RIP Henry Hill, master fixer....

Henry Hill passed away yesterday, one day after his 69th birthday.  He is most commonly associated with having been a major part of the Lucchese Crime Family between the 60s and 80s, before he famously turned informant in the early 80s.  While Hills was notorious for many crimes which were detailed in Wiseguy and the movie Good Fellas, one thing I didn't know about until recently was Hill's involvement in the Boston College point shaving scandal of the 1978-79 season.  This year, I got back into sports betting (mostly unsuccessfully, so far) and I was curious as to what the major point shaving scandals had been in college over the years.  I was happy to find that there have been very few in recent years, but more than a little surprised to find Hill's name attached to the Boston College scandal.  I have watched Good Fellas several times in my life and the only mention I remember of this is Hill going to visit "his Pittsburgh guys" a lot before he turned rat.  That was around the time that he (along with the help of Rocco and Tony Perla and Paul Mazzei) helped convince Rick Kuhn to recruit a couple of his teammates to get in on the scheme.  Kuhn in turn got teammate Jim Sweeney to join in on the fix.  Sweeney was a good, straight shooter so nobody would ever expect him to be involved with the fix.  From the get go, Sweeney claims to never have wanted to be involved and he claims throughout the book that he didn't do anything to "fix" these games.  Remember, many times in point shaving a team doesn't have to lose the game they simply have to not cover the spread.  There was approximately 9 games involved in the point shaving scandal and with as many people involved of course things weren't going to go as planned.  In fact, after the test game failed the gangsters also recruited Boston College's leading score Ernie Cobb.  Cobb also claims his innocence quite a bit, although he did accept a large sum of money at one point or another.  I don't know if it was because of the scouts knowledge of the point shaving or him being only 5'10", but Cobb didn't get drafted until 109th overall in the 1979 draft.  The league still had ten rounds back then.  Nobody else from this team ever sniffed the league.  This was the last major college basketball point shaving scandal, although there were a few others.  I don't want to give every detail of the book out because it is a good read if you're into sports betting or the mafia, but I will mention one extremely funny part to visualize.  During one of the fixed games, Rick Kuhn's girlfriend got tickets for a bunch of the mafia people that were involved with the fix.  The problem was that these seats were in the student section, you know the one you always see on TV where the students are all fired up.  Now, this wasn't a game Boston College won and every time the other team was scoring here these guys were celebrating and high fiving each other.  I can only imagine what a scene that would be now.  If you don't have the time to read a whole book that is basically a blow by blow account of a whole season, you can check out the article ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL .  Of course, Hill did tell three different stories to SI, the FBI, and a Grand Jury, but the Fix was definitely in during the 1978-79 season. 

Backtrack, Death Camp, more at the Bug Jar next Wednesday....

 

TICKETS 

 

Criticize this!

When LeBron James and Chris Bosh teamed up with Dwyane Wade for the 2010-11 season, they immediately set the bar REALLY HIGH for themselves.  After their over the top, extremely premature celebration, they left their fans (and many others) thinking the rest of the league was going to fall over in their presence and let them win those titles.  For a large portion of the playoffs last season, that appeared to be the case.  Eventually, the Mavericks prevailed and LeBron James became a running punchline for (mostly casual) NBA fans throughout the offseason and for much of this season.  This season, it was clear it would be championship or bust for this Miami Heat organization.  Though they had their shares of ups and downs in this shortened season, the Heat once again found themselves on the cusp of returning to the NBA Finals with another chance to prove their critics wrong.  The Heat even jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this series, including a game two that the Celtics easily could have won.  It is the playoffs though and things can change in a hurry if you're not careful.  The Spurs hadn't lost a single playoff game (or ANY of their previous 20) before last Thursday.  In the blink of an eye, the young Thunder rolled all over them and took the next four to put themselves into their first NBA Finals since the Supersonics era (sorry Seattle).  Much like the Spurs, the Heat looked like they were on the way to running the Celtics right out of this series before it even became one.  Suddenly though, everything started to fall into place for the Big Four and the Celtics took a 3-2 lead thanks to some inspirational play from Kevin Garnett.

Here we were again, for this Heat team.  Granted, Chris Bosh hasn't been around for much of these playoffs, most people still aren't letting LeBron and these Heat off easy if they don't win the championship.  Honestly though, even if they do win the title this year, a lot of critics will still have a lot of negative things to say about this Heat team.  I understand making a few cracks here and there, but what I don't get is why so many people use the word "hate" when they describe LeBron James.  I watch a lot of basketball and I make my opinion known constantly.  But I don't think I would use a word like hate when describing any player that I watch play a child's game for a living.  If I had those kind of negative feelings, I probably just wouldn't watch basketball (see: NFL 2012 season).  That said, if the Heat don't win the title this year, it will still be looked at as a disappointment as it should.   Having dug themselves a 3-2 hole, the Heat needed to win a game in Boston before they could move this series back to Miami for a closeout game.  That would be no easy feat for Miami, as they had lost all six games in Boston in the LeBron era heading into last night. 

For the first few minutes, this game was close as a few players each from Boston and Miami were scoring.  The score was tied at 12 early on, until LeBron started to warm up.  LeBron only scored 2 points in the first five minutes of this game, before he completely took over in yet another performance for the ages.  This was akin to the Pacers series, when the Heat found themselves down 2-1 and they turned to their megastar to bring them back into that series.   Last night was a very similar performance to that game four and you have to kind of wonder why LeBron doesn't play like this every time he steps out onto the floor.  He is clearly capable of putting this team on his back and carrying them back to the Finals.  Once LeBron got going last night, there was pretty much no stopping him and you were almost better off getting out of his way, as he started to get a couple of and one baskets.  By the 2:30 mark of the first quarter, LeBron had 12 points and the Heat found themselves up 22-12 all of a sudden.  Rajon Rondo and company would do all they could to try and stay in this game, but it was pretty clear early on who this game was going to belong to.  As LeBron started to effortlessly sink shots, you got the sense that he wasn't going to disappear in the second half of this game.  The Heat were up by ten at the end of the first quarter, led by Lebron's early 14 points.  Dwyane Wade was 0-4 at this point. 

Again, I don't always like hearing Jeff Van Gundy talk, but I will agree with him when he is correct.  He echoed my statements during the second quarter about LeBron James being unfairly judged like no other player in NBA history.  It is what it is I guess, but as I said before it doesn't make sense to me how he can't do anything right in some "fans" eyes.  The lead continued to grow in the second quarter, as LeBron continued to hit tough shot after tough shot.  There was a constant swarm of white jerseys in his neighborhood as he continued to make difficult shots look all too easy.  Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass were doing their best to try to keep this game close, while LeBron was just running rampant and scoring at will from pretty much any part of the floor. Led by LeBron's ridiculous 30 points, the Heat found themselves ahead by 13 at the half.  Dwyane Wade was practically non-existent on offense in the first half, making just one lone field goal.  Still, the Heat had to feel somewhat comfortable about the possibility of forcing a game seven on their own court.

