guys the most ready to contribute solid NBA minutes immediately. 

- Elfrid Payton is a nice player but seeing him in the lottery doesn't sit right with me.  If someone takes Payton over Shabazz Napier, that team will regret it short term and long term.  Payton doesn't shoot well enough to justify being picked higher than in the mid-20's.  I would even take Spencer Dinwiddie over him even coming off his injury.

- My pick for the first player drafted in this year's first round to be designated to the D-League: Zach LaVine.  He wasn't ready to play college ball yet and he's definitely not ready to play in the NBA yet.  Hopefully he can get to a team that can afford to wait for him.

- I don't really care about the NBA but if I could see any player in this draft go to the team of my choosing, it would be Kyle Anderson to San Antonio.  He is tailor made for the Spurs.  I realize the chances of that happening are 0.01%, but still.

- I'm not a Knicks fan but I think the trade they made was a coup for them.  They got rid of Felton which was huge for them and scoring two 2nd round picks in this draft can potentially get them players that can help them this year.  A guy like Joe Harris could help immediately as a shooter early in the 2nd round or a guy like Mike Moser who can be a good rebounder and keep defenses honest beyond the arc in the late 2nd round.

- As a University at Buffalo alum, I will be watching the 2nd round as intently as the 1st to see if Javon McCrea gets drafted.  San Antonio has two of the the last three picks in the draft.  I'm looking at you Spurs. 

My Two Cents on the Jets Draft

My ideal first three rounds would be:
1st Round: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
2nd Round: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
3rd Round: Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State

I know as a Jets fan I'm supposed to want to upgrade our offense in the first round of the draft.  The Jets leading receiver only had 43 catches for 523 yards.  The guys tied for 2nd wasn't even on the team until Week 5.  So obviously, my dream is for Darqueze Dennard to fall to the Jets at the 18th pick.

That's right.  I want a cornerback again in the first round.  I just don't want any CB, I was Dennard.  If he's gone then fine, go ahead and grab a receiver (except Marqise Lee).  From all the college football I watched this past season, Dennard is ready to play in Rex Ryan's defense from Day 1.  So much more so than Dee Milliner was last year.  I don't really think he'll be around at 18 but you never know.

And for everyone who wants the Jets to draft a WR in the first round, here's some food for thought:  Out of the 24 NFL receivers who caught for over 1000 yards last year, only 7 of them were first round picks in the draft.  Three of them (Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson and A.J. Green) went in the Top 5 overall.

2014 NCAA Tournament - Bracket Ramblings I

For the first time ever I did not fill out my brackets right away.  I sat with them for a day and thought about the games and even tried to analyse them.  That's a big departure from my usual "get the brackets, devour the brackets" method that I've employed since I started filling them out.  I'm a believer in only doing one bracket and once it's filled out I'm not second guessing myself and changing anything.

That's the last time I do that.

This year I filled out my brackets after I watched countless shows with analysts telling me their Final Fours.  Because of this, my selection process changed from who I think is going to win to "I don't want to pick the same thing as everyone else."  So instead of having Michigan State win the national title like I had planned to do for weeks, I'm now the sucker who will be ripping up his brackets after Iowa State loses to North Carolina or Providence and my champion is out.  I've loved Iowa State all year.  I think they are a Final Four caliber team but, come on, Iowa State doesn't win national titles.  I just didn't want to have the same thing as everyone else.  But that's not the spirit of doing brackets.  It's fill them out as accurately as you can.  It's going to be some kind of variation of Michigan State, Florida, Louisville, Kansas, Michigan and Arizona playing for the national title.  I know that.  We don't live in a world where we are watching Iowa State/Wisconsin on the final Monday.

Next year I go back to normal.  Fill them out immediately.  No outside influence.  Go Cyclones.

My NCAA Bracket Thoughts

-One of the two most talked about topics is Louisville getting a 4 seed.  I personally had them as a 3 seed but I have little problem with a 4.  There really isn't that big of a difference.  The American Athletic Conference was not a very good conference.  Sure, it was top heavy but 40% of the conference fell below the 150 RPI line and a 5th team (Houston) was only a 143.  When half your conference is considered a bad loss you have to make it up in non conference.  Louisville's best non-conference win was Southern Miss who is currently sporting a 3 seed in the NIT.  Their overall non-conference strength of schedule is 159.  They do pass the eyeball test but that can't be reason enough for a two or three seed bump.

