Best Grammys Ever & 3 TV Shows You Need To Watch Right Now

This past Monday, the 58th Annual Grammy Awards were presented in LA and televised on CBS. Usually this would be an event that I would miss, just like any other award show, but since I was hungover from a long weekend and none of the hockey games that night were of the "Must-See" variety, I watched it and I'm really glad I did not miss out this year. In fact, it was hands down one of the best award shows I've ever seen. There were tons of tribute performances, since we've sadly lost many talented musical legends over the last few months, Most notably David Bowie, B.B. King and Lemmy Kilmister. My vote for top tribute of the night goes to Lady Gaga for her collage of David Bowie hits that featured super-producer Nile Rodgers playing guitar.

(Fun Fact: The guitar parts from Bowie's 1983 classic "Let's Dance" and other tracks from that album were actually recorded by late blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan)

But without question the best performance of the night was Kendrick Lamar, who did a medley of "The Blacker The Berry", "Alright" and a freestyle that was centered around the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin. The imagery with Lamar walking at the front of a chain gang line and eventually onto the side stage with a traditional African bonfire and drum circle behind him was powerful enough to get across an important message, but still entertaining enough for some people to not feel "Uncomfortable", if you know what I mean.

Really, when you break it down, everyone's live performance was well done and entertaining. The only two exceptions would have to be Justin Bieber's abstract collaboration with Skrillex & Diplo and the television debut of the Hollywood Vampires, a "shit-show mash-up" "super-group" consisting of Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and... Johnny Depp? I don't know how this trio came together (The band was rounded out by long-time Cooper guitarist Tommy Henriksen and the Guns 'n' Roses rhythm section duo of Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum) but these vampires definitely need to be shown the daylight. Their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" was awful and Lemmy certainly deserved a better tribute than some hodgepodge garbage jam band.

Even with that Metal Abortion and the absurdity that was Taylor Swift winning Album of the Year (You won't convince me that "1989" was a better album than "To Pimp a Butterfly" AND "Beauty Behind The Madness", because it simply wasn't) This year's Grammys were by far the best award show we've seen in a long, long time.

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The Three Television Shows You Need To Be Watching Right Now

While it's always a bittersweet moment as the calendar turns into February and once the Super Bowl ends, you realize it will be around another 28 weeks before we see a live Football game on a Sunday. But one of the positives that emerge from a lack of pigskin viewing (other than having more time to recover from Saturday night parties) is that I have time to watch some Non-Sports Programming, even if only for a few hours a week. I'm super picky with what series I start to watch because I only have so much time to follow a few shows a year, and surprisingly, there are at least 6 shows that I am either currently watching or planning to watch in the next several months. Here are 3 new shows that I am watching right now that you need to watch as well:

1. "Billions", airs Sunday nights 10p ET/9p CT on Showtime.
This Power-Drama is centered in New York around Hedge Fund Billionaire Bobby Axelrod (played by Damian Lewis) who's power moves on Wall Street are being closely watched by U.S Attorney Chuck Rhoads (Paul Giamatti). This show is filled with great one-liners, double-crosses and some shockingly steamy sex scenes. It might be a bit hard to follow at times for those who haven't a clue how the stock market or hedge funds work, but it's nonetheless an entertaining hour of drama and suspense.

2. "Vinyl", airs Sunday nights 9pm ET/8pm CT on HBO
This show debuted this past weekend. Written by two legendary figures in director Martin Scorsese and Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, this show is about the Music scene in 1973 New York City from the eyes of record exec Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) who's trying to save his company, American Century during a big shifting change of music styles all over the nation. A lot of the characters and scenes are based on true events and for music buffs like myself, this show is a really fun watch. It reminds me a lot of Mad Men, not only because the show is set in NYC and it basically picks up chronologically where the classic Ad drama leaves off, but the power tree of the workers at American Century and how they maneuver is very similar of how things operated at Sterling Cooper & Partners, except the Canadian Rye and Lucky Strike Cigarettes are replaced with Bolivian Marching Powder and Lemmon 714 Quaaludes (both seeming to be consistent staples in Scorsese works over the years)

3. "American Crime Story: The People vs O.J. Simpson", airs Tuesday nights 10p ET/9pm CT on FX
We head out to the West Coast circa 1994 as the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson & Ron Goldman, and the subsequent mega-trial of former NFL running back O.J. Simpson are highlighted in this 10 part series. This wonderful All-Star cast features Cuba Gooding Jr. as "The Juice", John Travolta as his lead counsel Ron Shapiro, and David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian (and yes, we see younger versions of his now infamous ex-wife and children in a few episodes). Despite being very young when this all really took place, I remember my folks being super interested in this whole debacle, so the nostalgia factor for me is pretty high, but even if you weren't alive for this historic event, this show is definitely worth viewing.

