#I MEAN ETHO WAS CO-FRONTING LAST NIGHT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nflfanpointii · 5 years

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Embedded in New Orleans: The Ritz, the Rout and the Reason the Saints Are Unstoppable

NEW ORLEANS — “This is the first time in NFL history a play like this has been run from this formation! Ever!” jovial Saints coach Sean Payton called out to his offensive team Saturday night in a second-floor ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street. This was a man in love with his job.

The NFL’s state-of-the-art offense was doing a final walk-through in the Salon II ballroom before facing the Eagles on Sunday in the Superdome. (New Orleans embarrassed Philadelphia, 48-7, the worst loss ever by a defending Super Bowl champion.) Quite a sight, as the players lined up and walked/slow-jogged through the first 15 plays they planned to run. Alvin Kamara, wearing flip-flops, black socks and a red hoodie obscuring much of his face. Brees, in shorts, untied sneakers and a black T-shirt pumping his FNA co-ed flag football league.

Payton, in a blue pullover, playing defense.

Payton called out the name of Sunday’s bizarre play: “Q stop, G snug. Right empty. QB 38 Z Crush Alley.” On cue, Brees joined two wideouts to the left in a bunch formation (three receivers, snug to each other), while jack-of-all-trades-quarterback Taysom Hill joined the same type of bunch formation to the right.

Damndest thing I ever saw: Five linemen up front. Three receivers left, three receivers right.

No quarterback.

As instructed, Brees trailed two bigger wideouts on the left side of the formation. The coaches lined up as Eagle defensive players.

“I got Drew!” Payton said, crouching a bit across from the left bunch, like a press corner. “And don’t screw up the cadence, Taysom!”

The 11 offensive guys got set, and at the last minute, Hill motioned left to a shotgun position and called out the signals. Center Max Unger snapped it to him, and Hill powered right in a slow jog behind a slew of blockers. The play would be a power run, and it would fit into exactly what Payton told his players in this meeting: “Our emphasis in this game is to run at 22 [cornerback Sidney Jones]. He’s coming off a hamstring, and we don’t think he can hold up.”

No fooling around. All business, even on this weird play. Strange seeing football players practice at 30-percent speed in hoodies and jeans and whatever, with coaches playing Fletcher Cox and Malcolm Jenkins. After 15 minutes, each play run the same way, Payton said, “Let’s break it down,” and they gathered in a circle, said something I couldn’t understand, and the players went to team snack. (More than a snack, actually; it was a full-blown buffet meal.)

In the wide hallway outside Salon II, I asked Payton: “How’d you think of the double-bunch play?”

“Thursday night,” Payton said. “Just doodling. Just thinking. I just thought of it, and I said to the coaches, ‘Will this work?’ And [quarterbacks coach] Joe Lombardi said, ‘Why not? We can do anything we want.’ When I told Troy Aikman about it [in the FOX production meeting], he said, ‘Who’s getting the snap?’ I said, ‘No one. Yet.’ “

Payton thought for a minute, giving a John Nash look into the distance. “Part of it, really, is thinking of something that they [the Eagles] haven’t seen. That’s the job of a game-planner. You want eight heads to turn to [smart Eagles veteran safety] Malcolm Jenkins and be like, ‘What do we do?’ “

Payton took my notebook and drew out the formation. He said sometime later in the game, they’d reverse the call. It’d be Brees who’d go behind center at the last second and take a snap. Only this time it wouldn’t be a power run. Brees would throw it—maybe a quick stop route to the left, or a post from a receiver in the right bunch.

By that time, the players had all relocated to the ballroom with the food. Except for one player. That player was playing a grand piano—and playing it very, very well.

We looked over, and I asked Payton who it was.

“Austin Carr,” Payton said. “Wide receiver. President of his class at Northwestern. He’ll be the president of the United States when he retires.”

Carr played for a while, beautifully. I went over to ask him about playing.

“Just relieving some tension,” said Carr, talking while his fingers moved over the keys. He said he loves the music of John Legend. This music is what you’d hear from someone coming out of Juilliard.

“The song’s beautiful,” I said. “What’s it called?”

“I haven’t named it yet,” he said.

Lots of composers in this Saints group.

This is what I learned about the best offense in this offensively explosive period of football: It’s a more democratic group than I thought. This isn’t an autocratic Payton dictating plays. Drew Brees has a ton of input in plays he wants to run. Brees’ historically accurate season (he’s a 67-percent career passer, completing 77 percent this year) has a lot to do with his symbiotic relationship with Payton, and with both of them knowing what works best for an offense that’s quite complex. But it’s an offense they’ve nurtured and expanded since both came to the Saints in 2006. As Carr told me: “I can attest to the democratic process here. There’s an ethos of leaving your ego at the door. Lots of teams say that, but you don’t always see it. Sean’s OK when Drew says, ‘I don’t want to do that,’ and same with Drew about Sean. They’ve found the sweet spot in dealing with each other.”

I saw that in the final meeting of the night. More about that later.

First, let me explain what the night is like. It has six segments: a short all-coaches meeting, maybe 10 minutes; a 20-minute discussion about the first 15 plays Payton intends to call; a very short (maybe five to 10 minutes) all-team meeting, with a message mainly from Payton; the walk-through with the offense; the all-team snack (and, on this night, piano-playing); and finally, a meeting of about 40 minutes with Brees telling Payton, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and Lombardi what he likes and doesn’t like in the game plan.

The all-coaches meeting has a discussion of injuries and who will be active and inactive, and a message from Payton. Two things tonight: “We gotta run right at 22 [Jones] and we gotta throw at 22. We’re gonna make him defend the run on the first play. We’re going after him on three of the first eight plays.”

And then, a bit of a surprise. “We want to put the game on [Eagles quarterback Carson] Wentz,” Payton said. Payton likes Wentz as a player, but his player-personnel analyst, Ryan Herman, gives him trends and numbers every week, and Payton tells the group two interesting ones about Wentz, from Herman: The Eagles are 1-11 when Wentz plays and they allow more than 26 points. And he’s 0-9 when he passes for between 308 and 364 yards, the point being if he does that, the Eagles likely won’t be running the ball well, and the Saints feel they can beat a one-dimensional offense.

Then the defensive coaches left to work on their own, and the offensive coaches work on the opening plays. On the screen, Payton’s opening plays come up … and the double-bunch is number five. Clearly, it’s going to be called early in the game. Payton wants to see the big-bodied Hill steaming around right end at number 22. (He never calls him “Sidney Jones.” Just “22.”) For a stranger who doesn’t know the Saints’ vernacular, listening to the discussion of each play is like listening to Dutch. One of the reasons Payton isn’t paranoid about me sitting in, I’m sure, is that when I hear, “Snug left, Y fly, P 35 Stab dog F rail,” I’m not going to know what it means—and that’s just the way they like it.

“Ball security in this game is everything,” Payton said. “They’ve got a great front. They’ll come after us. They have to win this game. Let’s go win another one.

“Because it’s the next one.”

Then the short team meeting with the message, again, about 22. Then the defensive players leave to move next door to have their own meeting. Then everyone in the room, coaches and offensive players, pick up the conference-room chairs and stack them by either side of the room, to make room for the walk-through. This walk-through is a test, to see if every player can remember his job on every play (and for 15 straight plays, there are no mental errors, only the warning from Payton to Hill about his cadence).

One interesting thing: Players are drilled in the precision of spacing, and who is on the line and who is off a step. So several times, Michael Thomas lined up wide left, on the line, and almost reflexively waved his hand to the receiver to his left, as if to say, ‘Get a step back.’ One of the coaches told me the receivers take care of each other like that.

Then the snack. In the big room with stations scattered throughout, Payton gets spaghetti and explains the week and the importance of continuing to mine information. “This year, because of Taysom’s development, we talk a lot during the week about how to use Taysom,’’ he said, digging into what for him is dinner, not a snack. “But we meet late most nights during the week. I want to go over everything. I want to see it, write it, feel it, discuss it. Last night, I put on the Football Life with Mike Holmgren. He used to be a third-grade teacher, and I think that’s great training for what we do. We gotta put a plan together with who is in the building—not with who we wish was in the building. We gotta evolve with who we have.”

R and D is big in the job. “I look at the league a lot,” Payton said. “I look at all the scoring plays every week. I look at [Bill] Belichick and New England. I look at Sean McVay. I found a good one last night. I hadn’t watched all of New England’s offensive plays in the Super Bowl against Philadelphia in a while, and so last night, I put the tape on and I found something. Gronk [tight end Rob Gronkowski] caught a ball inside the 10 and scored, but it’s how he caught it. It was like catching an inbounds pass, using your body to keep the defender off you. That’s perfect for us. I told Mike Thomas, ‘This is a touchdown.’ We practiced it today. I think we’ll use it.”

