The jazz hour included the usual suspects – Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Clark, Django Reinhardt, Artie Shaw, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Dean Martin, and more.
60 minutes of soul followed and included Ben E. King, Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Irma Thomas, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Carla Thomas, The Temptations, Shirley Brown, Ann Peebles, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Willie Hutch, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 34 –2.4.25
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 50 mins soul. 10 mins contemporary.
Jazz hour – Jackie McLean, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Miles Davis, Lester Young, Sinatra + Basie, Dean Martin, and more.
60 minutes of soul followed and included Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Chuck Willis, Ray Charles, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Little Richard, Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright, Freddie King, Irma Thomas, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Carla Thomas, The Temptations, Shirley Brown, Ann Peebles, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Willie Hutch, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 35 – 2.11.25 – Love Songs
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 60 mins soul.
Jazz hour – Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Horace Silver, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Lester Young, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Blossom Dearie, Hank Jones, Dinah Washington, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sinatra + Basie, Keely Smith + Louis Prima, and more.
60 minutes of soul followed and included James Brown, Wendy Rene, Tammi Terrell, The Impressions, Marvin Gaye, The Crystals, Sam Cooke, Mary Wells, The Shirelles, The Temptations, The Ronettes, Ray Charles, Bobby Hutcherson, Solomon Burke, Eddie Floyd, George Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below. Note: the end of this playlist includes 30 mins of songs that didn’t make the air.
Episode 36 – 2.18.25 – Tearjerkers
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 50 mins soul. 10 mins contemporary.
Jazz hour – Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Don Shirley, Sinatra, Dinah Washington, Bill Evans, Sarah Vaughan, The Ink Spots, Art Farmer, Sonny Sharrock, and more.
50 minutes of soul followed and included The Chantels, The Drifters, Etta James, Bo Diddley, The Temptations, Little Richard, Bessie Banks, James Brown, Wendy Rene, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, and more.
A few contemporary tracks by Nina Nastasia, Ani DiFranco, and Scott H. Biram.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below. Note: the end of this playlist includes 30 mins of songs that didn’t make the air.
Episode 37 – 2.25.25 – Easy Hangin’ Out Tracks
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 60 mins soul.
Jazz hour – Gene Harris & The Three Sounds, Grant Green, Oscar Peterson, Gene Ammons, Mose Allison, Jackie McLean, Keely Smith & Louis Prima, Hank Jones, Johnny Hodges, Louis Jordan, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, and more.
60 minutes of soul followed and included Chuck Willis, The Temptations, The Elgins, Dee Dee Sharp, The Butterflys, Syl Johnson, The Supremes, Sly & The Family Stone, Bill Withers, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
Also, with total awareness that this post is going to come across as some aging man’s inability to communicate and connect with a younger generation’s art (this is from a “young” filmmaker, though I am all of five years older than director Brady Corbet) – I can’t avoid that I’m still trained to consume media, then provide insights.
So here goes.
NON-SPOILER information:
Mid-20th Century American cars, clothes, jazz, architecture, etc. All things I’m a sucker for. I saw one trailer. I didn’t do further research because the trailer did its job. My interest was more than piqued. Furthermore, I was starving to see a new release in a theater so that’s partially to blame for my eagerness.
The movie is long. Which is fine; I actually enjoy intermissions. Hell, I wish all films longer than 100 minutes provided intermissions.
Assuming you basically know what the film is about – here’s one aspect of the many shared traits of contemporary cinema. The majority of characters are awful. Awful.
Adrien Brody does a fine job portraying Laszlo Toth, an Hungarian-Jewish architect that survives the Holocaust then immigrates to the U.S. He’s not perfect, his imperfections provide desperately-needed layers, and the post-war challenges he faces in America are, more or less, the film’s main point.
Alessandro Nivola plays Attila, Laszlo’s cousin in America who opens his home and provides professional opportunities to Laszlo. As often as Jon Hamm plays law enforcement characters, Alessandro Nivola plays an asshole who looks good in a suit and whose screentime is criminally limited. I like Nivola. His character should have been in the film longer, but due to the film’s first in a series of terrible turns, they experience a sudden split over an irrational mountain-out-of-a-molehill issue.
Succinctly put – the audience spends more than forty-five minutes getting to know Attila, and then the relationship is unnecessarily amputated, removed from the film entirely, over an issue that’s beyond flimsy.
Okay, now what? While working for/with Attila, Laszlo meets members of the Van Buren family – a family consisting of wealthy industrialists. The Van Burens are terrible and basically stand in as a group of WASP antagonists. Great.
