Tuesday 26 June 2007

In The Backyard Of The Record Collection (4): Avail - "Over The James"

I neglected this record for a way too long time. The were nomerous occansions when I listened to this gem over and over again. And after listening to it I really felt better. It's one of those records that really lift you up to the next level and give you strength and hope. AVAIL were one of those bands who managed to capture the intensity of everything hardcore and punkrock mean to me.


"Over The James" (1998, Lookout) wasn't the first record I bought by them, in fact I got "4AM Friday" (1996, Lookout) first. I fell in love with the wild mixture of power and melodies instantly. This wasn't as nearly as chaotic as some hardcore bands but it wasn't as boring as some punkrock records. It had the energy of a live show in a small room during a hot summer's day when everybody in the venue is moving around and there's the stench of sweat and beer everywhere.
So when I got myself a copy of "Over The James" I thought it couldn't get any better. But it did. And to top if off the live show at the "Sojus" in Monheim was one of the best I've ever been to. Pascal, Dimi and me were bouncing around in the front rows singing along to every song while the band was giving their all on stage. I guess in the end it's those memories that keep you coming back for more. Although I rarely experienced something like this again later.

"S.R.O." was one of the songs that stayed in my ear for most of the time. Great lyrics as well.

"What difference does it really make When your head's at the foot of the bed? Close the lid tight remain out of sight Easy escape numb the senses
Everyone around is such an expert On who is who and what they do I could give a fuck about small talk Discussions in fact I'd rather be alone And do without companionship for now Block out and walk out unseen Keep far away thean come clean
I thought I heard someone say That if the bottle falls but doesn't break Feel blessed it all stayed inside Unopen beats spilling
Bored to death with hearing second hand Who's grown roots who's on teh move Can't seem to avoid small talk discussions Is it safe to be unknown? Who's in, what's out, can't keep up Keep up, look good, be seen Label a trend with no meaning"


Do yourselves a favour, get the record.

On a side note, I completely lost track of what the band was doing after that show in 1998. They put out two more records on Fat Wreck and their singer tried some solo stuff, I heard. But I never got to the point where I wanted to buy one of their later records. Why, I wonder...

Here's one track off "Over The James" that can be found on their website. Enjoy.

Avail - August

The usual off-season rant against that damn team from the south

FC Bayern Munich is the team you love to hate. They are Germany's hold the record for the most championships in football, I believe they are record-winning cup champions as well, they have the most money, they (at least most of the time) have the best players. And what is most important, they win their matches. And for a long time they won almost each and every one of those games by a very small margin. Something that led people to speak about the so called "Bayern-Dusel" (roughly translated as "Bayern's luck"). And, surprisingly they have to most "fans" in German football. People like me refer to those kinds of supporters as arrogant and not really in it for the beauty of the game. Those people simply like the most successful team. If they lived in Italy, they'd cheer for Juventus. France? Lyon. Spain? Most certainly Real Madrid, because Barcelona is too political. To cut a long story short, Bayern Munich supporters are the most ignorant, stupid and uncool bunch there is.

Another thing this club always does is buy players. And by saying that I mean buying players who played well over the past season, maybe even for a close rival in the race for the title. Bayern almost bought the whole of Karlsruher SC when they were performing well in the 90s. They bought Leverkusen's Ballack and Lucio in 2002, they bought Bremen defender Ismael in 2005, they then bought Hamburg defender van Buyten in 2006. All players having played really well in the previsous season.


So now they have gone after Miroslav Klose, Germany's top striker for the past five years. There had been a huge row over that particular transfer and it seemed only to be a matter of time until Klose announced that he moves to Munich.
Now it has been rumoured that Klose is unhappy in Bremen and he played horrible in the 2nd half of the season. Still I can't understand why people take the step and move to Bayern. Yes, they want to win championships, but Klose has proven that he can do that with Bremen (2004) as well. Why not go to a foreign country. Try your luck in England. That's what I call a challenge.

The season seems to be over before it even has begun. Bayern spent a total of € 57 Mio (Klose's transfer excluded because there was no sum mentioned, people talk about € 12 Mio) on top players as Toni and Ribery and they look like the next champion now. On the other hand it might be even more interesting to watch them fall. They lost so often over the course of the past season that it somehow lost its meaning when they lose. So maybe we can celebrate a loss by Bayern a lot more in the coming months

Monday 25 June 2007

Where have all the soldiers gone? Watching baseball...