The Heat cooled off considerably to start the third quarter and briefly it looked like the Celtics might make this a game.  Every time they would get the game within striking distance, there was LeBron hitting shots or finding Mario Chalmers open in the corner for three.  The Celtics were down by double digits for much of this contest.  Just as it appeared as though the Celtics were going to close the lead, LeBron James hit a three pointer to silence the rally.  The Heat were up 74-61 at the end of the third quarter and LeBron had 41 points.  Dwyane Wade had still been fairly quiet up until this point.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Wade finally awoke from his scoring slumber hitting consecutive shots that gave the Heat a 17 point lead.   If The Celtics were going to make a run and try to end this series at home, it was now or never for them.  After a Paul Pierce jumper, Shane Battier hit a three to give the Heat an 18 point lead.  This was quite a transition from the last game, where the Heat were now hitting many of their outside shots (7-16) and the Celtics seemed to be settling more (1-14) from three.  That and the fact that LeBron James was simply unstoppable from every angle.  He did cool off considerably in the fourth quarter but it was no matter as Dwyane Wade was finally hitting shots for Miami.  All of a sudden, the Heat had blown this game wide open with a 25 point cushion at the 7:00 mark of the final quarter.  It was pretty clear at this point that we were headed for a game 7 in Miami on Saturday.  It was a stunning turn of event for Celtics fans, as many of them were left rushing for the exits before the fourth quarter was even half over with.  A lot of people expected Miami to come out with a lot of energy in this game, but I don't think anyone was expecting a blowout.  I said on Wednesday that if Miami stood a chance in this game, they would need a complete game from LeBron James.  They got just that (45/15/5 in 45 minutes- he was taken out with the game well in their hands) and they now need only one more win for a return trip to the finals.  Win or lose, I am sure they will have many critics along the way. 

Django Unchained

NBA Playoffs: Where Kevin Garnett just won't go away....

Usually when Jeff Van Gundy speaks, I get pretty annoyed.  However, last night at the beginning of the game, he said that game had the ability to be just as special as the previous night's Thunder/Spurs game.  I couldn't help but agree with him there, as much as it pained me to do so.  With everything these two teams had put on the floor in the previous four games, this game had the makings of being exciting right from the opening tip.  After Dwyane Wade calmly nailed a three to put the Heat up 7-0, I started to wonder if this game was going to be close, or if maybe the Heat were going to steamroll through these next two games and right back into the Finals.  Brandon Bass and Ray Allen started things off for Boston and they quickly closed the deficit to within two.  Chris Bosh checked in mid-way through the first quarter for the first time in three weeks, just in time to see the Heat push the lead back to seven.  It wasn't a pretty game, as the two teams combined for 8 early turnovers within the first 6 minutes.  Bosh was able to provide a spark for the Heat and helped them out to a 24-16 lead at the end of a very physical first quarter.  Rajon Rondo spent some time on the bench getting his arm looked at and the Celtics clearly needed their general out there to help carry them if they were going to be a force in this game.  The Heat continued to carry this momentum into the second quarter, pushing the lead to as many as 13 before Rondo led the Celtics back on the attack.  The lead was ten when LeBron James took a seat on the bench with 9 minutes remaining in the first half.  The lead was cut to six by the time he returned three minutes later and the Heat looked like a lottery team without him on the floor.  For all of the criticism James has received (some deservedly so), his teams are horrible without him on the floor.  They looked like the Bobcats while James was on the bench, putting up bad shot after bad shot.  Not only that, but now you have the Celtics starting to build the momentum they needed heading into halftime.  I realize I am suggesting LeBron play the entire 48 minutes of each game and it is pretty clear to me that's what is needed in order for the Heat to succeed.  Whereas the Heat have been a one and a half man show during these playoffs, the Celtics and Doc Rivers have been a blueprint for great team basketball throughout the playoffs.  While Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have made the Big Four look not so big at times, they have been able to turn to other players like Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus to help carry them when their stars aren't producing.  The Heat's double digit lead had completely disappeared by halftime, as they found themselves only leading by two at that point.  This game was now clearly Boston's for the taking.  LeBron James had 18 and 9 at the half, but in my opinion he settled for a couple outside shots when he should have driven to the hoop and drawn the fouls.  He missed four three pointers all told in this game and those were huge when you think of the final outcome of this game.  Again, I am not going to pin the blame on one person here, Lebron did go 2 for 6 from three point range (his second three was pretty clutch, in the fourth quater), but the rest of his team was 5 for 20 from three.  Maybe next game they won't settle for those shots as much, especially with Chris Bosh being back in the fold.  You could feel the tide shifting towards Boston in the second half, as they were able to exploit Miami's defense through a slew of Rondo to Garnett pass plays that were played to perfection.  Garnett was able to score 18 of his 26 points in the second half, due in large part to him and Rondo feeding off of each other so well.  There were a lot of subtle things I noticed in Garnett within this game that reminded me he is still the hungriest player on the court.  Seeing him blow up at himself for missing a free throw in the third quarter and then late in the game watching him yank Mickael Pietrus back into the huddle (twice within ten seconds!).  Of course, there was also THE DUNK.  I have heard quite a few whispers of this being Garnett's last season.  If it is, he is planning on going out in style.  Neither of these two teams were really at their best last night and for the first few minutes of the third quarter, it was clear this was still anyone's game.  Whenever Boston would tie it or pull within two, Miami would hit a basket or two and keep their slim lead.  Miami went on a 9-0 run lead around the 6:00 point of the third to take a 59-50 lead.  Again, Boston started to chip away at Miami's lead.  When Miami should have been padding their lead at the free throw line, they were taking outside shots and rarely going inside for the easy bucket.  All told, Boston ended on a 15-1 run to end the third and found themselves with a five point lead entering the third quarter. 