By 9:55, Brees and his coaches sit back in LaSalle, and now it’s Brees’ turn to weigh in on the game plan. Payton has approximately 18 sections of the game plan: play-action, screens, quarterback-movement plays, empty-backfield, two-minute, and more. All the men in the room have a copy of the play sheet. Payton asks Brees, for instance, “Red zone, 20 to the 11, what do you got?” In other words, “What do you want me to call?” To each section, Brees said between one and six plays. In this section, for instance, he said six plays. Payton, using a black Sharpie, placed a dot on each play Brees liked and wanted called.

And it was the way Brees said the plays. Deliberately, with reasoning when need be. Like: “22 paint Y shock, X Harvey.” Four or five seconds to look at the next play and envision it. Then onto the others. “52 Z Hank.” And more.

In the tight Red Zone category (5-yard line to the 3) Payton asked Brees, “How are you with Bloodhound 21?” Good, Brees said. Payton liked this—it was a way to take advantage of a young and inexperienced secondary, calling the play quickly and using fast tempo to rush to the line while the defense might be swimming.

At 10:37, Brees was done with his recommendations. There’d been, by my count, 46 of them. One would pay dividends early in Sunday’s game.

After the meeting, Payton and Brees sat with me to discuss imagination and their bond. “The evolution from where we were, call it 13 years ago, when we all first got here in ’06 to now, is pretty amazing” Brees said. “It’s an exciting process. It’s a bit nerve-wracking early in the week I think because you’re sitting there watching film after film and you’re trying to identify all the ways that you can attack that defense, right? I think some of our best ideas at times come on a Saturday or Saturday night, or even Sunday morning.”

Said Payton: “This week, it started with me drawing it on the board saying, what if we just lined up with no quarterback and one of the two of them came back depending on the play. Part of the install sometimes is to have some fun and have some levity with something like that. The first day we’re doing it in walk through. Max [Unger, the center] turns around. There’s no one to snap to. Drew and Taysom are kinda looking at each other like, is it me? Or is it you? And—

Brees interrupted: “Rock, paper, scissors.”

There’s Brees, finishing Payton’s sentence.

#saints #new orleans saints #nfl #peter king #pft.com #eagles

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thatgoodnightcf-blog · 6 years

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Let’s have a chat with... Jessie Belters

Jessie Belters is one of the most in-demand DJs in south Wales at the moment.

Doppler, the promotion Jess co-runs has welcomed some heavy hitters like DJ Stingray and Omar S to Cardiff since launching last year - the latter’s appearance at the much-missed pop-up venue The Carpet Club quickly wrote itself into the capital’s club folklore.

Jess also fronts the regular Women Wax & Digital Tracks events at the Blue Honey Night Cafe, and last year, played at notorious Berlin techno warren Tresor.

We caught up with her ahead of her appearance at That Good Night: May-hem on Friday 25th May.

Hello Jessie Belters, how are you today?

Great thank you! Very much looking forward to summer shenanigans. I’m not the biggest fan of winter and this one felt never-ending!

You run the Cardiff night Doppler - what's the story behind that? I mean, you brought Omar S to Cardiff in December and DJ Stingray in the Summer which is lets face it a Pretty Big Deal - what's the ethos behind the night and how did it come about?

So, back in the day a couple of nights existed in Cardiff that I really loved, namely Mood and City Bass. When these two took an indefinite hiatus, my housemate Jimmy Nixon and I felt a vacuum appeared.

It seemed that all remaining nights tended to cater mostly towards house and disco. As much as we love those genres, we really missed skanking out to the darker and more sinister sounds on the musical spectrum and because of this Doppler was born!

Aside from Doppler, you run Women, Wax & Digital Tracks at Blue Honey Night Cafe and also do workshops for aspiring female and non-binary DJs - how's that been and how did you get involved?

WW&DT started in November last year and came about after a few discussions with Andy from Blue Honey who was looking to set up more regular music events at the Night Cafe. The lack of female and non-binary DJ’s on the vast majority of line ups in Cardiff was very apparent.

Initially there were talks of a DJ school however this would not have been feasible in a bar setting, therefore we decided to create an opportunity for aspiring or even established female DJs to come and play alongside myself in a nice friendly environment.

After a few successful WWDT events, I was contacted by Liz Hunt who is part of the Creative Republic of Cardiff. She asked if I would like to start workshops to inspire more women and non-binary people to get involved in the music industry, whether that be through DJing or running events. These workshops occur monthly before WWDT, upstairs in the Night Cafe and have garnered a lot of positive interest.

What's your hot take on nightlife in Cardiff right now?

I think the nightlife of Cardiff is getting better all the time. Nowadays it seems more and more often I’m having to choose which of 2-3 events I’d rather attend in one day, whereas before there would normally only be one choice.

There are also more interesting venues popping up such as rooftop parties, various warehouses and outdoor parties. Kongs Level 2 where we held DJ Stingray, has been a good addition to the list of indoor venues, giving promoters the long-awaited opportunity to cater for slightly larger capacities than Undertone for example. Also I’ve got to mention Carpet Club was great while it lasted!

All in all I think Cardiff is a little gem, not just in terms of venues because I still think there’s definitely room for more, but for the vibe of it’s parties; which hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Both Omar-S and DJ Stingray wanted to carry on past the venues’ closing times and The Kelly Twins said the Doppler gig was one of their favourite sets ever, a testament to the crowd’s amazing stamina.

A number of DJs, namely Steffi and Mike Huckaby at Delete, Harvey Sutherland and Young Marco at Blue Honey, Bicep and Axel Boman at Studio 89 all praised the energy of the crowds in their respective clubs.

You've been a bit of a fixture at TGN since we launched - what's been your experiences of playing here and what can we expect from your set at TGN?

Playing at TGN has always been a joy. I never feel stressed beforehand because Kristian (It’s Dando, TGN promoter and resident) and the crowd are always very accommodating.

The crowd is really varied and always up for it no matter what I play. It’s nice to have that much freedom in my sets which gives me the opportunity to experiment.

Finally, what's your can't-fail dancefloor detonator?

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At the moment I can’t stop dropping Bicep – Glue, which has gone off every time without fail. I don’t know why it took me so long to check them out properly because they are actually a pair of very talented producers. Absolute bangers left, right and centre!

Jessie Belters plays That Good Night: May-hem on Friday 25th May.

Tickets: Resident Advisor

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#cardiff #wales #cardiff wales nightclubs #techno #House #bicep #blue honey

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midnightiscoming-kasabian · 7 years

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*Noel [Gallagher Fielding]

DIY Magazine, August 2017

Kasabian: Forever having the last laugh

Much loved and misunderstood in equal measures, Kasabian are still the band your mother warned you about.

Keep reading

Back in 1998, when Tom Meighan was 17 years old, he stepped out onto the stage of The Shed in Leicester in front of a group of friends and family and began Kasabian’s first ever gig as though he were headlining Glastonbury. “I remember hiding behind the stairs and then appearing like it was some fucking [arena]. That’s the level my head was at then,” he recalls. “It was all our mates in the crowd, so everyone’s gonna tell you you’re good. But we knew we were good anyway. We knew we had something special.” Fast forward 16 years and four Number One records later to 2014, and Kasabian were headlining Glastonbury for real. This month, now with yet another Number One (current LP ‘For Crying Out Loud’) to add to the tally, they’ll headline Reading & Leeds for the second time. Tonight, they’re headlining Glasgow’s TRNSMT to 50,000 people. Taking top billing alongside Radiohead and hometown heroes Biffy Clyro, theirs is the only day to sell out.

Undeniably, Kasabian are one of the biggest bands in the country, sitting in a top tier cohabited by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Muse and very few else. It’s a mountain they’ve scaled while being hit with endless criticisms along the way – for their lyrics, their ethos, their entire ‘schtick’; surely no other band of their stature has received such a media mauling as Tom, co-conspirator Serge Pizzorno and bandmates Chris Edwards and Ian Matthews. But through it all, Kasabian have always had two indisputable weapons in their arsenal: a world class live show capable of silencing even the most po-faced of doubters, and a twinkle of the eye that suggests they’re forever having twenty times more fun than any grumbling muso slagging them off. “We’re a big band. We sell albums. People don’t like it, that’s the way it is,” intones Tom, plainly. “We’ve never been arse-licked; we’ve grafted, me and Serge, to where we’ve got. Everyone hated us when we came out and we’re still here. I don’t regret any of [our choices]. It’s all tongue in cheek, you know? That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”

Our whirlwind 36 hours within the Kasabian machine begins the night before at Glasgow’s O2 Academy. The band have hired out the venue for a final rehearsal and, despite their flights from Estonia being cancelled the night before, meaning a time-consuming re-routing and a police escort to get them on a train to the city, they’re trucking on regardless. Flight cases emblazoned with the group’s logo fill up the venue and two delivery drivers bearing stacks of pizza boxes higher than their heads arrive to fuel the touring party; when the band appear just before 9pm, Serge recalls how he was bottled the last time they played here, requiring six stitches and leaving bloodied hand prints down the dressing room corridor walls. It’s fair to say that almost everything in Kasabian’s orbit is bigger and madder and more quote-worthy than normal life.