What is always very strange at American sports events is the constant mentioning of the armed forces serving their time in foreign countries. Just this weekend while watching St Louis play against Philadelphia or The Red Sox vs the Padres there was always at least one soldier in the picture at some point of the game. In St Louis it was a veteran who proposed to his girlfriend before the match and was interviewed at some point during the game. Of course he has all the right to be a happy man, but when asked if he liked his stay in Iraq he replied that it was agreat time and that he would to it again without a second thought. The commentators were thrilled and grateful and thanked every soldier who was or is serving his or her country in some other place across the globe. I mean, how naive can one be. Serving the country and defending the freedom. Sounds a lot like the usual propaganda. Maybe it was like that because the game was shown on Fox Sports Network. Who knows...

The same picture in San Diego where what looked like a complete batallion was greeted by the audience before the game. Here the commentators were a lot more laid back although they also tried to praise the efforts of the soldiers fighting for freedom, blah blah blah.

Baseball seems to be a very conservative game and just like the NASCAR dads the baseball audience might be a force to be reckoned wwith when it comes to political decisions. Perhaps it's just me who is a caught off guard a little bit. But to me it would look strange that, when watching a football match on TV, the commercials would say "This programme is brought to you by the Bundeswehr", just as it is done with the marines at baseball coverage.

Wednesday 20 June 2007

The future of European football on display

The European Championship for players under 21 are taking place in the Netherlands right now and the semifinals were up today. The German ream lost to England in the playoff matches although they looked pretty confident after the group stage. But they only managed a draw away and then lost to England at home.

No I always like to watch under 21 games because it gives you a glimpse of the future of football. There are so many players who made an impact when they played youth games. And although it is true that there are some of them who already play for the big teams there are still some players that surprise you. As for the German team almost half of that class now plays on a senior level, the best known players being Podolski and Schweinsteiger. So with so many good players missing one might say that it is no surprise they didn't make it.

Anyway, the semis took place today and England faced the hosts, the Netherlands. Oh boy, what a thriller. Both teams were tied at 1-1 with England leading off in the frist half and the Netherlands equalising just before the final whistle. The extra time produced no score and so the match went into a penalty shoot out. Now, the senoir teams of both sides didn't always do best when it comes to shoot from 11 metres. Germans love to remember England losing to them twice in big games on penalties (1990 World Cup semis, 1996 Euro semis). In fact I don't even know if England ever won a penalty shoot out. I wouldn't be too surprised if the hadn't. The Netherlands weren't too lucky as well. So with that I mind I kept on watching and I saw both teams score and score and score and score. The damn thing ended at 13-12 for the Netherlands with some guys missing the target but most of them scoring. Should give them some hope for the future.


The Netherlands advanced to the final and will face Serbia. Now, I seem to have some sort of prejudice towards teams from southern Europe. They all play the same style of footbnall. They are all wonderful plays with excellent skill and brilliant technique. But when it comes to fair play the totally lose it. And especially the teams from the balcan region are way out of it. There was one scene when a Serbian player went through the Belgium defense with two options: pass the ball or shoot it on the goal. He aimed for the latter and missed. Instead of going after the lost ball he decided to take a dive. The Belgians didn't bother and played on. This is so lame and it's so typical of balcan sides. Another scene was a hand play by a Serbian defender. I just hate the way they play.
And they get way too emotional. When they faced England in the group they were almost starting a brawl on the pitch.

So, for the beauty of the game I surely hope that the Netherlands will win the competition. Although because of the huge rivalry between germany and the Netherlands I know some people will hate me for that wish...

Sunday 17 June 2007

Edelweisspiratenfestival

Today there was an "Edelweisspiratenfestival" taking place just across the street where I grew up. The park is called "Friedenspark" and at its outside stretches there is a huge memorial for the fallen soldiers of the World War I. The whole building used to be a fortress during the times of the German Empire back at the turn of the century (1900). Today it houses a center for children where they can play and build their own wooden fortress.


So today there was this festival to honour some resitance fighters from the Third Reich. Back then some young people from Cologne formed groups calling themselves "Edelweisspiraten" or "Navajos". They originally emerged from the "Bündische Jugend", some form of boy scouts during the Weimar Republic. Those kids roamed the country hiking and singing (to put it simple). When the Nazis took power the Hitler Jugend was the only youth organization allowed and all other groups were closed down. But those young people from Cologne didn't want to join the Hitler Jugend and decided to set up their own stuff which was pretty dangerous back then. They were harrassed by the police and the Gestapo and had to meet secretly in the parks of their hometown. Towards the end of World War II some of them even took part in sabotage acts to disrupt the military actions of the defending Wehrmacht. Because of that some of the "Edelweisspiraten" were assassinated just before the end of the war.


