Attention Families: Colin Gawel and The Lonely Bones @ Goodale Park Sunday July 13th, 12:30pm

Colin Gawel and The Lonely Bones are happy to once again be part of the Goodale Park music series. It is the PERFECT event for family fun. The band will be performing at the gazebo in Goodale Park from 12:30-2pm on Sunday July 13th. Admission is free and you can pack a cooler or hit up a food truck for your dining pleasure. They are the only band performing so plenty of parking and space will be available to all. 

Also, Colin just released a brand new song, "Podcast". Click here to visit colingawel.com and give it a spin. You will be glad you did. 

Pencilstorm Has the Internet's Biggest Firework Display. (w/playlist)

First the good news: instead of battling traffic jams, massive crowds and random bottle- rockets being shot at your head by gangs of roving Juggalos, you can enjoy the world's greatest fireworks in the safety of your own home, compliments of Pencilstorm.  You are welcome.  (Grantland can kiss our Red, White and Blue ass.)  The less good news is the "World's Greatest Fireworks Display" happens to be from Kuwait.  Still, they appear to be celebrating some sort of "Constitution" and we did save their ass back in the original Gulf War, so Uncle Sam surely helped light a couple of these candles. Enjoy!  USA!  USA!   - Colin G.     (Wal takes it after the boom.)

For the paltry sum of just £10million Kuwait earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records last night as it celebrated the golden jubilee anniversary of its constitution in style by laying on the biggest fireworks display of all time.

Take it Wal Ozello...

 It's that time of year again. Grilling out, someone gets a keg, and then everyone piles into a car and heads out to the fireworks.  Whether you're going local this year, or heading down to Red, White, and Boom, chances are you will hear Katie Perry's Fireworks this season.  Thanks for ruining Fourth of July for us. As if Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA wasn't annoying enough.

So we here at Pencilstom have some suggestions for an alternative playlist. Some are fireworks related, some are patriotic, and some are just kick-ass to listen to while explosions happen above you in the sky.

Wal's List

T.N.T. - AC/DC

American Idiot - Green Day

Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen (This is America's rock anthem, and NOT Born In the U.S.A. - that's a totally different blog discussion.)

American Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Panama - Van Halen

Colin's List

Heaven's On Fire - Kiss  or  Rocket Ride - Ace Frehley  or  God of Thunder - Kiss

Tick Tick Boom - The Hives

Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses

Kick Out the Jams - MC5

Ricki's List

Fourth Of July - Dave Alvin

4th Of July - Aimee Mann

4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) - Bruce Springsteen

Dirty Boulevard - Lou Reed

Summer In The City - The Lovin' Spoonful

That's it for this year's playlist.

Enjoy the Fourth. Be safe. Thank a soldier for your freedom.

KISS / Def Leppard Opening Night by Nick Jezierny

I made a last-second decision to drive five hours to Salt Lake City, Utah, from Boise, Idaho, to see Kiss and Def Leppard open their tour. My original plan was to buy a cheap lawn seat and take in the show. It would be my ninth time seeing Kiss and my maiden voyage seeing Def Leppard, and with the ability to work in Salt Lake, I wouldn’t have to drive back immediately after the concert to be at work on time.

The lawn seats were sold out when I got to the Usana Ampitheatre, so I purchased the $89 ticket toward the back of the lower bowl. Well, that seat turned out to be right behind a light pole, so I walked back up to the ticket office and my only other option was a $159 ticket. I bit, and I was in the 8th row, second seat in from the aisle. This proved to be very handy for easier access to the $9/24 oz. cans of beer (note: Utah beer is lower alcohol, so I don’t feel bad for the five cans I consumed) and also a great view of the stage. I also took a cab to and from the show.

Def Leppard impressed me. I’ve heard that Joe Elliott’s voice was shot, but that wasn’t the case. I thought he sounded great. Did he hit the truly high notes on “Foolin’” or “Bringing On The Heartbreak?” No, but he held his own in a big way. Who knows if he can keep that up over the full tour, but he shined on Opening Night.

The band took the stage as The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was blaring through the sound system, and as a nice touch, they played the final verse of the tune before running right into “Let It Go."

Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen and RIck Savage were energetic and provided some oomph on the backing vocals throughout. Hard to believe that it’s the same Vivian Campbell that I saw back in August of 1984 performing with Dio. The long hair is gone, but his flashy playing remains.

The highlight of the set for me “Bringing On The Heartbreak,” which started out as an acoustic number. Midway through, the band swapped guitars and finished the song with a rousing electrical version that went right into “Switch 625.” This was surprising to me as it was the only “non-hit” performed. It’s an instrumental where neither guitarist was a part of the original.  (Steve Clark and Peter Tom Willis were on the “High N Dry” album.)

The band’s visual show was solid. Throughout the songs, images from videos past flashed on the screen. The crowd got a real kick of the old band photos that kept showing up on the stage, which showed just how young these boys were when they started.

Most of the set-list was from “Hysteria,” and the two-song encore was “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.”

As for Kiss, it was a typical Kiss show. All of the same tricks — breathing fire, spitting blood, Paul gliding out to sing to the people in back, Gene “flying” to the rafters, the big drum riser and Tommy Thayer shooting pyro from guitar — made appearances. The only old trick that didn’t surface was the classic Ace Frehley smoking guitar.

Though it was predictable, I most definitely enjoyed it. I guess I viewed this as my farewell tour. I last saw Kiss in 2001 on the “farewell tour” and figured that was it. No, Kiss showed they can still deliver a solid show. I just wish some of the old tricks would be freshened up or retired. Judging by the reaction of the jam-packed crowd, I was in the minority. People were eating this up.

Kiss only played 13 songs. There was no encore as Paul said they were trying to beat the 11 p.m. curfew. It was the first time I’ve seen Kiss where “Deuce” wasn’t a part of the setlist. We got “Hide Your Heart,” which was the biggest surprise to me. Nothing from “Monster” or “Sonic Boom,” so it was strictly a case of the old stuff.

Paul didn’t sound very good. It was almost as if he had a sore throat. He only sang six songs (King of the Nighttime World, Hide Your Heart, Shout it Out Loud, Makin’ Love, Psycho Circus and Detroit Rock City). Just watch the video clip below and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

Gene also sang six songs (Cold Gin, War Machine, Christine Sixteen, I Love It Loud, Let Me Go Rock N Roll and Rock and Roll All Nite). Drummer Eric Singer handled the vocals on “Black Diamond.”

I’m curious to see how the tour progresses. Will set lists change? With a catalog of 200-plus songs, Kiss can’t play everything. I was overall pleased with the mix I got to see. They probably could have snuck in a 14th song had Paul not asked the crowd to scream the chorus of “Hide Your Heart” a million times. Seriously, I hate when bands do this. I’m paying (in this case $159, plus beers, plus cabs) to hear the band sing, not the audience.

There also were no solos (by either band). It was a night about the hits and seeing two legendary bands in one night. That’s what made this show a success in my eyes.

FYI - Kobra and The Lotus opened up. I hadn’t heard of them. They did a killer cover of “Barracuda” among their six-song set.

Nick Jezierny is a former sports journalist who has worked at newspapers in Ohio (including the Columbus Dispatch), Texas and Idaho. He used to review CDs, too. He now lives in Boise, Idaho, and has to drive to big cities to see bands that routinely pass over Idaho on their way from Salt Lake City to Portland or Seattle.

Here's KISS performing "King of the Night Time World" at the opening show of their 40th Anniversary Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah. Filmed by Keith Leroux for KISSONLINE.

Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips Have Your USA v Belgium Preview

 
Click here for previous World Cup coverage from Brian and Greg.

Colin G, 1) To these amateur eyes, Germany at times appeared to be toying with us. Are they that good, did we not play well, or am I just completely wrong?

GB) Well, both on paper and on the pitch, Germany are ranked higher, and have they better team. They played better for longer stretches, but let’s not forget that the US had several fantastic opportunities to score and simply couldn’t close the deal. The US were definitely the more ‘leggy’ team (futbol talk).

