"It is Fantastic!"

"It is fantastic for people to get most special gift... which is me!"

Harbour View Distracted By Nice Grass, United Wins Big

Maybe it was the chilly wind blowing into RFK. Maybe it actually was the sweet looking turf that allowed United to play the possession game it does better than any other team in MLS.

Whatever it may have been, two goals was enough to rip away any hopes Harbour View had of a second round date in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Then United poured on three more to take the game 5-0 (and the round 6-1 on aggregate). More after the break...



The thing that impressed me most about United in its second meaningful game of the young 2008 season was the composure of its defense. The bash brothers (Gonzalo y Gonzalo) in the middle were ruthless while Burch didn't wander as often. Namoff was Namoff.

Fred put in what might have been my favorite performance from him yet. He was tireless on both ends although he could use a reminder that he has a left foot somewhere on his body. His telepathic backheel to Emilio shows that the Brazilian pairing may still be improving although Emilio might have claimed himself a hat trick had he been a little less greedy earlier. (Fred's goal could have been laid off to Emilio looking at an open goal if Emilio hadn't stiffed him on a similar play.)

Oh... And Devon McTavish scored twice. Yea... McTavish. The guy that played center back last year.

All in all things looked very solid for the 65 or so minutes the game can be judged on before Harbour View starting packing their bags while still on the field. I'm going to hold any opinion on Gallardo v Gomez for a while and may not need to ever choose because Gallardo plays so differently.

Props to the whole side... not a bad number out there last night. Bring on Pachucha/Montagua. Here's Fred's (the fifth) goal below.

I'm Not Insane I'm Not Insane

Occasionally you go to a show expecting very little and you get rocked in the face. Such was the case last night at the Patriot Center with Avenged Sevenfold on the "Taste of Chaos" tour with emo friends in tow.

When I think arena show, I don't think 5 drunk dudes (it was St. Patty's Day) running around like madmen for an hour and a half. But AX7, and to be fair Atreyu also, must have been tired after the show that included fireworks, regular pyrotechnics and over the top guitar solos. There was even an impressively orchestrated circle pit.

The video shows the band getting a fan up on stage to share a shot of Jameson. Too bad the second participant wasn't shown with her sneak attack ass grabbing on singer M. Shadows. More after the jump if you're interested -



Avenged Sevenfold is by no means one of my favorites but they ripped through some tracks, even an oldie with Second Heartbeart, and impressed with the newer songs I'm not as familiar with including my favorite of the set "I'm Not Insane."

Shadows' growling voice was huge live as were Synyster Gates' guitar heroics. The band even reeled themselves in after nearly spiraling drunkenly out of control, half heartedly starting a cover of Metallica's "Whiskey in a Jar" and then starting and stopping themselves at the beginning of "Seize the Day."

Occasionally too much indulgent shredding. Occasionally too much third kick drum on the drum kit (necessary?). But all in all I'd probably go for a second round.

Quick DCU/Harbour View Preview

The long dark days away from RFK for United's offseason are nearing an end. A late goal leveled things in Jamaica last week, so what should we look for this evening?

The highlight I think will be our first evaluation of how an Emilio/Neil will function over a longer period due since Jaime Moreno remains out with lingering hamstring injury picked up last week.

While I don't expect an enormous crowd, if the Barra/Eagles can get things rocking and make all our newcomers excited to be in front of the hometown support I think we could see some fun attacking soccer.

All in all, what this match really becomes is the first mental litmus test for United. I don't think there are many who would suggest that Harbour View fields a more skilled squad. What this game may boil down to if things stay tight later in the game is whether the new pieces have come together as a unit.

My humble prediction: 3-1 United with the third coming late when Harbour View is pressing.

DC United at Harbour View - Champions Cup - 2 Days Late

DC United headed to Jamaica for the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup first round tie against Harbour View with a revamped squad from last year (only 3 holdovers in the starting line up from last years Champs. Cup tie against Olimpia I believe) and left with a rather anti-climactic result.

A 1-1 away draw in the team's first meaningful game of 2008 is nothing of concern. It would have been nice to head out to RFK on Tuesday night with the tie sealed up but the game deteriorating into sloppy work on a patchy field was no surprise.

