Monday, October 06, 2003

Sad news on the brink of the hockey season Atlanta Thrashers forward Dan Snyder died Sunday night from injuries sustained in an auto accident six days earlier.  Teammate Dany Heatley had been facing several charges, now including vehicular homicide.  He was reportedly driving 80 miles per hour on a narrow 2-lane road when he lost control of his Ferrari, throwing both players from the car.  Alcohol is not believed to be involved.  The players were returning from a fan event at the Thrashers home rink, Philips Arena.  Snyder was somewhat of a rarity in the NHL, an undrafted free agent, meaning he was passed on for seven rounds in the NHL's first-year player draft.  Other notable undrafted FA's currently in the NHL include Adam Oates, Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Martin St. Louis, John Madden, Steve Thomas, Donald Brasheur, Andy Delmore, Todd White, Dwayne Roloson, Pascal Dupois, and Brian Rafalski.  Gee whiz, you could make quite a team just with guys who were never drafted.  Thanks to The Hockey News yearbook for the list, no link available.    9:00:27 PM    comment [] Wine me, dine me The traveling Over the Rhine show dropped in on Bloomington on Friday night/Saturday morning and played to a rather sparse crowd of less than 100 people at Vertigo, a smallish nightclub/bar behind almost everything that's anything in town.  It might have been a bit of a disappointment, considering Bloomington was where OtR recorded their latest album, a double-disc set called "Ohio", but not surprising considering the band had played in Indianapolis the night before.  The troubles were further compounded by Karin Berqvist's ailing throat, which, while it noticeably affected her range and power, didn't take too much of the edge off the songs, which sounded great backed by a full band.  While most of the set list came from "Ohio," they did reach back in time to previous albums, as far back as "Eve" to pick up "My Love is a Fever."  They closed with an electrified version of "When I Go," the closing track from "Films for Radio," (and the only song from that record they touched on the evening) featuring a several-minute long bridge showcasing the guitar virtuoso (who's name I've promptly forgotten, and doesn't seem to be on the website anywhere).  The notable thing about OtR with a full band is that the songs really take on a much edgier and urgent tone than the album recordings might belie.  That was most apparent on the song "Show Me" from the current album, a fairly-laid back, mid-tempo affair on the record, but a punchy, rodeoesque stomper when in full effect. All in all, it's definitely a treat to see one of your favorite bands right when you're in the prime of enjoying their new album; it saves me the trouble of having to get re-energized to see a band I haven't cared about for awhile.  Well worth the 25 minute walk through the cold and rain to get there.  <g>  (Yeah, I was able to procure a ride back, thankfully, though I missed the encore.)  2:46:05 AM    comment [] I fell in love with a girl of nineteen A black-haired girl called Abilene. "Young girl, where's your husband?" "Sadly" she replied, "I do not have one." "Then it's you I will marry, with your parents' permission" "No fine sir, they will not let me marry, for I am a young girl and you are a man without money" "Then I'll come by your window tonight when they both will be sleeping." "Outside your window, In a carraige I will be waiting, They'll awake to find you gone, rub their eyes and think they're dreaming. And never did they think that their Abilene would leave them." "Now fine sir, Where is it that you shall take me? Is it in the moutains high, or in the deep blue sue?" -Damien Jurado Now the story is gone, and there is no way to end it.  Now I understand where they come from; the moles that crawl about unchecked in the stomachs of a million wistful hearts.  I know what it is to lie in my bed, to wake up with the sweat of your caricatured presence in my subconscious.  I want to see your dirty hands, to take the sting off your lovely tongue, and make my necessary decision less catastrophic.  What a shame, my dear.  How did it come to this?  1:48:18 AM    comment []

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