Their reasons for tonight’s additional run through, however, are impressively un-starry. Kasabian don’t like to go into a gig cold - “We’re trying to get this collective mass of people and take them somewhere, but if we have three or four days off, I feel like it takes half a set to get there,” explains Serge. “Whereas now I think, well, we were here last night so we just carry on” - and so for two hours, on the eve of one of their summer’s biggest shows, they play some of this decade’s most hedonistic hits to a handful of non-plussed roadies in an empty room. There’s possibly none more fitting a picture of Kasabian’s strange dichotomy – excessive and purposefully ridiculous yet grounded and down to earth – than watching them blast through a live karaoke version of ultimate sesh anthem ‘Fire’ (Tom’s ducked out by this point) to precisely no-one.“The thing is though, we really care,” enthuses Serge the next day, red roses stitched onto his tracksuit as he lounges with a cup of tea back in the band’s country house hotel. “There’s a responsibility when you’re at the top of the bill to end the night on a massive fucking high, and we’ve built a reputation for that. Anyone who’s indifferent to us and doesn’t get it, misses the jokes and misses the point, they see it live and at the end of the gig they understand. It’s really important to us that people go away thinking…” He pauses. “Well, we try and change your life.”While Tom bats away any mention of the band’s detractors with the dismissive attitude of a man who genuinely doesn’t give a shit (“Nah. Done it. Can’t do anything else. Headlined Glastonbury; got six albums; probably do another 10 more. That’s how it is”), Serge is more frustrated by people’s frequent misconceptions of his band. It’s indicative of the yin-yang personality types at the heart of the duo.

In conversation, Tom is gregarious and hyperactive, with the attention span of a six-year-old on Christmas Day. He says exactly what he thinks and is already distracted by the next thing before you’ve even processed the answer. Serge, meanwhile, is a generous conversationalist, ruminating in depth on any topic he’s given. On stage, Tom, says his bandmate, has been “exactly the same from day one. He was quite a powerful character [even] at school; he’d walk into the year area and you could tell his presence.” Serge, however, has only more recently come to embrace the thrill of the stage. “I didn’t feel the need to be Freddie Mercury - that compulsion some people have to perform,” he explains. “But there was a moment when I realised I can just fuck about. I think about what I can get away with to make the other lads laugh in front of all these people. It’s ridiculous standing on stage, so you should embrace it.” But while Tom and Serge might come from different angles, both have always been united in the pursuit of fun and playfulness, of keeping things just that little bit silly. During the campaign for 2014 LP ‘48:13’, they performed backed by a series of flashing slogans including ‘Free Deirdre’ and ‘Maggot Munch’. When they headlined Glastonbury, their only ‘special guest’ was pal Noel Fielding dressed as a cartoon vampire. Joyously irreverent, theirs is a humour entrenched as much in a Young Ones-esque tradition of eccentric British comedy as one of boisterous British bands. That’s the bit that so many people seem to struggle with. “One of the most frustrating things is when people miss the humour. There’s so much piss taking in everything we do,” begins Serge. “We’re in on the joke, that’s the thing that people don’t seem to understand.” The oft-quoted stereotype, we suggest, is of Kasabian as a kind of real life Spinal Tap, dialling up the rock’n’roll cliché to 11… “It’s that middle class, apologetic, broadsheet opinion,” he replies, getting slightly rattled by the thought. “Kings of Leon: that’s Spinal Tap. Kanye getting stuck on a fucking digger truck at Glastonbury: that’s Spinal Tap. I mean, hearing Kanye singing Freddie Mercury out of tune at Glastonbury is as Spinal Tap as anything anyone else has ever done, so… it’s rich, is what I’m saying. The parody and the ridiculousness of being in a band is all nonsense. It doesn’t matter what kind of band you’re in; it’s all nonsense.”

Back in the early days, around 2004’s self-titled debut, Serge admits that Kasabian embraced all the “nonsense” rather a lot more. “We didn’t think it was gonna last longer than one album, so we decided that we were gonna experience everything we could,” he grins, with the look of a man who’s seen a few detention slips in his time. “We’d turn up to festivals and just fucking go through people. Run in dressing rooms, off our fucking heads – honestly, we were so fucked. No-one liked us. We were just fucking horrible little shits, which was perfect. I love The Stooges and those kinds of bands… We wanted everyone to fucking hate us. It was great. It’s all part of the show.” If social media had existed back then, he notes, “it would have been disgusting”. Now, both Tom and Serge are fathers and in their mid-30s. Five albums after releasing the debut they thought would be their only record, they’ve settled into a space surprisingly far down the other end of the rockstar bullshit spectrum. Say what you want about the on-stage swagger and lairy bangers, but underneath it all Kasabian have kept remarkably grounded. “That’s the thing, we’re just not fucking like that. We live in Leicester with all our families and all our pals and that’s because we saw through the fakeness from day one,” Serge shrugs. “You could reel off the people who’ve turned into dicks and that’s fucked them, but that’s just not us. We saw through it. How can I write music for the people that I relate to if I’m not around them? 50,000 people aren’t gonna relate if I stand around with a load of supermodels opening envelopes. No one gives a fuck about that guy.”

Cut to later that evening and 50,000 people are most certainly giving all the fucks. Having spent the hour before stage time blasting out Beatles songs and milling among a small and unanimously entertaining group of pals including Trainspotting legend Robert Carlyle and a perma-sunglasses wearing old friend only known as The Turtle, Kasabian take to the TRNSMT stage to a deafening roar. “It’s about anticipation, it’s like a boxing match,” notes Tom about the build up to stage time. “We’re like monkeys in a cage, and it’s my job to rattle the cage. I go from Clark Kent to Superman. BANG - like that.” The set, as always, is huge and cathartic and powerful; a 90-minute, all-consuming escape from reality that has the entire field uniformly losing their minds in unison. To paraphrase Serge’s own words previously, even if you don’t get it before, by the end of the gig you’ll understand.Off stage, enjoying a post-show beverage or two, we notice that Serge is wearing not one, but three identical gold Casio watches up his arm. The theory, he explains with that twinkle in his eye, is that casually observed on stage, they’ll look like a standard bit of bling. “But then when you look closer…” he chuckles, with a wink. It’s exactly the kind of weird and wonderful thought process that characterises the songwriter and his band of childhood pals. Some people will scoff and chalk it up as another example of the band’s rockstar buffoonery, but Kasabian have always known it’s far more fun, having a laugh down here with the people. “I genuinely just think life’s too short,” smiles Serge. “The odds of any of this happening. I mean, just to be born in this country alone, you’re already dreaming - then to have the life I’ve had. So I figure, I’ve been given this, and I can’t explain why, but man, I’m going out in a blaze of glory. And I figure if I worry and hide, then what a waste. I’m gonna have the fucking time of my life on that stage. I’m gonna have it so big. And maybe that’s what people see in us? Like, you know what? They’re living it.”

#kasabian #diy august 2017 #interviews #interviews 2017 #my scans

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rustbeltjessie · 7 years

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i am writing this in a tattered notebook, with a chewed-up pen, in a steamy diner in baraboo, wisconsin, former winter home for the ringling bros., barnum & bailey circus — of course, when i return to beer city i will be typing it up, cos my handwriting is damn near unintelligible (sometimes i can’t even read it), especially after all the cups of coffee i’ve had today.

can you believe it’s october, already? it feels like it was june just last week, and march the week before that. i’ve been meaning to write you a letter for months, but despite my best intentions, time gets away from me, and then next thing i know i’ve up and left town again - i guess that’ll happen when you’re a traveller kid, and yes, now i finally feel like i can claim true traveller kid status — not just cos of train hopping, tho that’s part of it — sinclair was actually the one who made me realize that i am a traveller, truly — “what makes you think you’re not?” he asked. “cos you have an apartment you pay rent on and sometimes you’re there for a few months at a time? jesus, everyone needs to rest sometimes. ‘sides, yer more of a traveller than those kids who’ll only hop trains or hitchhike, out of some damn notion that’s the only way to go — cos yeah, you’ll hop trains or hitch or walk or ride yer bike, but you’re also not opposed to driving or flying or whatever — you’ll take whichever mode of transport is available to you, just to fuckin’ go.” and he’s right, that damn beat ethos sunk into me real young — all that talk of rushing around this world.

so last night we camped out under an overhang at the old winter quarters, and tho we had some shelter and a plastic tarp, it rained so hard that we got all damp and today my hair is curly and flying off my head in strange sculptural antennae, a piece of modern art — this morning and afternoon we played music in front of the circus world museum, with clown paint on our faces, and i thought for sure the museum staff would kick us off the property, but they seemed excited to have us there, and we made quite a large chunk of change — it was almost exactly two years ago that i visited the circus world museum for the first time, with k. — for the last hour or so, we’ve been in this diner, drinking coffee, me writing, he reading, trying to warm up — we’re gonna crash at the quarters again tonight, then early tomorrow morning we’re gonna try to make our way to iowa.

