Georgetown Recap

The Jive Turkeys right after beating Georgetown 15-14

Huck Off the Hilltop 2013
After weekends at Vassar and Gettysburg, and our own Jive Fest, it was time for the Jive Turkeys to head to Reston, VA for Georgetown's fall tournament Huck Off the Hilltop. The tournament, advertised as competitive with a lot of D-1 schools, was slated to be a good determiner of where we were as a team before the spring season. For a team with aspirations of making College Nationals in May, we were excited, but unsure of what to expect. 

As a result of some bizarre scheduling, our games on Saturday did not actually start until 1PM. Our pool included Carnegie Mellon, Towson, and Delaware-X, and it seems that Georgetown structured the pools and game times around team's travel times. Whatever. Not complaining about playing games at 1PM, 2:30PM, and 4PM on the first day. 

Saturday
The first test was Carnegie Mellon, and while the weather was not bad, per se, some pretty heavy winds led to the some sloppy play. Both teams struggled downwind, with the first seven points being scored upwind (in favor of Jive 4-3). The game remained tight until half time. Jive went into the break up 7-6 thanks to aggressive defensive play and good end zone offense. It was an intense game throughout, and we needed to make big plays in the second half to open up a small lead. Because of the short rounds and weather, hard cap went on about 15 minutes after half time and the game ended 9-7 in Jive's favor. A win over a D-1 team that consistently makes Regionals was a great start.

Game two was against Towson and the 500 people that they brought with them. I actually asked one of their players when they had such a large team with them, and he told me that they were making A-team cuts next week, and anyone with a shot had to come to the tournament. Fair enough, I suppose, although Towson's "depth" never seemed to matter. Jive came out with strong zone defense and immediately flustered the handlers and opened up a 3-0 lead. The game was never close after the first three points and Jive took the win at 13-4. Because of the wide margin of victory, this game was a good chance to cycle our players more than we did against CMU. We had 16 people with us, and the Towson game was the best time for everyone to get playing time. 

The last game of the day came against Delaware-X, another D-1 team trying to polish its roster at the end of the fall season. Their previous game didn't look particularly impressive, and we went into this contest a little too confident in our superiority. We made dumb decisions, played lazy defense, but did enough to reduce the deficit from 6-2 to 7-6 by half time.  It is one thing to be confident, but we can never assume that we will roll over a team. Lesson learned for the second half, as Delaware never seemed to be as threatening. Our zone offense clicked and the defense started making plays and we won 13-8. 

Sunday
Day two started at 9AM. Our matchup was against Georgetown, the tournament's host and a Regionals-level team that spent much of Saturday mixing its roster with veterans and new players. This would not be the case on Sunday, as it was Georgetown's A-team that we were up against. We were pumped for this game: we had won our pool the day before and wanted to advance further in the Championship bracket. We knew that Georgetown was better than their Saturday record of 1-2 indicated. 

The first half was close and Jive took it 8-7, but the second half was immense. The two teams traded points for almost the entire game. Jive made a number of big plays, both offensively and defensively, but could not pull away, instead getting broken for a couple scores after half time. We went down 14-12, but we were able to tie it up at 14s. Hard cap had come on, so this game was going to end on Universe point. We pulled, Georgetown turned the disc, followed by us turning the disc. It worked out perfectly, however, as Georgetown earned the disc back on the corner of their own end zone line. Instead of moving the disc down the field, Georgetown tried a swing and it fell incomplete. Jive only needed to convert the goal line pass to win. Relying on the same isolation cutting that had worked so well all tournament, Jive punched in the goal and took a thrilling 15-14 victory. It was a huge win, hard-fought and also well-deserved. 

The semi-final game was against Lehigh, a team we've played before and will certainly play again this spring. Our legs were shot, and Lehigh had not really been tested in their first game of the day. We lost 15-4, but this game would not belittle the tremendous accomplishment of our universe point victory against Georgetown. 

The victory against Georgetown was the most exciting and rewarding Fall Season game that I've been a part of during my four years with Jive. It was such an important indicator of where are as a team currently, and how much better we can become. We never quit, even after going down multiple times late in the game. We did not lose our heads after a couple of untimely mistakes and pushed and pushed for the final point. Huck Off the Hill will be a tournament that I will long remember, and hopefully is just the start for this year's Jive Turkeys.