Well Now You Know, Miley's A Hoe: My Brief Ranting Recap of Twerkgate

So Sunday Night, on The Channel Formerly Known as Music Television held it's annual Music Video Awards. And talentless Pop artist Miley Cyrus went and did this:

You probably have the same reaction I did after this shitfuckmess was over. What just fucking happened? Who let this high school girl snort painkiller and drink tequila? where is her ass? Why does Robin Thicke look like Beetlejuice? So many questions. I'll answer a couple for you.

1. Society pisses me off. One of the main reasons why we are so sickened/confused/whatever about Miley Cyrus is because she looked horrible in her "twerking" efforts. If she had been 20-25 pounds heavier, we'd be talking about this the same way we were amazed back when J. Lo had on that hot ass dress. But no one is going to say that because the media wants women to look like cocaine is back on the rise. Fucking bullshit.

2. There's a large mass of people who find this shit actually entertaining. Lots of people have problems, I understand that. But this was supposed to be a musical performance, this basically is a shit-show cast off sketch from a small-town Circus.

3. I'm not shocked that the Former "Hannah Montana" has turned into this slut. We all should have seen this coming when she was actually decent looking in a denim miniskirt and cowboy boots. Now she's basically at the point where we'll see a tape of her in a interracial gangbang surface on PornHub within the next 6 months. People take that Disney shit all seriously like that's their real life, You shoulda learned yesterday with Britney Spears' crazy ass. But y'all learned today with this one.

I would like to make one note of light: This whole travashamockery was save by the brief performance from Kendrick Lamar. One of the gems of not only Hip-Hop, but of all Music out right now. Big ups to Kendrick on that. He got robbed for Best Hip-Hop Video. Macklebore and his pissy 99 cent grandpa jacket couldn't hold a candle to anything Mr. Lamar has done.

The Reason Why I Retired From Music.

This Morning, I read a transcript and subsequently watched a YouTube video of Kanye West's Freestyle in London http://news.rapgenius.com/Kanye-west-london-speech-lyrics (YouTube video is on the top right hand corner of the page) and it just solidified, not only the state of the music world, but the reason I had to leave it.

I'm not necessarily on his side about the feelings he has for the topics he mentions. He's upset about how the art form of music has been overran by the mass corporate world. I realised that I am part of the problem when it comes to the change of music. I went to McNally Smith College of Music, a place where about 98% of the students and 110% of the faculty are completely dedicated to not just the sound, but the sanctity of Music. They have a inner devotion to their craft but also the way the craft is formed. And personally, I couldn't be any further away than that.

Don't get me wrong. I want to do the best work I possibly can as a performer (Which is what I always call myself, Rarely did I say that I'm a musician, because I truly never and still don't feel that way)
I picked up a bass as a child to impress a girl. In failing miserably, I decided to get better and better because I felt this was an easy way to have people take notice of you. Over time, playing music was a release from all of the anger and depression I faced growing up and I felt that, after practicing and becoming a really good bass player, I could make a (fairly easy) living at this.

Once I got to Minnesota, I met a bunch of musicians who I thought I shared the same dream with:

My Dreams
1: Get Rich
2: Get Laid
3: Basically Do Whatever I Feel Like Because I'm Famous

I was wrong.

Their Dreams (actual quotes I overheard at school)
1: Get to play music for the rest of their lives and not go broke
2: Get a degree, solidifying to people how much they know about Music
3. Earning the respect of their peers within the industry


After 3 months of being yelled at and ridiculed for not following the mold of every sucker who will be in massive debt when they finish running the maze, I left. And that day my Music career started. I joined a couple of projects, played some shows. and then 3 years later, it's the beginning of 2013. I just left the most successful thing I had ever been a part of in my life at that point and It hit me that I didn't want to find my dream in music anymore.

