The IPOD Baseball League

[booradley]

The Origin – A bit bored at work one day, I downloaded the free version of OOTP5. A concept for my initial league was inspired as I then sat fiddling with my IPOD, and that concept is this – what would happen if the greatest (and, er, not so great) bands of all time were to duke it out on the diamond? Who would reign supreme? Hell, everyone wants to know that!

Putting It In Practice – I set my IPOD to ‘shuffle’, and the first 16 pop acts to pop up were inducted into the league. The winners’ list is forthcoming. Now, are you missing a favorite? Discouraged by my eclectic tastes? Well, a) be thankful I didn’t include classical, jazz, and bluegrass in the mix; b) Not to worry!

See, not only will there be a Championship held between the winners of each 8-team league (The Apple Cup), but the losers of each league will also have to battle it out to stay alive. Oh yes, that’s right – the loser of the Moot Cup will be banished from the league, to be replaced by the next band to shuffle in from my IPOD. So it all stays dynamic and very exciting, wouldn’t you agree? At the end of a hundred years or so (or until I get fired for excessive goofing off) the group with the most Apple Cups will be declared The Best Band in the Universe!

Coming Up - The eight teams of the Limewire League!

[booradley]

Note: Most, but not all, of these capsules are jaked from the All Music Guide

The Limewire League

New Pornographers
Vancouver's indie rock supergroup the New Pornographers features the talents of Zumpano's Carl Newman, Thee Evaporators' John Collins, Destroyer's Dan Bejar, cartoonist/filmmaker Blaine Thurier, drummer Fisher Rose and guest vocalist Neko Case. Newman began in 1996 as a lark after releasing Zumpano's Goin' Through Changes; one by one, the other members joined the fold, and the New Pornographers' first official rehearsal took place in 1997. By the following year, the group had completed four songs, but then Case left Vancouver for Chicago, Thurier began work on his film Low Self Esteem Girl, and the other members attended to their other bands and projects. Rose left in 1999 and Limblifter/Age of Electric drummer Kurt Dahle and guitarist Todd Fancey joined the Canadian super group. With a solid line-up in tow, The New Pornographers reunited and began recording again in early 2000, completing their debut album Mass Romantic in time for a fall release and critical acclaim. Ray Davies joined the band at SXSW in fall 2001, performing the Kinks classic "Starstruck" for the first time ever. After a brief North American tour, each member returned to their respective projects by 2002. Bejar recorded with Destroyer and Case headed out on the road with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in support of her second solo album, Blacklisted. Nobody strayed too far however, for The New Pornographers headed back into the studio before the year's end to work on a follow-up to Mass Romantic. The pop powered Electric Version, which appeared in spring 2003, marked their first for Matador. Twin Cinema followed in 2005.

[booradley]

My Chemical Romance
Based in New Jersey, My Chemical Romance is an alternative pop/rock and punk-pop band that has been compared to Thursday and, to a lesser degree, Cursive. Many of their songs are loud, fast, hyper, and aggressive, but My Chemical Romance's work also tends to be melodic and pop-minded. My Chemical Romance got started in the early 2000s, when lead singer Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier decided to try writing some songs together. The first tune that Way and Pelissier -- who had been friends since high school -- came up with was called "Skylines and Turnstiles" (a title reflecting the fact that Way had been working in New York City, where he was in the animation field). Way and Pelissier both felt good about the song, and Way asked guitarist Ray Toto if he would be interested in working with them. My Chemical Romance's five-man lineup was complete when Way, Pelissier, and Toto joined forces with bassist Mikey Way (Gerard Way's brother) and guitarist Frank Iero. With that lineup in place, the band started playing all around the Northeast Corridor and made plans to begin working on its first album.