Before I get to spoilers, the only character that provides any shallow tension to the film is the patriarch of the Van Buren family, played by Guy Pearce. He’s complimentary, but also insulting. He provides, but there’s always strings attached. He’s supportive, but also terribly judgemental.
This, as well as Toth’s addictions and marital issues, pretty much comprises all the wobbly, incomplete tensions in the film.
The above, more or less, covers the first half. I’ve discussed tension and character development in previous posts. To reiterate, the construction of Laszlo’s character is fine. The “narrative world building” is fine.
With the exception of Guy Pearce’s Van Buren, every other character is terribly flat. One easily puts the tertiary characters into the “good/helpful” or “bad/threatening” bucket and, whatever set pieces have been laid, the paths these pieces fall into are inexplicable and irredeemable.
What’s more, it’s not like the film doesn’t have enough time to flesh important aspects out. They clearly weren’t concerned about keeping the film under the standard 90-120 minutes. Nope, it runs for 215.
Quick hits before moving onto the spoilers: –This was one of the weirdest depictions of heroin use I’ve ever seen. The film attempts to sex up heroin in a head-scratching manner while also seeming blatantly inaccurate. But what do I know? Maybe heroin empowers disabled people to walk and enhances sexual performance? I wouldn’t know firsthand, but I don’t believe it does.
–To elaborate on Pearce’s Van Buren benefactor-turned-villain role, the role has the makings to succeed, but ultimately fails. Though weak, the tension is there. But then every positive narrative trajectory gets violently thrown off a goddamn cliff.
–To quote what a feminist critic told me, “there is no redeeming female character. And all the female performances were… certainly less-than-good to put it charitably.”
I am sometimes concerned that because I repeatedly harp on how contemporary films are telling stories “the wrong way” that the reader may believe I think there’s a “right way.” There’s not a singular correct way to make a film, tell a story, present a narrative’s villain/antagonist relationship to a hero/protagonist (and some quality stories don’t even always need an antagonist – sometimes the piece is about interesting people in unique circumstances). That said, The Brutalist is an outstanding example as to how to waste a narrative.
Anyways, I’ll avoid bringing up antiheroes, but there are antagonists who are clearly the villain that the audience is supposed to root against, but we’re also simultaneously captivated by them.
Examples: Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, most Peter Lorre roles, anytime Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a villain (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Punch Drunk Love), Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, Henry Fonda as Frank in Once Upon a Time in the West, Ralph Fiennes in a few roles including Amon Goth in Schindler’s List and Harry Waters in In Bruges, John Huston as Noah Cross in Chinatown, Robert Mitchum in a few roles (though many of his villainous roles could be perceived as antiheroes), Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, Orson Welles as Harry Lime in The Third Man, Sir Ben Kingsley as Don Logan in Sexy Beast, Bob Gunton as Warden Norton in Shawshank and on and on.
Something these villains all do remarkably well is introduce and amplify tension. In many cases, they are tension incarnate. And though we’re anticipating the villainy these characters are going to perform, they captivate us. In The Brutalist, the initial tension is circumstantial (Holocaust survivor attempting to start a new life in America) and then prematurely tossed aside (the fickle complication with Atilla, his beloved cousin).
Pearce’s Van Buren begins to underhandedly introduce tensions with slights, insults, and other irritations. It’s made clear that it’s only a matter of time before Van Buren commits a heinous act. But what ever could this act possibly be?
The sloppy, repellent Van Buren son, also behaves in an abhorrent way to Laszlo’s niece as well as Laszlo himself. The strongest scene in the film includes a verbal standoff between the Van Buren son and Laszlo. The film could desperately use a few more scenes like that unfortunately singular one.
ONTO THE SPOILERS (and the second half):
To speak on the “weak” tension that is built – the audience is never given clarity or resolution on most of the injected tension, which makes the narrative feel poorly contrived; fraudulent.
Laszlo’s niece, Zsofia, who is mute for most of the film, has one speaking scene where she’s determined to move with her Zionist husband to Israel in its early years. Kind of a strange choice to have a 2024-produced film, advocating for Zionism as a solution to any problem, but, sure.
Speaking of Zsofia, there’s a scene where the Van Buren son speaks horribly to her during a celebration of a large ground breaking ceremony, and if we’re to believe that a sexual assault occurred, then that must’ve happened in complete silence considering it was a public place, near a swimming hole, and the provided audio allows us to hear other nearby on-going conversations, so… I don’t believe I’m thick or imperceptive, and I do believe the Van Buren character is capable of committing sexual assaults, but the possible assault is ambiguous or barely implied because the director only wanted to inject tension without having to resolve it. I believe the film purposefully cuts away from this scene to allow the audience to craft how benign (an attempted, but successfully defended advance/grope) or destructive the act was.