The US lost 1-0 to the second-ranked team in the entire tournament, and after sucking wind at the beginning, put together some very strong stretches.

One other thing to keep in mind, as we’ve talked about the distance travelled several times, is that only one team has won their first match after playing in Manaus, the farthest-flung stadium, and the place the US played Portugal, and Germany had a day’s more recovery than the USMNT had. How much does that make a difference? Well, Michael Bradley’s averaging nearly 8 miles run per game. An extra day’s recovery after that would seem to make a difference after that.

 BP)  I was disappointed we didn't come at them more. If Germany has a weakness it's in the back and the U.S. wasn't as interested in attacking as I had hoped we would be. Germany on the other hand can play it most any way you like. They're Germany, but they can be beaten.

2) On to the knockout round where even my ten year old son is sweating Belgium, "Oh no Dad, we have to play Belgium. They are awesome" I'm not used to hearing awesome and Belgium in the same sentence. What do they bring to the table and more importantly, what language do they speak anyway?

GB) Well, first off…either Flemish (punchlines abound), Dutch, or French.

Now then…Belgium has won all three matches so far, so on paper, they’re firing on all cylinders. For the last match, they made seven changes to the lineup…was it to rest players, was it because there are minor injuries, or was it tactical? We won’t know more until we see their lineup for the match against the USA. They do have an injury or two that may change things.

I cannot think of Belgium without remembering the Monty Python sketch “Prejudice.” It’s on YouTube, y’all…go find it.

BP) Much is being made of Belgium defeating the U.S. 4-2 in a friendly recently. Are you concerned when your NFL team gets throttled in a pre-season game? I suppose, but not that much. This is the playoffs if you will. A different animal entirely.

Belgium has a great young goalkeeper in Thimbaut Courtois and only surrendered one goal in the group stage. That said they are beat up. Captain and central defender Vincent Kompany has a bum groin and may not even be able to go. Defender Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring) is in the same boat. Anthony Vanden Borre (cracked fibula), and Laurent Ciman (abductor strain) have already been ruled out for the match. Belgium will likely have to start a midfielder or two in the back. This is great news for the U.S. With four goals in three group stage matches it's not like Belgium has lit the world on fire. The big question in my mind will be: With all the injuries in the back will they decide to go harder at the goal to get up early? We'll find out.

 
3) What does team USA need to do to win this game? Who needs to step up and what would spell trouble?

GB) Belgium’s built to be an attacking team. The US defenders will need to be as solid as they’ve been so far, and stay smart about the defensive shape. Michael Bradley needs better touches in the attacking end, because he’s had miscues that have cost shot attempts. He needs to find his game again.

Tim Howard just needs to keep being Tim Howard. That guy stands as the US MVP in my mind.

Jozy Altidore may be back for the US, which will make the tactical lineup interesting. Do you put him up top to start, or stay with similar starters to the last few matches? Do you save him for a late sub if needed to be sure he’s fresh, and give him a tired Belgian defense to go after? I don’t think you start him, because if he’s comeback a bit too soon, you risk using a substitution too early (again).

BP) Attack! An early goal was everything in the Ghana match. We need to force Belgium to come out of their shell a bit. We can't "park the bus" and expect to snipe an odd goal on the counter. The U.S. must take the game to them. 

I'm sounding like a broken record here, but midfielder Michael Bradley has to play a whole lot better. The sloppy touches have to stop. The game must flow crispy through him on the attack. It would be nice to at least be able to bring striker Jozy Altadore (hamstring) off the bench. I doubt he has enough to start them game. 

 
4) As tough as our group was, it seems any wins from here out would be icing on the cake. Is that a fair assumption or is this team equipped to make a deeper run? What is a realistic best case scenario? 

GB) Pretty clearly, the US beat a Ghana side that outplayed them. They’ve made believers out of themselves and others. Let’s not forget that an awful lot of quality nations are done…Spain and Italy come to mind. Once you’re in the round of 16, anything’s possible.