[booradley]

Fugazi
If history is kind to Fugazi, their records won't be overshadowed by their reputation and methods of operation. Instead of being known for their community activism, five-dollar shows, ten-dollar CDs, resistance to mainstream outlets, and the laughably fictitious folklore surrounding their lifestyle, they will instead be identified as setting a high bar for artistic excellence that is frequently aimed for but seldom achieved with great frequency. During their existence, the four-piece created some of the most intelligent, invigorating, and undeniably musical post-hardcore rock & roll. Along with their stridently underground ethics -- which were more out of pragmatism and modesty than anything else -- they gained an extremely loyal and numerous global following. To many, Fugazi meant as much to them as Bob Dylan did to their parents. Somewhat better to look at, perhaps, and certainly more accessible, but just as commanding of attention and adoration. More than anything, Fugazi inspired; they showed that art can prevail over commerce.

Drummer Brendan Canty, bassist Joe Lally, and guitarists/vocalists Ian MacKaye, and Guy Picciotto formed Fugazi in 1987. Initially a trio, Picciotto was added to the lineup after the band's first live shows. Prior to forming, the members already had deep pedigrees in the D.C. punk scene. Dischord labelhead MacKaye, who had previously been in the Teen Idles and Minor Threat, had just come from Embrace. For better or worse, Embrace, along with Picciotto and Canty's better Rites of Spring, kick-started the emocore sub-genre that would rise to prominence ten years later.

[booradley]

The Veils
As the son of keyboardist Barry Andrews (XTC, Shriekback), the Veils' Finn Andrews knew nothing else except a world full of music and art. He had plans to become a painter as a young lad; however, a move to his grandmother's abode in Devonport, New Zealand (near Auckland) with his mother pointed Andrews in a different direction during his teenage years. He frequented the local folk scene to escape the ho-hum of country living. Once consumed with his father's electronic work from the 1980s, Andrews was now interested in Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits.

In 2001, Andrews (vocals/guitar), then 18, returned to London. He befriended Ben Woollacott (drums), Adam Kinsella (bass), and Oliver Drake (guitar), and in a few months time the Veils were born. By fall, Rough Trade's Geoff Travis signed the foursome to the Blanco y Negro imprint, and immediately the Veils began working on their first album. They issued the single "Guiding Light" in 2002; however, contractual disparities and artistic differences with Blanco y Negro turned into a two-year battle until Travis signed the Veils to Rough Trade proper in mid-2003. Luckily, the Veils were able to keep songs recorded during that time. A second single, the lovelorn "Lavinia," was well received at indie rock radio in the U.K.. Shared dates with the Raveonettes, Beth Orton, and British Sea Power preceded the spring 2004 release of the Veils' debut, The Runaway Found. The album had only been out two months when Andrews announced the departure of Woollacott, Kinsella, and Drake. In late June 2004, Andrews explained via The Veils' website (www.theveils.com) that a second album was already in the works, but that the original members would not be involved.

[booradley]

Sleeper
The band is composed of Louise Wener (vocals, guitar), Jon Stewart (guitar), Andy Maclure (drums), Diid Osman (bass). Wener and Stewart met at while studying politics at school in Manchester, England. Relocating to London, the two recruited Osman and Maclure and began playing Wener's original songs. The group made its debut in 1993, which led to a series of positive reviews in the British music weeklies. By November of 1993, the group had released an independent single ("Alice in Vain"). In February 1994, the band released "Swallow," which charted in the Top 100; the following May, "Delicious" was released and it became a number one independent single. During May, Sleeper supported Blur on the London band's enormously successful Parklife tour. In February 1995, Sleeper released their debut album, Smart, which entered the U.K. album chart at number five and the independent chart at number one; it would be certified a silver album in four months. Smart was released in the U.S. in March to positive reviews, yet it failed to duplicate the band's British commercial success. In the late spring of 1996, Sleeper released their second album, The It Girl. Again, the album was a major hit in the U.K., yet it barely made an impact in the U.S.

