For Diana Gruber

http://sethgruber.com/2013/04/23/overwhelmed-my-mothers-next-chapter/

http://dianagruber.blogspot.com/

Elway/Marino Documentary

A message to my friends who are sports fans, especially the NFL. I can't watch the Elway/Marino 30 for 30 tonight, but I'm going to record it to watch later. Please, no spoilers ... I want to see how John Elway's career with the Baltimore Colts ends up ... and see how drafting him effects the Colts franchise, in Baltimore, over the next 30 years.

Gracie likes making lists, too !

newgazzi Vol 03

A quick welcome to all my new readers !  The 4th Tuesday (a day early again) of the month can only mean one thing ... newgazzi !!!  This month, I listened to over 300 new(er) songs, and these are the 15 I want to share with you.  Enjoy !!

1.  "Undertow" by Anna Vogelzang (from the LP "Canary in a Coal Mine")

Last month, I drove 90 miles to see Nataly Dawn play a show in Madison, but little did I know that I would meet another amazing musician, and that person would not only be opening my next volume of newgazzi,  (SPOILER ALERT) she would also be closing it as well.  Driving home that night, I spent my time getting familiar with a few of her records, and later that week I shared them with my family.   Here's an actual conversation I had with my daughter yesterday ...

Me : "What do you want to listen to?  I have Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Anna Vog--"  cut off

Gracie : "Anna Vogelzang"

Me : "Billy J--" cut off

Gracie : "Anna Vogelzang"

Me :  "Weez--" cut off

Gracie : "Anna Vogelzang, daddy, don't say anymore magicians" (musicians)

So needless to say, Anna has two new fans with the last name Buchholz.  This is the song that I fell in love with that night ...

2.  "Tam Lin (Child 39)" by Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer (from the LP "Child Ballads")

I asked Anna for a few artists that she's listening to these days, and I'm actually a fan of the two she mentioned.  The first one she mentioned is Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, who I featured on newgazzi Vol 1, and the other one was Anais Mitchell.  So I decided to use this song from her new album "Child Ballads".   This album is amazing ...

3.  "Whisper" by The Dear Hunter (from the LP "Migrant")

Not to be confused with Deerhunter.  Each month, I listen to about 300 songs in the process of picking out the 15 that are presented here.  This was one of the first ones I discovered.  I look forward to becoming familiar with their back catalogue.

4.  "Lux, Lisbon" by Marriage (from the EP "Marriage")

I discovered these guys on Noisetrade, and really like what they are doing.  I asked Brett (vocals and guitar) about this song.  He said, "It's about trying to recall a feeling by searching through old memories ... kind of like trying to remember what you did the night before, after drinking too much, minus the throwing of other people's stuff."   Here is "Lux, Lisbon" from the band's Soundcloud page.  Find them on Facebook, where they have links to all the sites that feature their music.    Great sound, with a bright future ...  Brett was also kind enough to share a recent press release about the band ...

April 14, 2013

 Toronto, ON – Marriage announces itself to the Toronto music scene with their first self-titled EP, released early this April. Recorded and re-recorded over the winter of 2013, the Marriage EP was written and recorded in band members’ various living rooms, basements, and apartments.

 The Marriage EP’s lush mix of ambient synthesizers, dense guitar layers, and spaced-out vocals are influenced by the less-than-tangible effects of nostalgia and its impact on the future.

 Marriage is Brett Zadravetz (vocals and guitar), Asher Gould-Murtagh (guitar and keyboards), and Blair Swann (keyboards and synthesizer). 

5.  "March" by The Get Togethers (from the LP "Home as in Houston")

Another great new band I discovered on Noisetrade.  I reached out to them on Facebook, and they were excited to be featured, and can't wait to see who they would be featured with.  Here is a picture the band shared with their twitter followers recently ...

This album is a must listen, and I could have used any of the tracks from the record ...

6.  " '99" by Harper Simon (from the LP "Division Street")

This is indeed Paul Simon's son.  His self titled LP from 2009 is in heavy rotation in my home, and I look forward to getting familiar with the new one.   This track has a little bit of a Guster feel to it.  

7.  "Lost That Easy" by Cold War Kids (from the LP "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts")

These guys were featured in Paste in the summer of 2007, and I think it's time that I give these young men a little bit more of my time.  Nathan Willett is an amazing vocalist.