Select Highlights:
-Grefe playing with the team both days. Bowman and Faithful being team cheerleaders
-Post skying that Georgetown dude twice, getting hacked, and calling "AND ONE" after both goals
-Dane's ridiculous sky-D against CMU. That kid never stood a chance.
-Moller, 5'6", guarding Falcore, 6'4" from Lehigh. He'll sky him next time. 
-Air Joeldan

Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2013 – An Abbreviated Recapitulation

 

via Braeden Eastman

Growing up, I did not attend many live concerts. I can attribute to this many factors, but none more so than the fact that I grew up listening to the music of my father’s generation. Many a moment were spent in my basement, shooting hoops, pucks, or pool and listening to Led Zeppelin, The Who, Van Halen, the Stones, and others. I was the one that requested “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” instead of “All Star” at the roller rink and was disappointed when DJs at school dances didn’t actually end dances with “Stairway to Heaven.” For all intents and purposes, the bands to which I rocked out were dead (ignore that all the aforementioned or some of their members have in some capacity performed live in recent years – they weren’t then). In some ways, this love of classic rock stunted my growth as a consumer of music. For one, I was somehow deluded into thinking that I was discovering these “little-known” bands. My dad often recalls this one time I excitedly told him about this “new, great band” I had found. What was that band, you ask? The Beatles. I also remember thinking that I never really needed to listen to new bands or music. After all, how can one beat listening to “Baba O’Riley” for the 74^th time? As such, the music of the ‘90s sort of passed me by without much fanfare. Sure, I knew the songs (and know them much better now, thanks to high school/Jive), but I did not grant them much boom-box time. Even now, especially since graduation, I feel like I do not hear about songs until several months after their release. Anyways, you get it so I can quit belaboring my point. I’m slow to the party.

This past Saturday was no exception, really. I was familiar with several of the bands and knew some songs of course but couldn’t call myself a big fan of any one group in particular. So you will have to excuse me if you already know everything there is to know about the following bands.

The first band on my must-see list I missed. Good start, I know. Unfortunately, it was the band I was most looking forward to see: Chvrches. A week prior, I had no knowledge that this Scottish, ‘80s-inspired, synth-pop band even existed, but I soon became enlightened after listening to their album The Bones of What You Believe on NPR’s “First Listen” segment. I listened once, and then again. And again. And again. If you haven’t checked them out yet, I highly recommend that you do. If you already know of them, then keep listening. Anyways, since I was unable to watch them live, here’s what Jessica Garson of the DCist had to say of their performance (which she deemed the “best set”): “Scottish trio Chvrches played a remarkably consistent set that introduced the crowd to their sprawling musical talent beyond their hit, ‘The Mother We Share.’ The timing could not have been better as it began to pour right after they played.”

Had I been there, I am confident I would concur with this assessment completely. Well, except for the bit about the rain. I arrived minutes after Chvrches finished their set, and I can say with confidence that it did not rain for at least another thirty minutes. Anyways, please do listen to “The Mother We Share,” “Recover,” and the rest of the album. Just listen to it all. It’s so good. Moving on.

Most I think can vouch that I am a sucker for catchy, mainstream pop songs that are impossible to listen to without dancing or singing along. Such songs would include but are certainly not limited to “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Firework,” and “We Found Love.” Another of these songs is Icona Pop’s “I Love It.” That song truly makes me want to drive my car into a bridge and watch it burn.  The Swedish, electro pop/punk duo has been around since 2009 but per my understanding only fairly recently went big stateside. Their hop-inducing set included other tunes like “All Night,” “We Got The World,” and “Girlfriend,” which, guilty-as-charged, is one of my favorites. A few other middling songs were mixed in, and although I thought their performance could have been better, perhaps cleaner, their energy alone made up for any misgivings. And even though the rain did finally start falling during their set, I hardly noticed, and when they closed with “I Love It," I didn’t care.