[10/1/07]

#jessie lynn mcmains #prose #nostalgia #trainhopping #circus world museum #busking #travel #wisconsin #for i am a rain dog too #shit from an old notebook #2007 #letter #my writing

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theseventhhex · 5 years

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ALASKALASKA Interview

ALASKALASKA

Photo by Elliott Arndt

ALASKALASKA are a five-piece from London, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Lucinda John-Duarte and bassist/vocalist Fraser Rieley, alongside guitarist Calum Duncan, saxophonist Fraser Smith, and drummer Gethin Jones. Since emerging in 2017 with their debut self-titled EP and relentless touring schedule, they’ve quickly gained a reputation for their inimitable, off-kilter pop – blending elements of jazz, funk, disco and R&B. ALASKALASKA make music to make out to, and then cry about. They’re in the marketplace, and sometimes in the mountains. The band’s debut album ‘The Dots’ was produced by the band themselves and has already been warmly received with positive press and consistent radio support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Beats 1 and Radio X. The tracks are perfectly at home on a record packed with fluid, intelligent and utterly remarkable left-of-centre pop songs… We talk to Lucinda and Fraser about the band’s studio dynamic, university memories and service station food…

TSH: Talk us through the band’s intentions when you guys first formed...

Fraser: I don’t think anyone had serious intentions in the beginning, we were all musicians in other projects and when we met we just enjoyed doing something different together and teaching each other, as we all had different musical backgrounds and interests. We got on really well just rehearsing and messing around so we didn’t play a gig for almost a year. When we did, we had good responses and more opportunities so I guess you get hungry for more.

Lucinda: Exactly.

TSH: What’s the dynamic commonly like when you’re jamming and fleshing out new tunes?

Fraser: That’s the fun bit. It’s always relaxed, playing ideas over and over, adapting parts and seeing what sounds interesting, and trying to make each other laugh. Then we take it away, do some work on it, Lu might flesh out the lyrics and structure, or sometimes I’ll arrange parts around the structure to try. It’s always diplomatic and co-operative, and exciting.

TSH: Can you give us an insight into some of the narratives and threads that run through your record ‘The Dots’…

Lucinda: In a nutshell, it's about myself and my identity and what that means, and how that makes me feel. Lyrically it's pretty selfish but that's the only way I know how to write. It's cathartic and it makes me feel better. I've spent a lot of time over the last few years thinking about what makes me, "me" and what makes you, "you" and how we're all influenced by one another every day, all the time… And I think that is mirrored in the music as well. It's not just one type of music, it's a bunch of different things - working together and making sense (to us anyway) even though it might seem like it shouldn't. It's playful and it doesn't conform...it's a nice little journey for your ears.

TSH: In what way(s) did the move from Wales back to London impact this record?

Lucinda: Well, I suppose the record never would have happened had I not moved back to London. Having some time away made me realise what I wanted to do next and that’s how the band took flight.

TSH: What is the song ‘Meateater’ in relation to?

Lucinda: Don't pigeonhole me. Don't tell me how to live. I am what I am.

TSH: Moreover, which parts would you say required most attention as you formed the song ‘Moon’?

Fraser: All of it to be honest. We actually tried recording that song a couple of times before the album without much luck, which helped us realise it better. The rhythm track and kick/bass stuff was hard work. Layering different simple evolving synth parts made a big difference to build the right atmosphere, and triple tracking layers of drums took a lot of work too (99% Gethin).

TSH: Was the sequencing of the record done in an intentional way too?

Lucinda: Not really but as time went on a pattern started to emerge and it felt like a story was being put together. Now I can't imagine it being any other way.

Fraser: We fleshed it out as we went along. I think we always knew the first and last two songs would work.

TSH: What pleased you most about completing this record and applying the finishing touches?

Fraser: I’m quite a self-critical and over-exacting person, so getting to a point where nothing sounds wrong is more relieving than anything. The most pleasing bit for me is building it, not finishing it, but after taking a break from weeks of listening to the tracks over and over, hearing the test pressings was very satisfying.

TSH: How important can it be to constantly be open to things happening that can change a song?

Fraser: It’s definitely important, but you need to know when to follow through on something too, and do what feels natural. If something sparks your imagination and feels more interesting than your original idea you’d be foolish not to try. A lot of the time equipment available to you does this, like the harmonium or tape delays or old keyboards we used, and sometimes the location you’re in. We wanted to record some vocals in a more ambient room for one track, ‘Sweat’, but got lots of excess sound from works outside and electrical noise. We tried it anyway and found it added something really physical and vulnerable to the recording.

TSH: What are some of the first memories that come to mind when you think of times spent together at Goldsmiths University?

Fraser: Mostly parties in our massive, dirty kitchen, and feeling really young and self-conscious around everyone on our music course who seemed to know exactly what they were doing. I always thought Lucinda and Calum were brilliant and secretly wanted to make music with them.

TSH: What kind of features do you feel require you to strike a balance within the music industry?

Fraser: I still don’t know really. Sticking to your guns is quite important, and feeling confident to follow your own ideas and ambitions. Saying yes to the right opportunities and not rushing anything.

Lucinda: Right on!

TSH: Whilst on the road, what are some of the band’s favourite service station snacks?

Fraser: Okay now we’re talking. 1. Fruit e.g. grapes, satsumas, smoothies (very important), nothing with wet/stinky rotting waste. 2. Falafel wrap (veg options can be v limited) 3. Crisps (not too greasy or too many or you get stage bloats) 4. Coffee, and gum (get a large ceremonial pot to share) 5. Treat yourself – nutty chocolate at home time, McDonalds fries if you feel sad, no Burger King veggie burgers (food poisoning). If you’re driving late at night then get an ice cream.

TSH: Also, what causes most vocal input and laughter on your tour drives?

Fraser: UK garage classics, songs about mutton, games of would-you-rather, and, of course, Gethin’s tour quizzes.

TSH: Finally, what’s the band ethos for future plans as you look ahead?

Fraser: Punch fear in the face, look after each other, stand up against bullies, and do what makes you happy.

ALASKALASKA - “Tough Love”

The Dots

#Interview #ALASKALASKA

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wineanddinosaur · 4 years

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Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa.

Having lived in New York City for nearly two decades, my family has taken just about every weekend road trip possible. Out to Long Island’s North Fork to crawl the wineries and enjoy oysters straight from Greenport’s waters. Up to the Hudson Valley to visit farm stands and orchards, breweries, and quaint little window-shopping towns. We’ve taken longer drives to Boston and Washington, D.C., all the way up to burgeoning places like Portsmouth, Kittery, Portland, and Burlington. All of these are great trips to great places with plenty of great things to drink, but this time, my wife and I were thinking we both wanted to try something new.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Nestled in a remarkably accessible location some 75 miles from Baltimore, 80 from Philadelphia, and 165 from where we live in Brooklyn, the south-central Pennsylvania city has deep roots; it was founded nearly 50 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These days, Lancaster is a small town that’s hardly small, with a metro area of about half a million residents. To casual observers, it is still seen as the cradle of horse-and-buggy living, and, indeed, a large Amish and Mennonite community still dominates the farmlands around the city.

But in the last five years or so, the city has experienced a food and drink renaissance that’s thanks, in several cases, to skilled chefs from bigger cities moving home. As the culinary scene has evolved, so too has its drinking scene.

If you’re coming from the New York area, like we did, you’ll pass quite a few excellent Pennsylvania breweries, including Forest & Main in Ambler, and Bonn Place Brewing in Bethlehem. (Sadly, the locally beloved Stoudts Brewing, with its epic German-style beer hall in Adamstown, is soon closing as matriarch Carol Stoudt has decided to step down.)

If you want to arrive in town sober, however, stick with a stop at the Dutch Haven Shoo-Fly Pie Bakery for a slice of this knick-knack shop’s namesake dessert and a glass of Amish-made root beer, which offers a funky, yeasty aroma. As a sign on the faux-wooden barrel it pours from reads, “Some like it, some don’t.” Personally, I liked it. And, most everyone will find something to like during a weekend drinking their way through Lancaster.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge Head out to happy hour at The Fridge. It looks like your typical suburban pizzeria, with counter-service pies behind glass, wobbly square tables and a few high-tops. But take note of one far wall, where eight convenience store-style fridges are located. These are absolutely packed with perhaps the widest-spanning and most diverse selection of beer you’ll ever see, from longtime bottled international favorites to cult cans from East Coast hot spots like Lawson’s Finest and Bissell Brothers to countless pounders of local Pennsylvania offerings. Grab some beer to go or get a few for your table to drink while noshing on a pre-dinner snack of a flatbread topped with bacon, smoked cheddar, and sweet potato mash.

