After the last couple weeks I swore that I wouldn't watch another Mountaineer football game this year, I lied. Not only did I watch last night's game, but I also fell in love with WVU again because of the play of one little man, Tavon Austin.
Austin, a senior, played running back for the first time since high school, and he was wondrous. The man had 574 all purpose yards, that combines his receiving, rushing, and kick returning yards. That is a new Big 12 record. 344 of those 574 yards came on the ground. Austin had 21 carries for 344 yards, that's 16.4 yards a carry. That is ridiculous for someone who has never played running back at this level. Every time Austin touched the ball something magical happened, I was in awe.Just look at some of his many highlights.
Throughout most of the game it was Oklahoma, one of the most prized college football programs, versus Tavon Austin. Austin is only five foot nine and one hundred seventy four pounds. He played his heart out on every play and embodied the Mountaineer belief back into me. It would have been easy for Austin to quit on this season that has gone awry, but he didn't. It was a truly inspiring effort.
Austin single-handily brought his team and his fans to life last night. I am usually never proud after a loss, but I am proud with the preformance last night. I can't wait to watch Tavon and this team play again, and I promise, thanks to Tavon Austin, that I will never ever give up on my team again. Let's go Mountaineers!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Fall Video Project
This was our second video project, and I have mixed feelings about it. I didn't really have enough time to plan out and shoot a great video, but I had fun doing this project. The fall, for me, signifies basketball and friends. Almost on every Friday and weekends my friends and I am hanging out on a basketball court or in my basement. In this video I was able to incorporate both places. The video was shot using my IPhone 3gs.
Shot List
1. Hooligans making leaf angels
2. Andreas missing a jumper and Landon chasing down the board
3. Me getting an and-one
4. Ian Donaldson getting buckets
5. The skyline on the walk back to my house
6. Chilling in the basement
7. Ian Kiefhaber and Andreas playing 2k13 with my dog watching attentively
8. Andres throwing an oop in 2k13
9. The various Gatorade bottle left by us
10. Me hanging on a 10 foot rim with two hands
This project was fun, but next time I think we should be able to do it during school. Youtube's video editor is nothing compared to Final Cut Pro. I think that we could use class time to plan out different shots, and then actually create really cool videos with out ideas.
Social Distortion is Still Alive and Kicking
I saw Social Distortion play last Wednesday at the 9:30 Club in DC. It was amazing. Social Distortion formed in 1978. Mike Ness, the lead singer and guitarist, and Dennis Danell, a guitarist, fronted the band for many years, until Danell's death in 2000. From 1978-2000 the band was constantly off and on due to Ness's various drug addictions. The band's first four albums, Mommy's Little Monster, Prison Bound, Social Distortion, and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell are masterpieces that gained the band a lot of popularity. Even though Danell died in 2000 the band has continued to tour and put out new music. Mike Ness is the only current member of the band who has been a member since the start in 1978.
I saw Social Distortion when I was in 7th grade in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The show that I saw on Wednesday blow the Allentown show out of my mind. Ness was the center of the sell-out crowd's attention, and he delivered everything that anyone could want. He was jumping around the stage and interacting with the crowd. He chatted the crowd up about the election, and told them that he was glad Obama won. He said that everyone should take the next day off, and that if their boss had a problem with it, that he should talk to Mike Ness because Ness would tell him where to put that problem. Ness showed his experience on stage and was an absolute pleasure to watch.
The only problem I had with the show was the setlist. The band played great, but they didn't play all the songs that I wanted to hear, but after the show I realized that I was okay with that. The band played great music and I got to hear some new songs that I had never heard before. The one song I was extremely glad to hear was the last song of their set, Story of My Life. When they started playing it I began jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics out.