FINE. Do that. But now we’re left wondering, “so… when is Zsofia going to tell her aunt and uncle about the Van Buren son?” That is never addressed. Ad Lib storytelling is always a choice. I’d argue a bad one, but it is a choice. Conflicts don’t have to be explicitly spelled out, but why waste screentime on creating tensions only to arbitrarily discard the very tension you contrived?
Anyhow, speaking of arbitrarily manufacturing tension, Pearce, Brody, and crew members got to shoot in Carrara, Italy. Not sure why Van Buren and Laszlo have to see the Italian marble mines firsthand before Van Buren authorizes the purchase, there were already concerns with expenses and timelines for the construction projects, but anyhow, we’re now in beautiful Carrara, Italy. We get to see Van Buren, the racist fish out of water, away from his home, have to endure being in an impossibly beautiful location.
Van Buren and Laszlo attend a party. Laszlo receives some very positive social attention, and I guess because he’s an addict, he decides to shoot junk into his arm, and while engaged in his “dope fiend lean,” Van Buren rapes Laszlo.
OK. Yes, rape is about power and we have had to endure Van Buren petulantly throwing his power all around the camera dreadfully for most of the film. But this is not storytelling. This is how The Butterfly Effect told its story (which is a masterclass in asinine storytelling). Early in the film, we’re provided pussyfooted exhibitions of how evil and predatory American wealth is. Then this scene forces its way into the picture.
Do I believe that Rockefeller, Vanderbilt-types raped foreign architects in the 1950s? That’s quite a question. Sure? Maybe? No? Whatever answer I may provide doesn’t solve the problem with how befuddling this film’s narrative/character/directorial choices are.
To put it another way – what’s the worst thing that Van Buren could have done in this scene? Rape Laszlo, then douse him with kerosene, ignite him, then shoot him? That would’ve been about as subtle of a message.
So, this sudden rape scene takes place. What’s next for the audience and what’s next for the picture? I’ll tell you what I did. I considered other films that have incorporated rape into their narratives (Shawshank, Blue Velvet, Irreversible, the list goes on) and contrast those examples with the gauche manner I just witnessed.
What’s next in the narrative? Nothing really.
For about 20 minutes of screentime, Laszlo predictably takes out his frustrations on those he loves. Due to a difficult medical circumstance, Laszlo shoots heroin into his beloved wife and almost kills her, but not before enjoying the film’s only love scene between the two (what?!?!)!?!
The conclusion [thank God].
Erzsebet, Laszlo’s wife, who has been wheelchair bound throughout the picture, now, with the assistance of an aluminum walker, very slowly walks to the Van Buren compound and intrudes upon a dinner where she accuses Van Buren of raping Laszlo.
It would be silly to expect any form of 1950s legal/criminal reprisal to befall Van Buren, the American titan of industry, over an accusation of a rape that occurred on foreign soil. But what conclusion was I hoping for?
I’m not sure. Maybe the all consuming construction project Laszlo was working on is completed, unveiled, and there are some secret additions or some sort of architectural nod to the Van Burens being nothing but revolting rapists and capitalist pirates? Perhaps a scene where Van Buren and Laszlo actually discuss the crimes the Van Buren family has committed against the Toths giving the audience a type of Daniel Plainview/Eli Sunday conclusion? Anything to resolve whatever tension has been clumsily manufactured would’ve been better than the conclusion we were given.
What we got immediately following the dinner intrusion, was the Van Buren son shoving/kicking Erzsebet to the floor, then dragging her out of the dining room.
The camera cuts. Vanished is Pearce’s Van Buren (he’s an old man – can’t imagine him having incredible speed and agility) as well as Erzsebet (she is disabled – not going anywhere in a hurry). There is, strangely, a near instantaneous search party to find the elder Van Buren. I wouldn’t describe the final search party shots around Laszlo’s building as a particularly grand reveal of this enormous construction project the bulk of the film has built up, as those shots are severely limited. In my eagerness to leave the theater, I may have missed this, but according to Wikipedia, a body is found, but not identified, by the search party. At that point, I didn’t care. It could’ve been Van Buren. It could’ve been Jimmy Hoffa. One would’ve made about as much sense as the other.