[booradley]

Vision of Disorder
Long Island, NY's Vision of Disorder built a large local following with its intense, socially aware blend of hardcore and thrash metal, leading to a contract with the Roadrunner Records-distributed Supersoul label. Guitarists Matt Baumbach and Mike Kennedy formed the band in 1992 with vocalist/lyricist Tim Williams, drummer Brendon Cohen, and bassist Mike Fleischmann. Fleischmann quickly left the band, which performed without a bass player and achieved a measure of local success due to their energetic live shows, at which point Fleischmann returned. Their first break came in 1995, when they had a track featured on the New York's Hardest compilation and released a 7" entitled Still. Their self-titled debut was released in 1996; Imprint followed two years later, and in 1999 the group resurfaced with For Bleeders. From Bliss to Devastation appeared on TVT in summer 2001.

[booradley]

Danzig
During his time in the seminal hardcore band the Misfits, vocalist Glenn Danzig displayed a fascination with outlandish, graphic, often gory imagery; in forming the more heavy metal-oriented band Samhain, Danzig's lyrics delved into typical metal subject matter, but took the concept of darkness to an extreme. After the demise of Samhain, Danzig formed his own eponymous band with Samhain guitarist John Christ, ex-Rosemary's Babies drummer Eerie Von on bass, and longtime hardcore drummer Chuck Biscuits (D.O.A., Black Flag, Circle Jerks); this band would prove a more effective vehicle for Danzig's obsession with the dark side. While that obsession can seem cartoonish at times, there is more to the band than meets the eye -- Danzig obviously relishes casting himself as the menacing, evil heavy metal frontman, and his theatricality often seems to indicate that his posturing is not meant to be taken very seriously. At the same time, the darkness of Danzig's vision has increasingly expressed itself over the band's career in a heavily romanticized, brooding, gothic sensibility, more quietly sinister and darkly seductive than obviously threatening or Satanic, and the group's music has progressed from simple, blues-based heavy metal riffs to more atmospheric, coldly haunting song textures that attempt to sonically replicate the feel of the lyrics.

[booradley]

These Animal Men
The British band These Animal Men were quickly tossed into the "new wave of new wave" revolution, a music scene created mainly by the U.K. press to help publicize a number of young pop-punk revivalists in England circa 1994. Formed in 1993 in Brighton, England, These Animal Men wasted no time in shocking the masses. The group's first single, "Speeed King," was a high-octane tribute to amphetamines; the cover even showed a bowl of suspicious white powder and a couple of straws. Comprised of Julian Hewings (vocals, guitar), Patrick Murray (bass), Boag (guitar, vocals), and Stevie Hussey (drums), These Animal Men capitalized on widespread tabloid rumors of the band consisting of drug-addicted bad boys. The banned "Speeed King" even landed them on the legendary Top of the Pops show. However, when These Animal Men released their debut album, (Come on Join) The High Society, Oasis had just unleashed Definitely Maybe into a stagnant rock & roll market searching for the Next Big Thing after the death of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Oasis brought guitar pop back onto the British charts and showed the world that England was worth listening to again. The "new wave of new wave" movement was left in the dust, taking These Animal Men and their sordid tales of drugs, booze, and masturbation with them. The group recorded another full-length, Accident & Emergency, and then split up quietly in 1997. Hewings and Boag reunited in Mo Solid Gold.

[booradley]

All right all right all riiiiiiiiiiiight!! Now for

The ITunes League

UK Subs
As part of the original punk rock movement in England during the mid-'70s, the U.K. Subs scored several hit singles in their homeland, switching between politically charged material and party-hearty rockers. Led by singer Charlie Harper (who previously fronted a R&B outfit called the Marauders), the U.K. Subs formed in November of 1976, after Harper discovered the Damned. Originally called the Subversives before shortening their name, Harper recruited guitarist Nicky Garratt, bassist Steve Slack, and a revolving door of drummers (eventually finding a semi-permanent member with Pete Davis), and soon after began plotting their plan of attack from Harper's place of business, a hairdressing salon in South London. Around this time, the up-and-coming group recorded a live set at the infamous punk club the Roxy (just prior to its closing), with hopes of the recording being issued as their debut album. Although the recording did indeed go down, the tapes sat on a shelf for several years, before eventually being issued in 1980 under the title of Live Kicks. This led to several John Peel sessions on BBC Radio One in 1977 and 1978, and eventually, a recording contract with the GEM record label, and what's often considered to be their finest recording, their 1979 full-length debut, Another Kind of Blues.