8.  "Black Sheep" by Gin Wigmore (from the LP "Gravel & Wine")

I saw Gin Wigmore on Carson Daly's show a while back.  Yes, I watch Carson Daly.  He features a lot of great new music.  Talk about singing chops!  This is an incredible song ...

9.  "Spotlight" by Leagues (from the LP "You Belong Here")

I've been wearing the hell out of this song lately.  Here's the video ...

10.  "Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster" by Thee Oh Sees (from the LP "Floating Coffin")

This is the next record I buy.  Sonic bliss ... and awesome album art !

11.  "I'll Be True" by The Shouting Matches (from the LP "Grownass Man")

I can't take credit for discovering this.  That belongs to Mr Nick Jim Korth.  And yes, that is indeed Eau Claire's own, Justin Vernon on vocals.  This is a new "side project", but I love where this could possibly go.  When Bon Iver's 2nd full length came out, I was starting to worry that they might become a parody of themselves.  This album confirms for me that Justin Vernon can wear many different hats, and wear them all well.

12.  "Grace for Saints and Ramblers" by Iron & Wine (from the LP "Ghost on Ghost")

I understand that Sam Beam doesn't need my help getting his name out there.  But my goal for newgazzi is to spread the word about great new music, and while I think that Iron & Wine have a great thing going, I'm not sure that all my readers know.  This is a live version, and all respect to that beard ...

13.  "Tales and Truths" by Black Apples (from the EP "Tales and Truths")

This was the last song that made this month's list.  I was looking for one more, and I loved this right away.

14.  "Closer to You" by Mike Cavanaugh (from the LP "Lovely Lonely Place")

I was doing a little Facebook Spring cleaning recently, and discovered a message from this gentleman sent to me back in September.  I didn't see it until recently, because it was sent to a folder labeled "Other", instead of my Inbox.  He asked me to share his music.  I listened to it.  I liked it.  So here we go!

15.  "One & Only" by Anna Vogelzang (from the LP "Canary in a Coal Mine")

I had the pleasure to be asked to participate in providing some background vocals for this song during Anna's performance in Madison, and I'm sure if she plays it in Milwaukee this summer, you'll be asked to.  

BONUS TRACK  !!

James Redding shared a great story with me on Saturday about a young man who was dancing during this performance (James joins him near the end), and thankfully, there is video of it!  Watch as James creates a memorable moment for his fans.

A Quick Plug

Quick plug for fellow Brown Deer High School alum ... Steve Novak isn't the only person doing cool things .... go check out Jeanette Ward's blog, "The Mundane Adventures of a Fangirl - Movie Reviews!".  Between my ramblings about all things music, and Jeanette's take on movies, it looks like we need someone to cover TV.  What is Dan Goetzinger up to these days ?

http://www.jwardadventures.blogspot.com

It's Time to Answer Fan Mail !

Jill from Port Washington writes, "What exactly does 'The Litmus Configuration' mean?"  That is a great question.  But I have a hard time explaining it.  Here to do the talking for me, are a couple of friends ... ladies and gentlemen, Mr Robert DeNiro and Mr Charles Grodin ...

newgazzi Vol 3 teaser !!

newgazzi Vol 3 is coming in ONE WEEK, and this time around, will feature the song stylings of Anna Vogelzang.  Anna is going to bookend the playlist with tracks 1 and 15.  I also used Anna's input to choose track 2.   Anna will be performing in Madison at the Crescendo Espresso Bar + Music Cafe Stage this Friday, April 19th, and will be scheduling a Milwaukee show soon, most likely in June ...

WrestleMania : A Retrospective

It was May 3, 1986.  I was sleeping over at the home of Rob and Frank Crivello.  I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting that night, but I sure wasn't expecting to spend a good part of the evening watching professional wrestling.  I had never seen it before, but that night, my good buddies, The Brothers Crivello, were excited that Hulk Hogan and Junkyard Dog would tangle with Terry and "Hoss" Funk on "Saturday Night's Main Event".  I was hooked from day one.  Shortly after that, the three of us were at a house show at the Mecca with their father, I was watching WrestleMania 2 on HBO constantly (it seemed to be on as much as "Police Academy"), and my weekends revolved around catching "Superstars" or "Wrestling Challenge".  Soon after that, I discovered Ric Flair on WTBS, and the rest is history.