As said, to honour those people a festival was set up with lots of stands with food and drinks, a small exhibition from the local documentation centre which covers the history of Cologne during 1933-45 and there were bands playing on five different stages. Everything set up around the war memorial we used to call "Der Adler" (the eagle) because of the statue of a huge eagle that stands on top of the main building. The atmosphere was very lively and peaceful with all kinds of people walking around the place. I bumped into an old friend from school whom I haven't seen in ages as she was taking a walk with her boyfriend. Then there were other friends who were involved in setting the whole thing up. Lots of children running around, lots of older people. You could say it was a real family festivity.
I really enjoyed walking around there during a perfect sunny afternoon, but unfortunately I didn't have time to stay since I promised a friend I would meet her at the train station. But I will be back next year to take a closer and longer look.

Take a look at some pictures from last year:



Saturday 16 June 2007

Take me out to the ballgame

One thing I noticed in my newly found and still ongoing fascination of the sport of baseball is the 7th inning stretch. Although you can read (and obviously also write) articles about this it's something I will never understand. On the other hand I just find this wonderful. As I was watching the Cubs game against the Padres last night I watched an old man, maybe some celebrity nobody knows over, sang the tune of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with the whole ballpark backing him up. This looked a little bit like what is going on before matches in European football stadiums. Everyone knows the infamous "You'll Never Walk Alone" sung at both Anfield and Celtic Park. Then there are the hymns at Estadio Bernabeu and Nou Camp. The fans of 1 FC Cologne also have their own song they sing before every game. In the German region of Baden supporters tend to sing their national anthem "Das Badener Lied". But there is nothing that all fans can relate as there is in American baseball with "Take Me Out To The Ballgame".
I am still not quite sure of what to make of this. I see sports as rivalry where two opponents meet to fight it out. Same goes for the fans. They should yell down each other to intimidate the players and their opposing side of supporters. Maybe it's different in the USA since the distances between the cities in which the teams are located are so huge that there isn't a thing like groundhopping over there. Maybe it's simply too expensive.
Now I imagine that there is a very dedicated following in certain cities, especially the ones that have teams that were in the competition from the very beginning of professional sports. In baseball I would really like to pay a visit to Fenway Park, especially since I found out that they have a very strong following and they also have their own songs they sing during games. Although I wouldn't imagine the fans sounding like Dropkick Murphys when they do "Tessie", the song most people seem to associate with the Red Sox.

Thursday 14 June 2007

In the Backyard Of The Record Collection (3): Water Closet

I can't recall where I stumbled across this little gem. Maybe it was while researching about another great band from Japan, Ellegarden. Anyway, I got some copies of the records of Water Closet and I was blown away with the first few chords. This is a band in the vein of Discount or Cigaretteman (who also shared a split 7", by the way). Female fronted melodic punkrock with the right kind of sloppiness. Not too perfect, yet not too crappy. The right amount of melodies with the right amount of crunchy guitars and (at least) a little out of tune instruments.

I think "Again & Again" (2000, Swept Rec.) was their 2nd release. This record has it all, I think. It starts of with a rather unnecassary intro and blasts of with a song sung by guitarist Asuka, who shares her vocal parts with bassist Shimo. They interact perfectly, wonderful harmonies. What's a little strange at first is the very heavy Japanese accent in their English. Without a lyric sheet you're not even close to guessing what they are trying to say. Then again, the whole music, instruments and vocals, really convey what the band wants to get across. I had the same feeling when listening to Negu Gorriak from Euskadia a few years ago. I wasn't able to understand a single word yet the message came across through the music and the way the singer was singing.
As for the lyrics one shouldn't expect too much intellectualism. It's everyday life stories with a little punk edge thrown in.


They released two more records after this one, "Water Closet Music" (2002, Pizza Of Death Rec.) and a Split CD with Registrators (2004, Pizza Of Death Rec.) and had another Record before "Again & Again" called "Time Is Cool" (1998, Swept Rec.). On that one the band was still a three-piece, guitarist Etsushi joined in 2000.

I was really happy when I found the European pressing of "Again & Again" (2000, Rugger Bugger) in a 2nd hand box at my local record store. Only 2 Euros, now that's what I call a bargain.
Unfortunately there are no mp3s on their website, but for a teaser you might want to try some songs on the Pizza Of Death Website.