Some good -

The Gonzalos = The Bash Brothers
Gallardo = A fine talent, we'll see about his heart as the season grows.
Simms - He'll need to be as steady day in and day out for us to succeed as we expect.

Some bad -

Jaime Moreno = Frail
Emilio = Who? Absolutely anonymous game.
The wide play = Disappointing that one of United's biggest shortcomings last season showed no sign of improvement.

Prognosis - Let's get on with it at RFK... See you in Lot 8.

Gettin' My Activism on with Strike Anywhere and Friends

FINALLY made it back to the Black Cat last Thursday night, one of my favorite spots in DC and, although I admit to limited punk rock travel, probably one of the best venues around for a punk show. This one even came with a touring indie publishing company for all you zine kids out there. I'll respectfully pass on the "Bikes Not Bombs" sticker.

The lineup went as so: Ratsize (sorry, missed them); Riverboat Gamblers; Paint It Black; and Strike Anywhere.

Expecting much worse from the opening acts after recent experiences with Darkest Hour (see Damnation AD) both Riverboat Gamblers and Paint It Black were surprisingly solid. The first played some Ramones inspired tunes with a LOT of vocals, at times all 4 dudes not stuck behind a drumset (although maybe he was in on it also, I couldn't see).

Paint It Black did their best Minor Threat impression, even mentioning the punk idols, mixed with a little bit of the Bronx for anyone interested in a fresher reference point. The political chatter in between wasn't really my style but props for an inspired performance chock full of hardcore breakdowns and gang vocals packed into minute and a half tracks.

Strike Anywhere belted out some of my favorites from their first couple records but I enjoyed some of the newer, unknown to me tracks, equally. At times I struggled for attention as I wavered on the idea of talking to Mike Schleibaum of Darkest Hour, who was standing directly to my left and pumping fists along to the tunes.

In the end didn't bother Schleibaum with any super fan comments or perhaps a WTF for Sunday night, but it felt damn good to be back in a sea of black t-shirts and little punk rock kiddies (man did I feel old).

Here's a video from the 9:30 Club that's a couple of years old since the sound quality from the Black Cat clips on YouTube isn't great -

bukkit

I had to put this up...



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Darkest Hour MIA

Last night's Darkest Hour + 4 others (Want to know how not to be taken seriously? Name your band Cephalic Carnage.) was cancelled for unspecified reasons. I'm hoping they weren't arrested again for carrying alcohol across state lines.

In the absence of a show to report back from I want to instead give 5 of my favorite moments, from dorms to the 9:30 Club, from more than 8 years of DH:

Sidebar Tavern (Baltimore circa 2000) - First DH show where we stood next to Mike Schleibaum for a half hour while four grown men with dildos strapped to their head, lovingly known as Shat, ripped through about 40 songs, many clocking in at about 35 seconds. I had never seen a picture of Schleibaum before the show and was left a shocked 15 year old when the dude in the Guns 'n Roses cut off jumped up on stage and led me to flail all hundred and 40 pounds of myself around until my head hurt. Oh, a little band called the Dillenger Escape Plan closed the show.

GWU Dorm (DC circa late 2002/early 2003) - Instant classic: 4 bands with interchangable members, including DC scenester heroes Majority Rule, a mix of DH die hards and first timers, and a kid with pig mittens leading the way in the pit before conquering the floor tom when it escaped the stage.

Ottobar (Baltimore, 2004) - Again we found DH mixed up with the likes of the Dillenger Escape Plan. Emory, one of the most mild mannered guys I've ever met, violently shook the railing of the balcony over the stage before vaulting, without warning, off the overhang onto the stage, screaming a few words along with Dillenger and launching in into the crowd. He returned moments later and quietly sat back in his seat.

Ottobar (Baltimore, 2007) - A friend introduces my brother and I to John Henry after the show. My brother draws a blank and just stands there shaking his hand.

9:30 Club (DC, 2007) - Two acoustic guitars lined up on stage to start the show. Doomsayer. I'll never know what happened to those two guitars.

Here's a live clip of Doomsayer... Feel free to share any favorite moments of your own.