Classic Album Artwork Exhibit Opening At Columbus Museum of Art - by Scott Carr

A great new exhibit entitled Spin Art is opening this Friday February 26th at the Columbus Museum of Art.

The exhibit travels back to a time when the artwork on an album cover was almost as important as the music pressed into the grooves of the vinyl. It's an art form that got lost during the CD generation but with a renewed interest in vinyl, album cover artwork is alive and well. Spin Art will display actual album covers along with information about the art on the covers. Several different genres of music will be represented in the exhibit including Classic Rock, Punk, Heavy Metal, Alternative, Funk, Hip Hop and Jazz. Many iconic covers will be instantly familiar while others will be a bit more obscure. 

Albums from Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Sonic Youth, Funkadelic, Yes and Iron Maiden are just a few that will be on display during the six month run of Spin Art at CMOA. Just as recognizable as the names of the bands that created the music are the names of the graphic artists who brought album artwork to life including Andy Warhol, Roger Dean, Winston Smith, Derek Riggs and Gerhard Richter. 

The Spin Art exhibit was put together by Jeff Sims, a creative producer for the Columbus Museum of Art. Jeff enlisted help from Brett Ruland of Spoonful Records to track down a specific list of 90 album covers to be featured in the exhibit. Brett along with his wife Amy Kesting contacted several local vinyl enthusiasts, including myself, as well as local record store owners Kyle Siegrist of Lost Weekend Records and David Lewis of Elizabeth's Records to lend records for display in the exhibit.

Several of the Spin Art contributors gathered at the Columbus Museum of Art last night for a sneak peak of the exhibit. Photo courtesy of Kyle Siegrist and taken by Amy Kesting.

Several of the Spin Art contributors gathered at the Columbus Museum of Art last night for a sneak peak of the exhibit. Photo courtesy of Kyle Siegrist and taken by Amy Kesting.

Spin Art opens on Friday February 26th and runs through August 21st. 

Below are five of my all-time favorite album covers that are NOT featured in the Spin Art exhibit but these are some covers that I would gaze at for hours in my youth.

1. Kiss - Destroyer

Not my favorite Kiss record but the cover is epic!

2. Alice Cooper - From the Inside

My favorite Alice "solo" record and the cover is very inventive. It has doors that open on the front and back of the cover that let you see inside Alice's insane asylum.

3. AC/DC - Powerage

One of my favorite AC/DC albums and I always felt like this album sounded the way the cover looks. Loud and full of energy!

4. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

I love this cover, always thought it looked like a cool comic book or video game.

5. T. Rex - Electric Warrior

A very simplistic design but very effective. Very iconic image.

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps and Returning April.  Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

 

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, The River Tour, Live In Cleveland, 2/23/2016 - by Ricki C.

(writer’s note: I first saw Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at the Ohio Theater, April 5th, 1976.  This coming April 12th – forty years & one week later – I will see them again at the Schott.  There’ll be a big forty year Springsteen round-up at that point, so just consider today’s blog a kind of preview to that show. – Ricki C.)


The first three things you’ve gotta know are:

1)    For this tour, Bruce Springsteen has scaled the E Street Band back to (almost) their original lean, mean, rock & roll machine line-up: eight men and one woman.  No horn section.  No back-up singers.  No percussionists.  No bullshit.  Three guitarists (which is one too many, more on that later), one bass player, two keyboards, one sax, one violin, one (magnificent) drummer, five people singing their hearts out.  As I said, no bullshit.

2)    Bruce’s 1980 album The River gets played, in order, in its entirety to open the show.  The opener in Cleveland was River outtake “Meet Me In The City.”  (It’s probably been the opener everywhere, but I’m not the kinda guy to go on the InterWideWeb and pore over set lists & such.  Consider me, from this point on, your Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Drunk Uncle.)  I was hoping for more outtakes interspersed in the set (I’d’ve given anything to hear “Roulette” – video provided below), but Bruce & band just get down to it and alternately sear & simmer their way through the double-album.  Expected Highlights: the entire first side of record one, from “The Ties That Bind” to “Independence Day” (and holy shit, how many records have a whole side as great as that one?); the song “The River” itself, possibly the most grown-up rock song written to that point, and the one that extended Bruce’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town theme that everything in Springsteen World was not gonna be all fun ‘n’ games, cars & girls.  (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)  Unexpected Highlights: “I Wanna Marry You,” a song that often got skipped in my back-in-the-day listening (I was getting divorced at the time) and “Stolen Car,” which at that time might just as well have been the story of my life and that divorce; a truly great romp through what I have always considered the throwaway rocker “Ramrod,” including a little dance move from sax player Jake Clemons that I can’t do justice to here, you’re gonna have to go on YouTube or come to the Columbus show.

And that’s just the first two hours of the set.