[booradley]

Tricky Woo
Like many of the garage rock revivalists in the '90s (the Unband, the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, the Gaza Strippers), Montreal, Canada's Tricky Woo take the MC5/Stooges guitar rock sound of the '70s and rework it for future generations. Tricky Woo formed in 1996, with frontman Andrew Dickson, bassist/vocalist Eric Larock, guitarist Adrian Popovich -- who has since left the band -- and drummer Pat Conan. In the years following, the band has blazed a trail of good time rock & roll with their infamous live shows, non-stop tours, and a collection of indie label releases. Between 1997 and 1999, Tricky Woo released three full-length albums in just as many years: Rock and Roll Music Part One (1997); The Enemy is Real (1998); and Sometimes I Cry (1999). Of the three, Cry proved to be the record that gave the band their biggest buzz. With a psychedelic cover painted by frontman Dickson, the disc fuses sexually charged lyrics with grinding psychedelic punk, garnering the Canadian band a stack of press from the United States and Europe.

[booradley]

Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press detested the band. Consequently, the only connection the audience had with the band was through the records and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.

[booradley]

Bee Gees
No popular music act of the '60s, '70s, '80s, or '90s has experienced more ups and downs in its popularity, or attracted a more varied audience across the decades than the Bee Gees. Beginning in the mid- to late '60s as a Beatlesque ensemble, they quickly developed as songwriters in their own right and style, perfecting in the process a progressive pop sound all their own. Then, after hitting a trough in their popularity in the early '70s, they reinvented themselves as perhaps the most successful white soul act of all time during the disco era. Their popularity faded with the passing of disco's appeal, but the Bee Gees have since made a successful comeback in virtually every corner of the globe. What has remained a constant through their history is their extraordinary singing, rooted in three voices that are appealing individually and comprise so perfectly and naturally by melding together that they make such acts as the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, and Simon & Garfunkel -- all noted for their harmonies -- almost seem arch and artificial.

[booradley]

Nine Black Alps
Manchester, England's Nine Black Alps features Sam Forrest (vocals/guitar), James Galley (drums/vocals), Martin Cohen (bass), and David Jones (guitar). The indie rock foursome came together in 2003, taking their name from a line in the Sylvia Plath poem "The Couriers." Two years later, Nine Black Alps inked a record deal with Island in the U.K. Their debut album, Everything Is, arrived that June. A U.S. record deal with Interscope and a self-titled EP followed in July. Tours with the Kaiser Chiefs, Hard-Fi, and Weezer as well as festival appearances at Glastonbury, T in the Park, Reading, and Leeds coincided with the success of such Top 40 singles as "Shot Down," "Not Everyone," "Unsatisfied," and "Just Friends." Produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, the Vines), Everything Is was released stateside in February 2006.

[booradley]

Dead or Alive
A British dance-pop group which found fame thanks to the antics of androgynous frontman Pete Burns, Dead or Alive formed in Liverpool in 1980. Burns first surfaced three years prior in the Mystery Girls, later heading the proto-Goth rockers Nightmares in Wax; he founded Dead or Alive with keyboardist Marty Healey, guitarist Mitch, bassist Sue James and drummer Joe Musker, debuting in 1980 with the Ian Broudie-produced Doors soundalike "I'm Falling." "Number Eleven" followed, but just as the group was gaining momentum they were swept aside by the emergence of the New Romantic movement, with Burns subsequently charging that fellow androgyne Boy George of Culture Club had merely stolen his outrageous image.