   While you could get a sense of nervousness from the Heat fans just by watching the game on TV, you got a general sense of desperation from the Heat themselves throughout the fourth quarter.  Dwyane Wade picked up LeBron's slack and kept the Heat in the game in the fourth quarter, making for an exciting finish to an otherwise sloppy (and somewhat ugly) game.  The Heat again went on a run and found themselves with a six point lead.  It looked like they just had to play some defense and close this game out.  Pietrus hit a three to cut the lead to three and at this point, it was clear this game was going to come down to the last couple minutes.  There was just five minutes standing between one of these two teams being within one win from reaching the NBA Finals. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett were everywhere that the Celtics needed them to be, coming up with key loose balls and blocks in the final minutes.  Garnett hit an extremely clutch shot from the baseline that put the Celtics up by one with just three minutes remaining.  This was right after he blocked a shot from LeBron, too.  Like I been saying, Garnett is showing the world that he is hungry for one more championship.  At this point in the game, all of the players magically started finding their three point touch, as Mario Chalmers and Mickael Pietrus hit back to back threes for Miami and then Boston.  With just over a minute to go, Udonis Haslem went to the free throw line with the Heat down by two.  He made one of two, to cut the lead to one with a minute to go.  Paul Pierce pulled up and hit a dagger three with LeBron James right in his face.  The Heat were rapidly running out of options, as they were left to more or less play the foul game down the stretch.  Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett calmly sank the necessary free throws, and Boston was able to prevail in this game.  Today, much of what I have read is people criticizing LeBron for yet again not coming up in the fourth quarter.  While I do agree with everyone that he didn't provide everything he should have in the second half, this has to be tiring.  For much of this season (and playoffs), he has had Miami on his shoulders and I can only imagine how exhausting that must be.  Granted, I am sure he especially knows that anything less than a championship at this stage of his career will be a failure.  I would have to argue that this year, however.  As I have been saying, Kevin Garnett is playing with a fire and an energy that has only been rivaled in these Eastern Conference playoffs by James and Rondo.  Just watching him play, you can tell he wants this more than anyone on the court.  LeBron will have plenty more years to go out and prove all of his critics wrong.  Kevin Garnett will not have many more opportunities and it has been fun watching him put everything out there in these playoffs.  A lot of players disappear with age and some try to hang on to what they once had.  Kevin Garnett is somehow doing neither of these and playing at an extremely high level in his mid-30s.  It will be interesting to see if Miami can recover any of the momentum when they head into a rowdy Boston environment tomorrow evening.  We all know Kevin Garnett will be ready to play. 

AJ Curry performing at Water Street again this weekend....

One thing I have always enjoyed about the music scene in Rochester is how eclectic all of the artists are.  If you hit the music scene here for a week, on any given night you are likely to see a wide range of artists performing throughout our club circuit.  There's something for everyone here- punk, hardcore, ska, emo, metal, and hip-hop has even become more prevalent in the area over the last 15 years or so.  I can remember back to 2004 when I was working and hanging out in Henrietta a lot.  I was living downtown, so I would spend half my time in the city and the other half out in or around Henrietta.  A friend of mine at the time suggested that I check out the rapper AJ CURRY .  I told him I had no idea who he was talking about.  He said he realized that, but judging by my taste in rap that I should check him out sometime.  Over the next few years, I realized he was right.  Having built his name within the local scene over the last few years, AJ Curry is now ready to take his solo game to the next level.   I was able to check out the tracks that AJ is working on for his debut album (due out soon on the up and coming local label Hen Roc Records ) a few weeks ago and the first words that came to mind were "instant classic" and "summer bangers."  Kevin Mahoney from Hit the Lights is handling the production on this record and while it is one of his first hip-hop ventures, it definitely does not sound like that by any means.  Having two people with somewhat different influences working on this album has only helped in my opinion.  This weekend, AJ is going to be debuting some of these songs at Water Street Music Hall  along with BEDROC, DOM BROWN, and many others !  Below are a few previously released videos.

"I hope this city burns to the fucking ground..."

When I was really into hardcore in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were very few people in this area that were consistently bringing touring hardcore bands to our city.  I had done a bunch of smaller hardcore and punk shows at Vertex and in my old smelly basement, but I wanted Rochester to start having a lot of the same shows that Buffalo and Syracuse had.  By 2001, it was on and I was booking  a lot of tours here.  I was also losing a lot of money.  Aside from the whole always being broke thing, it didn't really bother me.  I was after all the one who put myself in this position.  Plus, I was booking all of my favorite bands at the time.  Occasionally, I would do a show for a band like Thursday or Coheed and Cambria, but pretty much every "big" hardcore show I booked I lost $100 or more on.  I once lost $800 on a fest I booked here, another time there was $500 on some random touring bands.  One of my favorites though was the night I lost $300 on an American Nightmare show.  I had gotten them on a show at the Bug Jar a year and a half ago when they were still a fairly new band.  By 2001, the word was out and American Nightmare was a pretty big band for hardcore standards.  Yet, for some reason, bands like this never really took off here.  I was always thinking my city would come around and these shows would draw as much as Buffalo or Syracuse and they never really did.  Unless it was Bane.  Anyway, I had already seen American Nightmare plenty of times in cities like Wilkes-Barre, Syracuse, Gainesville, and Buffalo.  The thing about "hype" bands and bigger hardcore bands is that I never really cared about any of that.  Not only that, but at the time I wasn't all that into Ten Yard Fight so seeing "ex members of Ten Yard Fight" in their name never really did much for me.  There is a certain blend of hardcore I have primarily stuck to and usually I will just seek bands out as I see fit.  American Nightmare was a little bit different musically than what I was listening to, because of how fast their drumming was, but more importantly because of the vocals.  While you couldn't always hear everything live in those first few dozen shows, the vocals that Wes was putting on those first few records weren't like much I had heard prior to that.  But more importantly, the lyrics were completely different than anything that was coming out at the time.  I think that is why this band is so influential and people get so excited about them still.  I know that I was dealing with a lot of personal issues back then, especially in 2000 and 2001.  Having the first two American Nightmare EPs to listen to back then definitely made things a lot easier for me.  I know that sounds cheesy and it probably is, but hardcore definitely carried me through some of my toughest times and American Nightmare was one of those bands.  I was in a lucky position to pretty much see them from the beginning to the end, as well.  The show I did here in 2002 itself was a lot of fun.  Of the 125 or so people that were in attendance, I would say 75 or more were from out of town or they were RIT students.  Crazy to think about it in retrospect, but most of the attendees of my shows back then were not from here.  I would definitely say that out of all the shows I put on this had the best lineup for my tastes.  There were a lot of shows that other people have said were this and that, but I like this lineup the best.  I loved Miles Between Us and even helped them put out their first EP.  I think they are still one of the best bands to come out of Canada too, for what that's worth.  Bad Business were definitely one of my favorite local bands and easily my favorite of this era.  Over the next couple years, they were able to make their mark and even did a couple tours.  That 7" is good shit, too and still gets some spins on my turntable.  Striking Distance were just a solid hardcore punk band.  I loved seeing them live, Dave Byrd was also fun to watch.  I still have the Striking Distance tour shirt from this show.  Thanks to my main man Chris Rivera for holding it for me while I traveled cross country in 2006.  I feel like Death Threat in 2002 and 03 was what Wisdom in Chains have been for the last few years; an extremely solid hardcore band that you could always count on to come play a good hardcore show.  Their first two LPs are definitely two of my favorite records to come out in the early 2000s.  Death Threat had canceled on the Thursday/Carry On/ETID/No Warning/Hopecon show I put on a few months prior to this, so I was stoked to finally have them on one of my shows.  I think they actually played after AN though and I knew I had already lost $300 so I was kind of bumming by then.  I even broke down in tears while explaining the situation to a friend of mine that night.  Again, I always had extremely high hopes for Rochester and I was always kind of let down on nights like this.   I swear when I was looking out off the stage it looked like there was enough people there for me to at least come close to breaking even.   I guess I am not that great at estimating crowds.  Still though, that American Nightmare set was extremely fun and I don't know how many more of their shows I enjoyed that much after that night.  I am still glad that I got to take part in not only this show, but all of the other hundreds shows I was involved in during that era.  A lot of people talk bad of bands doing reunions and I personally usually skip them.  I even sold the tickets I had to BOTH American Nightmare reunions in December.  I have made it a point to intentionally skip watching all videos from the shows.  Now having watched this trailer, it does bum me out and I think when they play again, I will try to go see them live. 