The band still seems to be around as there are always new tourdates on their website. Hopefully they make it to Europe or else I have to travel all the way to Japan to see them perform.

Wednesday 13 June 2007

Wild life in the city

I can remember that when I was young there were a lot of animal documentaries on German television and the two main characters were Heinz Sielmann and Bernhard Grzimek. They were the masters of animal documentaries and were awarded a lot of prices yet at the same time there were a lot of impersonations of them in comedy shows. There were always those sentences that "right now we are looking at animal XYZ in its natural environment and this is what it usually does and look at how it is learning to cope with the environment" and so on.

So ... today I am waiting at the train station for the subway to take me home from our rehearsal session. And while I am waiting there a young man goes up and down the platform. He's casually swinging his keys which are on some sort of strap band, whatever. While he is doing this he is obviously very anxious and nervous. At least his walking up and down - which he dind maybe 10-15 times while waiting the 10 minutes for the next train - looked like he was.
Suddenly he notices a garbage can at the bottom of the escalator. He starts kicking it and he notices that it swings. What follows next can be compared to little children who find out that certain actions cause a reaction by the object. Our young fellow was now experimenting with his environment. He started kicking the garbage can numerous times, trying to get a huge swinging effect. Then he starts walking up and down again, returns to the garbage can and starts kicking it again, this time with his heel.

This was very interesting to watch. It really gave me a smile after a long day.

Like a lava stream again: Isis @ Stollwerck, Cologne

Isis again, a band a really have come to like over the past few years. It all started when our guitarist gave me the "Oceanic" record and I was instantly blown away. I saw the band play live on their tour back then when they were at the "Underground" in Cologne. Accompanied by 27 they completely tore the place apart. I wrote in a review that "Isis [were] like a lava stream rolling towards you. You know you have to run away but instead you are staying because of the beauty of what is happening in front of you". That show was a revelation and is still one of the best shows I have seen so far. The highlight was definetely the song "Weight", performed by Isis and the members of 27 with the singer of 27 on vocals. Wonderful stuff.

So they were back again in Cologne yesterday. I missed them the last time they came around two years ago with Jesu and I'm still trying to figure out what I did on that day that made me not go to the show. I just can't remember. That show also took place at the "Stollwerck". The place was once a chocolate factory that was turned into a squat at the beginng of the 1980s. Today all that remains is the name and this one building which is left standing of what once was a huge complex. Still it is a very nice venue for a show with a small park in front of the building where you can just hang back a drink a few beers before the action gets started.


(This is the building. You can't see the park the good though. It's to the left.)

I arrived there way too early just to do exactly that. Hang out and have a drink. And I was quickly joined by a few friends of mine who either happened to just be there or were set to go to the show as well. A lot of fun and by drinking outside we missed the first band, Oxbow, so I can't really say anything about them.
When Isis started I was slightly drunk already and what I heard on stage was just brilliant. The sound was crystal clear and the band was playing a really tight set. great. Still I think I like the show at the "Underground" better. I can't explain why, it just happens to be that way.


After the show me and two friends who didn't want to pay and stayed outside the whole time had a little chat and then got on our way home. It was very refreshing to ride my bike without the very humid weather of the past few days. That really rounded off a nearly perfect evening.

Monday 11 June 2007

There's always a next rehearsal. Or is there?

Since A Modest Proposal got back together at the end of last year we reahearsed a lot more than during the previous two years. We even wrote new songs. And we even have a show we will play. Now that's progress. Our record will be out this summer eventually after three long years and this has given us a boost when it comes to rehearsing. So Batman drove up from Mannheim on Sunday and we played for about three hours with the last 30 minutes being spend on recording a set of songs we wozuld like to perform at our next gig. Boy, that was exhausting. We played like there is no tomorrow. Completetly new territory for us. One song ends, the guitars fade out - bam! Next one. 30 minutes of pure punkrock. That was a lot of fun. And it even sounds okay on the recording, although the vocals were missing since Pascal was a little bit out of breath after two hours of singing.
Now I know that three hours of rehearsing isn't that much, but to us it is and that's why I'm still excited.