The Fridge

LUCA My intrigue in Lancaster actually started due to friend and fellow drinks writer Brad Thomas Parsons — a year or two ago I started noticing, via Instagram, that he sure seemed to be in Lancaster a lot. What the heck was going on there? I wondered. As author of the seminal books “Bitters” and “Amaro,” Parsons does a yearly residency at LUCA, a wood-burning Italian restaurant that has a killer amaro program as well (try a flight of lesser-known bottles like Amaro Dente di Leone). Though the multi-level venue is large, weekend reservations can be tough to come by; when the doors open at 5 p.m. on Friday, there will already be folks lined up, ready to sprint to the first-come seats available at the lengthy bar. There are adventurous small plates like beef tongue, pasta dishes like braised rabbit pappardelle, and entrees like bone-in lamb cooked in a hearth, but you’ll want to grab some Neapolitan-style pizza as well. Chef-owner Taylor Mason spent his early cooking years in Napa Valley and he still has a passion for introducing offbeat wines like Vending Machine’s Horror Show to customers who may be more accustomed to drinking fizzy yellow beer with their pies. The amaro-centric cocktails like the Phroaigian Slip — featuring Laphroaig, Pasubio, and Chartreuse — are excellent as well.

Valentino’s Cafe Now Lancaster doesn’t exactly offer the latest late night, but that’s fine. Valentino’s Cafe keeps the lights on until 2 a.m. A barber shop that was turned into a bar room in 1937, the spot “Where good friends meet” is still run by third- and fourth-generation Valentinos. This is dive-bar drinking at its finest — pitchers of Yuengling and half-liter carafes of house wine. The cocktails on the menu are stuck at least a generation back (think Fuzzy Navels and Amaretto Sours), but at least they’re cheap, too. And, if you’re still hungry, Valentino’s is famous for its spaghetti, which can be ordered until 10 p.m. After that, as the night deepens, more and more industry folks getting off their shifts will begin filing in.

Valentino’s

Saturday

Start the day at the Lancaster Central Market, the oldest farmers’ market in the country. There’s nothing boozy among the 60 often-Amish-run stands, but there are plenty of things you can grab to aid in your future imbibing. Long’s horseradish, freshly made on site, would be perfect for a Bloody Mary, for example. Grab some citrus for cocktails. And the fresh-pressed sugar cane juice at Havana Juice would work wonders in a Daiquiri.

Cabalar Meat Co. (with Voodoo Brewery) Think of this spot as a hybrid butcher shop, sandwich shop, and brewery; it’s the place to go in downtown Lancaster for a base-laying brunch. Opt for the beef and cheese sandwich made with braised beef neck and jalapeño cream cheese (and plate of beef gravy poutine wouldn’t hurt either). Last year, Calabar also began a unique collaboration with Voodoo Brewery. One of the state’s best breweries, Voodoo now has a small satellite location in the back corner of the shop, where it serves draughts of geek-beloved beers like the Slimer-green Lacto-Cooler and Big Black Voodoo Daddy, an imperial stout.

Decades You could certainly find worse places to day drink the day away than Decades, a boutique bowling alley (only six lanes!) and retro arcade attached to a full-service restaurant and bar. The food surpasses “bowling alley” fare with offerings like crawdad hushpuppies, duck and bacon corndogs, and pulled pork sandwiches. The drinks are equally well considered, with hazy IPAs, Jungle Birds, and house cocktails like the color-changing Tesseract, made with Bluecoat gin and St. Germain served atop a butterfly pea flower tea ice cube. If you need even more fun and games (and beer), head to Spring House Brewing with its Hell’s Attic Arcade.

Decades

Horse Inn The whiskey list at Horse Inn, a former horse stable and Prohibition-era speakeasy is ample, featuring not just “unicorn” bottles but several private house single barrels, including an Old Weller Antique at 14 years old that is remarkable. The cocktails are incredible as well, often focusing on seasonal ingredients like in The Squashbuckler, made with a honeynut squash-infused rum and pumpkin-seed orgeat. “Living so close to the amazing farms that Lancaster has to offer is a unique benefit,” says co-owner Starla Russell. “Whether it is on our food menu or our drink menu, we try to follow the seasons and only use ingredients that naturally grow at that time.” Her husband and chef, Matt Russell, came up under the renowned Sean Brock in Charleston and he brings an ethos of elevated comfort food to the establishment. Tips ‘n’ Toast — tenderloin tips on French bread with red wine demi glace — is the signature dish, but their buffalo wings and fried green tomato BLT are also great. There are no reservations, so once the dinner crowd has died down, it’ll be easier to get into the door to play foosball or other bar games. By then, you’ll probably just want to grab a $2 “mystery” beer (“You get what you get!” says the menu) from the bathtub at the front bar.

Conway Social Club The recently opened Conway Social Club is an elegant space, outfitted with vintage chandeliers and gallery walls. Owner Benjamin Hash serves classic cocktails with a modern twist, often using (say it again with me) fresh, local ingredients. A drink like Jansen to Kyushu features Irish gin, matcha tea, Chartreuse, coconut cream, and pandan leaf. Another favorite, Shapes of the Carousel, is a fascinating melange of rye, mezcal, marshmallow-infused rum, pineapple soda, and popcorn foam. This is the perfect spot for a relaxed — and seated — Saturday nightcap, given that no one is admitted into the establishment after midnight.

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Sunday mornings are admittedly quiet in Amish Country, so its probably best to sleep off last night’s late night. Once you’re ready to face the world, you’ll learn that Lancaster has a pretty killer coffee scene as well with places like Passenger Coffee, Square One, and Mean Cup. But before heading home, consider stopping in the even smaller town of Lititz, six miles north of Lancaster, for a fun afternoon.

Bulls Head Public House There’s a reason that many drinks professionals call Bulls Head Public House the best British pub in America, or the best overall beer bar in America; it’s a perfect slice of Liverpool in Lititz. Like a pub across the pond, there’s no waiter service, so immediately head to one of the two bars to order a hand-pumped pint of cask ale and perhaps some fish ‘n’ chips, too. With no televisions or blaring music, and cozy seating, this is a place to while the afternoon away in friendly conversation and session drinking.

Stoll & Wolfe Distillery Located a couple blocks from Bulls Head, the new Stoll & Wolfe Distillery hearkens back to the now-shuttered Michter’s Distillery, which was established nearby in 1753 and at one time was the nation’s oldest distillery. Thus, the Wolfe family tapped Dick Stoll — the last master distiller at Michter’s — to make its whiskey. According to the Wolfes, rye whiskey was actually born in Lancaster as the farmlands around the area were then full of rye grain. Fittingly, this craft distillery produces a rye (as well as bourbon) that can be enjoyed in the tasting room neat or in a number of craft cocktails.

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/

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isaiahrippinus · 4 years

Text

Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge

Valentino’s

Saturday

Decades

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/190876942609

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johnboothus · 4 years

Text

Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster Pa.

“What about Lancaster, Pennsylvania?” I offered. “I heard it’s pretty cool.”

“Pennsylvania?!” my wife responded. “I’m not vacationing in Pennsylvania.”

Forgive my wife’s slander, Ben Franklin.

A day later she texted me. She’d done a little research and had taken the liberty of booking us an Airbnb.

Friday

Assuming that you arrive on a Friday afternoon, here’s where to go after dropping your bags and settling into your accommodations.

The Fridge

Valentino’s

Saturday

Decades

Conway Social Club

Sunday

Stoll & Wolfe

The article Why Drinks Industry Insiders Are Spending Their Weekends in Lancaster, Pa. appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/lancaster-amish-country-travel-guide/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/why-drinks-industry-insiders-are-spending-their-weekends-in-lancaster-pa

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365footballorg-blog · 6 years

Text

Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 31 MLS slate

September 28, 201812:42PM EDT

The final weekend of September is here. The season’s almost done.

Let’s jump in:

Saturday Slate

Chicago Fire vs. LAFC 3:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

With all due respect to the Fire, this game’s much more about LAFC finding the right balance down the stretch and into the playoffs than it is about anything Chicago do. They’ve been a reactive blob of a team this year under Veljko Paunovic – they’ve just about entirely scrapped the “victory through possession” ethos that dragged them all the way to third place in last year’s table – so it’s tough to preview them week-to-week.