I didn't mind the business part of music, In fact I loved it. I knew that was the way to strike it rich and I was full on into "Selling Out" myself. My old band was not about that. They wanted to make it big and get paid as well, but they cared about the music first and foremost. And on top of it all is that I was finally happy in life and so I didn't need the escape of music like I did a decade ago. I could manage my ups and downs without playing my bass for 8 straight hours.

So when I listened to Kanye's Speech/Freestyle, It just reminded me of why I needed to leave Music and why I don't regret making this move for a second. I am so happy now working with my first and true loves, Sports and Gambling, so I am not complaining. But I am writing this because I know a lot of people ask me, "Are you still playing?" "Why did you leave and give it up?" So I wanted to put some closure to that.

Boycotting Wild Tymes

I can't even wait until morning to write this up right now. I just got home from seeing some of my best friends in tears of anger and disgust over today's news. 2 friends were Wrongfully Fired from Wild Tymes Bar in Saint Paul, Minnesota over an accusation of stolen money from a couple of weeks ago. What makes this a ridiculous termination is the fact that the two accused Made a ton of money that night, and because their head manager decide to mix up money from an outdoor sales point with the bucket that was tip money from that busy night because she wanted to drink and socialise like the rest of us on St. Pat's Day. And for the record, I can personally vouch for both of them as people of great character and integrity to the point where I would trust them with my bank and betting accounts, and I mean that with all the breath in my body. Another factor as to why this firing is both unjust and asinine is because they have been led by a faulty and incompetent Head Manager who can't even figure out how the bottles behind her bar are layed out. As one of their top patrons within the last several years (And I have the fucking credit card and bank statements to back that up) One should never hear dozens and dozens of complaints from staff about how things aren't being taken care of or how you aren't able to do simple tasks around your place of work, let alone lead a hard working staff of dedicated people to make money. I have brought in countless patrons and spread the word about this bar for the 5 years I have lived in St. Paul, and mark my words to death, on the grave of my resting and living family,I Will Never Appear At Wild Tymes Bar & Grill, I Will Never Promote Wild Tymes Bar & Grill
I ADVISE EVERY SINGLE PERSON, EITHER LIVING IN MINNESOTA OR TRAVELING INTO MINNESOTA TO NEVER, EVER, EVER DRINK OR EAT AT WILD TYMES BAR & GRILL!!!

 and as far as Musicians on your poorly run shit fucking stage and never paying artists
 I ADVISE EVERY SINGLE MUSICIAN IN THE COUNTRY TO NEVER, EVER, EVER PERFORM AT WILD TYMES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!
My Former Band brought 300 people into the patio and booths of that establishment, and all that "I, Corvinus" ever got for that show was under 50 bucks and an overcooked pizza. The last project I performed with was "Banned" from playing there because Sandy felt "Threatened" by local street artist Tony Criss. The reason for this sentiment was because she was upset that he was cleared by neighboring bar Great Waters (A fine establishment located at 426 Saint Peter St, Fine craft beers if you like that sort of thing, I suggest you check them out next time you're Downtown or going to a Minnesota Wild game) had given him the OK to play at their patio. She responded by calling in a complaint to the police.

I would like to say in conclusion, that I am grateful for the amazing bartenders and servers I have met while drinking there and that I hope to see all of you guys and gals on a regular basis at different places of work and bars to socialize. And to you, Miss Manager (You know who the Fuck you are) and the ownership/management responsible for this unjust termination of the two best workers you had on staff, I hope that the future vacancies tagged along will run you right into the fucking toilet. And have fun training new staff in the middle of a  potential Minnesota Wild playoff run. Your incompetence will rub off and your establishment will crumble faster than the snowpile outside of 7th Place in the Spring.

HERE IS A LIST OF ACCEPTABLE BARS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD PATRONIZE IN DOWNTOWN SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA:


Amsterdam Bar & Hall (WONDERFUL PLACE TO HEAR & PERFORM MUSIC)
6 West 6th Street
612-285-3112
www.amsterdambarandhall.com

Alary's Bar (GREAT DRINK SPECIALS & SHUTTLE FOR WILD GAMES)
139 7th Street East
651-224-7717
www.alarys.com

Bullpen Sports Saloon (AWESOME DRINK SPECIALS & VERY NICE STAGE)
395 North Robert St
651-340-0583
www.bullpensportssaloon.com

Bulldog Lowertown (EXCELLENT TAP SELECTION AND GREAT FOOD)
237 East 6th Street
651-221-0750
www.thebulldoglowertown.com

Great Waters Brewery (FINE CRAFT BREWERY AND SOLID FOOD)
426 Saint Peter Street
651-224-2739
www.greatwatersbc.com

Grab Bag #18: Bunch of Shit

Happy 2013 Everyone! There's been a lot of shit to talk about, so let's hop into it!