In The Backyard Of The Record Collection (2): Uinona

I will always be grateful to a good friend of mine who spent the past two years in Tokyo as an exchange student. he introduced me to a lot of new bands I had never heard of before and without him I had never had the chance to ever catch a glimpse of. One of those numerous (okay, I'm exaggerating, but there really has been a lot of them) bands is Uinona, a two-piece from Japan. Now my Japanese isn't that good but from what it looks like on their homepage the band seems to be a) on a hiatus or b) out of order. Which is rather sad because the records are really great.


First there is the self-titled mini album that was realeased in 2001. Wonderful popmusic with amplified and distorted guitars. Nice tempo for the songs as well. And, and this always hooks me up, this wonderful Japanese accent on the English vocals. The recording sounds a lot like it was homemade with a computer, at least on some songs. Both of the members, Yabe Kanako (vox) and Yoshida Tsuyoshi (vox, guitar, etc) sing on a lot of those songs and this makes it sound really good.


Next up is their first full length album simply entitled "1" (2002). That one totally follows the path the chose for the first release. A little bit better produced yet still very enthusiatic and simply wonderful. The version for the song "Show Me The Way" is different from the one they did for a compilation that was put out in the US called "Minty Fresh Japan Compilation Vol. 3" and in my opinion the one on the album sounds a little better.


Last up is what seems to be the final release of Uinona. A mini album called "One More With Feeling" (2003). Again it features wonderful pop songs with the usual instruments, very catchy. And again all songs have English titled but at the same time most of the lyrics are in Japanese. Something that is very common for Japanese pop music.

All in all I think that the music of Uinona sounds very colourful. When you listen to certain kinds of music you can always compare them to certain colours. And Uinona definetely sounds like very lively and fresh colours. I mean, just look at the covers of their records and you'll get the picture.

These are two links for songs on their website. Enjoy and find out for yourselves.

Uinona - Once In A Moment
Uinona - Show Me The Way

Saturday 9 June 2007

Some things never really change, do they? - The Heartbreak Motel and Bubonix @ Sonic Ballroom

When I was coming back from a very successful and refreshing rehearsal session with my bandmates I found some messages from two friends that there was a show at Cologne's No. 1 punkrock bar Sonic Ballroom and that both of them were planning to go there. So we met up at the club and hung out before the show.


Now, the Ballroom is a very special place in Cologne. When that place started out it was sort of an island in a sea of mainstream disco clubs. Ehrenfeld, that part of Cologne where the Ballroom is located, is known for its many bars and clubs, but most of them, as I said, are playing mainstream stuff or electronic music. There simply wasn't a punkrock bar there. So the Ballroom really came at the right time. Over the past few years they had to overcome some obstacles (e.g. the some city department wanted to close down the bar because it was too loud - still there was noone leaving anywhere near it. Stuff like that, you know). They always came back and today the bar/club has become one of the nicest places in Cologne. They now even have a beer garden and by renovating the inside they now have the chance to let bands play there. And they use this chance rather often. There always is a show happening.

So yesterday it was The Heartbreak Motel and Bubonix. I think I've seen both bands before. I might have come across The Heartbreak Motel when they were still playing under the name of Daylight. They didn't really get my attention yesterday. Too much cliché and standard rock 'n' roll stuff, so I decided to hang back and have another beer.
I think I've seen Bubonix a couple of years ago and I remember them as a rather uninspiring german punk/hardcore outfit. Still one of my friends told me that they had evolved into a brilliant hardcore band. None of that was true. I tried to find some good points in their songwriting, but I always had the feeling that I'd seen the whole thing before. Boring, uninspiring, simply not interesting. So I went to have another beer and after so many pauses during shows I had my fill quite early and left for home on my bike.

Friday 8 June 2007

Oakland 0 Boston 1 - That was close!

Curt Schilling came close to throwing a no-hitter in yesterday's game against The Oakland A's. Unfortunately the stream died right before the ninth inning so I wasn't able to catch the Oakland hit with two out, but the whole match before that was thrilling as well. Now I understand that this is something very special in baseball and I also know that you shouldn't talk about a no-hitter in progress, but I found it rather interesting that both commentators only started talking that a no-no is possible after the 7th or in the 8th inning. Apparently the broadcast of the draft was also interrupted to show the final inning.


I have seen Chien-Ming Wang pitch a nearly perfect game this season, but he blew that one a few innings earlier when he allowed a home run. Yesterday's game had much more drama, I guess that's what Americans like about this sport. What adds to the drama even more is that Schilling seems to have decided the fatal pitch that allowed Oakland a run. Where his catcher Jason Varitek wanted a slider Schilling opted for the over 90 mph fastball. What tragedy.