LAFC’s a little bit easier to pin down. And it should be noted that last weekend’s game, a pretty run-of-the-mill 2-0 win over the Quakes in which LAFC were very good defensively and kind of static in attack, featured a slight but significant formational shift.

Here’s what LAFC looked like in a recent 4-2 win at Toronto FC:

That’s a network passing graph made using Opta data. Each circle represents the location of the corresponding player’s aggregate touch, while the thickness of the lines connecting them represents the volume of passes exchanged.

This is a 4-3-3. Lee Nguyen (24) has more of a playmaker’s role than the other central midfielders, but he’s still very much a part of the midfield rather than a second forward, and the two wingers are playing high and relatively connected to the center forward.

Here’s last week against the Quakes:

This is much, much more of a 4-2-3-1 with Carlos Vela (10) playing as a pure second forward. The midfield was a true dual pivot as opposed to the free-flowing three-headed midfield monster we’ve seen at times from the Black-and-Gold this year. Neither fullback pushed as high as we’ve seen from them, supporting the attack rather than initiating it. And that attack was supposed to flow through Vela rather than to him, as Adama Diomande (9) led the line.

I understand the appeal of this more basic approach, if indeed that’s what we’re going to see from LAFC from here on out. There’s so much talent in that front four that “let’s throw them out there in their natural spots” should be an effective gameplan, and – more to the point – this does seem to provide a good dose of the defensive structure and rigidity that LAFC have, at times, been missing.

In terms of offense they are very clearly one of the best teams in the league, while defensively they have been clearly a step below the other elite tier sides. Sacrificing, say, 10 percent of your attacking fluidity for a 25 pecent increase in defensive effectiveness? I just made those numbers up, but still, the principle’s right and the gamble makes sense.

Or it did last week anyway. Let’s see what happens on Saturday.

Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids 4 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

We’ve seen it a million times over the years: A team goes on a long winning (or unbeaten) streak, and then when it comes to an end, they immediately hit a lull. The question then becomes “do you have the mental fortitude to come back and find the formula that fueled the winning streak in the first place?”

That lull for Seattle happened last week, with a pair of dispiriting losses. Will it be three?

If it is, then yeah… time to panic for the Sounders, because you absolutely can not drop points at home to this Colorado team. Expect Seattle to come out in their standard 4-2-3-1 and to try to play into the gaps between the Rapids center backs and fullbacks. Everybody who’s tried this over the past month has succeeded, as Colorado have taken just one of the last 18 points available, and have conceded 17 goals in that time.

Also: I’m willing to concede that Harry Shipp was maybe a bigger loss for the Sounders than people realize:

In Harry Shipp’s last 13 starts, the Sounders were 11-0-2. In the last 13 games where Shipp didn’t start, the Sounders are 2-8-3.

The Sounders are currently losing 2-0 and Harry Shipp did not start.

— Sounder At Heart (@sounderatheart) September 24, 2018

He’s out with a long-term injury. It’s time for Victor Rodriguez to step toward a big opportunity.

D.C. United vs. Montreal Impact 7 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

In terms of Eastern Conference playoff implications, this is the biggest game of the weekend, and probably the biggest remaining game of the regular season. If D.C. win, they’re probably heavy favorites to pass Montreal in the coming weeks and grab the sixth spot. If the Impact win, it’s hard to see how they don’t qualify. If it’s a draw … probably still advantage, Impact.

I enjoyed this from Tifo Football on how Wayne Rooney’s been drifting between true 9 and false 9 for United:

[embedded content]

In large part the goal of his movement is/has been to get opposing defenses to come with him up the pitch and toward midfield. Doing that opens space in behind for runners like Lucho Acosta, Yamil Asad and Paul Arriola. It’s like aikido – you use the defense’s momentum against them.

This very same strategy worked pretty great for TFC three weeks ago against this very same Montreal team, as the Reds’ forwards got between the lines, got Montreal’s defenders moving toward them, and then cut them up. It’s useful film that I’m sure both Remi Garde and Ben Olsen watched a bunch of this week.

On the flip side: How high to push Oniel Fisher (or Arriola if it’s him at RB)? D.C. attack best when their wingers dive inside in the final third, which means they have to get attacking width from their fullbacks. It’s worked great, but when your fullbacks are pushing that high, every turnover becomes an existential crisis.

And when your right back pushes that high, and it’s Ignacio Piatti lined up against him, you’re just asking to get countered into the grave.

Columbus Crew SC vs. Philadelphia Union 7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Philly were pretty thoroughly beaten in the U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday night, and while a bit of that likely comes down to that being their fourth game in 10 days, a bit more of it came down to Houston’s ability to sever the connection between Haris Medunjanin and the rest of the Union midfield.

Medunjanin is the organizing force to Philly’s possession-heavy approach, using that cultured left foot of his to 1) spray passes to the flanks, and 2) hit third-line passes between opposing midfielders to his teammates between the lines. That second function is the more important one, and it’s the one that Houston took away:

Those left-to right diagonals – red arrows indicate incomplete passes – are Medunjanin’s bread-and-butter. On Wednesday they were Houston counterattacks waiting to happen.

I’m not sure that Crew SC will sit on his left foot quite so much, but the effectiveness of that ploy will have been noticed by Gregg Berhalter & Co.

A win here pretty well guarantees Columbus will get a home game in the Knockout Round. I’m quite interested in seeing if Niko Hansen will get another start on the wing given his strong showing a week-and-a-half ago in Portland.

Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution 7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

TFC’s season essentially ended last week, with both Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore limping off injured during losses to Tigres and RBNY, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them go a little bit experimental with their lineup, formation and tactical approach. Liam Fraser, maybe? Ayo Akinola? No reason not to see them, given the stakes are now very low.

The stakes for the Revs, of course, are very high, and there’s not a ton of reason to think they’re up to getting a win (which they desperately need) here. As noted by local blog TheBentMusket, their primary issues continue to be defensive, and newcomer Michael Mancienne – the highest-paid defender in the league – has not been up to the task of fixing the backline.

The former Nottingham Forest fullback does lead the team in both clearances and blocks per game after only five appearances, but his miscues on Saturday were glaring, especially considering the game’s magnitude. And New England has just one win since his arrival, the epic 1-0 victory in the Bronx over NYCFC. Their other impressive performance, a 1-1 draw at LAFC, occurred while the Chelsea youth product was in England for the birth of his first child. Overall, the Revs are just 1-2-2 when he’s been on the pitch.

That’s not great. It needs to change if the Revs are to keep their playoff hopes on life support for one more week.

Minnesota United FC vs. NYCFC 7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

NYCFC got a much-needed win on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, riding a strong second half to a 2-0 result over the visiting Fire. Domè Torrent once again tinkered, though this time it was to good effect as a straight-up 4-3-3 (with Maxi Moralez on the wing) allowed them both a bit more defensive solidity through midfield, and a little bit more of the ball in dangerous areas.

It’s a different story at Minnesota United. The Loons have ranged from very good to excellent at home over the last few months, which includes a rampant first half last week against the Timbers. They’ve flipped between a 3-5-2 and a 4-2-3-1, but regardless the goal has remained the same: Get Darwin Quintero on the ball in areas where he can make plays.

So they haven’t so much defined a style (there’s way too much roster churn for that) as they have developed a guiding principle. Yet “Let your best player decide the game” hasn’t been enough to get them into the playoff hunt in any meaningful way, but it’s made them a tough out in front of their own fans.

Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes 8:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Unspoken in that Philly bit above: Houston were only able to execute that gameplan because defensive midfielder (and 2017 team MVP) Juan David Cabezas is back. He was excellent on Wednesday, but he went all 90 and given the injuries he’s battled all year, it would be foolish for Wilmer Cabrera to run him out there from the start again.

So there’s a midfield question for the Dynamo. There are the usual ones for the Quakes, who’ve played some good soccer under Steve Ralston but have yet to collect a point. Fun moments, though.

One note from last week: They actually did a better job of winning midfield duels against LAFC than they’ve normally done throughout the year. If they can win those duels, win the ball, and then play through the middle, they can start to develop a useful identity.

LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 10 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

LA won for the first time since July last weekend, dominating Seattle 3-0. They went up early, rode it out, and got a much-needed shutout.

And there’s no secret to how they did it: They just went back to the basics, played a bog-standard 4-4-2 and managed to not screw up all that much at the back. Up top, Romain Alessandrini tormented the right side of Seattle’s defense in 1-v-1 situations, which pulled defenders away from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ola Kamara. Ibrahimovic and Kamara then did what good forwards do when they have that kind of extra space.

There’s nothing fancy about this. It’s a training session:

And that’s good! That’s how you want things to be.

This game will come down to that at least in part. The other part will be winning the ball at central midfield in order to stop Vancouver’s vicious counterattack (I’m assuming they’ll still be a counterattacking team in the post-Carl Robinson era).

