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How the Thermals Saved My Life

My life has encroached upon my leisure. I’ve recently taken on significant non-profit and for-profit projects (details to follow). My kids have reached the age of serial obligations (gymnastics, tee ball, dance, etc.) which seem to eat at the edges of every day. They’ve also discovered music and television of their own, which has slowly pushed mine to the margins. In the rare quiet moments, I’ve embraced the silence, guarded it zealously, and begrudged those who would take it from me. For the co-proprietor of a blog devoted to music, the result has been a historically fallow period. Thank goodness for Trip. Without him, this place would be gathering dust.

For a while, I thought that I had reached that point where music seemed not to matter so much. I’ve seen it happen to others, but I never thought it would happen to me. Through January, February, March and April, I just wasn’t interested. Sure, I bought things and gave them a spin. Some (A.C. Newman, the Felice Brothers) resonated, but most simply fell on apathetic ears.

So I went chasing music. I tried to latch on to Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, the buzz album of spring ’09. But for me, the Prog Rock of the Future is a lot like prepared fish. If done just right, it’s great, but way more often than not, I just don’t like it. And I kept chasing but not finding, until one day I decided to relax and let the music find me.

And then, like magic, it did. Lou sent an mp3 by e-mail. It was “I Let it Go” by The Thermals. I clicked. Six scratches on an electric guitar followed by the “POP-POP-boom-boom POP-POP” of a thunder-loud snare. Those four seconds alone would be enough to obliterate my musical ennui, but the song goes on, blasting up a mountain road, kicking gravel over the edge as it slides through the turns, cheating death all the way to the top.

Oh yes. Now I remember. Rock and roll.

I’ve listened to the song on the computer, on my iPod, and in the car at volumes that made my kidneys ache. I’ve sung along till my throat burns. I’ve danced in ways that have attracted attention from local authorities.

If the rest of the album, Now We Can See, fails to reach those stratospheric heights, it’s still pretty terrific, good enough that the Thermals would be minor legends had it come out in 1978, instead of marking them simply as keepers of the flame, a band like so many that have come before. And lest you think that the music is any less joyous because it’s the sort of thing that has been done countless times already, let me invoke the Ice Cream Principle: I’ve had ice cream thousands of times over the years, yet ice cream remains awesome.

And by blasting out the cobwebs, the Thermals have opened my ears to other great new things – Lissy Trullie, Roman Candle, Heartless Bastards and Wussy, to name but a few. They’ve also reminded me of who I am at heart. While my advancing age has allowed me to appreciate subtleties that would have escaped me in my youth (I’m looking at you, Nick Lowe’s last few albums), the thing I love best is still the thing I loved most when I was nineteen, namely the combustion of guitars, bass and drums, plus the adenoidal bluster of a singer flush with righteous rage. I may get old. Rock and roll never does.

The Thermals, "I Let It Go"

How Does It Feel?

Blogger tells me this is the 500th Teenage Kicks post. What better way to celebrate than to present one of the all-time greatest rock songs by the greatest rock and roll live performer I've ever seen?

Bruce Springsteen - Like A Rolling Stone

Rod The Mod

Apparently Rod Stewart was on American Idol the other night and continued to bludgeon his legacy. I can not, will not, shall not defend him, but for a five year period the guy had one of the great rock and roll winning streaks of all time. Courtesy of my brother Kevin, (great find, Doc!), here's a reminder of why many still get weak-kneed at the mention of "Gasoline Alley", or "Mama You Been on My Mind", or "Too Bad", or "Pool Hall Richard", or "True Blue" or "Handbags and Gladrags", or, or, or, or.... well, I think you get the idea.

Free Downloads: LoveLikeFire and Linfinity

A couple of interesting tracks from heretofore unknown (to me) bands hit the inbox this week. First is LoveLikeFire, a San Francisco quartet with a new EP called William. The first single from the well-polished, guitar-driven effort is called "Signs" and is available here. Also be sure to check out their MySpace page to hear "Stand In Your Shoes," a scorcher that isn't on the EP.

