Last week, Team Saucony wrote me a nice little note, telling me about their web site, www.teamsaucony-originals.com. The site focuses on Saucony’s sponsorship of alternative team sports, the ones “that don’t require cleats, pads or helmets.” That’s totally up my alley. The reason why I got into music in the first place was because I could not for the life of me catch a football or shoot a basket. The first day of little league I got a black eye while they were trying me out as a pitcher. No joke. I just really suck at sports.

But Dodgeball? Four-Square? Holy shit! I am awes-…okay, I’m not great at those either, but I can at least hold my own. {side note: personally, for me, playing sports is like holding my own, you know… But as previously documented, I do like to talk about balls…}

Team Saucony is organizing a summer sports league, focusing on the sports you played during recess.

From Team Saucony:

This summer in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle, Saucony is going to sponsor some select offices to compete against other offices in sports that you may not have played since you were about 12.

Dodgeball? Kickball? Four Square? FOR REAL!

We’ll provide the equipment, uniforms and, of course, some sweet Saucony Jazz Originals. Win or lose, we’ll hook everyone up with plenty of free suds at the local watering hole (clarification: water = booze, hole = your mouth), where you can re-live your sporting glory, or drown those memories of athletic incompetence.

San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Chicago: the only 4 cities that matter. EAT THAT LA! fuckers. You can read about the stipulations for signing up your office on their site. All interested parties can contact sauconyoriginals@drillteammarketing.com to sign up.

If SF wasn’t a 3 hour drive from the Synthesis office we would be all over that. Besides, most of us are too busy with the Synthesis Softball team:

EAT THAT, OTHER LOCAL MEDIA.

With all the ballyhoo about Sub Pop’s 20th Anniversary, it’s nice to see one of the bands that made Sub Pop SUB POP are still around and doing well. Today, Synthesis Editor Ryan “Daddy” Prado handed me a copy of Mudhoney’s forthcoming album The Lucky Ones, and it’s pretty damn good. In fact, it sounds like something that would’ve been put out by the label 20 years ago. It’s fuzzy and sloppy and probably hasn’t even caught whiff of Pro-Tools.

Mudhoney’s previous two albums for Sub Pop, Since We’ve Become Translucent and Under a Billion Suns were much more expansive in sound and scope with both albums featuring songs that incorporated a horn section. Both albums were nice pieces of psychedelic hard rock, even if they didn’t garner much attention, but you won’t find much of that here. The Lucky Ones is just filthy Seattle grunge done by the guys who’d done it best. The album’s due in stores May 20th.

Given all the legendary and angsty music it’s produced over the years, it’s hard to believe that Sub Pop has just turned 20. Sound Seattle magazine is reporting that “a source very close to the festival” said that a date has been set and a location has been chosen for the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival, which given the bands that have called the label home, should — if it happens — be one hell of a show. Here’s some of what the source fessed up to. Keep in mind, Sub Pop has admitted to plans being made for a festival, but has not confirmed whether a location or a lineup has been finalized yet.

* The festival will (un) officially take place July 12 & 13 at the 640-acre Marymoor Park in Redmond, with performances going both day and night
* Bands performing will cover the history of the label’s roster, including two reunion performances. One will be the much-ballyhooed return of Green River. The second, according to this recent news story from the Denver Post, will be the Fluid, Sub Pop’s first non-local signing from way back in 1985.
* There will likely be a Sub Pop comedy night at a yet-to-be-named venue separate from the music festivities.
* There could possibly also be some shows at clubs around Seattle leading up to the festivities, though details on this were very vague.

Even if half that shit actually happens, you should probably go. And buy me some Rainiers.

OMG DROP what you’re doing and head on over to…..hahaha, sorry, I can’t do it. I support our locally-owned coffee shops on a daily (sometimes twice-daily) basis. I realize that this doesn’t make me better than anyone who frequents Starbucks, a company who apparently has a conscience and mixes in good with the bad (I hear their employees get great benefits, and with record stores dying I’m glad there are still places to buy a limited selection the next of overly-hyped artist-of-the-minute). I just like supporting my own local tax structure. So therefore, it’s really hard for me to say it. So I’ll just let the Starbucks Home page say it for me:

“On April 8, 2008, Starbucks is introducing Pike Place Roast with coast-to-coast tasting events…”

From Palm Beach post:

The event is more than just free coffee — it’s a coffee tasting, according to Starbucks. Customers will be instructed to smell, then slurp (”by slurping,” the guide for store managers says, “you aerate the coffee by spraying it across your palate, which enables the subtle flavors to reach your nose”), taste, then describe. Describing is like “poetry” and involves aroma, acidity, body and flavor, the guide says.

The event is the latest in the company’s attempt to connect with customers, become less corporate and be more about the coffee.

So on my way to the Naked Lounge or The Upper Crust or Has Beans, I will still stop by the Starbucks and pick up a free 8 oz cup of their new Pike Place Roast, because to not get free coffee is MORE of a crime.

According to the Take part blog, you can also go into Starbucks and request (and then buy) a cup of Fair Trade coffee instead. YEAH, that’s right, stick it to the man…

I say just bring your own jar.

On that note….

Los Angeles, CA · April 7th, 2008

Scott Weiland * Dean DeLeo * Robert DeLeo * Eric Kretz

WHEN: Monday, April 7th, 2008 7pm

WHERE: Houdini Estate, Hollywood Hills, CA

WHY: Because drug addiction is not a laughing matter. And it’s expensive. Oh, and you know, love of rock music and all…

WHAT: Velvet what now?

Famous

“Gee shucks, there sure is a lot of fam-ous people here in Austin for south by southwest!!!”

I know, I know, if you are reading this and you live in certain parts of the US (i.e. New York and Los Angeles) you’re probably thinking “yeah, yeah, yeah…” but when you live out in the cuts in a glorified truck stop / state school, you don’t often get to see in person the people you see on television, in movies or on album covers. For us yokels it’s usually kind of a thrill. A cheap thrill, but a thrill nonetheless.

But certainly there exists a healthy contingent of people who are decidedly not impressed, and seeing celebrities up and close is no big deal. I feel kinda caught in the middle. Most famous people, I’ve found, are very nice and appreciative of your attention (as long as you don’t push it and remain kinda mellow. No kissing Mike Patton on the hand or anything…), but there’s always the chance that someone you admire is in a bad mood and is being a total dick to you, Mr. Lou “jerkfacepoopyhead” Reed. And that can honestly ruin your love of their art a little.

But still, for the people who look down on the starstruck and make fun of gawkers, they can right fuck off. There is nothing wrong with showing gratitude to someone for them making art that you have enjoyed, or has influenced and inpired your life. That’s called respect. For some of them, that’s what keeps them going.

For me, I still get a little bit excited when I run into someone I know, famous or not. But honestly, it’s better running into someone you do know, especially when it’s unexpected. Like when I ran into Seattle’s Iceage Cobra on the street corner. On Friday, following my Joseph Arthur interview, I stopped for one second to get my bearings and remember where I was supposed to be going, and whamo! I run into two totally rad dudes, who lead me to another rad dude. I’d rather run into a bunch of excellent friends than Elijah Wood, Michael Stipe (who is apparently gay SURPRISE SURPRISE WOW I NEVER SAW THAT COMING…fucking christ, duh…) or Lou Reed any day of the week. Cheers! Oi! Oi!