* Some really good commercials out on TV recently. My favorites are the Geico Eddie Money Travel Agency, the Zoosk Heart, and the whole set of Wendy's ads with the super hot redhead. As much as I hate most fast-food, I would eat a meal from there to meet this lady. 

* The NFL Playoffs are Well underway. Lots of shockers with the Baltimore Ravens upsetting the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers finding another way to "Discount Double Choke" in the postseason against the San Francisco 49ers. Hopefully Ray Lewis can capture a title to end up his Hall of Fame Career.

* The NHL Lockout has finally ended. However, the fans are left with a crammed schedule, and worries about injury issues with guys only dealing with one week of training camp. Not every player went overseas or trained on-ice as much, but we shall see a sloppy, grittier game that hopefully will not be bogged down with poor officiating like the end of last season. Gary Bettman is a fucking piece of shit and I'll sip champagne when his eyes close just like I did for Bill Wirtz.

* DJANGO UNCHAINED IS THE BEST MOVIE OF ALL-TIME!!!

Seriously. Most of you who know me well know my favorite movie ever is Scarface. Well that all changed a couple days after X-Mas when I went to see Django. It's Scarface, Pulp Fiction, The Help, and Smokin' Aces bundled into one. There's some Tarentino-quality humor parts and some amazing twists and turns that only Quentin can pull off. Excellent acting by everyone from Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, and a couple of surprise faces I won't ruin for you if you haven't seen it. GO SEE THIS FUCKING MOVIE! IT'S AHHMAZZING!!!

* A band to Check out in 2013 is Beast Patrol. This Glam-ish Indie trio from N.Y.C has the right mix of 80's grit and modern sound. Their EP, "Fierce & Grateful" has been spinning constantly on my laptop for months now. Listen to it HERE

* Later this Month, I will start doing interviews with interesting people from some of the subjects I talk about on here, Such as Food, Sports, Dating, Music, and Booze. So stay tuned for that new segment and if you have any suggestions of people I should interview, E-mail courtsideseatstohell@gmail.com

* Congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide Football team, who captured the National Title by stomping out Notre Dame. But an even bigger congratulations goes out to QB A.J. McCarron, for not only winning on the field, but winning off the field by dating 2012 Miss Alabama winner Katherine Webb. This southern belle got ESPN Commentator Brent Musberger all hot and bothered and caused many a fellow (myself included) to conduct a thorough Google Search to see who she was.

*

2012: Reviewed

Well, here we are. We didn't get wiped out by The Rapture that was supposed to go down on 12/21/12, and the Blog is almost a year old. For me, personally, I am sooooo glad 2012 is finishing up. I did not have a wonderful year. I left my old band, and subsequently took a break from music. In March, I had to have an emergency gallbladder removal surgery, and in the last several months, I've had to deal with a serious illness in my family. A few cool things did take place this year however. I made some new friends, started this little blog that you are reading, attended my 500th live sporting event, and re-modeled my apartment. A lot of wild and stupid shit happened too, Such as me recently cracking my front tooth outside of a bar and me almost sleeping with a chick with braces

As far as the world around us, well, there was plenty of bullshit to keep us busy. From Television and Media garbage like Honey Boo Boo, Gangnam Style and 50 Shades of Gray (Bored) to the Election (zzzzzz....) Even sports was crazy this year with the NHL Lockout, the Saints Bounty Scandal and the Replacement Refs in the NFL

Basically, 2012 was a reflective year. A year full of experiences to learn from and use to better ourselves in the future ahead.

Anyways, I want to thank every last single person who has viewed this Blog in 2012. What started as a drunken facebook rant and a nifty idea from a couple of my friends has turned into my soapbox which, based on your responses, have made you laugh, pissed you off, and most importantly, made you think for a little bit. I am happy that I can contribute to your day with the crazy thoughts in my head.

So, raise a glass of something strong and let's toast 2012 goodbye, and to an awesome 2013 ahead.

Have a Happy, Safe and Epic New Year. And like I always remind you, Keep your genitals out of harm's way.