BP) Many are bothered by only one win in group stage, but calling it the group of death was not hyperbole. The U.S. vanquished their Cup Kryptonite in Ghana, played a hell of a game against Portugal, and it's not like Germany throttled the us. There are many positives. I won't be shocked if we beat Belgium. I won't be shocked if we don't. I like going into a match feeling like the U.S. can make things happen, rather than hoping for luck. The United State's reward should they beat Belgium is a likely quarter final against Argentina. That's probably where it ends.
 
5) If my son bit somebody during a sporting event I wouldn't complain about the length of his suspension.  I thought that sort of behavior get ironed out in pre-school. Should the entire country of Urugruay be put in "time-out" until the World Cup is complete or is the penalty too harsh?

GB) Uruguay are built around Suarez. His on-field talent is undeniable…

…but so is the fact that there’s a mis-wired switch somewhere in that futbol noggin of his. How you do that after already having been suspended twice for it, and do that on the biggest stage in the game is beyond me. I think it’s a crime that nothing was done immediately. Italy gets scored on a minute later, but Uruguay should have been down to 10 players. Uruguay shouldn’t be in the round of 16, so my new 3rd favorite team (behind the US and Costa Rica) is Whoever Plays Uruguay.

Just a few interesting figures in closing…USA-Germany ranked higher online viewing that any Super Bowl Ever. Would it be different if the Super Bowl were played on a Thursday at noon? Of course, but nevertheless, that’s a pretty big number. The network broadcast of USA-Portugal rated higher than any game in the World Series.

The task for US Soccer and MLS now is to find a way to keep some of that momentum for the league here.

BP) The penalty fit the crime. Suarez has been nailed for biting twice before. He likely needs intense psychotherapy.

New Colin Gawel Song CD102.5 Friday @ Noon! Tune In! Spread the Word!

Hey all, just giving you the heads up that today (Friday, June 27th) at noon,  CD102.5 FM here in C-bus will be giving you the first listen to a brand new song by yours truly. And just in time for Comfest weekend to boot! 

Because CD102.5 is one of the last independent rock n roll radio stations left on the planet and are so cool as to be so supportive of new music, it is crucial we tune in and let them know how much we appreciated them.

So, Tune into CD102.5 this Friday at noon to hear a brand new Colin Gawel tune and if you dig, let them know you dig. Dig?

Text: request colin podcast  To: 68683               

Thanking you in advance and see you at Comfest, Sunday June 29th, 7pm.  (Off Ramp Stage) - Colin G.

Greg Bartram and Brian Phillips Have Your USA v Germany Preview.

Click here for link to previous World Cup Articles by Brian and Greg

1) What an amazing game! Do you think giving up the equalizer that late will have an adverse affect on Team USA or the fact they are still in great shape to advance keep spirits upbeat?

GB) All the postgame interviews said the same thing…that the players are naturally disappointed, but at the end of it, if you’d told them they’d be tied at the top of the table in their group after two games, they’d have taken it in a heartbeat.

Having said that, of course it’s frustrating. Literally seconds away from guaranteeing an advance to the Round of 16, anyone would be frustrated. Every single American watching that game was frustrated. Nevertheless, a spot-perfect service by the best current player in the world…that’s what it took to tie the game, and not only that, but the best player in the world who was seconds away from being eliminated in the World Cup? Michael Jordan used to have those moments, Tom Brady has had those moments…THAT’S what tied that game.

I think this team has found their game, and a huge quantity of confidence.

BP)  Talk about having your heart ripped out. Still it's not a disaster. This seems like a pretty tough bunch and I'm not too concerned about their psyches going into the Germany match. If anything they'll be feeling condident at having played so well against a top 5 side.
 
2) What has impressed you about Team USA heading into the game with Germany and who needs to step up to win this game?

GB) Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard have been incredible. Dempsey…I’m not sure I’ve got enough superlatives in my thesaurus to describe his game. He’s been at a whole different level of leadership so far. HE played at forward last match because of the injury to Jozy Altidore, and was clearly dangerous, scoring that goal off his stomach…huge. Howard lost his footing on that first goal, but some of his saves in that game were tournament-saving. He had no chance whatsoever on the last one.

Bradley has been strong at points, but I’d like to see a bit more consistency from him. Who knows what happens if he makes a better touch on the open-except-for-the-defender goal? 

BP)  I was impressed by quite a lot Sunday. They gave up a stupid goal early, but stuck by their game plan, got enough possession, and ran Portugal ragged. Other than the final play Renaldo was a non factor. Jermaine Jones was a beast again. This time, without Altadore, Klinsmann decided to let Jones freelance and the U.S. was rewarded with a world class goal. 

As for stepping up... Bradley. He has had a lousy World Cup to be quite honest. He has to be more reliable on the ball. It's like Tom Brady throwing more picks than touchdowns. He's the quarterback.

 
3) Germany is always tough. What's up with that? Is it a system, players, coaching? What is their secret?

GB) Yes. It’s all of that. It’s also a fantastic work ethic, and let’s face it…success breeds success. When your team is the best in the world, and you’re a five year old who’s just watched, what do you do? You grab your soccer ball and run outside after the game, and pretend to be Ballack or Klinsmann or whoever just scored That Goal. 

Back to a point I was making the other day…Germany doesn’t have baseball or (pointy) football…they have hockey, but the world’s football is incredibly popular there, and gets most of their best athletes. Four current US players (Jermaine Jones, John Brooks, Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler) were born in Germany to a US serviceman father and a German mother. Julian Green had similar parents, but was born in the US, moving back to Germany with his mother and growing up there.

BP)  Not to be flip, but Germany has been doing this a long time. They know how to develop talent. Their league is one of the tops on the planet. That said I believe they can be beaten. They're a bit suspect in the back. Overall they've been criticized in the past for being slow. We need to run at them. I expect Klinsmann to do that. He isn't going to bunker in for a 0-0 draw.
 
4) Glancing around the other brackets, some favorites have been sent packing and some sleeper teams have emerged, what teams have you found yourselves impressed with so far?

GB) Costa Rica for sure…who expected that? I will, of course, point out again that our very own Columbus Crew have two defenders playing for Costa Rica, including starting central defender Giancarlo Gonzalez. Mexico’s been much better than I expected, because the barely made the tournament. CONCACAF, the FIFA region the US plays in, has four teams in the World Cup…Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Two have already locked up a spot in the Round of 16, and the USMNT has a great chance to do the same.

The Netherlands blew up with a fantastic first win, then had a bit more trouble with Australia than they should have…beat Spain 5-1 then Australia 3-2? They’d better be back in form when they play Mexico, because El Tri has found their stride.

From here on out, I’ll be pulling for the remaining CONCACAF teams until they run into the US,…it’s the same way you want B1G teams to do well in their bowl games/tournaments/whatever.

BP) I am very impressed with Mexico. They barely qualified and looked terrible throughout the process in doing so. They're playing for one and other now. Miguel Herrera has somehow gotten through to these guys. He's certainly the most fun coach to watch. I guess he has them playing loose. That said Mexico is about to be erased by a team emerging as a possible favorite. The Dutch have been the class of 2014 thus far.

Costa Rica is the stunner! They won a group that included Italy and England, and neither of those European giants get through? That's bizarre! As the group winner Costa Rica draws a middling Greece side and I like the Central American nation to move on. 

This has been a strange World Cup. If the U.S. takes care of business that'll make 3 out of 4 teams from our CONCACAF qualifying group to get out of group stage. That's the story here.

 
5) Where are you watching the USA v Germany game this Thursday at noon?

GB) Still talking to my sons about that. We’ve watched the first two at home, but we’re talking about heading out to the Crew viewing party at Fado. I’m curious to see the atmosphere in person, and see how it compares the 2002 viewing parties hosted at the stadium. Those parties were the biggest in the US, and drew futbol fans from as far away as Florida who had seen footage on TV, and felt like it was something they had to be part of.

Having said that, I’m still a pretty sports-related superstitious guy having my sports-shooting career in hockey, and we’ve watched everything at home so far, so I’m not sure if I can change what’s worked so far…

BP)  I'm trying to keep track while I'm on the air. The TV is over the station bar so I may need to bring a telescope. 

Prediction: USA 1 Germany 1.