LoveLikeFire, "Signs"

Next is six-piece New York outfit Linfinity, who dress like hipster morticians, and whose music is a melting pot of sophisticated art-rock influences. The single "Molly Mar of Rome" is a little Arcade Fire, a little late-period Roxy Music, and a hint of Hothouse Flowers.

Linfinity, "Molly Mar of Rome"

Bruce Springsteen, Social D & The Gaslight Anthem

With Bruce and The E Street Band pulling out at least one different great cover (Clash, Kinks, Ramones!) every single night of their current tour, it's time for a Teenage Kicks sampler. Here's a video for the band's joyous, greasy garage band cover of the 1967 Soul Survivors (Philly represent!) hit "Expressway To Your Heart" from earlier this week at the Nassau Coliseum.


We've also got Bruce and the band with Social Distortion's Mike Ness in a truck stop gala version of "Bad Luck" from Los Angeles back on April 16.



Bruce Springsteen & Mike Ness - "Bad Luck"
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And, since my good friends Vince (in Atlanta) and Mary & Kevin (in Towson, MD) were out this week seeing The Gaslight Anthem without me (infidels!), here's a bonus cut from The '59 Sound. .
Gaslight Anthem - "Once Upon A Time"

McCarthy Trenching Covers Beyonce

Team Love, home of The Felice Brothers, Tilly & The Wall and Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins plus many others, frequently offers free music - some if it readily available elsewhere for your hard earned and some only available through The Team Love Library, which you can join for the princely sum of zero dollars.

The latest exclusive is from Nebraskan Dan McCarthy, the forlorn one-man band who mucks about as McCarthy Trenching, whose jaunty, acoustic take on Beyonce's # 1 smash hit "Single Ladies" is by far the greatest lo-fi one man band cover of an R&B diva anthem that I've ever heard.

McCarthy Trenching - "Single Ladies"

The Duke And The King

There's a classic joke that goes something like:

Q: What's the last thing the drummer said before he was kicked out of the band?

A: Hey, wanna do one of my songs?

Well, Simone Felice has left The Felice Brothers and that's no joke. Oh the brothers will soldier on without him and their recent shows still explode in controlled , loose limbed chaos. But Simone was no ordinary drummer - he wrote lyrics, sang lead in his sweet choirboy voice and brought a sense of imminent danger and desperation to their frantic stage shows. The angel with a dirty face and quite frankly, the emotional soul of the band.

And now, after a period of "tragedy, sadness, and regeneration", he has emerged with The Duke And The King, a two man project with Robert "Chicken" Warren (Run Chicken Run?) and they'll be debuting later this month with a limited edition UK only 4 song EP followed by a full length album, Nothing Gold Can Stay, later this summer.

Here's the first track, "If You Ever Get Famous", a gentle piece of alt-country soul that lilts along like a wistful goodbye love letter. It's a stunner. Look for The Duke And The King on tour later this summer.

The Duke And The King - "If You Ever Get Famous"

Hidden Jazz

For those who dig jazz and/or insight into the mind of an obsessive fan, our buddy Hook has a new(ish) blog called Hook's Hidden Gems, where he shares thoughts about and sounds from some of his favorite old jazz LPs, espcially those that are rare or out of print. The topics range from titans like Duke Ellington to more esoteric figures (was I the only one who hadn't heard of Tete Montoliu?). The site is old-school vibe and old-soul cool, and you should check it out.

Sarah Borges - It Comes To Her Naturally

Coming on like an explosive cocktail of retro rockabilly hipster, punk rock scuzz and Marisa Tomei, Sarah Borges seems to straddle many genres and yet embdies rock and cool. The title of her third album, The Stars Are Out, could be read as self-deprecating self-promotion, or a celebration of the diamonds un-earthed with a record geek's joy of exposing some under appreciated songwriters.

Gone are the more overt country flourishes of the first two records, replaced with a meatier, slicker sound that will hopefully expose her to a wider audience. The leadoff single "Better At The End of The Day", is a weary self-examination that can't help but believe in moving forward, and a sure fire hit if Bonnie Raitt covers it. Speaking of Ms. Raitt, maybe Borges' Rockpile-ish cover of NRBQ's "It Comes to Me Naturally" can spark radio airplay just like "Me And The Boys" did for Bonnie. It's by far my favorite track on the album. And it's nestled among many other superb covers - "Ride With Me" (Lemonheads), "No One Will Ever Love You" (Magnetic Fields - maybe a full disc of Stephen Merritt covers in her future?), a jangly take on Smokey's "Being With You" and the rockabilly new wave twist of Clive Gregson's fantastic "Yesterday's Love". Where Are All The Nice Girls indeed?

Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles appear this Saturday (May 3) at World Cafe Live. Their live show is not to be missed. But if you do, you get another chance on July 24 at XPonential Music Festival at Wiggins Park in Camden. More dates here.

Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles - "Better At The End of The Day"

Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles - "Stop And Think It Over"

Alt Country at The Fire - 4/22

Get the kids in bed early - Wednesday, April 22 is alt-country night at The Fire!

Come on down to check out scruffy turtle dove and despondent Flyer fan Scott McClatchy (my little brother!) with rock and roll lifer and noted author ( Cheese Chronicles) Tommy Womack do their one man, one guitar heroics. You'll get two terrific songwriters spinning tall tales, with hearts bursting on sleeves, winning converts one pug at a time. It's intimate, it's cheap and if you actually get your ass down to Girard Avenue, the first round's on me.

And I'll bet you if you pester him, Tommy'll play "The Replacements". ("Cause when they were good, God got up to dance!")

You won't be sorry.

Scott McClatchy - "Just One Kiss"

Tommy Womack - "The Replacements"

The Fire
412 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-671-9298

Scott McClatchy - on 9:15, 40 minute set
Tommy Womack - on at 10:00, 50 minute set
Norwegian Arms - on at 11:15, but you'll be on the Schuykill by then

Every Day Should Be Record Store Day

I spend a lot of time on the computer - it's a key component at work (think of work without your computer), it's the vehicle for 90% of my home music listening and of course there's the countless minutes spent creating this little blog. But I also love to get off my butt and get outside, sometimes just to go right back inside again.

This past Saturday was National Record Store Day and I celebrated at my favorite indie music store (do chain music stores even exist anymore?) Main Street Music in Manayunk (they can special order you anything at 215-487-7732). And I truly felt like a kid at Christmas - live music, sidewalk sales, bargains galore, the Springsteen 7" (got it!), the Gaslight Anthem 10" (yes!), the Waits 7" (ok - 2 out 3 ain't bad), beer and... for this day at least, lots and lots of people. People have been in short supply lately in record stores, sometimes becoming scarcer than that Jesus Lizard 7" or that Pavement 10".

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But people showed up... and kept showing up all day. There were the regulars (who mostly came for the beer and the tomato pie), the old customers who had disappeared, the kids who love Good Ol' War, and even rarer still - the passerby, the window shopper. And they browsed, and they bought and they had actual human interaction. Shoulders were slapped, recommendations were shared (I hope you like The Felice Brothers, tall bearded customer), cds were sold, kids loaded up on armfuls of gently used vinyl and the cash register rang like it hadn't in ages.

I know a lot of folks do not have handy access to local record stores, but to those who do - please go and support them. Paying $5.00 to $10.00 for an album of files just feels like you're getting shortchanged - just like the recent insurance commercial series that shows unwitting dupes getting a hot dog with no bun, a popsicle with no stick or a car wash with no rinse. You deserve a bun!

There were brief live performances by Australia's Youth Group (great Aussie pop that recalled a mix of The Church and Paul Kelly), local hero Dave Hause of The Loved Ones' tough, prickly agit-folk and the sweet, melodic harmony-rich kids' darlings Good Old War.

And as I surveyed my stash I recalled the adrenaline rush from my first record store purchase (Woolworth's in Ardmore, 1970) with money saved from my incredibly successful leaf removal business. I bought two 45's and my fading memory says the cost was 49 cents each - they were "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies and a "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash ("Yeah! What could I do?"). I think every music purchase I've made since then can be traced back to those two records.

THINK INDIE!!

Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue

The Archies - Sugar, Sugar

New Music: Hogni, Shill, Lissy Trullie

A few shares from the inbox.