Alex B. Smith
Courtside Seats to Hell

Musical Stuff: Bands and Songs to Check Out

Here's some music I've been listening to lately

For those of you who like Pop-Punk like Paramore and VersaEmerge, Check out this Chicago band called Farraday.

Here's the video for "Put Me on the Next Plane"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm0EcCELrEA

Another song that I heard recently that is now stuck in my head is "True Affection" by The Blow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyWoZD5xfM8

It's been around for a while, but I never knew who made it until recently 

One of my favorite rappers out right now is Kendrick Lamar, He murders this beat on his new album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onTSVTLUOh0

I saw a new commercial for these new awful flavored vodkas created to get hot chicks drunk and I recognized the awesome voice in the song. It's the wonderfully talented, highly underrated Angela McClusky, the song is called "Sometimes" and it's not released yet, but, her new EP, "Lambeth Palace" is out. Here's a track from it called "Take Me Out Tonight": 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xak6KJmq6c8

hiatus...

Over the last several months, I have been trying to work on building myself back within the local music scene. I had gone back to writing poetry and working on my compilation of basslines and poems, titled "BassPoetry" and I have also tried to start up or work with some new artists and projects in the area.

While I understand the task of starting up from scratch, I realised recently that my heart and motivation for music is no longer what it once was. After my stepping down from my old project, I realized that the amount of work that I have put into music over parts of nearly 14 years have never came close to being reciprocated. That goes the same for the artists in which I have managed.

At 23, I realise that while there is a lot of life left to live, time is running short as to building a career and a path for the future. So I am talking this time to announce my indefinite leave of absence from the world of music. While I know that being in one city doesn't mean a career can't be formed somewhere else, I know that if I can't keep motivated and find people fully dedicated to music in a city that is known for a so-called strong music scene, then it would be more of a headache to try and pull it off anywhere else.

I know a few people will be disappointed to hear this news, mostly my family, who never had the chance to see me perform live, for which I am truly sorry for. And to the people who I'm currently working with on a social media capacity, I do apologize for this sudden dismissal from my work, but I will work with you all to make the transition smooth and easy.

It is time for me to move into a new chapter of life, and sadly, peforming and recording music seems far away from that new chapter. Perhaps at some point in life, music will find it way back in on a perfomance level, but I have other things I need to work on in the coming months.

In closing, I would like to thank every single person who has ever heard me perform live or in recording, all of you who have supported me in my 14 years of playing music, you mean the world to me and I thank you so much for enjoying the ride.

Alex B. Smith

Grab Bag #13: Lots of Stuff

Sorry that's it's been so long since I've posted on here (with the exception of my College Football Polls)

I have been busy struggling with losing my bets and out drinking, as usual. But there has been lots going on, so let's catch up right quick:

* I'm getting my feet back into the door in the world of music, I am working with some musicians on a blues project here in St. Paul and also doing some session gigs as well. This comes in perfect timing with me about to buy a new Bass Guitar this month. I will keep you guys posted on any shows I ever do right here on the blog.

* I don't know how me or my friends or anyone who likes real fuckin Rap missed this last Killer Mike album, "R.A.P".  This has to be one of the best albums I've heard in awhile. My favorite track right now is "Untitled" but you can listen to the entire album HERE

*Coming up soon will be my 2012 Election Preview. It's one of two times I will talk about the Race for President. Remember this Isn't CNN or Fox News, but keep an eye out for it within the next month.

* Fall is officially here in town, weather-wise. Time to turn off the A.C and dry clean those comforters. Here's a Whiskey to try out and I'll leave you with an awesome recipe for one of my favorite cold-weather dishes, and the closest thing to soup that I'll ever eat, Chili!



Total recipe time: 2-2-3/4 hours
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds Ground Round
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Paprika
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bag of yellow and white corn
1 medium jalapeño pepper, minced (with seeds)
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chili-seasoned diced tomatoes

Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in stockpot over medium heat until hot. Brown 1/2 of beef; remove from stockpot. Repeat with remaining beef. Remove beef from stockpot. Season with salt, pepper and paprika, as desired. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion and jalapeño pepper to stockpot. Cook and stir 5 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return beef and juices to stockpot. Add tomatoes and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 hours or until beef is fork-tender.