After finishing up with the Swedes, I, along with Kara and friend Sasha, slowly made our way through the mud and rain to Matt and company at the main stage where City and Colour was performing. Started by the now-defunct Alexisonfire’s Canadian lead singer Dallas (City) Green (Colour), City and Colour brings to the stage a collection of folk music that sounds fine but isn’t exceptional. Matt’s assessment that he was “the worst musician that ever has been” was certainly a bit harsh, but really, his music and performance just didn’t have the energy necessary to get the audience through the persistent rain. Any energy still possessed was quickly subdued as I felt as though I was in a trance during the rest of his set.

We planted right there as MGMT was the next to take the stage. This was another of the bands on my can’t-miss list but not because I know all of their stuff. Like most people, I wanted to see them for three reasons: 1. “Time to Pretend”; 2. “Electric Feel”; and 3. “Kids.” The set started off with a few technical difficulties likely caused by the rain, but the fans were still treated to lesser-known songs from Oracular Spectacular like “Weekend Wars” and “The Youth.” This was all well and good but not what we came to hear. But then lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden said the word “pretend” in between songs, and we all knew what was up. As those psychedelic bubbles and trippy, artificial animal sounds started, the whole crowd blew up. MGMT’s performance didn’t disappoint, either. Given the music they play, I didn’t expect it to translate well to a live concert, but “Time to Pretend” was close to perfect. And so was “Electric Feel.” As I sang both songs as loudly as possible, I couldn’t help but reminisce about those glorious days when dance parties at the Tavern were commonplace and handles of rum were copious. In between those two classics, I was introduced to “Your Life is a Lie,” now one of my new favorite MGMT songs. I do not know why, but I love the song’s music video.

Although some complained about MGMT’s overall performance, I was not really one of them. It’s true that some of the songs didn’t match the excitement created by their hits (How could they?) and came off as downers, but I enjoyed seeing them nonetheless. One complaint I had was that their set ended with one glaring omission: “Kids.” They didn’t play it. Yeah, I know. It was upsetting. Matt Cohen of the DCist said it best that this “seemed like a big “fuck you” to FreeFest audiences.” I certainly felt slighted.

The next band witnessed truly needs no introduction for those of you reading. Continuing with my theme, however, FreeFest marked the first time in which I saw (and essentially heard) the Avett Brothers, a band to which I had never really consciously listened, despite the rave reviews I have heard from just about everyone I know. I’m rather astonished to have since learned that the band has been active since the year 2000. I’m so out of touch sometimes. Well, it surely comes as no surprise to those familiar that they absolutely stole the show. Hailing from Concord, North Carolina, the Avett Brothers’ folksy and eclectic sound is intoxicating and induces one to dance, no matter how hard it’s raining. Forget about their play for a quick second – which was excellent; their energy was second-to-none and a tonic to the rain-soaked crowds. The entire set featured Scott and Seth Avett bounding across the stage, hopping on and jumping off pianos, and shredding delicately guitar solos in the front row of the audience. Bob Crawford plucked an understated bass, and honestly, I do not know how anyone can play cello effectively while moving as frenetically as Joe Kwon. My apologies must go out to Mike Marsh. Although an essential part of any group, it is the plight of the drummer to be overlooked or dismissed until his untimely, premature death from drugs or alcohol (re. This is Spinal Tap). I mean, check out this new album the Avett Brothers "put out" here. The front cover of The Avett Brothers Sing Heavy Metal doesn’t even feature Marsh. Perhaps Marsh died recently in a stick-twirling attempt gone horrifyingly wrong, and this is how the remaining four are coping? Does anyone know? Only God knows. Or Satan, whomever you prefer.

Speaking of the macabre and undead, the final act of the evening was Vampire Weekend. This is yet another band that I ignored when they first arrived on the scene several years ago. I now can recognize a handful of songs and like nodding my head and tapping my feet when I hear their cheery tunes. I wouldn’t say that they were exceptional live, but I think that was largely due to the inevitable return to Earth from the highs we reached during the Avett Brothers’ act, as well as the sobering rain, which had begun to fall even harder. I enjoyed very much “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “Mansard Roof,” “Diane Young,” and “A-Punk,” but it still wasn’t enough to keep us warm and present as we left in the middle of the set, unfortunately well before anyone gave a fuck about “Oxford Comma.” 

Oh, and Robin Thicke was there. *Fart noise*