Solid State

I'm running a little short on time today and, to be honest, a little low on energy after last night's terrific Celtics-Lakers game — do they really need to start these damn things at 9 o'clock at night? Really? Even as a night owl — both by trade and natural biorhythms — I find the late start times borderline offensive. And if you're wondering if I skipped out on doing Jazz Fest stuff to watch basketball, the answer is yes. Yes I did — however, I did turn the sound off and listened to Ornette Coleman's Sound Grammar for the first half. Heady free jazz adds a whole new element to hoops, man. Try it sometime.

Anyway, back to the point — there really is one, I swear — I'm short on time today. So rather than dig too deeply into the weekend's festivities, I thought I'd just point you folks in the direction of some pretty nifty stuff happening 'round here in the next few days.

Friday
Up Your Alley with Bill Mullins @ Red Square
Shameless self-promotion since this is a 7D event. Still, Bill is a certifiable guitar god. And a super nice dude to boot!

Bryan McNamara & Souls Calling @ Radio Bean
I caught Bryan at last Thursday's jazz sessions with Anthony Santor. The man simply wails on the saxomaphone. Sax-uh-muh-phone!

Saturday
The Magic Hat Block Party, Street Bizarre, Local Band-A-Thon or whatever the hell else they're calling it now.
I know. I've been pimping this thing for months. But c'mon! It's gonna rule.

Ornette Coleman @ The Flynn
See previous point about free jazz and basketball. The only downside is that I think NBA finals tix are actually cheaper than this show. That's a bummer. But it should be pretty spectacular if you can afford it — or if you interviewed him and get to go for free . . . ahem.

Activists/Dictators @ Radio Bean
I'm not allowed to write about these guys anymore, so don't tell them I told you. Still, you should go.

Sunday
PBR Punk Nite @ . . . RJ's? Yup. RJ's.
Pibbers, punkers and . . . what's a good "p" word for "meat market?"

Wye Oak, Pontiak, Forrest Mulerath @ The Monkey House
I just got word that Mulerath was added to the bill. This delights me to no end as his last CD was one of the coolest local discs I've heard in a while. The guy doesn't really play out very often — not, I'm told, by choice — so this oughta be a good one. Thanks Tick Tick!

The Lee Boys @ Waterfront Park
I don't know what "Sacred Steel" is — does it have something to do with The Highlander? But I like the sound of it. Plus, it's going to be like 90 degrees and humid and the Waterfront tent has beer. Sweet, sweet beer.

Thanks, that's my time. Be sure to tip your waitress.

And have a great weekend.

You have to admit. I've been pretty good lately. Aside from my marathon rant — which I would argue hardly counts — I have kept my sports grumblings largely to myself. In fact, I'll even spare you my thoughts on the potentially epic Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals set to start tonight — at 9:07p.m. . . . WTF? Besides, I likely couldn't offer anything Bill Simmons doesn't in this terrific and utterly unbiased (wink wink) look at the history of the greatest "rivalry" in pro basketball. Seriously, it's hysterical. Thanks to 7D freelancer John Pritchard for sending it my way.

Instead, I'd like to submit this first video as a tribute to the perfect union of my two guiltiest pleasures, sports and cheesy hair metal. And also as the answer to the eternal question: What has nine arms and sucks?

The second video is meant as a tribute to the Basketball Gods — the 1986 Celtics, for those scoring at home. And as the answer to that other eternal question: What has 10 arms and sucks? (Hint: the L.A. Lakers).

We'll get back to music tomorrow, I promise — and it's gonna be a hell of weekend! But for now: GO GREEN!

Is anyone else here a huge fan of Jeopardy?

Erin and I always switch to channel 5 right at 7:00 (after getting our Keagan Harsha fix), and yell our answers at the screen for a half hour, while using commercial breaks to catch each other up on our days. Whereas Erin usually pulls an impressive number of answers out of nowhere, my own knowledge fluctuates based on the category. Either I rock all five answers, or I know none. At all.

French language? BAM!

Beers of the World?  SNAP!

Hip Hop / Rap? Apparently... yeah!

My knowledge of music trivia is embarrassing. Because I post here, and own a record label of sorts, my friends tend to assume that I actually know things about the music world. My poor performance at Nectar's trivia night week after week, would suggest otherwise.

So when I totally rocked the Hip Hop / Rap category of Jeopardy last night, it warranted a text message to another Trebek fan to let him know. And determined office chatter of this morning. Because I was just that proud that my white suburban upbringing had properly schooled me in the ways of gangster rap.

Well that... and I'm a slave to pop culture.

In any case, more amusing than my own correct answers, were the blank stares of last night's three contestants.

The three were very much of typical 'Jeopardy contestant' mold. That is, solemn, conservatively dressed, and middle-aged. Well, I guess the 'conservatively dressed' statement could be argued. Last night's winner did sport a goatee, and a silver dangly earing in his left ear.

In any case, the contestants were clearly not huge hip hop fans. But one was a high school English teacher. And somewhere along the way, perhaps during their Shakespeare unit, one of her students must have let it slip that there is a hip hop artist named Lil' Romeo, because man, did she know that. She may not have been sure of of Jay-Z's use of the Annie soundtrack, and she certainly didn't know who was referred to as "Notorious", but she knew the name Lil' Romeo, and she made sure Alex knew the name Lil' Romeo. Over and over again.

It was awesome.

Luckily no one crushed her pop culture glow by informing her that the artist has adhered to the hip hop rule of name changes, and now goes simply by "Romeo", likely to be replaced by the more traditional "Percy Miller Jr." once his basketball career takes off. True to form, he already has a clothing line called simply PMiller.

Hip hop and Jeopardy. What a match!