3)    The next 90 minutes of the three and a half hour show are a selection of E Street Smashers that in Cleveland included “Candy’s Room” and “Because The Night” played back to back and a furious run-through of “Youngstown.”  (Culminating in the lyrics, "Now you tell me the world's changed / Once I made you rich enough / Rich enough to forget my name."  Words to remember in this election season.)  

Really, E Street Band sets make almost all other rock & roll shows seem silly and perfunctory.   
    

The second three things you’ve gotta know:

1)    Bruce Springsteen is the luckiest rocker on the planet that Clarence Clemons had a nephew who plays tenor sax the way Jake Clemons does.  Goddamn, that kid is great.  (sidelight: When Bruce crowd-surfed from the pit runway back to the stage during “Hungry Heart,” any other performer would have a roadie help him back onstage.  Oh, but no, no, no, that’s too simple for an E Street Band show; Jake hauls Bruce back one-handed WHILE BLOWING A SAX SOLO WITH THE OTHER HAND.  It’s a sight to see.  Photo below, after the videos.)  

2)    Oddly – maybe because Jake is SO good at what he does – I find myself missing Danny Federici more than I do Clarence Clemons.  Part of that, though, is because former Seeger Sessions organist Charlie Giordano is such a mook that I find I can’t even look at him on the stage.  (Luckily, my tickets in Columbus are behind Charlie, so I’ll be looking at his back.)  Seriously, Bruce, Danny didn’t have ANY relatives you could have hired before Giordano?

3)    I’ve fully known it since 1978, but this River Tour crystallizes just how tightly orchestrated and GREAT Max Weinberg’s drumming is.  It’s as good and as exact as anything Brian Wilson came up with on those killer Beach Boy tunes like “God Only Knows,” or anything classical composers came up with for tympani & snare drum parts, but simultaneously POWERS the E Street Band through 3 & ½ hours of killer rock & roll.  I witnessed Who drummer Keith Moon in his 1969 & 1972 prime, Max Weinberg is the only drummer I have ever seen even come close to that force-of-nature rhythmic onslaught.  And Keith was in his twenties then; Max is 64 fucking years old.  Really, you have to bow down to the man.

Okay, I’m well over my 500-word limit.  Everything else – including how revitalized Steve Van Zandt is on this tour, which I haven’t even touched on – is gonna have to wait until April.  All I can say right this moment is: if you haven’t already, buy a ticket to that Columbus show, you WILL NOT be sorry.  – Ricki C. / February 25th, 2016.  

   

Bruce's Three Mile Island song, one of DOZENS of outtakes presented on various box sets, compilation albums & bootlegs.  I swear, Springsteen has more and better OUTTAKES than many other rock & roll acts have SONGS.    

Check out the little moment between Bruce and Steve Van Zandt at the 1:55-2:30 mark.......

photo by Jodie Weaver; Cleveland, Ohio, 2/23/2016


Paul Stanley Solo Record Gets Hall of Fame Nod. See, It IS Better than Ace's Solo Record. - Colin G.

Click here for the complete list of 2016 nominations to THE Pencilstorm Hall of Fame.

Remember awhile back when I wrote the story, "Paul's Solo Record is Better than Ace's". Well, a bunch of you Space-Acers lost your shit and, frankly, the chatter got a little nasty. As I recall, I was even kicked out of a Facebook Ace group because - though I really liked Ace's record - I just thought Paul's was better. Geez, you would have thought that I said Peter's record was the best KISS solo record....

Well, I hate to say I told you so, but look what got nominated for THE Pencilstorm Hall of Fame? Yup, Paul Stanley's solo record. Not Ace's.

There you have it. Case closed. I win. Paul's record is better than Ace's. If it wasn't, how do you explain Paul getting nominated for THE Pencilstorm Hall of Fame and not the Spaceman?

You can't.  

And not to run up the score, but Paul's solo album contains the best song written by any Kiss member both with the band or solo. The breathtaking "Wouldn't You Like to Know Me." (And yes, Ricki C., it's better than any power pop song the over-rated Raspberries ever churned out) 

I ask my fellow committee members to give serious consideration to the Paul Stanley solo record joining THE Pencilstorm Hall of Fame. - Colin G.  #pstormhof 

The song by Paul Stanley Wouldn't You Like To Know Me

The best song on the best KISS solo record and maybe just flat out, the best KISS song ever recorded.

From the One Live KISS DVD, recorded in 2006 at the House of Blues, released in 2008. Check out the One Live KISS DVD, and CD, and Paul's album Live to Win, and pick yourself up a copy!

Post All Star Breakdown by Ben Galli

What a dunk contest!  I know it was a week ago and there are still the skeptical, but Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine put on a show.  To top it off, their dunks may not have even been The Dunk of All Star Weekend.  That was arguably 6'1 "professional dunker" Jordan Kilganon.  

That dude got up!  Now, although the Western Conference scored an all time record 196 points, who really cares about the All Star Game?  It really serves its most important function as a reminder of the unofficial midway point of the NBA season and a precursor to the NBA trade deadline.  Even though the break is over, here's a run down on all 30 NBA teams and where they stand at the All Star break.  You'll see each team's current conference standing along with their point differential, games behind the 8th or 1st seed, and my pre-season ranking.