Norbecker Pilsner Commercial #1

Gorilla Biscuits- Cats and Dogs

I missed the Black N Blue Bowl this year.  There's no getting around it now I guess.  I might miss This Is Hardcore too, although I am going to try to my best to get down there for a day or two.  Either way, I will always remember the two times I have seen Gorilla Biscuits live.  This is from BNB last year, you might even see a busted dive by yours truly in here....

Fire and Ice- Not of this Earth (Reaper Records)

  A lot of bands have come and gone in hardcore and it is really hard to have any kind of staying power, especially in this day and age.  One thing I have noticed is that while anyone can play hardcore, few people can play it well.  That may sound picky and snobby, but with all of the bullshit that is flooding the internet these days, I would like to think I am free to be as picky as I want.  For starters, as I said before this music is really easy and anyone can play it.  That doesn't mean you have to practice it for a day and then go out and tour.  While I do still have a great big soft spot in my heart for loud, sloppy hardcore, I prefer watching bands that are a little bit tighter at this point.  I guess good songwriting and stage presence is what sets bands apart for me these days.  While I wasn't a huge fan of Fire and Ice's vocals on their first demo, they have grown on me more and more as I listen to the "COLLECTIONS" LP and now this NOT OF THIS EARTH LP.  The guitar sound of this band is something I was fond of immediately when I heard them.  I definitely feel the late 80s NYHC vibe continuing on with this release and there's nothing wrong with that.  I really like the riffs on this record, they keep things interesting while playing a style of music that isn't always exciting.  There's even a Bill and Ted's esque (though I am sure it wasn't meant that way) guitar interlude on here.  I've always been somewhat reminded of Leeway (with some Madball in the hard parts) in this band's sound and AJ Novello even co-produced this record with Dean Baltulonis!  What sets this band apart to me are the guitars and the vocals, which as I said I have grown to enjoy with this band.  Both at times almost have a late 80s rock feel to them (a la Leeway again).  There's also even a couple hints of melody on this record, which isn't a bad thing by any means.  These guys also get extra points for saying "sock it to me" at the beginning of a breakdown.  I have missed this band the couple times they played this area, but after hearing this LP I definitely intend to see them live soon.

Expire- Pendulum Swings (Bridge 9)

I don't know if it's just me getting older or whatever, but it seems like a lot of hardcore bands have become stale and overproduced in recent years.  I feel like a lot of bands think that hardcore is just about breakdowns and creating hype for yourself on the internet.  Fewer and fewer bands are taking to the old school method of recording a demo, hitting the road, and meeting tons of people on the way.  In my opinion 2004-08 saw a very small amount of bands take to this approach.  I can't blame people I guess, it is probably far easier and productive to just hype your band up on various social networking sites, rather than risk losing money paying for overpriced gasoline to fill your van along the way.  Luckily, there are still some risk takers out there carrying the torch for hardcore kids both new and old.  One of those bands is Wisconsin's Expire.  I first caught them here in the Winter of 2009 in Rochester with a bunch of mostly forgettable local bands.  The one thing I can say after all these years is that when I hear of a good band doing a DIY tour that is solid hardcore, I will check them out.  I remember being somewhat impressed by Expire that night and then they topped it off with covers of Leeway and Integrity.  Being a somewhat well known band now, I doubt they really have to grab anyone's attention with covers anymore, though I wouldn't mind hearing that Rise and Fall intro again!  Expire's debut full length "PENDULUM SWINGS" picks back up right where their last two EPs left off.  I like many apects of this band and record, including the vocals which aren't too overbearing but still don't really sound like a lot of bands either.  The guitars are what make this record for me though, every mosh part makes me want to break something.  There's a lot of good mosh on this record and while they're not breaking any ground in the music department, the songs are all tight and well written- a quality that is sorely lacking in most current hardcore bands.  In one of the better tours (in my opinion) in years, COLD WORLD, BACKTRACK, DEAD END PATH, and EXPIRE are currently criss-crossing the United States.  They will be playing in Buffalo at the end of the US dates on June 12 and I plan to be there.