After all this rubbish, there’s an inexplicable flash-forward to the 1980s where, now elderly, Laszlo Toth is honored at an architectural biennale (and Zsofia’s character, now much older and portrayed by a different actress, does most of the speaking – so, Zsofia’s character technically has two speaking scenes). No mention of Van Buren, there is a vague reference to Erzsebet’s death, and a forgettable speech about Laszlo’s architectural achievements.
Though I was hopeful, this was frustrating. I have regrettably put off screening Once Upon a Time in America, but there is no way I’ll watch another 200+ minute film before I watch that one. I sincerely wish I had given that a go instead of succumbing to the desire of watching a contemporary film in a theater. Life is too short for terrible cinema, and, goddamn, I wished I had used these three-plus hours to watch Once Upon a Time in America or drive to Health Camp in Waco to consume a shake and a burger or dozens of other things before watching this film.
I intended to tie in the failures of this film (which was nominated for 10 – TEN! – Academy Awards) and how they are similar to failures of other acclaimed contemporary films I’ve seen, but this post is already too long. That may come sooner than later though.
During my formative years, I saw media/entertainment as bifurcated. It was either dumb or smart. Thoughtful or thoughtless. Perspective broadening or narrowing. I made a silly website discussing that development. That viewpoint was sometimes foolishly applied to other aspects of my life.
It’s disheartening to see entertainment become dumb or dumber and watch the industry fall all over themselves handing out awards for senseless bunk. Come March 2nd, this picture may win upwards of five or more prestigious awards and it’ll be another example of how this rock revolving around the sun makes less and less sense to me.
Note – The Brutalist does have nominations that have nothing to do with acting or narrative structure such as editing, cinematography, production design, and original score. And I suppose those aspects of the film are good, but I obviously don’t watch enough contemporary cinema to know whether or not they’re better than its peers.
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 30 mins soul. 25 mins funk. 5 mins mixed bag.
The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: The Three Sounds, Dinah Washington, Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Sinatra, Louis Prima, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly, and more.
30 minutes of soul followed and included Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson, Lee Dorsey, Curtis Knight, James Brown, Mary Wells, Ruby Johnson, and more.
25 minutes of funk followed and included the B.T. Express, Marvin Gaye, The J.B.’s, Eddie Kendricks, Bill Withers, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Duke, John Coltrane, and more. 50 minutes of soul followed and included Ray Charles, Young-Holt Unlimited, Mable John, Fats Domino, Helene Smith, Big Maybelle, The Ad Libs, The Temptations, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, and more.
10 minutes of blues followed and included Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, and Booker T. & the M.G.’s.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 29 –12.24.24 – Christmas Eve Special
Show notes: Four hour Christmas Eve Special. I covered for the 6pm-8pm 2-5-1 program that leads into Rick’s Canteen on Christmas Eve.
60 mins classic jazz (without a holiday theme). 120 mins of holiday jazz. 60 mins of holiday soul.
Recordings of the broadcasts are available for you here:
2-5-1 (above) and Rick’s Canteen (below).
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist for both programs is below.
Episode 30 –12.31.24 – NYE Special
Show notes: I once again subbed in for the 2-5-1 program that leads into Rick’s Canteen and played mostly instrumental jazz for the first two hours. Mostly jazz vocals for the third hour I was on the air. The special concluded with an hour of soul. I tried to keep everything on the upbeat and conversational cocktail theme while also sprinkling in some NYE-themed tracks.
Recordings of the broadcasts are available for you here:
2-5-1 (above) and Rick’s Canteen (below).
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist for both programs is below.
Episode 31 –1.7.25
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 40 mins soul. 10 mins blues. 10 mins contemporary.
The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Horace Silver, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Junior Mance, Billie Holiday, Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Hoagy Carmichael, Howard Alden, Sinatra, John Coltrane, The Three Sounds, Sarah Vaughan, Wynton Kelly, and more.
40 minutes of soul followed and included Young-Holt Unlimited, Mable John, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Tommy Ridgley, Aretha Franklin, Brenton Wood, Ann Peebles, Jackie Wilson, Jimmy Ruffin, Joe Bataan, Mary Wells, and more. 10 minutes of blues followed and included Slim Harpo, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Lightnin’ Hopkins.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 32 –1.14.25
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 60 mins soul.
The jazz hour included some new material from respected artists – Johnny Hodges, Jackie McLean, Billie Holiday, Kenny Dorham, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Dean Martin, Count Basie, Sinatra, Wynton Kelly, and more.