First is Hogni, an artist from some place called the Faroe Islands (you got me). Don't know much about him, but I know he likes to mix the drums loud. Sort of Peter, Bjorn & John meets Beck.

Hogni, "Soul Company"

Shill is a trio from Nashville, but the sound is more New York, especially the singer's oh-so-Tom-Verlaine warble (that's a good thing). The album, In There Somewhere, is available now.

Shill, "Pick a Fight"

Speaking of New York, Trip and I are both digging Self-Taught Learner, the new EP from the Big Apple's own Lissy Trullie. The literature refers to Lissy as both a "she" (imagine Patti Smith with way more cool detachment) and a "they" (a four-piece calling to mind The Strokes with a little less cool detachment). Whatever "it" is, it's good.

Lissy Trullie, "Boy Boy"

Harry Kalas - The Boy of Summer

"The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. "

--- Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

In Philadelphia, one person has truly represented what we truly love about baseball - Harry Kalas. Any kid from nine to ninety can and will give your their Harry the K home run call. Harry Kalas was comfort food for the soul, tonic for a franchise that finally delivered a long dreamed about championship last October after years of futility. For four decades of summers it was as much fun to listen to the Phillies on the radio as it was to watch them on TV. And for 27 years. Philadelphia was doubly blessed to have Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn as an unmatched broadcasting duo.

Today Harry joined Whitey and a city not known for its compassion pauses to remember one of the area's unforgettable icons. In the coming days, weeks, months and years the home run calls will be made by a new set of announcers but a vast majority of fans will only hear two words... "Outta here..."

Harry Kalas Calls The Last Out of The 2008 World Series

Michael Jack Schmidt 300, 400 & 500

Harry on Whitey

Harry Goes to Cooperstown

We'll miss you, Harry.

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Reminiscent of my tenth birthday, when my father, the occasional hunter, gave me a Winchester 22, last week my five-year-old, on the occasion of my forty-first, presented me with a copy of the Jonas Brothers’ album A Little Bit Longer. I’ve already derived more pleasure from it than I ever did from that rifle.

It’s 21st Century bubblegum, modern power pop served with two lumps of sugar. Disposable, sure, but when the cataclysmically melodic guitar break comes on “Lovebug,” and then when they double-voice it, Thin Lizzy-style, it’s also indispensable. The hipsters won’t get it, but the little girls understand.

For Real... with Jeremy Fisher

Teenage Kicks favorite Jeremy Fisher has his own internet reality series. The first three episodes feature star turns from David Lee Roth, Colin Farrell and Mel Gibson. Awesome stuff.

Great Fourtune

The Final Four (this Saturday in Detroit!) is a trademarked NCAA term that denotes the four basketball teams left standing on the precipice of a national championship. Making it there is almost as difficult as making a great record. To do it more than once is magical – and to reach that goal four times is mystical – as it takes a great run of talent, timing and good fortune. UCLA won 10 NCAA titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, an unbelievable run that may be the equivalent of The Beatles, Stones and Dylan’s astonishing 60’s-70’s creative streaks. It just doesn’t happen anymore.

Aristotle held that there are four causes in nature, four things that answer the question why a thing is – the material cause, the formal cause, the efficient cause and the final cause. St. Joe’s often ran a “four corners” offense with great skill as they knocked off bigger and more skilled basketball teams. Baseball’s ultimate play is a home run, or four-bagger. Basketball’s highest scoring play is a four point play (a three and a foul shot). The number 4 gave birth to albums by Foreigner (4), Blues Traveller (Four), Miles Davis (Four!) and Led Zeppelin (IV… and yes I know it’s those stupid symbols). There is the Fab Four, the Four Tops, the Gang of Four, the quartet that practiced in the park and the prototypical rock band lineup of four members.

There are the Four Horsemen (of Notre Dame and of The Apocalypse), the Fantastic Four, Four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and four teams that have had their defensive lines nicknamed the Fearsome Foursome (the ’57 Giants, the ’62 Lions, the ’63 Chargers and the ’65 Rams). There are four seasons (winter, summer, spring, fall, winter), The Four Seasons (“Sherry”), “Four Seasons” (Vivaldi), The Four Seasons (hotel) and The Four Seasons (a 1981 rom-com), not to mention the gorgeous “Four Seasons in One Day” by Crowded House.