Eastern Conference

15. Philadelphia 76ers:  8-45 (-10.2 diff, 19 GB of 8th Seed) (Preseason - 15.)

The Sixers aren't surprising anyone.  The only question is how long this rebuilding process will last.  After starting this season 1-30, Philly has since gone 7-15 after acquiring new point guard Ish Smith.  Despite Sauce Castillo's best efforts, however, don't expect much improvement from this squad.

14. Brooklyn Nets - 14-40 (-7.3 diff, 13.5 GB) (Preseason - 10.) 

The Nets have been one of the most poorly run franchises of the last few years.  A real slap in the face to Russian oligarchy.  They could rival the Browns for ineptitude.  The Nets fired their coach and re-assigned their GM just after the turn of the year.  Besides possibly trading some players at the deadline this week, there's really nothing to see here.  Nothing to see in their draft either as Boston owns their unprotected 2016 1st round pick.  

13. Milwaukee Bucks - 22-32 (-4.7 diff, 5.5 GB) (Preseason - 7.) 

The Deer have taken a step back this year.  They have a very solid, very young core especially with the emergence of Khris Middleton as their leading scorer.  My eyes are on Jason Kidd though.  After some questionable actions as a coach in the past, Kidd did finish 3rd in Coach of the Year voting last season.  However, Kidd missed 17 games this year due to hip surgery, during which the Bucks went 8-9 under interim coach Joe Prunty. A bit better than the 14-23 mark under Kidd.

12. New York Knickerbockers - 23-32 (-2.2 diff, 5 GB) (Preseason - 13.)

The New York Knicks remain the highest rated soap opera in the NBA.  I guess besides wherever Dwight Howard is playing.  The season started with hopes rising due to the brilliant play of Zingis "Kristaps Porzingis" Khan, a rookie from Latvia that came on quicker than many suspected and turned the draft day boos into woo hoos from Knicks fans.  The Knicks are just 5 games back of a playoff spot but last week saw the surprise firing of Derek Fisher after the team dropped 9 of its last 10.  Now with Phil Jackson disciple and 80's nerd icon Kurt Rambis as the interim coach, it will be interesting to see how the Knicks do post All Star Break.  Although the rumors of trading Carmelo seem far-fetched, there are whispers that the Knicks may move players before the trade deadline.  Update:  The Knicks made no trades but are giving former BYU shooter Jimmer Fredette a shot.

11. Orlando Magic - 23-29 (-1.4 diff, 3.5 GB) (Preseason - 12.) 

Orlando has not made the jump that some expected this year but it is still a bit soon to be thinking of making major shake-ups to the roster at this time.  This team needs to be patient and let their players develop as they will.  Even if they miss the playoffs this year, they are headed in the right direction.  Aaron Gordon's spectacular Slam Dunk Contest performance probably buys the fan capital they need to survive this year's disappointment.  Update:  The Magic did indeed trade Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.

10. Washington Basketball Team - 23-28 (-2.7 diff, 3 GB) (Preseason - 4.) 

The Wizards are surprisingly on the outside of the playoff race looking in.  They're only 3 games back though and Bradley Beal is rounding into form after returning from a leg injury (his 4th tibia related issue in his 4th season) and John Wall (20.0 ppg, 9.9 apg) is close to becoming just the 4th player since 1990 (9th overall) to average 20 ppg and 10 apg in one season.  He'd be the first player besides Chris Paul to do so since 1991.  Impressive feat.  Update:  The W's gave up a 1st round pick (top 9 protected) to get a proven player who has caused locker room issues since his twin brother was traded in the off-season.  Let the Markieff Morris era begin.

9. Detroit Pistons - 27-27 (+1.3 diff, 1/2 GB) (Preseason - 14.)

That twin brother, Marcus Morris, was traded to the Detroit Pistons who are still rebuilding but have surprised many by making a strong case for the playoffs.   Andre Drummond is a physical force and leads the league in double-doubles this year.  Reggie Jackson was probably not going to fit in OKC but he has really shown up in Detroit, leading the team in points and assists while relegating Brandon Jennings (coming off of a torn achilles) to backup duties.  Stan Van Gundy is proving himself an effective general manager as well.  Update:  Detroit traded Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova to budding Magic star Tobias Harris in a move making Detroit's one of the more enviable rosters in the conference.

8. Charlotte Hornets - 27-27 (+1.1 diff, -11.5 GB of 1st Seed) (Preseason - 11.) 

The Charlotte Jordans are hanging on precariously to the 8th seed.  Important because the playoffs were a stated goal for this team in the preseason.  Charlotte's just not very exciting.  They have some good talent and I think a good coach, but they really need a superstar.  Kemba isn't a Number 1 guy on a title team.  Update:  After rumors they were involved in a Dwight Howard trade, the Hornets made one much more under the radar by sending P.J. Hairston to the Grizzlies for Courtney Lee.  