After they played that song the band went off the stage. The crowd cheered and eventually the band came back on for an encore set. Again, the first couple songs they played in this set I wasn't familiar with, but it was all good. Before their last song, Ness had his last conversation with the audience. He started naming the various influences of the band, such as The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Clash, and other bands. After naming those bands Ness said that all those bands were incredibly influential, but that nobody should ever forget Johnny Cash. With that the band played Ring of Fire and I found myself jumping up and down again and screaming the lyrics out.
The night was awesome. Social Distortion and Mike Ness showed no signs of getting old, they would have played all night if they were allowed to. I hope that they come to DC again because I know that I will be there.
I saw Social Distortion when I was in 7th grade in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The show that I saw on Wednesday blow the Allentown show out of my mind. Ness was the center of the sell-out crowd's attention, and he delivered everything that anyone could want. He was jumping around the stage and interacting with the crowd. He chatted the crowd up about the election, and told them that he was glad Obama won. He said that everyone should take the next day off, and that if their boss had a problem with it, that he should talk to Mike Ness because Ness would tell him where to put that problem. Ness showed his experience on stage and was an absolute pleasure to watch.
The only problem I had with the show was the setlist. The band played great, but they didn't play all the songs that I wanted to hear, but after the show I realized that I was okay with that. The band played great music and I got to hear some new songs that I had never heard before. The one song I was extremely glad to hear was the last song of their set, Story of My Life. When they started playing it I began jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics out.
After they played that song the band went off the stage. The crowd cheered and eventually the band came back on for an encore set. Again, the first couple songs they played in this set I wasn't familiar with, but it was all good. Before their last song, Ness had his last conversation with the audience. He started naming the various influences of the band, such as The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Clash, and other bands. After naming those bands Ness said that all those bands were incredibly influential, but that nobody should ever forget Johnny Cash. With that the band played Ring of Fire and I found myself jumping up and down again and screaming the lyrics out.
The night was awesome. Social Distortion and Mike Ness showed no signs of getting old, they would have played all night if they were allowed to. I hope that they come to DC again because I know that I will be there.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Japandroids Are Amazing
Recently I started listening to the Japandroids's new album Celebration Rock, and I would just like the say that this album is amazing. It came out in June, but I neglected to listen to it until now. The album has a mixture of punk and classic rock infused in it. Listen to the first track on the album, and you can immediately see the influences in it.
It's pretty incredible that a Canadian duo could put something like that out. The album has reached 37th on the Billboard 200, which is rare for a band that produces music like this. The second song on the album is my favorite.
The band is touring right now, and in December they will come to the Black Cat, a local DC night club. Unfortunately the show has sold out, and I won't be able to see them live.
In my opinion, this band represents hope for musicians like me. The band is just a drummer and a guitarist. I play guitar, so if I could ever find a drummer, I could emulate the Japandroids. Of course writing music would present quite a big challenge, and I never in my wildest dreams would expect to be a member of a successful band, but hey anything can happen.
This band is unique, and I've never heard anything like it. It is exciting for me to listen to, and hopefully the band becomes more popular because this album needs to get heard. Whenever I feel down because West Virginia lost, I just play the record, and things get better.
I'll leave you with the band's most popular song off the new album. I can't wait to see what the Japandroids come out with next.
It's pretty incredible that a Canadian duo could put something like that out. The album has reached 37th on the Billboard 200, which is rare for a band that produces music like this. The second song on the album is my favorite.
The band is touring right now, and in December they will come to the Black Cat, a local DC night club. Unfortunately the show has sold out, and I won't be able to see them live.
In my opinion, this band represents hope for musicians like me. The band is just a drummer and a guitarist. I play guitar, so if I could ever find a drummer, I could emulate the Japandroids. Of course writing music would present quite a big challenge, and I never in my wildest dreams would expect to be a member of a successful band, but hey anything can happen.
This band is unique, and I've never heard anything like it. It is exciting for me to listen to, and hopefully the band becomes more popular because this album needs to get heard. Whenever I feel down because West Virginia lost, I just play the record, and things get better.
I'll leave you with the band's most popular song off the new album. I can't wait to see what the Japandroids come out with next.
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