Four is the smallest composite number. The Greek word for four, tetra, inspired Tetris, my favorite video game (I will kick your ass). There are four human blood groups, four suits in cards, you can use 4 in place of four or for when texting, four wheels make us go, four directions tell us where to go and who among us doesn’t love to utter the occasional four letter word.

And that brings us to the daunting task of picking artists with four great albums, a totally subjective exercise in examining productivity and fleeting artistic achievement. There really aren’t that many that have made four GREAT records – many have made one, two or three, but four is a difficult mountain to climb. And the ones that did seemed to do it in 3, 4 or 5 year bursts. Genius (at least when it comes to making records) is fleeting and the muse seems to leave just as quickly as it arrives. So a special nod to Tom Waits and John Prine for spacing out their greatness over 20 years.

One ground rule – only artists who made their first record AFTER 1970 are considered, so no Beatles, no Stones, Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, The Band, Johnny Cash, Kinks, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, etc – that list would just be too long.

So after much internal deliberation and debate, here are twenty (plus one) that gave us four (or a couple more).

1. Jackson Browne – Jackson Browne (1972), For Everyman (1973), Late For The Sky (1974), The Pretender (1976)

2. Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick (1977), In Color (1977), Heaven Tonight (1978), Dream Police (1979)

3. Elvis Costello (bonus greatness) – My Aim is True (1977), This Year’s Model (1978), Armed Forces (1979), Get Happy! (1980), Trust (1981), Imperial Bedroom (1982), King of America (1986)

4. Steve Earle – Guitar Town (1986), Copperhead Road (1988), I Feel Alright (1996), Transcendental Blues (2000)

5. Elton John (bonus greatness) - Elton John (1970), Madman Across the Water (1971), Tumbleweed Connection (1971), Honky Château (1972), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellowbrick Road (1973), Captain Fantastic (1975)

6. The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me (2004), Separation Sunday (2005), Boys And Girls in America (2006), Stay Positive (2008)

7. Husker Du – Zen Arcade (1984), New Day Rising (1985), Flip Your Wig (1985), Warehouse: Songs And Stories (1987)

8. The Jam – In The City (1977), All Mod Cons (1978), Setting Sons (1979), Sound Affects (1980)

9. Los Lobos – How Will The Wolf Survive? (1984), By The Light of The Moon (1987), The Neighborhood (1990), Kiko (1992)

9. Graham Parker – Howlin Wind (1976), Heat Treatment (1976), Stick To Me (1977), Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)

10. Prince – Dirty Mind (1980), 1999 (1983), Purple Rain (1984), Sign O’ The Times (1987)

11. John Prine – John Prine (1971), Sweet Revenge (1973), Bruised Orange (1978), The Missing Years (1991)

12. The Ramones – The Ramones (1976), Leave Home (1977), Rocket to Russia (1977), Road to Ruin (1978)

13. REM – Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), Document (1987), Automatic For The People (1992)

14. The Replacements – Hootenanny (1983), Let It Be (1984), Tim (1985), Pleased To Meet Me (1987)

15. RUN-DMC – Run-DMC (1984), King of Rock (1985), Raising Hell (1986), Tougher Than Leather (1988)

16. Bruce Springsteen (bonus greatness) – Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ (1973), The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle (1973), Born to Run (1975), Darkness On The Edge of Town (1978), The River (1980), Nebraska (1982), Born in The USA (1984)

17. Talking Heads – Talking Heads ’77 (1977), More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), Remain in Light (1980)

18. U2 – Boy (1980), War (1983), The Joshua Tree (1987), Achtung Baby (1991)

19. Tom Waits – Closing Time (1973), Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), Bone Machine (1992)

20. X – Los Angeles (1980), Wild Gift (1981), Under The Big Black Sun (1982), More Fun in The New World (1983)

I know it’s heavy on 70’s and 80’s, so tell me who I missed. And for the record, I’ve got Wilco and Radiohead with three.