7. Chicago Bulls - 27-25 (-.7 diff, 11 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 2.)

Oh the Bulls.  My, what Chicago fans must think of the mess their franchise is in.  They fired a winning coach in Tom Thibodeau and replacement Fred Hoiberg is not cutting it.  Locker room issues have plagued the Bulls since reports first came out in December.  They were favorites to challenge the Cavs for the East but they'll need to show great improvement if they want to win even round 1 of the playoffs. 

6. Indiana Pacers - 28-25 (+2.2 diff, 10.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 8.) 

The Pacers have one of the better head coaches in the NBA and the Paul George at power forward experiment has worked in part because George isn't really playing the 4 spot.  It's described as something like "positionless" basketball and as teams adapt to changing trends, you will see that more.  These positions are for the casual fan anyway.  George still doesn't seem completely sold but he will do what is asked of him.  The Pacers are still a player or two away although rookie big man Myles Turner is intriguing.  

5. Miami Heat - 29-24 (-.3 diff, 9.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 3.) 

The Heat have been fine this year but they are currently dealing with pretty serious issues.  One year after being hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs, Miami superstar Chris Bosh reportedly may have a blood clot in his leg.  Health comes before just about everything so we wish that crazy dinosaur gets well soon.   Update:  The Heat sent the Birdman, Chris Anderson, to Memphis and got Brian Roberts back in a 3 team trade involving the Baltimore Orioles.  Oh wait, wrong Brian Roberts.  

4. Atlanta Hawks - 31-24 (+2.7 diff, 8.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 6.) 

The Hawks are right where they probably belong but there was a lot of talk around the trade deadline that they were just going to start over.  Al Horford, one of the bigger free agents of 2016, was rumored to be on the trading block along with Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver.  That's the way of the NBA these days when you're best player is about to be a free agent.  Update:  The ATL traded Shelvin Mack and Justin Holliday for Kirk Hinrich and saved a little bit of money.

3. Boston Celtics - 32-23 (+4.2 diff, 7.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 9.) 

Boston has come on strong as of late to find themselves surprisingly leading the big pack behind Cleveland and Toronto in the East.   Credit must go to former Butler wunderkind coach Brad Stevens and a group of young players, lacking a star, but complementing each other really well.  With draft picks (including Brooklyn's unprotected 1st in '16), and salary cap space, the Celtics could really change their fortunes in the coming years if they pick up a superstar or two.

 2. Toronto Raptors - 35-17 (+4.4 diff, 3 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 5.)

With the emergence of All Star DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors have shot up to the number 2 spot in the East behind mighty Cleveland.  It is yet to be seen if they can seriously contend with Cleveland, but Dwane Casey has cemented himself as a legitimate NBA head coach.  

1. Cleveland Cavaliers - 38-14 (+5.9 diff, -) (Preseason - 1.) 

I wrote about the Cavs big shake-up here and Tyronn Lue is doing fine albeit with a few bumps on the road.  It was fun to imagine Carmelo Anthony replacing Kevin Love in Cleveland but that was always a case of the media making much ado about nothing.  Kevin Love has been frustratingly inconsistent this year, but he's a big man that can rebound and shoot, an important weapon against the Warriors and Spurs of the world.  The Cavs can use bench depth and some shooters so they may make some lesser trades.  

Update:  Cavs traded fan favorite and Mr. Hero spokesman Anderson "Sideshow Bob" Varejao to Portland in a 3 team trade netting them Channing Frye.  Although Varejao can give quality minutes as a role-playing big man, this saves some money and nets them a 6'11 guy that can shoot outside and apparently plays solid defense.  It may be concerning that after Portland waived Varejao that both the Warriors and Spurs both made strong plays to sign him but there is evidence that the Frye pick-up may make a difference for the Cavaliers.  

Western Conference

15. Los Angeles Lakers:  11-44 (-9.6 diff, 16.5 GB 8th Seed) (Preseason - 11.)

The major story line for the Lakers this year has been Kobe's final season.  After that it has been a discussion of whether or not the Lakers are purposefully tanking and is Byron Scott destroying D'Angelo Russell's development.  Good news for Lakers fans on both those fronts.  Although a beloved member of the 80's Showtime Lakers, Byron Scott's coaching prowess leaves much to be desired which has helped the Lakers into the number 2 position for franchise savior Ben Simmons of LSU by way of Australia.  And just yesterday, Scott announced that D'Angelo Russell will start the rest of the season after saying the same for 2014 1st round pick Julius Randle of Kentucky.  