Boogie Down Productions- BEEF

Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody

LA Story

If I were a Laker fan, I would be blaming this all on David Stern.  OF COURSE, HE IS THE ONE WHO VETOED THE LAKERS ORIGINAL LA TRADE FOR CHRIS PAUL .  In the proposed deal, The Lakers would have received Chris Paul, the Hornets would have acquired Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Goran Dragic, while the Rockets would have received Pau Gasol to complete the three team deal.  Without getting into that too much, the Hornets would have made out good in that deal (there was also a draft pick in the deal, which I believe is a mid-first rounder this year).  Goran Dragic had a legitimate breakout second half for the Rockets with Kyle Lowry out.  He would have been a huge asset for the Hornets moving forward, plus all of the other players they would have received.  But the commissioner (And Dan Gilbert, of course) quickly moved in and made sure it did not happen.  The league was in control of the Hornets at the time and wanted to make them as profitable as possible for a potential sale.  Days later, Chris Paul was on his way to LA, but not to the Lakers.  THE CLIPPERS HAD ACQUIRED CHRIS PAUL, reaching a deal that sent Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al Farouq Aminu, and a draft pick to the Hornets.  SAINTS OWNER TOM BENSON BOUGHT THE HORNETS FOR 338 MILLION MONTHS LATER.   Obviously, you play the hands that are dealt to you and there's no way to tell, but anyone with half a brain that follows the NBA would tell you that the Lakers/Rockets deal would have been better for the Hornets moving forward.  Not only that, but you could say that deal totally killed the chemistry of the Lakers this season.  They ended up ridding themselves of Lamar Odom for nothing, completely destroying Odom's season in the process.  Pau Gasol was left to wonder all season long what his future with the  organization was.  While he never got traded during the regular season, I would go out on a limb and say he is likely to get traded this offseason, quite possibly to the Rockets.  I would take him in a heartbeat, despite his up and down performance lately.  I might not be at my best either if I didn't think my employer had intended for me to be helping them out right now. 
All excuses aside, it was a roller coaster ride for the Lakers this season that included the usual drama.  I think Mike Brown and Kobe Bryant held it together well all things considered.  Between Metta World Peace's name change and subsequent elbow seen round the world, Andrew Bynum's questionable play and attitude, Pau Gasol's trade and veto, Ramon Sessions arriving at the trade deadline, this was a difficult season for the Lakers indeed.  It is pretty obvious at this point that the Lakers could use a little adjustment in their roster.  They need to do something to increase their speed on this roster, as the Thunder were able to run all over them during key points of this series. 
On the flipside, there was the "Don't call us Lob City anymore" Clippers, playing half of their games in the same Staples Center as the Lakers.  This was the year that the Clippers were making themselves noteworthy again.  They were certainly able to do that, with their nightly highlights, and (more importantly) by making the playoffs and advancing to the second round for the first time since the 2005-06 season.  Throughout the first half of the season, the Clippers looked like they might unseat the Lakers as the best team in LA.  While that might happen in years to come, Kobe Bryant isn't quite ready to give that crown up just yet.  The Lakers and Clippers are likely to improve over the summer and the next couple years should provide for a pretty intense rivalry between these two teams.  Hopefully, David Stern won't have too much of a negative outcome on any of that.

One era ends in Orlando...

Today what most of the basketball world had known for most of this season became official, AS STAN VAN GUNDY AND OTIS SMITH WERE RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES BY THE ORLANDO MAGIC.  It ends an up and down five years for Van Gundy in Orlando, a period which even included a trip to the NBA Finals.  The magic made the playoffs all five years that SVG was their coach, a feat only matched during that time by the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks.  The last four months in Orlando kept reminding me of a restaurant job I had in my mid 20s.  A fellow line cook and I would always talk about the state of the restaurant we were working at and how it seemed like the place was going downhill fast.  We didn't have the numbers of course, but the place just didn't seem to be doing well.  Long story short, we always would joke about what amazingly bad things we could or would do on our last night the store was open.  Luckily, that day never came.  Stan Van Gundy got to live that moment out every night this season pretty much, only he never had any LANE KIFFIN-ESQUE moments during his final days in Orlando.  You have to admit, SVG was the consummate professional right up until the end, even when HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE KNEW DWIGHT HOWARD WANTED HIM FIRED.  I have always partaken in the "Stan Van Jeremy" look a like jokes and I have enjoyed it as much as you, but I gained a lot of respect in this final month of coaching from Van Gundy.  He easily could have put the Magic in full tank mode.  Instead, he helped them reach the playoffs despite the absence of their star player for much of the second half of the season.  They even kept their series with the Pacers interesting, winning a game without Howard.  Dwight Howard will probably be looked at under a microscope by the media next year and rightfully so.  While a lot of superstars have fled their teams to chase championships, I can't think of many superstars completely quitting on their coach and getting him fired (Knicks...).  Dwight Howard will get everything he wants, next year we will see what he does with his team.  My prediction is that he will never win a title, but that's probably just me hating on him like I do a lot of other people. 

Bryce Harper is here to stay

IN 2010, STEPHEN STRASBURG PITCHED HERE.   Two years later, the Nats other big time prospect Bryce Harper was set to play here with Syracuse.  I only got out to one of the games, the first of a day/night doubleheader (The game had been rained out earlier that week).  THE KID HAD BEEN PRETTY HEAVILY HYPED IN THE MEDIA SINCE HE WAS 16 so I figured I would at least get out osee him play here once if I got the opportunity.  Little did I know that this was to be his last day in the minors.  During his first at bat, a bunch of kids from Greece Athena were chanting "overratted" quite loudly.  Harper promptly laced an RBI single into right field.  Syracuse went on to win the game 3-2.  He might not hit those crazy bomb home runs that he was hitting against the lesser competition, but Harper does produce all of the tools to have a very productive MLB career.  At only 19 years old and having been moved around in the lineup quite a bit in four weeks, Bryce Harper has managed to reach base safely in 24 of 28 games.  As far as I have seen, all of THE ATTITUDE PROBLEMS he may or may not have possessed in recent years have been left behind.  His haircut does still resemble that of someone I could see heading out on this year's Warped Tour though.  Granted, a line of .244/.449/.782  isn't exactly anything to write home about, Bryce Harper has clearly been instrumental in keeping the Nationals in the playoff picture in the National League.  That is something Washington fans can deal with hearing for the next 10-15 years, if they keep their young stars in tact. 

Youth of Today- No More

NBA Playoffs: Where fundamentals happen....

In the beginning half of the season, it was pretty trendy to pick the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder to face off in the NBA Finals.  While that still is a possibility, the San Antonio Spurs have quietly steamrolled their way through the last month of basketball, including sweeps of the first two rounds of the playoffs.  By defeating the Clippers last night, the Spurs became the FOURTH TEAM IN THE CURRENT NBA PLAYOFF FORMAT TO SWEEP THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS.  While history might suggest otherwise, the Spurs now stand a pretty good chance at making it into the NBA Finals.  Interestingly enough, I have had ESPN on most of this morning and of course, they have been focusing on the Heat and The Thunder/Lakers (who didn't even play yesterday).  As always, the Spurs are flying under the radar of the media hype and I am sure they don't mind that one bit.  Of course by now, most hoops fans have taken notice of what the Spurs have done.  Tim Duncan is playing great basketball and the Spurs are all finally healthy for the first time in a couple years.  Top that off with Greg Poppovich's coaching and you have a legitimate title threat.   Having won their 8 games by just under 14 points a game, the Spurs might be able to rest a little bit if the Lakers can close a game out against the Thunder.  I still think the Lakers have a chance in this series, but it will take a gigantic comeback and a big collapse from the Thunder.  If they lose tonight, I think Pau Gasol will be gone but Mike Brown should be safe for another year or two.  All things considered, he has done a good job with keeping this team somewhat together this season. 