60 minutes of soul followed and included Louis Jordan, Lloyd Price, Ivory Joe Hunter, The Quintones, Mary Wells, Etta James, Ray Charles, Penny & The Quarters, The “5” Royales, Irma Thomas, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, The Temptations, The Emotions, The Supremes, Al Green, Brenton Wood, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
STUDY HALL fill-in –1.17.25
Without complaint, I rarely get to publicly play records from “current” artists (or were at least “current” when I began listening to them). DJ Rob Gordon needed a Friday off and he gave me the green light to play records by 21st century artists.
120 minutes of The Walkmen, Dr. Dog, Cat Power, Jason Molina (Magnolia Electric Co.), Elliott Smith, Broken Social Scene, Sparklehorse, Micah P. Hinson, Nina Nastasia, Jolie Holland, Pavement, The Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, C. W. Stoneking, and more.
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below. Note – the below playlist is over seven hours. Track #33, “You Wanted a Hit” was the final track that made the airwaves.
Holidays, work, and other factors have gotten in the way of publishing this belated post. That said, November brought the Drag four very different games.
I know we 21st-century humans no longer read long-form content. But there’s a lot to write about this game.
Admittedly, I don’t know much about the Moontowers. What I do know is that they look and carry themselves like a legit ballclub. I also know that even their hitters with less-than-perfect swings are still able to turn on our Ace’s pitches and authoritatively drive the ball pull side.
They are absolutely a ballclub. In a league where each organization has their unique sliding scale of social club-to-ballclub ratio, the Moontowers are an organization that obviously put their emphasis on ball. I dig it.
For all the personalities and eccentrics that provide our league with a healthy chunk of fanfare and extracurriculars, it’s refreshing to be able to compete against an old-school ballclub. However, our track record of competitive competition usually includes an inning or two where we shoot ourselves in the foot and dig ourselves a hole. We’ve showcased shakey bullpens with coinflip command (sometimes they have it, sometimes they don’t), defensive lapses, drunken/clumsy baserunning, bewildering ABs… every facet has contributed to our podiatric gunshot wounds and fresh holes we’ve dug for ourselves.
But on this game, against this competitive club, we played good, solid baseball. The Drag have been built on Keith Hyndshaw’s favorite adage, “Celebrate our successes. Laugh at our mistakes. Have a damn-good time!” This game’s celebrations outweighed the goofball laughter and slapstick chatter. We had an exceptional time playing quality, solid baseball. “Not bad for a has been and couple of never will bes huh?”
To be clear, Steven (lefty starting pitcher) has put The Drag in position to win some “competitive” games before, but our defense and/or bullpen has managed to squander a few late-game leads, but on this particular evening, the defense didn’t break and the bullpen remained steady.
Offensively, Keith, Gelli, Jeff, Steven, RJ, and pretty much every Dragster contributed to putting runs on the board. You never know when things are gonna click and go in your favor, but they sure went ours this evening.
To be expected, many adult recreations (especially super social sandlot leagues) provide games that often feel like a foregone conclusion. Teams show up, cleat up, warm up, and thoughts cross one’s mind in one of three ways: – Welp, though nothing is guaranteed, if we don’t screw up too badly, we should leave here with a W (confidence). – In order for us to get outta here with a W, they’ve gotta make a ton of mistakes and we’ve gotta play a clean, tight game (doubt). – This is a coin flip. Can’t wait to see what happens (it’s anyone’s game, let’s play ball).
In a season chockfull of sloppy wins and lousy losses (every one of which, we’re always grateful to be a part of), getting in one super clean, competitive game made the whole squad feel outstanding. Thank you to every Sandlotter for making it happen!
11.3.24 – Austin Drag vs. Smithville Baseball Club – Keilberg Park – 12pm
Not gonna lie, with our previous game concluding a mere 36 hours prior, we were still floating. The Drag were “just happy to be there.” Smithville was great though. Friendly folks, cool, old field. If it hadn’t been for a wildfire threatening the area, it would’ve been a picture-perfect day in every way. Due to the potential nearby natural disaster, it still remained a pretty-good-to-great day at the ballpark.
Braden went the distance on the hill and the entire Dragster lineup hit. Good times indeed. Thank you for hosting us Smithville Baseball Club!
11.9.24 – LovejoyCobraCowboys vs. Austin Drag – Govalle – 11am
In our penultimate game of the season, we played the South Austin LovejoyCobraCowboys. The LoveSnakeBoys. The CobraJoyBoys. You get it. It was a collection of players organized by the Lovejoys.
The game moved fairly quickly as it was a lot of defense and pitching. Rallies were kept to a minimum. Keith was sharp on the hill as he went the distance. Our infield, for the most part, had sure hands (including an outstanding pick at first by Big Rig to save a few runs and end an inning). The outfield, Gelli in particular, tracked everything down and we were able to escape the few oppositional offensive threats.