Still that was one interesting ballgame. The deciding run came in the first inning by a homerun from David Ortiz. After that some fine defensive play was to be seen. Just as in football I guess I have a heart for defensive plays. Both pitchers were throwing very well, the Oakland starter just had bad luck when he gave up the run in the 1st inning already.

Unfortunately I won't be able to watch the series against the Diamondbacks because all matches are scheduled for night games. Well, maybe an inning or two. Damn, I should get more sleep.

I just found a video of some scenes of the "almost no-hitter", take a look be clicking >>>here<<<.

Thursday 7 June 2007

Worth the wait - A nice show in Cologne at last

I just found out via punkstelle.de that Walls Of Jericho will play in Cologne alogside German hardcore outfit Zero Mentality. That show will be in July and what's best, it will be just around the corner from where I live so I can simply walk there. Now that's something I like.


I stumbled across Walls Of Jericho a few years ago when I was trying to pick up a little bit on what had happened in hardcore while I was listening to a lot of college rock emo and their first album "The Bound Feed the Gagged" completely blew me away. Now that was something I hadn't heard in a long time. Raw, aggressive, fast, hard, brutal and tight. Just as it is supposed to be. I was hooked in an instant and was really looking forward to see the band play live only to find out they had been on a hiatus. When they finally came over here with a new drummer and a new record (a record which I didn't like as much as the first one, to my surprise) they were playing anywhere but near to Cologne.

So I kept waiting and waiting and along came their third album "With Devils Amongst Us All" and that one was brilliant again. The only irritating thing was this strange Evanescence-like ballad type-of-song which was completely falling out of the scheme. But, hey, there's a skip button, right? So I'm thrilled to see the band play live since it is also a rather small venue. And I hope a friend of mine is still accompanying Zero Mentality so I might have a chance to talk to him again.

Different ways of acquiring new players

The MLB draft can be seen on mlb.com at the moment and this whole event to me looks so set up. I mean, where's the point in making such a huge fuss about this whole draft thing? I bet most of the organizations knew way before the start of this which player they want to draft for their team. So why have this stupid 5 minute breaks in between the seperate picks? Ah, wait, maybe it's because of the commercial potential with all those commercial breaks. Then again, the commercials are quite funny, hehe.

I always try to compare the American professional sports system to what is going on in Europe and there is just no possibility that there can be something like that over here. All this stuff like All-Star Games and so on. With promotion and relegation the excitement is much bigger in European sports than across the Atlantic Ocean. Although the idea of an All-Star Football Game might be intriguing there is no way you can get a clear distinction between to sides. I mean, there is nothing as a northern and a southern Bundesliga. They do stuff like that in hockey and handball where the German players play against all the foreign players, but in football? No way.


Talking about drafting, there were some serious movements on the European player market in football today. German record title winning side Bayern Munich signed Italian World Cup winning striker Luca Toni and French international Frank Ribery today which wil give them a very strong team for the next season. What is interesting is that Bayern was willing to spend large sums of money (Toni € 11 mio, Ribery € 25 mio) since they were always complaining that sides like Chelsea or Milan were ruining the prices with their policy of spending even more money on rather mediocre players. With those signings Bayern look set to top the German Bundesliga in the next season and I really hate that thought.


On the other hand there are numerous examples when a team bought outstanding players for a high price and they simple failed to deliver. 1.FC Cologne are a club that has a lot of experience on that matter, haha. They always buy players who performed with their previous clubs but mysteriously failed to play well for Cologne. They then get transferred and suddenly they play well again. At the moment 1.FC Cologne, a 2nd division team, are on a shopping spree to secure a promotion spot for next season. We'll see, we'll see....

Oh, another player got picked in the MLB draft and I'm still as clueless as before. Red Sox will play the A's in a few minutes so I might rather switch to that.

Wednesday 6 June 2007

Germany vs Slovakia - It's about time the season is over

So Germany won tonight's qualifying match against Slovakia 2:1 but this one was horrible to look at. I guess this was the definition of what in German is called an "Arbeitssieg". The German team really worked its way to this win. It wasn't nice and decent football but instead rough but earnest. What was different from the times of Vogts, Ribbeck or Völler was that one was able to see the effort the team was trying to put into the match. But while you were able to see that at the same time the German players seemed to be very exhausted. Always a step too late, not as fresh mentally as they were over the past season. To fine plays scored the goals and that was it. When Slovakia equalized Metzelder was overrun by a Slovakian defender just proving that almost all of the German players desperately need a break. The exception from the rule was one of the older players on the pitch. Bernd "Schnix" Schneider, "the while Brazilian", as the German media likes to call him, was all over the place, running, passing, even trying to score after a nice setup by Klose and Kuranyi.