And that’s the downside of the 4-4-2: You lack an extra man in central midfield to control the game. If the ‘Caps start dominating those second balls and getting out on the run, one of the forwards will have to drop back to help, or Alessandrini will have to come in off the wing and into central midfield to help, and then suddenly you’re talking about a different team playing in a different shape.

Portland Timbers vs. FC Dallas 10:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Portland’s recent form, summed up:

Throughout the last 10 games they’ve been unable to figure out when they want to get pressure to service vs. when they want to play deep and track runners. Rarely have they been able to do both, and as that goal illustrates, sometimes they’re simply unable to do either.

Gio Savarese has tinkered with different formations quite a bit over the last two months, and in the second half of last weekend’s 3-2 loss at Minnesota the Timbers looked good in a 4-2-3-1. It would seem a smart bet to try to reprise that look in this game against an FC Dallas team that has no compunctions about sitting back and absorbing pressure.

They also have no compunctions about playing long balls over the top, just like the one seen above. FCD aren’t remotely a pretty team right now – not by a long shot – but if you let them play long and play on the run, you will lose.

Sunday Doubleheader

New York Red Bulls vs. Atlanta United 1 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

You can read my colleague Bobby Warshaw’s tale of the tape for this game HERE.

What I will focus on – and what I think RBNY should focus on – is the play of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. The last time these two teams met, the Red Bulls turned LGP into a turnover machine:

As Atlanta evolved away from the high pressing identity that defined them last year, more and more of the game has fallen to LGP’s foot and that is mostly smart and good. He’s one of the best CBs in the league at hitting third-line passes in transition, he pushes forward well, and he might be the very best in the league at big left-to-right switches (apologies to Matt Besler).

Back in May when these two teams met, he was a liability, and RBNY’s No. 1 pressing trigger. Any time the ball came anywhere near him, Red Bulls players closed down like maniacs and forced him into rushed passes.

Here’s the thing: Rushed passes are bad. But rushed passes when you’re attempting some of the most difficult, high-risk passes in the game? Those can be fatal. Throughout the last two seasons we’ve seen Houston and D.C. United use similar principles – though with those teams, it comes off the counter rather than the high press – when facing the Five Stripes.

LGP is definitely going to try those passes. Can you make that work to your favor?

Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake 5 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

SKC’s version of LGP – the high-risk, high-reward gambit – is the positioning of right back Graham Zusi. He’s a converted midfielder, which means he’s very comfortable in the final third, which means he overlaps higher and harder than any other fullback in MLS. This is mostly a good thing for Sporting, who are second in the West on both points and points per game. They’ve also won six games already in August and September, which is more than their past two seasons combined.

But when Zusi goes, and it results in some kind of turnover (even via a blocked shot or clearance), that is the magic hour for teams facing SKC. And in Joao Plata, RSL have the exact kind of left winger who can punish those overlaps.

Watch Ike Opara’s positioning, as well as Roger Espinoza’s.

One More Thing to Ponder

Japan has landed two rovers on the asteroid Ryugu, the first time that’s ever been done.

Happy weekending, everybody.

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Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 31 MLS slate was originally published on 365 Football

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303magazine · 6 years

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If you stumbled into American Bonded without any context, you probably wouldn’t think twice about the place. Instead, you’d go straight to the bar, grab a seat and start ordering. It may not hit you until you’ve chatted with your bartender, read through the drink menu and had one, maybe two drinks before realizing that you’re in one of the most anticipated bars in America. Even then, looking around at the fairly simple space and your reasonable bill total, you’d probably still do a double take. Nothing about the spot has the makings of your typical high-end cocktail joint. Gone are the brass and velvet furnishings and instead there are high tops made of concrete and metal. There’s no hidden entrance but there are big windows and a rooftop patio. You’ve traded in your $16 cocktail with 10 ingredients for one with four and it’s only $8 — and chances are it’s even better. It may look unfamiliar because you’ve stepped into the future of cocktail bars — or at least one that we’re seeing Sean Kenyon, Justin Anthony, Lisa Vedovelli and Kevin Burke create at American Bonded.

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“There are no secrets… everything is up front for us to bear,” said co-owner Sean Kenyon. Kenyon, who you may know by now, is a third generation bartender and also happens to be one of the best in the nation. The highly decorated owner has always had straightforward and simple ideas about tending bar — but his dedication and execution to them are, at times, radical (even if it’s not intentional).

It started with Williams & Graham. The prototypical speakeasy with all the bells and whistles has come to help define a generation of bars with its sense of mystery and intrigue paired with a keen sense for hospitality and complex drinks. Now Kenyon, who could easily make a killing off replicas of Williams & Graham, has since taken a different direction. With his last haunt, Occidental, and now American Bonded, it’s clear Kenyon is dead set on bringing one thing that most new cocktail bars (and even some dive bars) don’t have in America — access and inclusivity.

READ: “Dive” into Occidental, Williams & Graham’s Newest Bar

“I think probably everyone here has said something about access… Those aren’t talking points for us. That’s an ethos,” explained Kenyon, and he’s right. Between the four owners and the general manager, the concept of access or inclusivity was at the forefront of their minds. But unlike Occidental, which is admittedly designed after a dive, American Bonded is a beast of its own. It falls somewhere between the realms of cocktail joint, dive and even your neighborhood sports bar (hello, rooftop). However, the concept of American Bonded is not some master plan to uproot cocktail culture. Rather, as Kenyon and his partners explained its really about the core of what the industry is about — hospitality.

Burke, who’s the general manager, left his eight and a half year stint opening Colt & Grey and later Ste. Ellie partially because he believes just as deeply as Kenyon does in this kind of hospitality. The kind where you can get a well-priced, well-made drink without all the pomp and circumstance of a cocktail bar or the requisite grim and gruff you’d get at a dive.

Kevin Burke, Lisa Vedovelli, Justin Anthony and Sean Kenyon.

“We can take bartending seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously or we can make serious drinks without being serious people,” said Burke. “And I’m not sure exactly what combination that is, but in that Venn diagram, there’s a big place for just fun drinks.”

“I mean… we’re going to put a slushie machine on the roof,” continued Anthony, who along with Vedovelli own the nearby shot and beer bar Matchbox. The playful attitude is not just another kitschy thing either — it’s a part of the hospitality aspect of breaking down the conception of exclusivity that craft cocktail bars have either purposefully or accidentally built up (depending on where you go and who you talk to).

If it’s not immediately apparent that American Bonded is different from most cocktail joint you’ve stepped into, it’ll become clear once you venture toward the back. There, you’ll find J Street, a former food truck that landed its first brick-and-mortar gig at American Bonded. Self-described as “classic Americana low country food with a little spin on it,” J Street serves up dishes like green chile mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken and waffles and cornbread. And like the drinks, the food is well-priced, well-made and will blow your mind. It’s highly possible, that while American Bonded will have customers clamoring for drinks — a good chunk of their clientele may become regulars in part because of what’s coming out of the kitchen, especially since they’ll serve food until 1 a.m. every night.

“We’re making simple dishes with attention to detail in everything,” said head chef Jason Bray.

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However, the motivation behind all these elements aren’t purely altruistic. It’s no secret that a rooftop and comfort food will sell. But the bar is more than ready to tackle the foot-traffic of Larimer street. The trick, and what’s also exciting about American Bonded, is that they want to sell as many drinks while still maintaining the quality and a low price point (everything is either $8 or $9).

“I have to think about no, how do I make 60 old fashioneds but how do I make 6,000?” said Burke.

However, the challenge in that primarily lies in the brass behind the bar being able to execute such a feat. If there’s a group of people that could put together a team that can churn out thousands of handmade cocktails with a smile — it’s these guys. Because both Kenyon and Burke are well-known mentors in Denver for budding bartending talent, and beyond whipping up a mean drink — their true talent lies in hospitality.

American Bonded is backed by a team of both new faces and whip-smart talent like Nick Lowe — who Kenyon calls an “encyclopedia of Bourbon.” Each were selected because they have a deep understanding of what it means to take care of people.

“That unifying factor is service above all else. Every single person has equal parts experience and gives a shit,” said Anthony.

As a result of all these factors, the cocktails are both executable and excitable. Everything on the menu tops out at about four ingredients with each one painstakingly chosen to make the drink special and affordable. Take the Coconut Telegram ($9). The base spirit is Mellow Corn whiskey — which as Burke explained, “you could run your car on it,” due to its 100 proof. But the whiskey, which you can buy right now for $18 a bottle, somehow makes for the most balanced and refreshing drink you’ll probably have all year. The Two Can Tango $9 is similar in the sense it’s made with 127 proof “dirty” Jamaican dark rum that Burke described as very grandmotherly. Burke loves these kinds of challenges and finds a certain type of joy being able to sell a mass amount of formerly forgotten or looked down upon.