Though we were on top for most of the game, it remained close. And as I’ve previously wrote, some games feel like we’re one inning away from our house of cards collapsing. That acknowledged, the structural integrity remained true, and there are no collapses to report for this day.
Just another outstanding day with our pals at Govalle.
Final game of 2024. One last afternoon in the sun with our friends and this incredible community.
Without a doubt, November 2024 provided The Drag with our best month of baseball on record. Our pitching was sharp. The lineup produced. Though our defense may have bended here and there, it never broke. Just an outstanding conclusion to a very satisfying 2024 Sandlot season.
Steven Carrizales started on the hill against our Roadrunner pals and then our bullpen of Rickner, Braden, and RJ (making his sandlot pitching debut) sealed up the game.
Katy Fairlee’s bat remained hot as she had a few base knocks and RJ, Stillman, Steven, and Co. kept the offense moving with extra base hits. Colin made his return from world traveling and we picked up Jacob, a former Roadrunner and current Papervalley Pike, for the game.
“It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” This game was played with joy on both sides. Perfect conclusion to a rewarding season. Spring 2025 can’t come fast enough.
As NFL, college football, NBA, trips to movie theaters, and whatever else might help you pass the time ballplayers refer to as “the offseason,” it’s easy to get a little down.
A brief aside – I’m kind of weird about art and media. If you weren’t aware of that, we haven’t had conversations over beers. Anyways, many people turn to genre fiction, trash television, top 40 tunes, comic book commercial cinema, or whatever else for “escape.” I hear it all the time – “Movies/Adolescent Literature/Music is, just, like an escape for me man.”
And that’s all well and good. Every human needs their preferred form of escape/escapism. But I know myself well enough to understand that there’s no better escape than showing up to a beloved, yet junky ballpark with 30 or so folks, cleating up, grooving fingers into a worn-out glove, loosening up a belabored shoulder, taking a few hacks with a piece of lumber you’re well aware will inevitably fall apart on ya, then march through a ballgame’s ups, downs, and eventually wash the day down with a few beers in the later innings. It’s what our weekends are scheduled around.
When’s our game? When are we playing ball? Who do we have this weekend? Who’s pitching? How’s the arm feeling?
December, January, February – these questions turn dormant. Regardless of how great the music is, there’s only so much satisfaction that listening to LPs while watching televised non-baseball activities can bring.
So we wait. We tell ourselves that our arms and bodies can use the break, but we know we belong at the ballpark. Thank God nobody can ever hold back spring.
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 40 mins doo-wop & vocal groups. 20 mins blues. The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Horace Silver, Julie London, Miles Davis, Gene Harris, Sinatra, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Kenny Dorham, Nina Simone, and more. 40 minutes of doo-wop and vocal group tracks followed and included The Ink Spots, Sarah Vaughan, The Penguins, The Mad Lads, The Cadillacs, The Rays, The Clovers, The Teddy Bears, The Dubs, The Silhouettes, The Ronettes, The Impressions, and more. Unfortunately omitted from the Spotify playlist is the song that kicked off the final Blues Block of tracks – Larry Coryell’s “The Opening.”
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 25 –11.26.24
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz (including one Sinatra song that is not jazz, but I squeezed it in there anyway). 40 mins soul (some tracks aren’t available on Spotify). 20 mins blues. I did experience some technical difficulties (so most of my tracks played a little out of order) during the jazz hour which consisted of: Count Basie, Donald Byrd, The Three Sounds, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Sinatra, and more. 40 minutes of soul followed and included Etta James, The Impressions, Irma Thomas, Benny Spellman, Dee Dee Sharp, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Mad Lads, David Ruffin, and more. Also included in the soul block (but unavailable on Spotify) are the tracks: Busted If I Had it My Way Nobody Who Could be Loving You?
The last 20 mins, a Blues Block, included tracks by: Fats Domino, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Roy Milton, and B.B. King.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 26 –12.3.24
Show notes: 60 mins classic jazz. 40 mins soul. 20 mins 21st century tracks. The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious, Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Oscar Peterson, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Clark, Nat King Cole, Julie London, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sinatra, Keely Smith, and more. 40 minutes of soul followed and included Ray Charles, The Charmels, Aretha, Bill Withers, Mable John, Bobby Hutcherson, James Brown, Jean Knight, Captain Beefheart, and more. Unfortunately omitted from the Spotify playlist is the song that kicked off the soul hour – “Where Can I Go?” by Ray Charles.