For me, above anything else, wrestling has been fun.  It's a male soap opera.  I love it when people slam it by saying it's "fake".  They say that as if they are ruining it for everyone else.  We've known it's been scripted and predetermined for decades.  For as long as I've been a fan, wrestling has never referred to itself as anything but entertainment.   I've never heard anyone say, "I don't like movies.  They're fake". I love the characters (Piper, Austin, Flair, Rock, Punk), I love the athleticism, the storytelling, the production.  I'm 37, and I don't watch it as much as I used to.  I give it maybe 15-20 minutes a week, usually when the Mets or Brewers are down big, but one tradition that will last forever is WrestleMania.  Mike Moser and I order it every year.  It's fun to lose yourself for 3-4 hours, talk about past events, see our kids react to it.

WrestleMania 29 is this weekend, and here is a look back at my WrestleMania memories ...

WrestleMania

Soon after Rob and Frank got me hooked, I noticed that Sun Foods at a number of Wrestling tapes to rent, and I probably rented this a dozen times over the next 12 months.  The atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was electric.  Not a great card, looking back, but definitely a memorable main event.  Piper and Orndorff are still all time favorites.

WrestleMania 2

The first WrestleMania I ever saw, as they used to show this on HBO a ton in 1986, almost immediately after it occurred.  At the time, I thought it was great (I was 10), but now I'd consider this one of the worst Manias ever.  The event took place from three different venues, in three different time zones.  The main event was awful (Hogan/Bundy), the production seemed shotty, just a poor effort, in my opinion.  Best match was Bulldogs/Dream Team for the tag straps.

WrestleMania III

My first PPV, and still the greatest card/event of all time.  Great build up for most of the card, the WWF's best storytelling, 93,173 fans packed the Silverdome.  The greatest match ever (Steamboat/Savage), the huge main event between Hogan and Andre.  Piper's last match.  Nothing has come close to this card.

WrestleMania IV

The tournament that the Milwaukee Journal ruined for everyone.  The Journal, and I'm sure other papers, gave away the ending of the tournament, by advertising that WWF champion Randy Savage would be defending the championship vs Ted Dibiase at the upcoming house show in Milwaukee.  Despite that, a great card, good idea to have the one night tournament.  Savage hoisting Elizabeth is truly one of the iconic moments in Mania history.

WrestleMania V

The Mega Powers explode.  Great buildup leading up to this main event.  For the most part, the rest of the card was weak, but Trump Plaza proved to be a great host for WrestleMania.

WrestleMania VI

The hype for Hogan / Warrior was huge.  I remember ordering this at the house.  Mike and I were Warrior guys.  Greg Maternowski and Todd Asmondy were Hogan guys.  Again, not a great undercard.

WrestleMania VII

Was supposed to be held at the Coliseum in L.A., but security concerns and lack luster ticket sales moved Mania into much smaller L.A. Sports Arena.  I wasn't crazy about the Slaughter story line, but there were a couple of memorable moments from this show.  Undertaker's first match at Mania, and the all time classic between Savage and Warrior.

WrestleMania VIII

The WWF dropped the ball.  This should have been Hogan / Flair, and it ended up being Savage / Flair  (AS A MIDCARD MATCH!!).  Hart/Piper was the best match of the night, and the main event between Sid and Hogan was a joke.  Arguably the worst Mania ever.

WrestleMania IX

The only Mania I didn't see live (in the time I've been a fan).  I spent the weekend with Liz Fox, Matt Buckley, David Briere and many other young Catholics at a CCD something or other.  Moser taped it for me.  Awful.  Hogan bullied his way into winning the title in a non-scheduled match after the main event.  I take it back.  This was the worst Mania ever.

WrestleMania X

The gimmick for this card was having two scheduled WWF title matches.  Both were stinkers.  The jewel of this card, by far, was Ramon/HBK in their ladder match for the IC strap.

WrestleMania XI

Man, looking back, the WWF really had a bad period from about 1991-1995.  Just a brutal card.  Bigelow/LT as your main event ?  Kevin Nash as the flag bearer ?  Terrible.

WrestleMania XII

A big rebound for the WWF.  Hart/Michaels went 61 minutes, and was everything you want in a WrestleMania main event.  The return of the Warrior, the debut of Stone Cold at Mania.  Much, much better than the last 5 years.