Undaunted, Burns forged on with a retooled Dead or Alive roster including future Mission U.K. guitarist Wayne Hussey and bassist Mike Percy; over the course of records including the 1982 It's Been Hours Now EP and the follow-up single "The Stranger," the group evolved into a true dance band, and ultimately landed with major label Epic. A series of singles appeared over the course of 1983, including "Misty Circles" and "What I Want; " Hussey soon exited, and it was a line-up comprising Burns, Percy, keyboardist Tim Lever and drummer Steve Coy which scored Dead or Alive's first major hit, a 1984 cover of KC and the Sunshine Band's disco classic "That's the Way (I Like It)" which fell just shy of reaching the British Top 20.

Dead or Alive's full-length debut Sophisticated Boom Boom also fared well with audiences, but they achieved true stardom in early 1985 with the Hi-NRG smash "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," the first Number One hit for the production team of Stock Aitken and Waterman. The succeeding LP Youthquake was also a smash, yielding further hits in the form of the singles "Lover Come Back to Me," "In Too Deep" and "My Heart Goes Bang." 1986's "Brand New Lover" kept the group in the limelight, but the 1987 LP Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know proved disastrous at home and in the U.S., although a fervent following emerged in Japan. In the wake of 1989's Nude, both Lever and Percy left the group; the nucleus of Burns and Coy remained, additionally taking over production and managerial duties. Subsequent Dead or Alive LPs included Fan the Flame, Part One and Nukleopatra.

[booradley]

Baby Shambles
Baby Shambles is a separate band formed by Pete Doherty following his departure from The Libertines due to the band's alleged refusal to tolerate his drug use. Doherty has often disputed this, claiming that he was not the only member of the band to use drugs and stating his belief that Barat had other motives for excluding him.
The band's first single, Baby Shambles, was released in April 2004 on High Society Records. Fewer than 1,000 copies of the CD and 7" were released and both can now be found changing hands for more than £50 on internet auction sites such as eBay.
The band underwent several changes of line-up before finally stabilising during Summer 2004 with Doherty on vocals, Patrick Walden on guitar, Gemma Clarke (who has now left the band) on drums and Drew Mcconnell on bass.
During September and October 2004 Baby Shambles embarked on a UK tour culminating in two sold-out shows at the London Scala. Despite fears that Doherty's performance would not be consistent, the tour sold-out and received critical acclaim. The band's second single "Killamangiro" was released November 29 2004 on Rough Trade Records and reached number 8 in the UK charts. The band embarked on another tour in December amid increasing concern about Doherty's drug use. During a gig in Blackpool the band walked off stage when it became clear Doherty was too intoxicated to perform and a riot broke out at the London Astoria when Doherty failed to turn up for a gig.
In January 2005, Gemma Clarke quit the band, citing disagreements with the management who she considered irresponsible for failing to address Doherty's obvious drug problem. She was replaced by Adam Ficek. In February 2005 Doherty, along with fellow musician Alan Wass, was arrested on suspicion of assault and blackmail. It was alleged that Doherty assaulted Max Carlish, a documentary maker, in a London hotel, a charge he denied. Carlish had made a documentary about Doherty entitled 'Stalking Pete Doherty'. After allegedly assaulting Carlish, Doherty spent several nights in prison until £150,000 bail could be raised. After being released on bail Doherty spent several weeks in a recording studio in Wales working on Baby Shambles' debut album. All charges against him were dropped in April 2005.