Bands to Watch: Forever Waiting

So, this is a new segment I'm gonna throw in here and there, Bands to Watch


The band to watch in July and August is a 5-Piece Hard Rock band from Glenwood City, Wisconsin called Forever Waiting


Fans of Red and Breaking Benjamin should really enjoy this group, they are busy playing some big shows in the Twin Cities area, Currently in the Rawkzilla Battle of the Bands and also opening for Trapt at Station 4 on August 12. For more info on FW, check them out on Facebook.


Check out their debut single, 
"Lost in Silence" HERE
Like Forever Waiting on Facebook HERE

Grab Bag #10: Hot Dogs, Music and Booze for the 4th

*Whoa, so I read a Huffington Post article and slide show talking about the Chinese Dog Meat Industry. That shit is fucking real and about as crazy as you'd imagine. Piles of puppies shaved and ready for human consumption. People here say its crazy because it's man's best friend (to some, not me) but we must keep in mind it's a different culture. Indians (Dot, not woo-woo) worship cows as gods. Me, I pray to a Filet Migeon whenever I have $50 burning in my pocket. I will note that the images in the article are pretty graphic, so if you're not into that thing... who am I kidding, you're reading my blog, you probably aren't That squeamish.

So this leads us to our first ever poll question here at Courtside Seats to Hell:
Would you eat a Dog?  


The Voting box will be posted on the side.


*Saw Volbeat the other night. I get what the hype's all about. These guys are fun to watch and really talented. I love their cover version of "Only Wanna Be With You"

*People have requested that I post more drink recipes, so here are a few:

Clean Suburban
- 2 shots Absolut Berry Acai Vodka
- 4 seedless Blueberries
- dash of Lemon Juice
- 8 oz fresh Lemonade

Muddle 2 blueberries in a mixing glass and add ice, a dash of lemon juice, and 2 shots of Acai vodka. Shake and strain into a chilled highball and fill glass with fresh lemonade

Downtown Baller
- 2.5 oz Ciroc Coconut
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- Lime Wedge

Mix Ciroc and Lime Juice in an ice filled shaker. Shake and strain on the rocks in a lowball glass, garnish with lime wedge.

Forest Lake Special
- 6 oz Captain Morgan
- 1 can monster

Mix together with ice in one of those Holiday gas station cups. Remember, this drink is from Forest Lake, Minnesota.


If I don't see ya before then, have a happy and safe 4th of July. Don't blow off any limbs. 
And to my Chicagoans, don't get in that damn lake!

Grab Bag #7: Fuck Brendan Shanahan, Subway needs to fuckin quit with the BBQ disasters, and a new drink I tried

- Brendan Shanahan is a former hockey player, winning championships as a member of the Detroilet Red Wings (yes, Detroilet as in Detroit + Toilet). Nowadays, he is in charge of Disiplining NHL Players for dirty plays and so forth. All season long he has been inconsistant with the suspensions and fines for these calls. Nashville defenseman Shea Weber takes a player's head to the rail of the glass and slams it, causing a minor injury but intending to hurt the player. All he gets is a cash fine. Hawks forward Andrew Shaw make incidental contact with Phoenix goalie Mike Smith while in the trapezoid behind the net. Smith dove and flopped like a 4 year old, seemed really hurt but got up and finished the game. Today, Shaw is issued a 3 game suspension. There's another two dozen instances of this babyshit where the punishments and crimes do not fit each other. I'm glad he's not a real fuckin law judge let me tell ya.

- So I got excited earlier when I heard of Subway doing a BBQ Chicken Sandwich. I know their other chicken sandwiches are good, and Barbeque sauce is epic (when done right) so this should be as good as their world-class Steak Sandwich. Man I was so fucking wrong. I should have learned my lesson from the Pork Sandwich failure they had a few months ago, Subway is not a Barbeque joint. But what they need to do is bottle up and sell that sweet onion sauce they have. That shit is fire and I would put that on damn near everything I eat.

- So I was listening to an old Young Jeezy mixtape on my laptop this weekend and I heard the track "Start It Up" and he mentions in a line "I'm on that new Thug Passion, Belvidere and Sake". While we all know that real and hologram Tupac coined Thug Passion as Alize and Cristal, I went and got a bottle of Belvi and some Cherry sake and I'll be damnned if that isn't a badass drink. Very refreshing but will get you fucked up quick.