The final block of 21st century tracks included Ramsay Midwood, Karate, and Nina Nastasia.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Upcoming theme shows:
Episode 29 -12.24.24 – There will be Jazz + Soul Christmas songs. Episode 30 – 12.31.24 – I’m actually not sure yet, but I’ll cook up some kind of theme for NYE. Episode 36 – 2.11.25 – One hour of heartbreak / one hour of romantic elation. Episode 39 – 3.4.25 – Fat Tuesday. All New Orleans music (not specifically Mardi Gras, but New Orleans tracks nonetheless).
I seriously hurt my knee in March. The Fourth of July rolled around and my knee was still injured. So I began rehabbing it in our local pools. I also occasionally took some 35mm photos.
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Sonny Clark, Louis Prima, Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Kenny Dorham, Don Shirley, Hoagy Carmichael, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, and more. The soul, R&B, and funk hour included tracks by Same Cooke, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, The Coasters, Betty LaVette, Bill Withers, Otis Redding, The Persuaders, and more. The final 20 minutes was a grab bag of country, blues, folk, alt-country, etc. What some may label as a WASP block of sorts. This block included tracks by Richard Hell, Bob McFadden, Paul McCartney, The Walkmen, and Lucero.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 20 –10.22.24
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Johnny Hodges, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Errol Garner, Louis Prima, Miles Davis, Hoagy Carmichael, Artie Shaw, and more. The soul, R&B, and funk hour included tracks by Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Eddie Bo, The Clovers, Lee Tillman, Sam & Dave, Bill Withers, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, B.T. Express, and more. The final 20 minutes was a dedication to Elliott Smith who passed on 10/21/2003.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
I normally chop off what songs don’t make the broadcast, but for this instance, the songs that didn’t make the airwaves are Elliott Smith tracks and I figure I’ll keep them on the chance anyone is interested.
Episode 21 –10.29.24
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Ahmad Jamal, Blossom Dearie, Johnny Hodges & Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Bennie Moten, Hoagy Carmichael, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Sinatra, Hank Mobley, and more. The soul, R&B, and funk hour included tracks by The Impressions, Andre Williams, Eddie Snow, Sam Cooke, The Jaynetts, Marvin Gaye with Tammi Terrell, The Young-Holt Unlimited, Ruth Brown, Rosco Gordon, Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes, Bobby Womack, Bill Withers, and more. The final 20 minutes was a grab bag of country, blues, folk, alt-country, etc that some are referring to as the WASP Block. That block consisted of a tribute to Kris Kristofferson as well as a closing track by The Deslondes.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
KLKT Stand In — Two-Five-One — 11.5.24
Show notes: On this election night, I sat in for DJ Russet Burbank and decided to turn the two hours before Rick’s Canteen into a “Best Of” Rick’s Canteen’s classic jazz hour. There were some technical difficulties that I had to work through so the broadcast recording has a few shaky moments that did eventually get worked out. And with Quincy Jones’s recent passing, I made an effort to play tracks that he helped shape. The two-hour program consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Quincy Jones productions, Sinatra & Count Basie, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Don Shirley Trio, Keely Smith, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Bryant, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Billie Holiday, Wynton Marsalis, Louis Prima, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 22 –11.5.24
Show notes: Having filled in for DJ Russet Burbank for the previous two hours on this election night, I slightly changed gears and made this particular episode have a “politically/socially conscious” theme. The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Mose Allison, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and more. The soul and funk blocks included tracks by The Temptations, Gil Scott-Heron, The J.B.’s, Curtis Mayfield, War, and more. The final WASP Block included tracks by Blaze Foley, Randy Newman, Ani Difranco, Tom Waits, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Big Bill Broonzy.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
*I normally chop off the tracks that don’t make the airwaves, but I figured I’d leave in the few that didn’t make it.
Episode 23 –11.12.24
Show notes: Because this week is KLKT’s first ever Membership Drive, this episode has far more chatter than normal. Even still, the jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Miles Davis, Duke, Monk, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Sinatra, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sinatra, Bix Beiderbecke, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and more. We turned the 9 o’clock hour for this Membership Drive week into a Doo Wop and Vocal Group hour and included tracks by The Toppers, The Five Satins, The Crystals, The Ink Spots, The Butterflys, The Moonglows, The Jive Bombers, The Ad Libs, The Cleftones, The Ronettes, The Flamingos, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
*Most of these Rick Canteen playlists exceed two hours, but since we this Membership Drive required so much chatter, this playlist came in around 90 mins.