14. Phoenix Suns:  14-40 (-6.3 diff, 13 GB) (Preseason - 13.)

Jeff Hornacek, who was once traded away from Phoenix in the deal that brought Sir Charles to town, was fired earlier this month.  Not sure why the Suns had much hope with this roster but after a 2-19 run, Hornacek was out and former UCLA guard Earl Watson took the interim title.  To be frank, the Suns' front office seems to have no idea what they're doing or which way they're headed.  Update:  They did trade the unhappy Markieff Morris.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves:  17-37 (-3.6 diff, 10 GB) (Preseason - 9.)

The T-Wolves have been a bit of a disappointment but their future is bright with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.  Kevin Garnett has 1 more year left on his contract and it should be fun to see him do a Kobe type farewell next year but on a team that should be contending for the playoffs.  Minnesota has some strong young talent including the ever improving Zach LaVine, the back to back slam dunk champ.  

12. New Orleans Pelicans:  20-33 (-3.0 diff, 6.5 GB) (Preseason - 7.)

The Pels have probably been a bigger disappointment than Minnesota.  After barely making the playoffs last year, New Orleans has faltered this year under new head coach Alvin Gentry.  Injuries have played a part but perhaps the pressure got to the players.  The next big thing, Anthony Davis, is having another great year, but hasn't gotten his team to take the next step.  He is only 22 though.  Update:  Anthony Davis became the 3rd player in 50 years, joining Wilt and Shaq, to score at least 50 points and grab at least 20 rebounds in game with 59 & 20 last night in a victory.  Perhaps there is still hope this year.

11. Denver Nuggets:  22-32 (-2.9 diff, 5 GB) (Preseason - 15.)

The Nuggets have done a little better than I expected which may be a testament to new coach Mike Malone, who was confusingly let go by Sacramento early in the 2014 season.  They may have the coach in place but it will take a couple years to see if they can really make some noise barring free agency developments. Update:  The Nuggets traded backup guard Randy Foye to Oklahoma City.  Foye learned of the trade through the NBA app!

10. Sacramento Kings: 22-31 (-2.0 diff, 4.5 GB) (Preseason - 10.)

This is what I said in my Season Preview:  "This could be the biggest dumpster fire in NBA history or George Karl might somehow have this team contending for the 8th spot."  Can it be that both are coming true?    The behind the scenes turmoil has not been scant as multiple times there have been reports that George Karl is going to be fired only for the team to announce on February 9th that he will stay on.  This was pretty much at the same time that it was reported that the team's minority owners are trying to wrest control away from majority owner, Vivek Ranadive.  Long live the Kings!

9. Houston Rockets:  27-28 (-1.8 diff, .5 GB) (Preseason - 6.)

The Rockets are out of the playoff seeding right now and perhaps their woes started after the unexpected firing of Coach Lurch McHale early in the season.  Their season is pretty well summed up with recent reports that Dwight Howard and James Harden maneuvered to get each other traded.  That happened after the end of the 2014 season but wouldn't you know it, Howard was allegedly on the trading block in recent weeks.  Houston, we have a problem. Update:  The Rockets tried to trade Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton to Detroit for Joel Anthony and a 1st round pick but it may be voided due to a back injury.

8. Utah Jazz:  26-26 (+1.4 diff, 22 GB 1st Seed) (Preseason - 8.)

The Jazz improvised after losing Dante Exum for what was to be a very important development year for the former # 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft.  Rodney Hood, the former Duke product, has emerged in his 2nd year and Utah is fighting for the playoffs. Update:  Utah traded a 2nd round pick for Shelvin Mack who may overtake Trey Burke for the backup point guard spot.  Mack was a college teammate of the Jazz' leading scorer, Gordon Hayward.  

7. Portland Trail Blazers:  27-27 (+.6 diff, 22 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 14.)

Dame Lillard is deserving of all the endorsements and praise and respect for his rap songs.  After being snubbed for the All Star Game, Lillard may really take it up a level.  He and CJ McCollum have brought the Blazers mostly back from the large hole LaMarcus Alrdridge left them in. Update:  The Blazers traded a future 2nd round pick to get Anderson Varejao and a conditional 1st round pick pretty much just to reach the minimum salary cap threshold.  Also on Friday, Damian Lillard scored a career high 51 points to lead Portland over Golden State, 137-105, handing the Warriors their worst loss of the season by far.   

6. Dallas Mavericks:  29-26 (-.9 diff, 20.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 12.)

The Mavs are doing better than I projected and a lot of that credit should probably go to Rick Carlisle, their coach.  No one really jumps out on their roster in terms of having a career year.  Zaza Pachulia was almost voted into the All Star game, helped by his home country of Georgia and a vine star and Dirk became the 6th player in NBA history to reach 29,000 points this past weekend.  Those will be the highlights for Dallas this year.

5. Memphis Grizzlies:  31-22 (-.9 diff, 17.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 5.)

With Marc Gasol out indefinitely due to a broken foot, Memphis is down in the dumps.  Fear not fans of ludicrous characters.  After making some trades last week, Memphis' roster now boasts Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Matt Barnes, Chris Anderson, and Lance Stephenson.  Here's a link to how Twitter reacted.  My favorite is the suggestion that these Grizz give up hoops and just form a horrorcore rap group.  Update:  Memphis traded Jeff Green for Lance Stephenson and a 1st round draft pick and got Chris Anderson in the Courtney Lee trade.  