The haters will probably say it was only one game.  But it was one hell of a game, possibly the best playoff performance in my lifetime.  In a must win situation on enemy soil, LeBron James took his team on his back and they responded by helping him close out this game in the second half.  In what his fellow players referred to as " VIDEO GAME NUMBERS ," LeBron James put up a once in a lifetime performance yesterday.  Of course the one day I don't do a daily fantasy sports league too!  They will need Chris Bosh to win a title this season but this was definitely a momentum shifter with this series heading back to Miami.  LeBron and company now have a golden opportunity to make Lance Stephenson look like a complete idiot, although I am sure they have much bigger goals in mind.  If they are to move on to the next round and possibly the NBA Finals, LeBron will have to continue to have games like that.  It was refreshing to see Dwyane Wade finally have a good game as well.  HEARING WORD THAT WADE RECENTLY HAD HIS KNEE DRAINED puts his performance in this series into a better perspective I guess.  Hopefully, he will be able to knuckle up and help his team despite his banged up body.   Thanks to a lot of foul trouble for Indiana, Udonis Haslem chipped in for 14 points- his highest playoff output in three years.  Game 5 will be tomorrow night at 8PM, in what is a now a best of 3.  I think the Heat will be facing the Celtics in the Conference Finals, but nothing would really surprise me at this point.

Happy Birthday to Christopher Wallace...

Should be 40 today...

Agnostic Front at Dub Land Underground June 29

I love New York Hardcore.  Over the last 15 years, I have had many ups and downs and a lot of people and ideas have come and gone for me.  One thing that has always remained constant for me is my love for classic New York Hardcore bands.  It is really several factors that have led to this music becoming a soundtrack for me for the better part of my life.  The first bands that really got it started for me were Gorilla Biscuits and Agnostic Front.  Add the Bad Brains and Cro Mags and you pretty much have my favorite bands in one group.  It would be great if all four bands shared a bill at some point.   Anyway, I got a lot of great releases on cassette and CD at Record Theatre in Midtown Plaza when I was 15 years old.  Among them were Youth of Today- Can't Close My Eyes and Agnostic Front- Live at CBGB.  While I had been listening to a lot of Minor Threat and Gorilla Biscuits that summer, these two bands sealed the deal for me.  They took the hardcore attitude and made it sound really HARD.  Well maybe not YOT as much on their later releases, but man that first EP...I would listen to AF's Live at CBGB CD several times over the next few months, before I finally picked up the "Cause For Alarm/Victim In Pain" CD at Fantastic Records that Christmas.   I had found the perfect band for me.  Here I was, a 16 year old kid without much guidance and with a neighborhood full of freaks and drugs at my disposal (I grew up a stones throw away from Oxford Square on Monroe Avenue) and yet I turned to this hardcore lifestyle to carry me for the next several years.  It made sense and it was really fun seeking out new bands in a time when the internet was only in its earlier stages.  Agnostic Front had broken up for the first few years when I was into the scene, so I didn't get the chance to see them for a year or two.  I missed the first show they played in this area, partly because I was 16 and rides weren't always easy to come by.  I would also like to think that I would not have traveled anywhere at that time for a bill that had One King Down and Earth Crisis on it, even if AF were playing.  Those chugga chugga bands weren't really my thing back then.  The first time I saw AF came as kind of a surprise to me.  I remember they were on the 1999 Warped Tour, but I recall thinking they weren't supposed to play the Buffalo date.  They did and it was awesome.  It was one of the few times I remember stage diving at the Warped Tour.  Not only that, but this is my favorite Warped Tour memory and I will never forget it...7 Seconds was doing one of their tri-annual reunion tours on Warped that summer.  I watched them play, which was really fun and positive of course.  Then, Agnostic Front was playing on the other small stage on the other side of the park.  They were starting right as 7 Seconds was ending for some stupid reason.  I rushed across the park right as Pennywise was covering Misfits on the main stage.  I got over there right as AF was busting into Victim in Pain.  That was the last Warped Tour I ever attended.  I can't imagine a better Warped experience.  I would go on to see AF a few more times over the next five years, never in Rochester though.  I saw them at the Nation in DC in 2001 at the Superbowl of Hardcore.  That show could be a whole blog in itself.  Bad Brains were the headliner and they only got through a couple songs before the cops came onstage to inform everyone that the show was being shut down.  It was shut down because someone got stabbed during Agnostic Front's set, or at least that's what I heard.  That's the thing about all of these New York Hardcore bands, they "don't look for trouble, sometimes trouble finds you."  Freddy Madball wrote that and it can be said of a lot of these New York bands, or most hardcore bands for that matter.  I am not saying that anyone encourages violence or especially for anyone to bring weapons into shows like that, but when you have that many angry people in one room, it's not always going to be a walk in the park.  Anyway, I don't remember seeing anyone get stabbed during that AF set in DC, but it was a pretty wild and fun set.  I remember right at the beginning of their set, Timmy from No Justice and some other unkown wild man each dove off monitors in a synchronized manner almost.  Those things had to have been 10-15 feet off the ground.  Those dudes were nuts.  When AF got back together, they released two albums basically within a year of each other.  I really enjoyed both of these records.  When Something's Gotta Give came out, I timed my voicemail perfectly so I would stop talking right as Roger says "It's me or you and Something's Gotta Give."  That intro still makes me want to punch holes through walls.  I would go on to see AF a few more times in Buffalo and Albany mostly.  During those years, I booked hundreds of solid hardcore shows.  I got a chance to book most of my favorite bands that I was into during those years.  I never got the opportunity to bring Agnostic Front to Rochester.  It never really came up for me.  I never booked Madball either now that I think about it.  I guess you can't book every good Hardcore band.  Anyway, I know AF played here when I was a toddler, but I am very excited to finally be able to see them in my hometown.  When I saw them at the Black N Blue Bowl in NYC last year, they were still the same exciting band live.  I tip my hat to these guys for carrying the torch for this many years.  Very few individuals can say that they have lived and breathed hardcore for it's entire existence.   To think that AF is still going from city to city and giving young people a chance to see them for the first time is inspiring for this old hardcore kid.  So, as this title states AGNOSTIC FRONT ARE PLAYING AT DUB LAND UNDERGROUND JUNE 29!  For me, this will be a great night, celebrating new and old hardcore bands.  Also on the bill are locals DEATH CAMP, THE WEIGHT WE CARRY, FORKED TONGUES, and Buffalo's CHOSEN ONES.  There's info on the EVENT PAGE on advance tickets.  The last local hardcore shows that sold out were because I booked them in small venues.  This show could legitimately sell out.  Agnostic Front are touring celebrating and promoting a lot as always.  First, there's the STIGMA ASG GUITAR for guitar nerds and NYHC collectors alike.  Then, there's the perfectly timed BRIDGE 9 REISSUE OF LIVE AT CBGBs...I have heard they have been playing this set live.  I just might grab the mic at the right time and say "There's a lot of people that aren't going to see tomorrow if they keep fucking around."  In case I didn't already make it perfectly clear, I am extremely excited about this show.  Over the last few years, I haven't been just active enough to stay interested in hardcore through the apocalypse.   Thanks to bands like Agnostic Front for making that possible.  If I get around to it, I am going to try to reprint an old interview I did with Roger after they played Warped in 1999....