New Thug Passion
2 oz Belvidere Vodka
2 oz Fu-Ki Cherry Sake

Pour over ice in a rocks glass, stir with straw

Grab Bag #6: Ozzie Guillen & Future Blog Attractions

- former White Sox and new Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is in hot water with the fans and media over his comments about Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He said that he respects Castro because he's still in office despite the millions of people who want him dead. I understand how the cuban populus of Miami is upset by that statement but at the same time, he wasn't condoning what Castro has done, he was just admiring how people dislike him and his beliefs and yet he still does his job, just how Guillen was constantly criticized in Chicago, even though he brought us a World Series title and 2 Division Titles. Case in Point: Free Speech = Leave Ozzie the fuck alone.

- I got some Bar & Restaraunt Reviews coming up in the next few weeks. Fujiya, Wild Tymes and Kelly's Depot in St. Paul will be covered.

- Had some delicious pancakes from Mickey's late this evening / early morning.

- So with summertime on it's way, it's time to move out the heavy dark liquor and bring in some crisp, refreshing light drinks to sip on. I'm working on my Top 5 summer drinks list and will reveal it this week.

- Check out my Brother, Chuck West, he has a music blog on this same network called Audible Reflections. Go to audiblereflections.blogspot.com and inform yourself even more :)

Be great, talk to y'all later.

Grab Bag #5: St.Pat's Recap, New Blog Features and I wanna bang a softball player

* St.Patrick's Day was absolutely awesome. After dealing with some illness and a back injury earlier in the week, I battled to get healthy in time and I had tons of booze and fun with my best friends up here. Breakfast was great (I am a beast at French Toast apparently) and I'm already waiting for next year's celebration (Buy the booze early, it falls on a Sunday, but that law might get tossed out by next year for this reason alone)

* One new segment I will be adding to the blog is music reviews. People can suggest/submit albums for me to listen to and review. The first set of albums I will review in April is the new release, "MMXII", from my all-time favorite band Killing Joke. And in May, the long awaited release from 90's band Garbage, with their CD "Not Your Kind Of People" I'm open to all genres of music and it can be local or national or international. One album will be chosen per month to be reviewed. E-mail any suggestions to courtsideseatstohell@gmail.com

* If you read the Brasa review, you'll see I gave it an award called the Black Star. I will be giving out these awards to some of my favorite stuff in the cities over time.

* A friend of mine once joked that I have a "Sports Fetish" because of my devotion to all things inclusive of the subject, but I defintely have notice that I have a pretty strong attraction to any women involved in sports. Most crack jokes that women playing sports such as hockey, softball or basketball are mostly into other women, but a lot of them actually are into men and they struggle because lots of (bitch ass weak ass) men can't handle being with a woman who is more athletically competitive than them. I wholeheartedly disagree. I would definitely be down with getting it on with a tall volleyball player or a cute, well built softball player. Extra points if they keep the hair up and wear the uniform to bed ;)

because everyone keeps asking me, "what's up with your (old) band?"

So a few people have asked me what went down with I, Corvinus and why did they break-up, go on hiatus, and now re-form with everyone returning but me.

I won't go into detail on the original reasons for the initial breakup other than personal issues between members. I announced my departure the day before the last show on January 14th. 2 weeks after that, we had a meeting to discuss the future of the band. Things were patched up and it was agreed that the band would be on Hiatus, not play shows and would record the remaining written songs that were not on the EP, "When No One is Listening"

With all 5 members being involved in other projects, it seemed to be a while before the recording process would start. Apparently, in recent weeks, tracking has gotten well underway on several songs, unbeknownst to my knowledge. Had it not been for reading a fellow members' facebook post, I still would not have been informed.

At the meeting, I stated that I was willing to record the tracks and wasn't certain as to whether or not to return full-time to the band. Since that meeting, the majority of the band has neglected to contact me about anything related to the recording process. I was informed about a potential replacement, in which I agreed to if I didn't wish to return back. Now, super recently, it has been billed as the return of the band from hiatus with their new bassist (I'm keeping names out of this because I'm not slamming anyone, I'm just reporting what has taken place)

As a result of this sudden change, I withdrew my offer to record or perform any more music with I, Corvinus. I am deeply disappointed with the way things ultimately ended. It was basically shown that the year and a half I spend tirelessly working and promoting with the band ment absolutely nothing and it was cemented with the outright neglect to contact me about any current moves other than finding a replacement. Nonetheless, I wish the band success in the future.

Great day-after-drinking song

Band: Cursive
Song: The Recluse



"I wake, alone, in a woman's room I hardly know..."