4. Los Angeles Clippers:  35-18 (+3.9 diff, 13.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 3.)

It all came to a head for the Clippers on January 25th, when Blake Griffin fractured his punching hand after hitting his friend and team employee.  Griffin was to be out 4-6 weeks seriously hurting L.A's positioning in the playoff race during that time.  Rumors flew of Griffin being traded although as usual, nothing came of it.  L.A. still has talent but inconsistency has plagued them this year.  Update: L.A. traded Lance Stephenson for Jeff Green in a move that many have panned but gives the Clips someone to pick up those all important Blake Griffin minutes.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder:  40-14 (+8.2 diff, 9 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 4.)

Oklahoma City is what happens when an Unstoppable Force and an Immovable Object are teammates.  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will go down in history as one of the greatest teammate duos of all time.  That they may never win a title together, is the story no one wants to write.  The Thunder have solidified themselves as the Next Team in the West after Golden State and San Antone and many back them as the biggest threat to beating the Warriors in the playoffs.  Everything depends on how great these 2 can be. Update:  The Thunder acquired solid guard Randy Foye in a trade with Denver.  The Thunder were beaten effectively by a Cleveland team missing Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, and Moe Williams Sunday afternoon, 115-92.

2. San Antonio Spurs:  45-8 (+13.3 diff, 3.5 GB of 1st) (Preseason - 2.)

There are 2 teams that are head and shoulders above everyone else this year.  The shoulders are the Spurs.  They've lost a couple more games than Golden State but they have a +13.3 point differential.  The all time NBA record is 12.28 (1971-72 Lakers) so if the pace holds, this team will be very special.  Even though they were blown out at Golden State by 30 points, the Spurs have 3 more attempts to see how they fare head to head against the Warriors.  Perfect for Gregg Popovich to rest his starters and play head games.    

1. Golden State Warriors:  48-4 (+12.5 diff, -) (Preseason - 1.)

The head is the Golden State Warriors who are playing better than even last year's historical rate.  A perfect mix of solid moves in free agency and the draft along with the perfect timing of strong development has the Dubs in the most enviable position in the league. There's really not much to go into besides pointing out that this team started 24-0 under Luke Friggin' Walton (39-4 overall under Bill's kid).  Over the next 2 months, as the playoff seeds take shape and the "real" NBA season starts, expect excitement and egos as we see who can dethrone the Warriors in the West and if the Cavs are good enough to defeat the team that comes out.

Make America Grateful Again

By Pencilstorm contributor Wal Ozello

The fear mongering has gone too far. If you listen to enough 24 hour news cycle you’d think the U.S. is headed for hell in a hand basket. (I’m not sure why a hand basket would make the trip to hell worse. Note to self: topic for future blog.)

My point is that things here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. aren't all that bad. In fact, compared to most countries we’re better off… waaaay better off.

The other day, I was watching CNN and saw some pictures of Syria. It looks like this right now:

http://www.abbaskadhim.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/damaged-buildings-syrian-civil-war1.jpg

Still feel like the U.S. is trapped in a swirling tornado of doom and gloom? Consider the data below then SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS. Seriously, we should all be grateful that we were born in the U.S., that one of our ancestors moved here, or for some readers, had the chance to move here themselves.

Here are a few facts:

Forbes ranked U.S. #1 for highest individual wealth in the world at $48,734 billion. Next up? China at $17,254 billion. That’s a different of 30,000 billion dollars. They have a lot of catching up to do.[i]

UNICEF estimates 6.3 million Cambodians do not have access to safe water and basic sanitation. Globally, 1/3 of all schools lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation.[ii]

There has been only 1 American who has died from Ebola in the U.S. while 11,301 Africans have died there.[iii]

The average price for a gallon of gas in Italy is $5.94 (U.S.). [iv]

A recent global assessment of Higher Education ranks the U.S. as #1. The U.K. is ranked 8th. Norway is 12th. France is 17th. [v]

On average, every 5.87 live births out of 1,000 result in death in the U.S. (That’s commonly called the infant mortality rate.) In China it’s every 12.44 out of 1,000. In Afghanistan, it’s 115.08. In other words, 11.5% of all live births in Afghanistan result in death.[vi]

We're in the air much more than any other country in the world by far. The U.S. was ranked #1 with 9,553,214 airplane departures in 2014. Brazil ranked #3 with only 937,437. [vii]

Unemployment in the U.S.: 6.2%. Ireland: 11.6%.  Greece: 26.3%.[viii]

Need some breakfast? The cost of a dozen eggs in the U.S. averages at $2.29. Belgium is $4.09 and in the Outback it's $4.80. That's Australian for expensive. [ix]

That's just the tip of the iceberg on how better off we are. When all is said and done, we are a great nation and we all should be grateful.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

The Pencilstorm Interview: Casey and Jesse Cooper of The Receiver

The Receiver are made up of brothers Casey and Jesse Cooper. Their latest record All Burn is out on kscope music and getting rave reviews. The boys are heading out on a grueling tour to take their music to the streets and were kind enough to answer a few of my questions before hitting the road. You can find all their music, tour dates and videos by visiting Thereceivermusic.com  Do yourself a favor and check it out. - Colin G.