The Gaslight Anthem - The Very Last Gang in Town

There’s a great intersection where punk, rock and soul meet – it’s sweaty, beer-soaked, jacked-up and juiced with sing-along choruses and songs that rev up quick and wind down fast. It is rockist and unrepentant (thanks Dan Rubin). There’s no room for solos, and there’s no room for the weak of heart. Beards come and go, t-shirts and jeans are the uniform (leather jacket and jeff cap optional) and fist pumps come by the bushel. There might be a mosh pit, (but in 2009 that’s really just the backwards hat-wearing, roid raged frat jock fatheads) but there will definitely be a positive rage.

The boiler plate for this animal is Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (circa ’75) and The Rolling Stones (circa ’65), plus a shared love for Eddie Cochran and Otis Redding completes the package. Springsteen picked up the torch from the Stones and his rockabilly forefathers, as well as The Band, Mitch Ryder, CCR and the great soul shouters and screamers from Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Detroit. And once you’re hooked, you find that this rock-punk-soul life has got you in its sway.

Last night at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, The Gaslight Anthem proved them themselves worthy heirs to carry this tradition forward (even while constantly looking back) just like bloodbrothers-in-arms The Hold Steady, Lucero, The Felice Brothers, Philly’s own The Loved Ones, Jesse Malin, The Ike Reilly Assassination and Jersey nutjobs Titus Andronicus. Exploding onstage to “Great Expectations”, two things were immediately clear. One, that mosh pit that materialized in an instant right in front us would lend a little menace and energy to the night as it cowed some of the less hearty in the immediate area. Two, this was going to be an electric, body shakin' great rock and roll show. In 2009, great rock shows seem to be in shorter supply than newspaper sales as djs, laptop artistes, sensitive wallflowers and dinosaur cash grabs dominate the concert landscape.

Focusing mostly on their universally lauded 2008 sparkplug, The ’59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem relied on their DIY instincts as they connected immediately with the audience, as lead singer Brian Fallon told self-deprecating stories of his experiences as a kid in Philly at Troc punk rock shows with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Saves The Day. He also offered his services as a pool painter. Highlights included a searing “I’da Called You Woody, Joe”, Fallon’s heartfelt tribute to Joe Strummer from TGA’s first album, Sink or Swim, as well as “The 59 Sound” and especially “The Patient Ferris Wheel”, with the Springsteen redux lyrics about escape and desperation and the shouted lyrics (“I’ve never felt so strange, standing in the Jersey rain / Thinking about what an old man said / Maybe I should call me an ambulance”) that are still ringing in my head this morning.

The Gaslight Anthem will not save the world. But they are part of the great rock continuum, bands of brothers that will evoke spirits of Elvis, the Stones and the brothers Ruffin and they will bring you to your knees. Go see them, not because it feels like they might save your soul, but because they are alive, and like the only that band matters, they feel like the very last gang in town.

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The Gaslight Anthem - The Patient Ferris Wheel (live in Berlin)

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The Gaslight Anthem - I'da Called You Woody, Joe (from Sink or Swim)

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The Gaslight Anthem - High Lonesome (from The '59 Sound)

Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing

How great is this going to be?

Boom Goes The Dynamite

"Later he gets the rebound, passes it to the man, shoots it... and boom goes the dynamite".

At my house, the first two days of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament are the best 48 hours of sports entertainment - year in and year out March Madness delivers. Upsets, brackets, comfy couches, buzzer beaters, beer, mass hysteria (Bucknell! Stephen Curry! John F&?%ing Lucas III!, Laettner!), snack food, breathless calls to friends and family (no way Kevin beats me in the pool, but Cathy will, as usual, destroy me), cinderellas and # 1 seeds all bring an unrivalled orgy of drama and heartbreak, anxiety and heartburn.

This year my beloved St. Joseph's Hawks decided it was more fun to dribble away their allotted 35 seconds rather than make actual attempts at scoring, save the desperate running three as the shot clocked ticked away my will to live. So I will throw my full support to my three favorite teams in the tournament - Missouri (my esteemed partner's alma mater), local heroes Temple, and, as any true blue St. Joe fan will attest, whoever is playing Villanova.

Upset special - # 12 Western Kentucky over # 5 Illinois.

Cheech and Chong - Basketball Jones

Rogue Wave - Basketball