WrestleMania 13

Another step back for the WWF.  This should have been Hart/HBK II, but instead we got Taker/Sid.  One good thing that came from the WWF dropping the ball on the booking was we did get Hart/Austin, which is a top 5 Mania match.  WrestleMania is about moments, and Steve Austin refusing to quit, blood pouring down his head, was one of those signature WrestleMania moments.

WrestleMania XIV

Everything I've read indicated that Hart and Michaels were planned to have a WrestleMania trilogy between XII and XIV.  Hart left for WCW, and that opened the door for Steve Austin to win his first title at XIV.  The buildup was incredible, with Mike Tyson involved.  Taker / Kane was good as well.  This was the start of a great run for the WWF.

WrestleMania XV

The buildup for Austin/Rock was great, there were some goofy things on this card that bring the overall card down, but still a good main event.

WrestleMania 2000

Not a fan of this show. The booking seemed lazy.  Best match, easily the triangle ladder match between Hardys/Edge & Christian/Dudleys.  Main Event seemed to lack without Austin.

WrestleMania X-Seven

An incredible show.  Proof that McMahon can still produce a great product, with a little bit of elbow grease.  Rock/Austin II was insane.  Taker/HHH was a classic.  Angle/Benoit was great.  And I haven't even mentioned the best match.  Tables/Ladders/Chairs.  Perhaps the 2nd greatest match in Mania history.

WrestleMania X8

I remember watching this alone.  I'm not looking for empathy, just some trivia for you.  It felt big, returning to Toronto, but honestly, all I really remember is Hogan/Rock and Taker/Flair.  Jericho/HHH was the main event, but I can't tell you a thing about it.  I think by that time, the combination of Wendy's and Pizza Hut started to kick in.

WrestleMania XIX

I watched this with Don, Jamie and a bunch of other people I didn't really know.  Very good card.  Michaels/Jericho was a classic.  Hogan/McMahon would have been epic if Bret Hart came back (they did bring Piper back, which was cool).  Rock/Austin proved to be Austin's last match, and the main event between Angle and Lesnar was great.

WrestleMania XX

I'm not a fan of triple threat matches, but Benoit/HHH/HBK was the greatest triple threat match I've ever seen.  The Guerrero/Benoit moment at the end of the card is legendary.   Not the best card, top to bottom, but a great, great end.

WrestleMania 21

WrestleMania goes Hollywood.  Angle/Michaels was very good.  Cena won his first WWF title.  Batista/HHH was decent.  The first Money in the Bank ladder match.  All in all, a good show.

WrestleMania 22

Not very good.  Cena/HHH was a decent main event, but nothing on the rest of the card was memorable.  Maybe Rey Mysterio winning the world title, but in a 9 minute triple threat match ?

WrestleMania 23

With WrestleMania returning to Detroit, I was hoping it would be an all time great card.  It was not.  Cena/HBK was a great main event, but other than McMahon getting his head shaved, not much more to recall here.

WrestleMania XXIV

The main event was Taker/Edge, and they delivered, but this will be remembered for HBK/Flair.  Randy Orton retained his WWF title vs HHH and Cena in another lackluster triple threat match.  Again, not a great card, but some decent moments.

WrestleMania XXV

Very disappointing card.  Michaels/Taker was insane, all time classic, but nothing else worthy of mention.

WrestleMania XXVI

Another disappointment.  Michaels/Taker was great again, but the two title matches were not memorable.

WrestleMania XXVII

Taker/HHH was awesome.  Are you seeing a pattern here?

WrestleMania XXVIII

Taker/HHH was awesome.  Punk/Jericho was very good.  Rock/Cena was good.  The rest was bad.


Top 5 Manias

1.  WrestleMania III
2.  WrestleMania X-Seven
3.  WrestleMania IV
4.  WrestleMania XIX
5.  WrestleMania XIV

Worst Manias

1.  Wrestlemania IX
2.  Wrestlemania VII
3.  WrestleMania XI
4.  Wrestlemania 2
5.  Wrestlemania VII


Top 10 Matches in Mania history ...

1.  Steamboat / Savage (III)
2.  TLC (X-Seven)
3.  Taker / Michaels (XXV)
4.  Hart / Austin (13)
5.  Ramon / Michaels (X)
6.  Benoit/HHH/Michaels (XX)
7.  Warrior / Savage (VII)
8.  Hart / Michaels (XII)
9.  Taker / HHH (XXVII)
10.  Rock / Austin (X-Seven)