CG) Your tour starts February 17 in Thomas,WV and you play 18 consecutive nights and 31 shows in 32 days. That is a crazy schedule, so I have to ask some band questions to start. What do you guys travel in? Is it reliable?

J: Ha, well, we hope so! It’s a 1999 Ford E-150 van. It’s beat-up but beautiful. I’d like to think it’s been sitting pretty, just waiting to shine in this moment. I guess time will tell. We’re trying to prep it as much as possible. The last thing we want is to be broken down in the middle of winter.

C:  The most important thing is that it’s comfortable, and boy can I sleep in it.

CG) Where do you guys stay when you are on the road?

J: This is a TBD situation after every show. We’re really hoping each night someone will want to host a couple of dirt heads in a band at their home. We do have a plan ‘B’ of sleeping in the van.

C:  I have no problem sleeping in the van.

CG) Who decides what you listen to when traveling?

J: We’re pretty good with taking turns with the stereo but the moment Casey passes out, it’s fair game.

C:  I’m really picky when I’m awake.


CG) Who decides where you eat?

J: Budget is going to decide on this tour. We’re really trying stretch our dollars on this outing since it’s a long one. We will be completely open to gift cards, grocery store samples, and road- kill this time around.

C:  I’m saving the fast food for special occasions and congratulatory meals.  Otherwise, I’m sticking to grocery bought items.  Sometimes those double arches are hard to resist, though. 

CG) Do you bring anybody to help on the road?

J: We’ve taken a couple of friends to help out here and there but this tour is looking like it’ll be just the two of us. We wouldn’t want to put anyone else through something like this with little or no pay.

C:  It would be great to take someone to help, but it’s cheaper to travel as light as possible.  Plus all the deals we’ve made for the clubs and lodging have only included us two...and we don’t want to mess that up.

CG) I was watching your performance on the Mug & Brush sessions, is that the gear you tour with or was that just for the show?

C:  That was a stripped-down performance, and a lot of fun.  Although we will be playing some shows just like that, we tour with quite a bit more.  Jesse will be using his full drum kit, as well as the sampler.  I’ll be bringing a bass head/amp & guitar, pedalboard, three synths, and my keyboard amp to use only when necessary.  Plus we have a road case with DI’s, in-ear’s, a small mixer, and cables galore.  It’s my goal to make being a two-man band as inconvenient as possible.

- Let's take a quick break and check out a performance from the Mug & Brush Sessions

All Burn - the group's debut on Kscope is OUT NOW CD: bit.ly/1Na1X4e Vinyl: bit.ly/1Lk2mmB Download: smarturl.it/TR_AllBurn_Download Stream: bit.ly/1TNcyXg www.kscopemusic.com/rec Comprised of brothers Casey (vocals, synths/keyboards, bass) and Jesse Cooper (drums & vocals), the siblings call All Burn their "best material to date which focuses on a dreamier aesthetic than our earlier work."

CG) Ok, switching gears, Obviously, both of you guys have some serious musical gifts. What's going on in the Cooper family? Where did it come from?

C:  Well, thank you for that.  For me, it isn’t so much about having any gifts as it is about being too stubborn to give up.  Plus, I’m not more interested in or better at anything else, so my choices are slim.  But our mom started us on piano very young, which always sets a nice foundation for anyone.  Then I continued to be a band nerd all the way through high school and college.  But now I have long hair which makes it cooler.  Jesse was always in some pretty awesome bands, and I couldn’t help but follow his lead and play in bands myself.

J: I’ve always just been a huge fan of music and bands as far back as I can remember. Like Casey mentioned, our mother pushed us to learn piano at a very young age. Casey actually stuck with schooling in music, while I drifted more heavily towards playing in bands and relying on my ear to get me through.  

CG) Where did you guys grow up? Did you start playing together at a young age?

C:  We lived in the Sharon Woods area of Columbus originally, then Mt. Vernon for a couple years.  I ended up with our mom in Hilliard through high school, and Jesse ended up with our dad at DeSales.  We’d play my parties in high school when my mom was on business trips and Jesse was way older than everyone else, which was sweet.  A lot of that was jams that went nowhere, but we thought it was cool.  Plenty of E and A.

CG) Can you remember your first public gig together?