When he talks about One Last Press ($9), which is a variation of an old-fashioned, he practically lights up with a mischievous joy when he talks about using lesser-known Galliano instead of yellow chartreuse.

“It has a reputation of being disco or kind of having a ‘fuck off’ [attitude],” he said. “I want to be able to give some of that stuff a second chance.”

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This drive of wanting to innovate and tinker is a hallmark of Burke, whereas Anthony would say, Kenyon, is a bit more focused on the background of the drink.

“Kevin is a mad scientist, Sean is a historian. And I think for me, I couldn’t have to better on people involved and I love that science meets history. And I think it’s a really good combination,” said Anthony.

However, Kenyon isn’t the only historian who has his hand in making the cocktail menu. For those discerning few that stumble into American Bonded — there is one dead giveaway that it is a special place. Right when you open the menu, the two first cocktails have short paragraph description written by none other than one of the most famous cocktail historian in the world — David Wondrich. Wondrich, who as Kenyon would explain, lovingly, is “the one that ruined all our great stories with the truth,” by dispelling cocktail lore with historical research.

His forward, which describes the history of both a mint julep and old fashioned, not only denotes the importance of the two cocktails but also is a foreshadowing that American Bonded could also have its own place in America’s spirited future.

“If you’re going to have a legacy in any way, it’s to make people better, not just better bartenders,” said Kenyon. “You want them to leave your space in a better place than when you came in.”

All photography by Kyle Cooper. American Bonded is located at 2706 Larimer Street, Denver. It is open weekdays from 4 p.m. to close and noon to close on Saturday and Sundays. The kitchen closes at 1 a.m. every night.

American Bonded is Ready to Introduce Denver to a New Type of Cocktail Bar If you stumbled into American Bonded without any context, you probably wouldn't think twice about the place.

#303 Magazine #American Bonded #American Bonded Rino #Brittany Werges #Chef Jason Bray #Chef Jordan Rickard #Denver #J Street #J Street Food Truck Denver #Justin Anthony #Kevin Burke #kyle cooper photography #Late night food RiNo #Lisa Vedovelli #RiNo bars #Rooftop Bar Denver #Rooftop bar RiNo #Sean Kenyon

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carlsonknives · 7 years

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Highlights from the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2017

On arrival at the NEC we headed straight for all 5, packed full of camping goodies and tents as far as the eye could see. Once again, the focus this year was on showing with more infltable tents on display than ever, proving that far from being a short-lived fad, inflatable tents are here to stay.

Coleman

There were a good range of tents on display from Coleman including the award-winning Rocky Mountain 5, and Rocky Mountain 5 Plus, both traditional pole tents, featuring extra large bedroom compartments and blackout bedrooms.

Outdoor Revolution

As far as inflatable tents go, we particularly liked the continuous single-tube design of the Outdoor Revolution Inspiral 5 which meaks inflation of the tent incredibly fast. Well known for their awnings, Outdoor Revolution made the move into manufacturing tents around 5 years ago, and since they, their tents have all been designed firmly around the needs of their customers.

Royal

There were a good selection of tents from Royal in display, including the massive Royal Brisbane 8, a traditional tunnel tent shown below with additional awning.

We also liked the look of the Royal Air 4 berth tent below, a great size for touring or a weekend tent.

Outwell Tents

The focus for Outwell this year is very much on creating a comfortable camping experience. The comfort ethos is evident in terms of features such as extra large sleeping compartments with cable entry points, Night Sky ceilings and Thermo-reflective coating. The Outwell Vermont 6E 2017 is a spacious 3 room tunnel tent that features an impressive 6,000mm hydrostatic head, taped seams and light but sturdy steel poles.

When it comes to inflatble family tents, the Outwell Smart Air Polyester Collection is a market leader. The award winning Montana 6SA has been updated for 2017 and is just one of the models featuring one-go inflation technology, and also includes the newly enlarged master bedroom. When paired with the awning, families benefit from an enormous amount of living space, making the Montana 6SA a great choice for long camping holidays.

Outwell Sleeping Solutions

I must admit to having slightly fallen in love with the Outwell Dreamboat 7.5cm XL SIM shown below, it’s a brilliant piece of kit. I’ve genuinely never tired a SIM that’s so comfortable. Thanks to it’s innovative one-way valve system, inflation and adjusting the mat to your preferred level of firmness is a cinch.

I also really liked the comfort provided by the Outwell Single Deepsleep XL SIM. At a lower price point than the Dreamboat, it features the new Air Flow Control Valve for fast and easy inflation and deflation, and it provides great cushioning and support.

It was nice to see thought being put into new camping products aimed at kids too. We loved the fact that the sleeping bags come with little extras like a torch and a smart carry bag, with extra room to carry secret sleeover stuff. Too cute! Check out the Outwell Batboy Sleeping bag below. There’s also a matching Batboy Sleeping SIM and pillow, and for girls there’s the Butterfly Girl Sleeping bag, with matching Butterfly Girl SIM and pillow.

Outwell Camping Acessories

The Outwell Padres XL Camp Kitchen shown below features a bamboo worktop, which not only looks beautiful but is practical too. There’s ample storage space, and it’s super quick to put up.

Continuing the bamboo theme, we loved Outwell Kimblerley round side table below, which folds flat, is light and is easily transportable.

The Outwell Grand Canyon shown below is an ergonomic camping chair, made from padded mesh fabric. It dries quickly and and can cope with a maximum load of 150kg.

The aluminium Outwell Kelowna Folding Table shown below looks stylish, is easily portable and it also cleverly extends, making it super versatile.

Check out the clever Outwell Pine Hills Junior Chair below, it’s increased height means that your little one can sit at the same height as everyone else around the dining table.

The 2017 Outwell Drayton Camp Kitchen is always a strong seller, and it’s easy to see why. We’re big fans of camp furniture in general and think a decent camp kitchen is a must for family campers.

Vango Tents

We’ve had our eye on the enormous Vango Maritsa tent for a few years, though this was the first time seeing the award winning Vango Maritsa 600 XL AirBeam version. It’s a very spacious family tent with multiple doors and 3 bedrooms, and enclosed porch and thanks to the Airbeam system, despite it’s size the tent pitches in just 12 minutes.

If you’re looking for a traditional pole tent, or fancy something even bigger, the Vango Claremont 800 XL could be for you; it’s positivel enormous. With three bedroom compartments and a fourth that can be easily removed should the already huge living area not be large enough, whilst the pre-attached front awning provides even more space. Part of the new Exceed Plus Collection, the Claremont features 150D, 5,000mm fabric which is highly waterproof and hardwearing.

Zempire Tents

We were once again wowed this year by the quality of Zempire Camping Equipment tents. Designed and manufacturered in New Zealand, Zempire has gained a reputation for creating innovative and high quality products.

Kid O Bunk

After seeing these camping bunkbeds all over Pinterest last year, it was great to get to see one close up. We found out that there’s even an adult version (used by the US military) which is called the Cam-O-Bunk. The kids version is extremely sturdy, and easily converts from a bunk bed into two single beds and even into a sofa – kids will absolutely love the Kid-O-Bunk.

Kampa

There were very few smaller tents on display, with manufacturers choosing to show their most popular family models and larger show-stoppers, so this Kampa Brean 3 pole tent was one of only a handful of smaller touring tents we spotted.

We liked the funky colours and found the Kampa Tub Chairs much comfier than traditional camp chairs.

We also liked the look of this clever little Zempire Rechargable Lantern Torch combo.

Active & Outdoors

It was great to see an increased focus on outdoor activities at the show this year, and we had a good chat to Red Paddle Co

For little ones, as well as spotting a bushcrafting demo there was also a free climbing wall, provided by North Wales Active.

Inflatable Paddle Boards from Red Paddle Co

Solving the storage and transportation issue that owning an SUP can present, Red Paddle Co use innovative technology and advanced construction techniques to build inflatable paddle boards that are more easily transported.

The boards are surprisingly rigid and the Ride shown above, is the world’s most popular inflatable SUP. Quickly inflated, the board and paddle packs down into a medium suitcase sized carry bag, shown below.

Watersports World UK

An inflatable kayak is one of the things on our wishlist for this year, and the show deals on offer from Watersports World UK were very tempting indeed. Deals included a Z-Pro Tango 200 Kayak including paddles and pump for £349.

Caravans & Motorhomes

Coming soon….!

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The post Highlights from the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2017 appeared first on Camping with Style Camping Blog | Activities • Glamping • Travel • Adventure.

Original Source http://www.campingwithstyle.co.uk/highlights-caravan-camping-motorhome-show-2017/ For the best knives to use whilst camping check out Carlson Knives http://www.carlsonknives.com/

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