The 2nd half didn't show any real chances for both of the teams. Nothing really happened, believe me. It seemed like the players just wanted to end this as soon as possible.

So, there definately is progress in German national team football. Where once was plain and uninspired passing there now is the will to win the match by any means necessary. Which leaves the German team undefeated in their qualification group. I personally see this match as what it is: The last game in a long season with way too many games. And compared to England vs Estonia or Italy vs Lithuania (which i was watching on other channels when the German match became too boring) didn't seem to be more exciting.

What really was annoying was the commentary on tv. Where English commentators just comment on what is happening ON the pitch, German commentators seem to be more interested in what is happening OUTSIDE the pitch.

Sunday 3 June 2007

In The Backyard Of The Record Collection (1): Swedish Melody Punkrock

It has been quite some time since I endulged into the CD part of my record collection. maybe it's because I like vinyl better, maybe it's because I have enough music on my hard disc or maybe it's even because my CD player is standing on top of my whole equipment so it's rather tough to reach. Doesn't matter. When I was cleaning my apartment today I decided to put in a compilation CD I purchased at some time in the mid 90s. "Epitone Vol. 1" is its name and it contains some Swedish melodic punk bands. Back then there was a huge wave of swedish bands emerging onto the scene with Millencolin being the front runners, I guess. I first noticed them while flipping through a catalogue of Lost & Found Records in, I think, 1993. After some time I was so much into that sound that I blindly bought every record that came out on labels such as Burning Heart, Bad Taste or Ampersand.

This compilation features some of those bands, but the band that is still stuck in my mind is One Chord Wonders. I was never ever able to get a record by those guys, but I always liked the song "Summer Is The Time To Be". maybe because of the female background vocals, maybe because of the happy-go-lucky feeling of that song. Who knows. It's still one of my favourites.
The sampler also features two songs by Satanic Surfers with their 2nd singer with whom they also record their "Keep Out" CD EP. Great stuff. Satanic Surfers are a band I still like after all those years and I can still remember when I saw them live for the first time in 1995 in Düsseldorf. They were playing alongside Millencolin and German band Axel Sweat (yeah, a brilliant name...). The Surfers totally rocked the stage and by that time Rodrigo, their drummer, was already doing all of the singing.


So I pulled out their first three records starting out with the first record I bought and that was the aforementioned "Keep Out" EP. I still like that one because of the singer, but I like the "Skate To Hell" EP they record earlier even better. It's rougher than their later releases and suits my taste better, I guess. What a great band that was. So I was very pleased when I got to see Intensity play live in Cologne since they a) featured Rodrigo on Vocals but b) sounded a lot more like the "Skate To Hell" EP. That was a great show at the "Between".

Over the time the sound was getting annoying because there were simply too many bands playing that kind of music. But it's always nice to see and hear that some songs still stand the test of time. And if anyone knows something about One Chord Wonders, drop me a line, wil you? Thanx.

Red Sox 11 Yankees 6: A nice way to end the evening

When it comes to baseball I am a complete newbie. I really don't know why I started watching the matches. Maybe it's because of Matsuzaka Daisuke who transferred to Boston at the end of last year. At that point I was re-watching the japanese dorama series "H2" which mainly deals with the lives of a high school baseball team and their quest to enter the finals of the japanese high school baseball tournament which takes place at Koshien stadium in Osaka each year. Matsuzaka played there as well and left his mark on the scene playing a legendary semifinal over, I think, 17 innings.

So I started to check out games by the Boston Red Sox and somehow I was hooked. I researched a bit and found out that there is a real passion by the fans. Something I never thought to find in any american sport. American sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey or american football appeared only as events before my eyes. The people who went there were customers not fans. Different story with Boston, I guess. Although it's nothing compared with the constant noise a japanese baseball audience makes over the whole game, but I like the atmosphere that comes across when you watch games at Fenway Park on TV.



So last night there was a match against the New York Yankees and the american media hypes that up as "the biggest and fiercest rivalry in world sport". Hm, ever heard of the Old Firm or the Fla-Flu? Ever been to Milano during a derby? Ever been in Dortmund or Schalke? Ever witnessed a handball match between Flensburg and Kiel? Ever seen Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play against each other? Biggest rivalry on earth? Give me a break. Those two teams play more that 15 times against each other during regular season, that's way too much to have a decent rivalry. But then againt that's just my limited european mindset, I guess.