World Peace Can't Be Done

 While there were 16 less games on the regular season schedule, this NBA playoffs has already been as exciting as the last few.  Sadly, a few teams have lost key players and this will now have an effect on next NBA season.  While that does suck, that's for another day. 
The 8 remaining NBA teams provide a good mix of young and old players, and this should be a good race to the finals.  A lot of analysts are picking Spurs/Thunder and Heat/Celtics from this crop of teams.  While I do agree with the Heat and Celtics, I am not so sure that the Thunder will send the Lakers home from these playoffs. 

I do think the Celtics will continue on against the Philadelphia 76ers and win that series in no more than 6 games.  I only expect it to take them 5 though.  Kevin Garnett has definitely come out of the hot tub time machine with a vengeance.  I don't know how many people would have expected Garnett to be averaging 20 and 10 through the first 7 games of the playoffs.  I do remember saying to a coworker at the beginning of the season that this schedule was built for teams like the Celtics and Spurs.  All they had to do was make it through the season.  Obviously with the Celtics you are rolling the dice on a lot of players staying healthy enough to win at least 11 more games.  While I am not sure how realistic of a goal that is, I am certain they will give Miami or Indiana a run for their money.  I do respect Philadelphia as a team and I do expect them to win a game or two in this series, but it is Boston's to win.  Clearly Rajon Rondo is still a little bitter with the way things ended last season.  If this is Kevin Garnett's last run, he's sure making it a good one.


 Losing Chris Bosh was a bigger blow than some people may realize, but I still can't see the Pacers giving the Heat all that much trouble.  I know they are a deep, well coached team, but after seeing them barely get by a depleted Magic team, I just can't see them giving the Heat much trouble.  Even if Bosh is out for this series, I still the Heat winning it in five or six games at most.  Unless of course Danny Granger can find a way to get into his groove.  LeBron is clearly in beast mode now and I don't see many players slowing him down the rest of the way.
In the west, it's not quite as exciting as the East.  When the Spurs are involved, it can never be as exciting as the other choice though I guess.  That's just what they might do though, bore everyone to sleep en route to an NBA championship.  Every year, the Spurs quietly seem to advance throughout the regular season and you never know what to expect from them.  While they had the best record in the regular season and they have been dominant down the stretch, anything is possible in the playoffs.  Obviously, the Spurs have every reason to be the favorite in the West this year, but as these playoffs have shown a lot can change over the course of one game.  I do expect the Spurs to beat the Clippers in no more than five games though.  I have talked a lot of trash about Blake Griffin and the Clippers this year.  I would like to say however that my prediction in this series has nothing to do with hating on Griffin.  If he were at 100%, I could see the Clippers giving the Spurs a serious run for their money.  I don't think they would have enough to beat them at full strength though.  The Clippers need another solid scorer and defender if they want to be a real threat over the next few years.
This Lakers/Thunder series would already be a mini-NBA Finals even if it weren't for the Metta World Artest hype that is attached to it.  Thanks in large part to a really horrible decision by MWP this series might be as watched as the NBA Finals itself.  If the Spurs make the Finals, this series will probably double the Finals in TV ratings, too.   I have seen quite a few predictions in the media and spoken to a few friends and most people seem to be picking the Thunder to win this series.  The Thunder have a great young roster and Scott Brooks is one of the best coaches in the NBA currently.  This team has been built out of the bottom-feeders that they were when they moved from Seattle a few years back.  Since then, they have built their roster around Kevin Durant, adding great young players like Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden to go along with solid veterans like Nick Collison, Derek Fisher, and Kendrick Perkins.  I realize Perkins could easily be lumped in with the youngsters, but winning championships adds years of experience, or so I have heard.  The Lakers on the other hand were built for these exact playoffs, and they all have been through this rodeo before.  A couple of them have had a few good playoff runs that have ended  WITH THEM    CELEBRATING LIKE     CHAMPIONS ...  In 2008, the Grizzlies gift wrapped Pau Gasol to them and helped them start this current run.  Then in 2009, after he lost with the Houston Rockets to LA in 7 games, Artest basically made it clear while the Lakers were beating the Nuggets and Magic that he was going to be in LA next season.  Three years and two more championships later, here we are.  The funny thing to me about this series is how evenly matched both teams really are in my opinion.  Sure, the Thunder have a better bench (on paper) and a better point guard, but as I said before, experience goes a long way in these playoffs.  The Lakers have enough experience to hand out to all the other remaining playoff teams.  At the end of the day, there's going to be a lot of deciding factors for which team will make it into the next round.  For the Thunder, I think they need to get out early and make it hard for LA to keep the pace.  Russell Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the NBA and if he gets it going, LA could be bringing Steve Blake off the bench early and often in this series.  Oklahoma City does have a deeper bench and if they can properly utilize it they could make this a difficult series for the Lake show.  It will be interesting to see what Derek Fisher brings to the table in this series.   Of course, this isn't the first time he has been to the playoffs without the Lakers.  It will however be his first time facing Kobe and the Lakers in the playoffs.  Have your Kleenex on hand for that. For the Lakers, they could make this a really easy series if they all show up and keep their elbows to themselves.  I really can't think of too many teams that have a starting five that is as talented and experienced as that of the Lakers.  Of course, you have to wonder if Ramon Sessions can keep up for a long run.  He is the lone inexperienced member of the Lakers core.  If Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can play to their talents though, it really might not matter if Sessions is any better than mediocre during this series.  If Gasol and Bynum are at the top of their games, the Thunder will not have enough depth to match inside and the Lakers will win this series in six games.  Of course, I expect Bynum to take at least one game off during this series.  I still think the Lakers can win this series though.  Finally and most importantly, this series will depend very heavily on the existence of Metta World Peace.  Most casual NBA fans know him now as they did in 2003, as a decent NBA player who has done some really nasty things when in the spotlight.  While they are right in their assessment, there is a lot more to it than that.  Just before MWP threw his elbow that knocked James Harden to the ground, he was experiencing one of the greatest stretches of his NBA career.  We all know of MWP as a lockdown defender, but during the 7 games Kobe Bryant missed MWP averaged over 16 points per game, more than double his season average.  He was well on his way to another great game before he threw that vicious elbow, too.  Point being, he might not be the smartest or nicest player in the league but Metta World Peace possesses the intangibles that could put this Lakers team over the top.  Of course, the same could be said about a few other members of this team.  If his defense is on during this series, Kevin Durant will be in for a long series.  Lakers in 7.