The Drag bats were alive and kicking all game long. Katy, Tyler, Braden, and others had multi-hit games. The defense was, for the most part, pretty darn clean. Hyndshaw went the distance on the mound. The Red Onions brought energy and good spirit to the ballpark. Looking forward to next season.
Not sure if this is what they were goin for…
Perhaps a not-so-quick aside. As we all know, sandlot is incredibly inclusive (from World Series winners to folks that are brand new to the game). The Drag collectively has a wide breadth of experience and we’re all still working on our fundamentals and such, so – these types of links recently floated around the group chat. There’s a chance that other folks brand new to baseball may benefit. I’m no good at putting on a Coachy McCoachFace, but these fellas aren’t so bad.
These birds flew all the way in from the Bay Area for the weekend and they definitely got in a ton of baseball across Central Texas. Unfortunately, not enough on this particular evening though (more on that later). The game was tight; very close the entire way through. Sharp defense and challenging pitching made runs difficult to come by for both squads.
Considering these Pelicans don’t usually use modern-day sporting goods while playing baseball, this game had an additional wrinkle. They normally adhere to 1861 rules, so playing with gloves and bats manufactured by Wilson, Rawlings, and Louisville Slugger and the like is a bit unusual for them. I’m sure someone out there who doesn’t insist on shooting 35mm photography when plenty of technological advances in photography have been made may ask, “Why would anyone choose to do that?” But I get keeping things nineteenth century.
Anyhow, Luke Woody came through with a huge knock. Steven Carrizales grinded though inning after inning on the hill. Only trouble is, as we closed in towards 10pm, The Man in Blue (TMiB), got a little tired and ended things a bit on the awkward side.
With the Drag up by two, one out and a runner on second (no runner on first, no force in play) for the Pels in the top of the 9th (Drag = home team), a Pelican sent a sharply-hit ball to third that Justin LaPrairie (3B) speared. The runner on second aggressively broke for third, LaPrairie waved his glove at the runner, it didn’t seem like a tag was applied, but LaPrairie was able to fire to first for the sure out.
Claiming that the runner went outside the basepath, TMiB decided it was a game-ending doubleplay. There was a brief conversation between the teams and the ump. The ump was determined to be done for the night as he made his way off the field. At this point, we were just about seven minutes from the lights turning off, and the game just ended on a flat, downer note. For all levels (and most occupations), there are some folks not interested staying on the job any longer than they have to.
This game was… rough on us. Baseball is better than not baseball, but we donked this one. We donked all day.
The Smoke played a significantly better game than us. That acknowledged, we were collectively fighting demons of our own making. Like a child, I stupidly left home without my cleats. Two Dragsters arrived straight from a Galveston wedding that took place the night before. On this particular Sunday morning, many players on both sides were gracelessly wearing our weekends. Throw in the fact that, though this season hasn’t included any rainouts, this drought is murdering our baseball fields.
Enough complaining. We got to play baseball. For that, we are thankful. But, daggum, this was a tough one for the Dragsters. On a positive note – Mel made an incredible catch in right to kill a rally. Katy continued crushing the ball. Lockhart BBQ is still delicious. And a martini bar just happened to host their grand opening on this lovely evening.
Final score — Drag = got smoked. Smoke = smokin’ meats, smokin’ base paths, smokin’ Dragsters.
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sinatra, Bix Beiderbecke, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and more. The soul and “mixed bag” hour included tracks by Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, The Supremes, Solomon Burke, Dee Dee Sharp, Ray Charles, Irma Thomas, and more. The final 20 minutes was a grab bag of country, blues, folk, alt-country, etc.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
KLKT Stand In — Study Hall — 10.4.24
Show notes: Two hours of straight soul! I pulled many tracks from these compilation records: Feelin’ Right Saturday Night, Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974, and the majority of the other tracks were from the artists I collect – James Brown, Ray Charles, Temptations, Bill Withers, Bo Diddley, etc.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here:
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Grant Green, Hank Jones, and more. The soul and “mixed bag” hour included tracks by Ted Hawkins, Ernie K-Doe, Doris Duke, Bo Diddley, Slim Harpo, Irma Thomas, The Temptations, Lou Rawls, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here–
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
The Spotify playlist is below.
Episode 17 –10.1.24
Show notes: The jazz hour consisted mainly of the usual suspects: Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Keely Smith + Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Grant Green, and more. Due to a few factors, the 9 o’clock hour became the Funk Hour and included tracks by The Temptations, The J.B.’s, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Bobby Womack, and more.
A recording of the broadcast is available for you here–
Provided your device’s media player treats you better than the above WordPress player, the Rick’s Canteen google folder has been updated (this is always the first thing to be updated).