[booradley]

Weezer
As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop. Drawing from the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick and the angular guitar leads of the Pixies, Weezer leavened their melodies with doses of '70s metal learned from bands like Kiss. But what set the band apart was their geekiness. None of the members of Weezer, especially leader Rivers Cuomo, were conventional rockers -- they were kids that holed up in their garage, playing along with their favorite records when they weren't studying or watching TV. As a result, their music was infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness that made songs like "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "Buddy Holly," and "Say It Ain't So" into big modern rock hits during 1994 and 1995. All the singles were helped immeasurably by clever videos, which may have made the songs into hits, but they also made many critics believe that the band was a one-hit wonder. Perversely, Cuomo began to feel the same way, and decided that the band would not rely on any visual gimmicks for their second album, 1996's Pinkerton. Simultaneously, Cuomo took control of the band, making them into a vehicle for his songwriting.
**********************************************
Phew! That's it! I don't know about you, but I am almost breathless with anticipation over how this whole deal shakes out. Personally, based on historical weight, my money's on The Bee Gees or Led Zeppelin to take the Cup. But who knows? Once I dig up some more free time, I'll let you in on how Season I turns out ...

[DeToxRox]

I go to Fugazi shows requesting Minor Threat songs!

Non Prophets baby.

Ian MacKaye is the fucking man.

VoD is damn good too.

If either ever lose to My Chemical Romance .. shit hits the fan.

DIY baby.

[booradley]

All riiiiiight, we got some passion around this one! And not just passion, but prophetic passion. Check it out:

Season I
ITunes
Team Won Lost GB
Vision of Disorder 95 67 Champs!
The Veils 87 75 8
These Animal Men 83 79 12
Danzig 80 82 15
Fugazi 79 83 16
Sleeper 79 83 16
New Pornographers 77 85 18
MC Romance 68 94 27

Limewire
Team Won Lost GB
Nine Black Alps 98 64 Champs!
Baby Shambles 87 75 11
Dead or Alive 83 79 15
Led Zeppelin 83 79 15
Weezer 82 80 16
Bee Gees 77 85 21
Tricky Woo 73 89 25
UK Subs 65 97 33

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Sorry about the formatting, but you get the idea. Nine Balck Alps and Vision of Disorder were the runaway winners in their respective leagues, while MC Romance and UK Subs (gasp!) will have to battle it out to stay alive. Go Subs!

I'll get around to individual award winners in a few ...

[booradley]

As promised:
Category Itunes Limewire
Batting Avg Steven Greed (FUG) .349 Cody Leper (TRW) .332
Home Runs Ian MacKaye (FUG) 56 Cody Leper (TRW) 55
RBI Ian MacKaye (FUG) 146 Bert Shotdown (NIN) 126
Runs Talk Manders (VEI) 130 Bert Shotdown (NIN) 120
ERA Blaine Counts (VoD) 2.90 Sam Forrest (NIN) 2.24
Wins Finn Andrews (VEI) 23 Sam Forrest (NIN) 25
Saves KJ Liberation (VoD) 49 Barry Sweater (WEE) 47
Strikeouts Brendan Canty (FUG) 303 Sam Forrest ((NIN) 496
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Looks like I need to tone down the strikeouts a bit … Bloody default settings.

Notable Events
4/5: Vision of Disorder ace Matt Baumbach lost for entire year to bone chips
5/25: Fugazi’s John Repeater throws the IPOD’s first no-hitter in a 3-0 win against The Veils.
6/26: Ian MacKaye (FUG) slugs 3 homers in a 10-3 win over the New Pornographers.
7/27: Ruben Drakeford (VoD) throws a no-hitter against New Porno.
8/6: Animal Man Beautiful Lou cracks 5 hits in a 7-1 win against Vision of Disorder.
8/23: Gary Whatiwant (DOA) completes the season’s third no-hitter in a 1-0 thriller over the Bee Gees.
9/14: Maurice Gibb (BGs) hits for the cycle against Led Zeppelin in a 11-1 win
10/4: Roy Skyline (MCR) slams 3 HRs in a 9-1 win over the New Pornographers, who are starting to show up as victims in this timeline quite a bit …