-The second most talked about topic is SMU's exclusion from the dance.  Again I have no problem with it.  See above regarding the problems with the AAC and realize that SMU lost to two of those bottom feeders and lost in their first conference tournament game to Houston.  SMU's non conference SOS was 303.  I wouldn't have complained if they did get in, but I'm not up in arms that they didn't.  I had them in over BYU.  BYU got rewarded for playing a tough schedule and a couple of top 50 RPI wins but they are not the same team without Kyle Collinsworth.  They should have been left out with out their second leading scorer, leading assist and rebound guy.

-Ultimately I think the committee did a solid job with who was left in and out of the field.  It was such a weak bubble that you really can't complain with any team that was left out.  I do have some seeding issues like UMass as a 6 seed and Gonzaga as an 8.  There was actually a moment during the bracket reveal where I thought that UMass might be in trouble even making the field.  I thought they should have been in but based on where I saw other A10 teams being seeded, the thought did cross my mind.

-This is a tough year to pick upsets.  Normally there are a few that really stick out to me.  But not this year.  Teams like Stephen F. Austin, NC Central and Manhattan were teams I was looking at pre-bracket reveal that I was targeting to move on with the right match up.  None of those teams got the right match up.  The only lower seed "upsets" I'm probably leaning towards are Providence and Iowa/Tennessee which aren't really upsets to me.

-A lot of people are saying how tough Wichita State's region (Midwest) is.  But that South region is insane.  Without Embiid I don't think Kansas makes it out of the first weekend if they have to play New Mexico but if Florida, Cuse and UCLA were all in different regions they might have all had a shot to get to my Final 4.  Then having VCU and Ohio State sitting there as the 5 and 6 seeds.  It's a brutal region.  Even more so if Kansas can stay alive long enough for Embiid to come back.

-It's interesting to me that Louisville might have to beat Wichita State and Michigan again on it's way to a national title.

-If a 16 seed upsets a 1 this year, is it unreasonable to think Warren Buffet had something to do with fixing a tournament game?  I don't really think there are any live 16 seeds this year though.  Coastal Carolina is technically closer to the arena than Virginia but that's not enough for me to come close to considering it.  If Texas Southern beats Cal Poly then Aaric Murray would be the biggest guy on the floor against Wichita State.  But if that guy could lead his team to a SWAC regular season championship then I'm not banking on him handing Wichita State their first loss of the year.

My Open Letter To Steve Lavin

Dear Coach Lavin,

Tough loss today.  I'm writing this prior to your press conference which I'll skip as I'm sure you'll spin the loss like you always do.  The guys "played hard til the bitter end" or "kept fighting" or whatever other cliche you'll throw out there.  The fact of the matter is that this season has been a colossal disappointment.  I know you're goal is to make St. John's a consistent winner and a program that doesn't have to sweat out Selection Sundays.  But quite honestly, we're not any closer than we were four years ago.  I'm a Mets and Jets fans too, so I'm familiar with being asked to be patient and that the "plan" will eventually come to fruition.  But the last two years was the waiting part for St. John's.  This team is an NCAA Tournament caliber program.  The NIT is supposed to be a one year stepping stone to the NCAA tournament the following year.  Look no further than the team we beat in the NIT last year and the team we lost to in the second round.  St. Joseph's and Virginia are both improved and are going to the tournament like they were supposed to.

I'm by no means writing you off as St. John's coach.  I do want you here.  The caliber of player you've brought in have been a breath of fresh air after the Mike Jarvis and Norm Roberts years.  But something has to give.  Your guys are juniors and sophomores.  This was the time. 

I know you're probably at the podium making it seem like the NCAA Tournament is still a possibility, but I assure you, it's falling on deaf ears with the selection committee.  It was as soft a tournament bubble as I can remember and by the time a few bids get stolen in these conference tournaments St. John's won't even be mentioned as a bubble team.  This season can only be described as a failure.

Again, the once proud St. John's basketball program will be playing on weekdays during the NCAA Tournament is happening.  Please try to figure it out next year.  We've waited long enough.

Sincerely,
Keith

The Misclassification of True Detective

True Detective is going to go down as one of television's best shows of 2014.  It was amazingly acted and visually unmatched by anything else currently on television.  But looking back now that it's over, it's funny to think about all the articles and blogs that I've read over the course of the series with all these predictions and theories about who "The Yellow King" was.  The reason it's funny is that True Detective wasn't that kind of show.  The media and fans treated True Detective in the same way they treated Lost.  Combing through the episode more than once looking for clues and Easter eggs that, now that we know the ending, weren't even there.  This show was never about who The Yellow King was.  This show was about the relationship between Marty Hart and Rust Cohle and not much more.