I got mad hits like I was Rod Carew

To all the Mother's, sisters and the wives and friends...I wanna offer my love and respect til the end!  #RIPMCA

Beardage, Old Ghosts, Dead Words, The Weight We Carry, Night Terror June 3 at the Bug Jar Rochester, NY

I have another show coming up at the BUG JAR in a few weeks.  This isn't something I do nearly as much as I would like to anymore.  Times have changed, the scene is a lot different now, and things are run a little bit differently than I would like at times.  There are however still a lot of people that remind me of my youth, so when I book shows I try to find bands that fit into this spectrum.  I also try to keep the bills somewhat diverse when I can.  The $5 Sunday show is something I am testing out with this show.  If it works, I hope to put on several of these Sunday shows throughout Rochester this year.  This show features five bands, four of which are from this area mainly and one that is from Cleveland.  NIGHT TERROR are a good up and coming Rochester band, they will be opening the bill.  Next up is another good up and coming hardcore band from Rochester THE WEIGHT WE CARRY.  These bands are newer, but their members have been supporting Rochester shows for years.  Up next is OLD GHOSTS  who will be appearing at the Bug Jar for the second time.  If you have not checked out their LP Caskets yet, you definitely should. DEAD WORDS will be  making the trek out from Cleveland for this show.  I am excited for them to be playing this show, as I think their sound will be displayed perfectly at the Bug Jar.  Rounding out the bill are Buffalo/Rochester's BEARDAGE .   The beards will be getting loud and probably a little under the influence by this point in the night, so you won't want to miss this. 
I have put on at most 4-6 shows per year since 2004.  Depending on the outcome of this show, I would say that is an accurate estimate of how many shows I will be putting on in 2012, give or take one or two.

Final Word

I only saw this band once, in 2004 on New Year's Day in Syracuse.  I was still drunk and started going off with my glasses on during their intro.  I would love to see this band again sometime.  Their EP on Indecision Records is real solid.

Rise Records reissuing two classic Poison The Well albums

As quickly as news travels these days, I am sure most people are aware that Rise Records is
reissuing Poison The Well's LPs "The Opposite of December" and "Tear From The Red."  Most people in the hardcore/metal underworld have likely already developed their own opinions.  I personally am excited by this news. 
I grew up listening to mostly traditional hardcore, and a lot of hip-hop, so I rarely found myself digging around for much else.  Occasionally, though bands like Poison The Well would come along.  When Trustkill Records first released "The Opposite of December" in late 1999, Poison The Well had one release under their belt already.  I have never personally been too into this release.  I remember "Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder" having one or two memorable songs on it, but it wasn't anything like "The Opposite Of December".
Again, I will take a step back and mention that I didn't usually listen to bands that sounded like Poison The Well.  It was actually kind of by chance that I heard this record of theirs.  At the time, I was really involved in the hardcore scene and had a fanzine (The Right Path) and I had a distro that I would bring to shows.  At the time, record labels didn't have a lot of money and neither did I.  So to get my distro off the ground, I would trade ads in my Zine for bulk CDs from record labels.  I would also in turn review these CDs in my fanzine.  Everyone usually walked away pretty happy, unless the band sucked. 
I had already heard some of the hype about Poison The Well before I checked out this CD.  Even though the internet had only a few message boards and chat rooms back then, you could still find out information if you wanted to.  It's amazing to wrap your head around that concept, I know.  I still didn't think Poison The Well would be anything for me to be all that interested in.  I remember being floored by this CD pretty much right when I listened to it.  Maybe it's because of my background, but this wasn't like anything I had ever heard before.  Not only that, but by the time I got to the end of the record, I realized that I had listened to a perfect record.  A perfect record to me is a full lp, with no filler songs.  To me, pretty much every hardcore or metalcore had at least two filler songs on it.  Realistically, there's probably less than 25 flawless hardcore/metalcore records in my opinion.  "The Opposite of December" happens to be one of them.   I realize a lot of my contemporaries are probably shocked by this and would look at Poison the Well as my "guilty pleasure."  I would disagree with that.  I don't stray away from the traditional NYHC beats all that often, so when I do I make sure it's something special.  The melodies and the breakdowns are all placed perfectly here and I just can't deny that.  Of course with a band that puts so much emotion into their recorded output, you would have to see them live to get the full package...

 In between releasing "The Opposite of December" and "Tear From The Red," Poison The Well went on a pretty hectic touring schedule, or so it seemed to me anyway.  I saw them quite a few times from 2000-2002, mostly in Syracuse.  The first time, however was in Rochester at the second annual pre-Hellfest picnic.  I remember them getting adding onto this show towards the last minute.   This performance and their performance at Hellfest that year sealed the deal for me.  Honestly, that weekend was the best weekend of my hardcore life.  The first day of Hellfest was canceled so I went to Wilkes-Barre and saw American Nightmare, Bane, Adamantium, and a few other dope bands.  Then, I saw one of the best fests I got to see in my years going to hardcore shows.  Poison The Well was on tour with Twelve Tribes that summer.  I remember catching this tour in Buffalo as well.  Poison the Well played the last day of Hellfest.  I had already broken my nose the night before during RTS so I just stood up front taking pics during them and Every Time I Die.  I am not positive, but I think Poison The Well played in Syracuse on Black Friday that year with Bane, too.  Either way, I went down to Gainesville Fest and caught them there with a bunch of other great bands.  I remember some UFC dude cockblocking me from stagediving during their set.  Oh well, I went off to AN and Kill Your Idols before anyway.  I didn't really see Poison The Well too many more times after this.  

Their next album "Tear From The Red" wasn't quite as incredible as "The Opposite of December," but it is still a great album and received much airplay for me when I lived in Brighton.  This album had more of a Deftones feel at times to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing by any means.  It still had a very similar feel as the last album at times, but the sound was already progressing into more of a "post metalcore" sound.
Poison the Well signed to Atlantic Records not long after this and I slowly lost interest.  That's not really a discredit to Poison The Well as much as it's me having listened to mostly hip-hop from 2003-2005.  I do remember checking into "You Came Before You" and thinking it was another good progression for the band.  Since then, I honestly haven't kept up with this band as much.  I am sure Poison The Well released some great material during this time, but I can also imagine it's hard to be a band that has to try to live up to lofty expectations after releasing an album like "The Opposite of December."    I didn't know at the time what I was experiencing within the hardcore and metalcore scene and I doubt bands like Poison the Well at the time realized just how influential they were going to be one day.  While researching this blog piece, I find that Guitar World tabbed "The Opposite of December" one of the greatest hardcore records of all time.  Like I said before, it is a perfect record.  The two albums are slated for a Summer release through Rise Records.  There will be limited Gatefold vinyl, I plan on acquiring some of this.  One can only hope that the accompanying reissues will feature a tour of some sort, with a 2000 era lineup of sorts.  In an era where hardcore is becoming more and more about posturing and fashion than anything else, it would be refreshing to see a band once again whose live performance speaks volumes over these new bands....