Anyway, so last night the Yankees took on the Red Sox with Boston leading their league by a huge margin. I always thought that baseball was a boring sport but that match yesterday had a lot of entertainment. One player was knocked unconcious, another one was run over, the lead was changing from one team to another and back again and both staring pitchers had to struggle. Boston's ace Curt Schilling is a very interesting figure as he writes his own blog "38 pitches" where he comments on his view of the game. Nice to read.
So, yeah, there were homeruns, injuries, errors. What was lacking was a nice brawl, but you can't have everything, now can ya?



In the end Boston won the whole thing. I like this because I like to compare the Yankees to Bayern Munich, the team I hate most in German football. So I always like to see big teams lose it. Both teams will play again tonight but that's way too late for me. That's the one problem. That I can only watch day games. But then again on weekends there are enough of them. So I will keept track of what Boston and Matsuzaka will be doing in the future and maybe, just maybe, I will get a little bit of the rules of this very complicated game.

Saturday 2 June 2007

Germany vs San Marino - The Show is over. Really?

It gets more and more disgusting to watch games of the German national team. Not because they don't play well. On the contrary, the german team - at the moment - plays some of the most beautiful football in Europe. Still they know when they have to work to score and don't rush things. What a different picture compared to the grey and dull times with coaches like Berti Vogts, Erich Ribbeck or Rudi Völler.

No, what I am talking about is the fans. Those masses attracted to the sport of football because of this huge event last summer we all remember to well. The World Cup.
Now, what happened back then was that suddenly every single person in this country became a football maniac in an instant. Problem is, they have absolutely no knowledge on football whatsoever. they talk like they know everything but behind that facade there is nothing.
Germany won against San Marino today. The score was 6:0. Nothing special there. But the first goal was scored only seconds before half time and you could hear the crowd getting anxious over the entire first half. There were even whistles from the audience when there was a pass that didn't reach its aim.
Of course people have the right to be frustrated when their team isn't playing that well. But I can hardly imagine the people sitting in the stadium suffering with their league team every goddamn saturday. I just can't. And those guys simply don't have the right to get frustrated at a football match. Especially not at an international match.

Why? Because they are not fans. They claim to be fans but they are not. They are there for the event. A mass event to celebrate themselves. If it wasn't football it would be something else, I'm sure. All wearing their jerseys and headbands and scarfs and so on. But they won't ever go to a regular league match. What a different crowd were the English supporters in Cologne when England played Sweden there during the World Cup. Passion, excitement and overwhelming support for theit team. Yeah, they are a bunch of illmannered lads, but , c'mon, that's football. If you want guys with manners go watch cricket or some other gentlemen sport.

I for myself am pretty sure I won't ever set foot into a stadium where the German national team plays. Because of those so called German "fans".

A new home for English football?

I watched the first international match at the New Wembley yesterday when England and Brasil were facing each other. After one U21 match, the F.A. Cup final this was, I suppose, the official opening for the new home ground of the English national team. After Germany beat England in their last game at the old Wembley Stadium 0-1 (by a freekick from Didi Hamann) in 2001 it took six years to complete the whole thing.

But what I think is lacking is this special feeling when you watch a game from Wembley. Of course I've never been to a match there. But is was always very impressive to see the pictures of the crowd streaming towards the twin towers. And then the view on the pitch with the track all around the field ... that was Wembley. It was unique. You could recognise it as soon as you saw the picture.

Nowadays it looks just like any other new stadium. And what's bothering me most is that there is this huge gap behind the goals. It looks like there's almost 10 metres of space from the goal line to the seats. I was always in favour of spectators sitting as close to the pitch as possible. There are some German stadiums were theer is a gap as well (Schalke, Hamburg, Frankfurt, to name but a few), still those gaps look a bit smaller. But then again, that's just me...


The match itself wasn't as thrilling as the names of the contestants might have promised. England went ahead in the 2nd half by a header from Terry after a cross from Beckham who returned to the sqaud after a year of absence. But Brasil equalised in stoppage time by a goal from Diego. it was your typical friendly match up with lots of changes in the teams in the 2nd half, so I guess you can't draw any conlusions from it.


Tonight the Germans play San Marino and the tabloids are all expecting a lot of goals. Let's wait and see...