C:  I joined Jesse’s band, Lucid’s Dream, for a couple different songs at South Heidelberg on keys and trumpet.  But I’ll never forget our first “real” show because I was scared to death.  Jesse’s band had a gig coming up and their bass player had just quit to go to some music festival for the weekend.  So I was asked to fill in, and I really thought I hit the bigtime.  I was 18.  We had a couple rehearsals, and then the show at Little Brother’s.  I remember forgetting the chord progression in the last song, and the guitarist had to shout them to me on stage.  And there was a dude sitting in a chair in the middle of that huge room with nobody around him, reviewing us with pen and paper in hand.


CG) Many brother combos in music are notorious for being combative such as the Davies or Galleghers. Do you guys ever feel like beating the shit out of each other?

C:  It never really escalates to anything like that for us.  Sure we get on each others’ nerves, but we’ve been playing together and living together for so long that it’s sort of just white noise at this point.  We sure do love to argue about things that really don’t matter, though.

J: Yeah, any arguments usually blow over within minutes. As Kansas would say, “Everything is dust in the wind.”

CG) How do you feel like All Burn differs from your previous work?

C:  I think it’s our most complete album yet.  A lot of our older material sounds a bit young now when I go back to it.  So it’s paying off to get old I guess.  But we had a clearer idea of what we wanted for this album than any other.  The songs feel more complete, the fat is trimmed a little more, and the album as a whole moves more willfully than the others.  And we wanted everything to be dreamier and loftier than anything else we’ve done.  So that was a common thread we stuck to throughout the entire album.

J: I’ve never been so excited about anything we’ve done. Every song on All Burn captures a mood and is distinctly its own yet is a just a piece of the big picture. I’m a huge fan of the classic album format and I feel we finally got it right on this one.

CG) Which songs are your favorite to play live?

C:  I’m really enjoying a lot of the newer material right now.  The aggressive tunes like “To Battle An Island,” “Collector,” and “The Summit” are great for gritty bass and loud drums.  But others, like “All Burn” and “Dark Matter” are refreshingly laid-back but not at all boring for me.  I’m sure we’ll be sick of everything by the time this tour wraps up though.

-- Let's take a break and check out your latest video for the song "Transit"

CD: http://bit.ly/1Na1X4e Vinyl: http://bit.ly/1Lk2mmB Download: http://smarturl.it/TR_AllBurn_Download Stream: http://bit.ly/1TNcyXg - Director: Youssef Nassar - www.youssefnassar.com - Cinematographer: Youssef Nassar - Production Designer: Fares sokhon - Editors: Youssef Nassar - Fares Sokhon - Colorist: Jad Beyrouthy - Compositing and Retouching: Nadim Khairallah - Post Production at Pandora - Make up artist: Maria Cheble - Cast: Anna Cheble - Nadim Khairallah Comprised of brothers Casey (vocals, synths/keyboards, bass) and Jesse Cooper (drums & vocals), the siblings call All Burn their "best material to date which focuses on a dreamier aesthetic than our earlier work."


CG) You guys have made some great videos. How did the latest for Transit and working with director Youssef Nassar come about?

C:  We met Youssef Nassar through our label, Kscope.  He had recently shot a video for Steven Wilson, and it was Kscope’s idea to bring him in on “Transit.”  We were open to anything.  So we gave him the green light to conceptualize and shoot whatever he wanted.  It was a little scary not knowing at all what is going on, but the end product turned out much better than we expected.  And it’s a lot of fun giving someone free reign to reinterpret your music through a different medium like video.  We have a newer video coming out very soon for “To Battle An Island,” shot and directed by our friend Matthew Smith.  And the same idea applies here.  He had a concept, and we let him run with it.

CG) How has signing with KSCOPE records changed things for the band? 

C:  It’s great to finally be part of a team and a roster with Kscope.  And the label has such a loyal fan-base, so it’s helped us a lot to be exposed to their fans.  They’ve helped a lot with merch and promotion.  We’re always in a tricky spot though.  In some ways, we’re not quite “proggy” enough for a lot of their fans, and we’re not poppy enough for people who don’t care at all about prog.  I guess it’s not a bad problem to have.  But we’re fighting the good fight every day.  And there’s nothing more to do than get busy touring and writing the next album.

Thanks again to Casey and Jessie and don't forget to check it all out at thereceivermusic.com 

THE RECEIVER DEBUTS "TO BATTLE AN ISLAND" MUSIC VIDEO, ANNOUNCES COLOSSAL U.S. HEADLINING TOUR CD: http://bit.ly/1Na1X4e Vinyl: http://bit.ly/1Lk2mmB Download: http://smarturl.it/TR_AllBurn_Download Stream: http://bit.ly/1TNcyXg COLUMBUS, Ohio - Midwest symphonic dream-prog duo, The Receiver, has launched a new music video for the track "To Battle an Island," taken from its recently released full-length, All Burn, out now on Kscope.

 

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm in the downtime at Colin's Coffee. He also plays in the band Watershed. His latest solo record is Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel.