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Baseball – the story so far……

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Well, the baseball season has begun and after thirteen games the New York Yankees lie bottom of their division. This is not as bad as it sounds. Just two days ago, we were pushing for the top slot but two consecutive defeats against Boston leaves us with a 6-7 record so far. So good points and bad points……?

Pluses

Chien-Ming Wang (p). 22 innings pitched. 3 wins – no losses. 1.23 ERA. 1 complete game. Wang continues to be our strongest starter which we have needed since the bats have been quiet. He’s worked his way out of a couple of difficult situations but it’s been smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Joba Chamberlain (rp). 4 appearances, 5.1 innings. No runs. It’s like last post-season never happened. He’s near untouchable once more.

Brian Bruney (rp). You’re always left wondering which Mr. Bruney will turn-up. So far, it is the guy who gets people out. He also gave us a surprise start. 7 innings. 2 hits. no runs.

Melky Cabrera (cf). Despite a two-day suspension, Cabrera continues to be wonderfully consistent when available. 2 home runs and a .290 BA

Minuses

Ian Kennedy (p). Was supposed to be better than this. 13.50 ERA gained in a game when we were very glad to still have Albaladejo around (see below).

Phil Hughes (p). Was supposed to be better than this. 9.00 ERA and still looking for his first win after 3 starts. The young pitchers are wobbling.

Kyle Farnsworth (rp) As predicted. At the moment, he’s eating up a few innings in games we were on the way to losing but he’s not delivered for too long and the change of manager hasn’t seen a change of performance.

LaTroy Hawkins (rp). Difficult start for Mr Hawkins but it is early days yet. 9.00 ERA in 6 appearances.

Jose Molina (c). Jose Molina became the surprise starting catcher when Posada continued to struggle with health difficulties but his strong performance was no surprise. Now he looks as though he is headed for the disabled list with ligament damage which leaves the catching spot looking barren unless Posada improves physically.
 
Derek Jeter (ss). Noticeable only by his absence through injury after a quiet first few days. We need him back and quickly.

Jason Giambi (dh / 1b) No surprises here. His first noticeable contribution was a fielding error. His .107 BA says it all.

Surprises

Billy Traber (rp). Also 4 appearances. 3.1 innings and no runs. I don’t how long this can last but our wouldbe left-hand specialist has already delivered more than I expected if he starts to lose it tomorrow.

Andy Pettitte (p). Came back from DL earlier than I’d expected. And settled into his normal role without much hesitation despite all the off-season problems. 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA isn’t world-beating but it is more than expected at this stage.

Jonathan Albaladejo (rp). One of the few on the opening day roster I wouldn’t have guessed. Made a strong early debut when Kennedy’s first start fell apart. And then he was gone….. back to Scranton (AAA).

Robinson Cano (2b). Cano had a strong spring but so far his bat hasn’t shown up since the start of the regular season. He’s usually so consistent too.

Alberto Gonzalez (ss). Shortstop looked set with Jeter installed and Betemit as occasional backup. Jeter’s injury meant we had to consider the options and Gonzalez was brought up from Scranton (AAA) as being defensively stronger than Betemit. His .385 average since arriving makes this all the better and all the more surprising. Makes Betemit’s future a little questionable.

Shelley Duncan (1b). I said there were question marks in the long term for this guy but nobody expected him to be off the 25-man roster within a week. Ensberg is delivering (surprise!) and Giambi is paid too much. It may mean that Duncan is the odd man out and not just in the short term. 

Shadow goes to the vet…..

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So until about 8 months ago, I lived in Greenford (Middlesex, outskirts of London) when I moved to Hammersmith. I have 3 cats all of whom are in good health but occasionally need to go to the vets for their checkups and vaccination boosters. For two of them this was no problem, but for Shadow this was always an unpleasant experience. She was very nervous of the catbox and hated going in the car. This usually meant that by the time the car had left our street, she had begun to vomit and always meant that the catbox arrived at the veterinary clinic in a disgusting state. Consequently, each visit became more and more of a trauma for her with the same difficult results. Imagine for a while sitting in your own sick in a plastic box. Even bringing it down to the level of a cat (or up) this can’t have been Shadow’s idea of a good time.

Anyway, the date for her jabs has come round for the first time since we moved to Hammersmith. Careful planning required. Cut out the car by making the appointment at that small practise somewhere between my house and Ravenscourt Park (you have no idea how close that is). Then great scheme comes to mind – cut out the catbox by attaching Shadow to a lead. This was a big risk. If she was sick it was probably going to end up on my nice black velvet jacket. Should have thought of this before leaving home and worn something more practical. Too late to stop now!. We make the short journey to the vets. Some of the time, Shadow walks. Some of the time, she prefers to be carried. All the time, she miaows. But she is not sick.

We arrive at the clinic. The gothy receptionist doesn’t even blink at the sight of a cat on a lead (Shadows appreciates her colour scheme) and we are handed onto the vet who does his work with Shadow hardly noticing. Shadow is declared in good health although warned she might be overeating.

We begin the journey home. Same routine as before. Lots of miaowing but nothing else. Once inside the gates of home (and they’re pretty impressive gates!), Shadow makes a break for it and runs for the door and safety. For the first time ever, Shadow has been to the vet without being sick! She is not hiding from fear of another visit and we are the best of friends. I’m not even phased by the looks I got from those who wondered why a bloke was walking down the street walking a cat.

 

Hooray for Shadow!!

One More Song

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I think this is well-written:

It’s comin’ on the end of August
Another summer’s promise almost gone
And though I heard some wise man say
That every dog will have his day
He never mentioned that these dog days get so long

I don’t know when I realized the dream was over
Well, there was no particular hour, no given day
You know, it didn’t go down in flame
There was no final scene, no frozen frame
I just watched it slowly fade away

And I’ve been waiting in the weeds
Waiting for my time to come around again
Hope is floating on the breeze
Carrying my soul high up above the ground
I’ve been keepin’ to myself
Knowin’ that the seasons are slowly changing you
And though you’re with somebody else
He’ll never love you like I do

I’ve been biding time with the crows and sparrows
While peacocks prance and strut upon the stage
If finding love is just a dance
Proximity and chance
You will excuse me if I skip the masquerade

And I’ve been waiting in the weeds
Waiting for the dust to settle down along the
Back roads running through the fields
Lying on the outskirts of this lonesome town

And I imagine sunlight in your hair
You’re at the county fair
You’re holding hands and laughing
And now the Ferris wheel has stopped
You’re swinging on the top
Suspended there with him

And he’s the darling of the chic
The flavor of the week is melting
Down your pretty summer dress
Baby, what a mess you’re making

I’ve been stumbling through some dark places
But I’m following the plow
I know I’ve fallen out of your good graces
It’s alright now

And I’ve been waiting in the weeds
Waiting for the summer rain to fall upon the
Wild birds scattering the seeds
Answering the calling of the tide’s eternal tune
The phases of the moon
The chambers of the heart
The egg and dart
A small gray spider spinning in the dark
In spite of all the times the web is torn apart

And I’ve been waiting in the weeds
Waiting for the time to come around again and
Hope is floating on the breeze
Carrying my soul high up above the ground and
I’ve been keepin’ to myself
Knowing that the seasons are slowly changing you
And though you’re with somebody else
He’ll never love you like I do

Eagles have left the building!

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So I searched the broadsheets for an honest review but I found none. I didn’t want a good review but just a review that made me feel like the writer had actually been there. But I found none. If a solo artist continues to tour into his dotage, we applaud him (or her) for perseverance and call him the grand old man of rock or blues or some such. If a band does the same, we say that they’re only doing it for the money and we trot out the same old lines.
Now the Eagles (there is no question on this one!) are doing it for the money but not only for that. All those reviews that said they phoned in their performance and went through tired old licks are simply not true. Yes, these are the guys who recorded “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Take it Easy” on their first album but just writing the word “easy” over and over again doesn’t make a review just lazy journalism.
Anyway, I don’t think they’re going to worry too much about the critics and I really didn’t expect any positive write-ups so no-one’s truly disappointed.
I’d be the first to admit that when I saw the Eagles in 2006 at Twickenham, I was still impressed by their polish and professionalism and, oh, those harmonies and the manic Joe Walsh but, hey, I felt like I’d seen it all before and I genuinely didn’t know whether I’d be back to take it to the limit, one more time….. But these shows in 2008 see a band re-invigorated. Still polished, still a little too professional, still over-priced but with a whole bunch of new songs and new energy. This meant that when the harmonies were spot on, they were just a little more impressive. This meant that when Joe Walsh was manic (when isn’t Joe Walsh manic!), he was just a little funnier. This guy is 15 years sober but he’s still the funniest drunk in rock and that is some acting.
“Long Road Out of Eden” (the song) is a critique of U.S. overseas policy which you either agree with or you don’t but there’s no question in my mind that on Saturday it included the most wonderful guitar solo I’ve heard in a long time. Not over-indulgent, not over-long but just great music. And that’s why I came… the music. And on that score the Eagles were convincing. They were de-mob happy playing their last overseas date on this tour and that added just a little more energy, a little more mischief. So it was a good night but even on the lukewarm nights, it is passion I hear in the songwriting and in the delivery. And on that score the Eagles won!

A tale of one city

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So last week produced two concerts in two days. One reasonably new band deserving success, one old band reinvigorated from a new album with 20 new songs to perform if they wish. Both gigs involved leaving my home (of course!), making the short walk to the tube station (I’ve lived here 6 months and I still can’t believe how short that walk is!) and hopping on the district line. Both gigs involved leaving said train at Westminster and changing for the Jubilee line.
Are you with me so far? This is where the contrasts begin.
Friday night, I get off at Canning Town. Saturday night, I leave one stop earlier at North Greenwich.
Friday, I leave the tube station and a guy in an orange jacket asks me if I like live music. I joke with him and say “yes, but tonight I’m already going somewhere”. I know from the sign on his back he’s pushing the Swarf gig and eventually we laugh.
Saturday, I just follow the crowds heading from the tube station to that odd shaped collection of buildings we used to call the “Millennium Dome” but now call the o2 arena. It looks the same but people want to go there now.
Friday, its into a deserted industrial estate, past the local car pound and tramping onward following the red and white signs for “BH2”. Thankfully there are plenty of them.
Saturday, it’s up an escalator in order to go down an escalator. Who designed this place?
Friday, the only lights in sight are the local MOT centre which is curiously still lit up at this time of night. You’ve guessed it, the club is in the other half of the building and apparently run by the same people.
Saturday, a nice steward clears my credentials and guides me to my seat, past the endless supply of merchandise I don’t need (okay, I bought a t-shirt).
Friday, I order a Corona. They don’t have a Corona. So I end up with a beer I normally only drink in Indian take-aways.
Saturday, I really don’t want one of their nasty lukewarm drinks so I wait in my seat and wait for the lights to go down. When the lights on stage go up, it’s evident that they’ve spent a fortune on the stage-lighting but at these ticket prices (hey, I got in free!) they can afford it.
Friday, when the lights go down, they never seem to light the stage and there are moments when it is difficult to see clearly. 
And on Friday, there were thirty people in that place, all gathered together, loving the music.
And on Saturday, there were twenty thousand people in that place, all gathered together, loving the music.

Friday, I stumble out into the cold night having seen a show I will remember a long time, full of great songs and energy. Back on to the train for my journey home.

Saturday, I stumble out into the cold night having seen a show I will remember a long time, full of great songs and energy. Back on to the train for my journey home. 

I really love this city!!

Give this band what they deserve!

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It was good to have Swarf back in London, last night, after a couple of journeys to Brighton over the last few months to catch their live show. Afterwards I felt distinctly mixed emotions – frustration and pleasure in equal measure.

The frustrations first. The venue was a little off the beaten track to say the least which meant that it wasn’t going to catch the casual audience. This resulted in a minuscule crowd – which must be discouraging for the band at this stage of their career. I think they’re one of the best bands around – both live and in the studio – but I sometimes feel that I’m one of the few who gets this. The actual venue was fine but the stage lighting was poor. Again, it’s all very well having a great live show but the set-up provided by the venue didn’t really help us appreciate it. They need to address this before future shows especially if this is going to become a successful club night. The performance was short but perfectly formed and I, for one, would have liked an extra song or two particularly as there was no support (aside from the silently-delivered wonderfully bad horror flick that was on the screen before the band took the stage). Finally, given that this was an audience who mostly knew of the band prior to the night, certain sections could have offered a little more encouragement. Some of the reaction between numbers was a little lukewarm and we could have least given Swarf the dilemma of having to consider whether they had an encore ready if they needed one.

The pleasures second. The band are great at what they do. In Liz, the lead vocalist, they have an energetic and winsome front woman who has the best vocal chops you’re going to hear this year. Chris and Andrew, the twin keyboardists, offer a great range of sounds, textures, dance beats and exotic rhythms which have been obviously carefully developed prior to the show. The range of sound and atmospheres are unique, going far beyond the built in samples and settings of their synths. They create the varying ambience allowing Liz to take care of the strong melodies which she is more than able to carry. High points of the set include the newer songs “Parlour Tricks” and “Don’t Silence” and tracks from their first album “Not Enough” and “Supine”.

It seems to be a key time for the band. Careful planning will be needed to take this to a higher level prior to the second album but they are more than capable of delivering.

Photography was difficult due to the (lack of) lights but hey, I tried:

Coming soon…..

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There are a number of album releases coming from artists that I enjoy and who I have interviewed or written journalistic material for in the past:

Walter Becker : Circus Money (June 10, 2008)

Al Green – Lay it Down (Blue Note – May 28th 2008)

 


Alice Cooper – Along Came a Spider (SPV – Autumn 2008)

 

Ladytron – Velocifero (June 3rd)

And first of all……….

John Foxx – a New Kind of Man (Live) (Metamatic – exclusively available from Townshend Records from 28th April 2008)

 

Steeling myself…….

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Somebody asked me where the title to yesterday’s Walter Becker posting came from. Here it is in it’s original context from the album Countdown to Ecstasy (which is also part of the “Citizen Steely Dan” box set, if you don’t have the original album!)

While the poor people sleepin’
With the shade on the light
While the poor people sleepin’
All the stars come out at night

After closing time
At the Guernsey Fair
I detect the El Supremo
From the room at the top of the stairs
Well I’ve been around the world
And I’ve been in the Washington Zoo
And in all my travels
As the facts unravel
I’ve found this to be true

While the poor people sleepin’
With the shade on the light
While the poor people sleepin’
All the stars come out at night

They got the house on the corner
With the rug inside
They got the booze they need
All that money can buy
They got the shapely bods
They got the Steely Dan T-shirt
And for the coup-de-gras
They’re outrageous

While the poor people sleepin’
With the shade on the light
While the poor people sleepin’
All the stars come out at night

Show biz kids making movies
Of themselves you know they
Don’t give a fuck about anybody else