#Jordan Grubb

[ukrfeminism]

2 minute read

TW: femicide.

A dangerous sexual predator who brutally beat to death aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena as she walked home alone from a night out with friends has admitted murder.

Jordan McSweeney, 29, trailed Ms Aleena through the streets at night before launching a ferocious attack, sexually assaulting her, and leaving her to die on the driveway of a home in Ilford, northeast London.

McSweeney, a heavily convicted criminal, carried out the attack in the early hours of June 26, just nine days after he had been set free from prison.

The “savage and brutal attack” on Ms Aleena, 35, was caught on terrifying CCTV, while McSweeney had been seen following a series of other women earlier in the evening before selecting Ms Aleena as his victim.

At the Old Bailey on Friday, he pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault, and now faces a life sentence. The guilty plea follows a series of aborted court hearings when McSweeney had avoided psychological assessments, refused to leave his prison cell, and was suspected of attempting to disrupt court proceedings.

Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb adjourned sentencing to December 14, when members of Ms Aleena’s family will outline the impact of the murder on them.

In the days following her murder, her family paid tribute to Ms Aleena as a “joy to all of us” who had set her sights on becoming a lawyer at the age of five.

“Zara was friendly, she was everybody’s friend. She was everybody’s daughter, everybody’s niece, everybody’s sister, everybody’s cousin. She was pure of heart.”

Referencing the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, the family said Ms Aleena “walked everywhere” and “believed that a woman should be able to walk home”. 

“Sadly, Zara is not the only one who has had her life taken at the hands of a stranger. We all know women should be safe on our streets. She was in the heart of her community, ten minutes from home”, they said. “In a savage, sickening, act she was murdered by a stranger.”

At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow KC said the attack happened at around 2.45am when Ms Aleena was minutes away from reaching her home following a night out with friends.

He said McSweeney caused the “violent death of Zara Aleena who was attacked in the early hours of the morning of June 26”, saying she was “a lone female late at night making her way home, a woman who stood no chance”. 

“Emergency services were called after her body was discovered in a driveway on Cranbrook Road.

“She was bleeding, struggling to breathe, and had clearly sustained serious head injuries. She was also partially naked.

“The injuries she had sustained at the hands of this defendant were so severe that nothing could be done to save her.”

Ms Aleena studied law at the University of Westminster and she had recently completed a Legal Practice Course to be able to practise as a solicitor. Introducing the evidence, Mr Glasgow said: “Eyewitnesses and CCTV directly links this defendant to the savage and brutal attack on Zara Aleena.

“In the early hours, he was following and observing a number of different women. He was obviously interested in them and their movements. Tragically, for Zara Aleena, it was her on whom he became fixated.

“He is seen on CCTV to set about her on the ground. He is seen kicking and stamping repeatedly on her body.

“When the body was discovered, she was clearly already fatally wounded as a result of the onslaught.”

The court heard McSweeney was tracked to a caravan when police officers discovered a bag of blood-stained clothing and shoes.

His fingerprint was also found in blood at the scene of the attack. 

The killer, from Dagenham, refused to speak in his police interview and repeatedly refused to leave his prison cell as court proceedings progressed.

When his barrister asked for a further delay to proceedings, the judge replied: “The defendant has now had three opportunities to meet with the psychologist and he hasn’t attended on any of them. He hasn’t attended today, and I am not prepared to put the case over until November.”

The court heard he made threats to police officers after his arrest and claims to suffer from ADHD and a split personality disorder.

McSweeney has 28 convictions for 69 offences, including for assaults on police officers and members of the public.

He was released from prison on June 17, 2022, after serving his latest sentence for burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

[best2daynews]

Game Mess Mornings 02/23/23 - trending

Jeff Grubb is joined by Jordan Middler from VGC to chat about departures, cancellations, and of course more updates on Microsoft and Activision! Source Link

[jhamazamnews-blog]

Zara Aleena: Serial offender jailed for minimum of 38 years for 'brutal' murder of law graduate as she walked home | UK News

Zara Aleena: Serial offender jailed for minimum of 38 years for ‘brutal’ murder of law graduate as she walked home | UK News

Serial offender Jordan McSweeney has been sentenced to a minimum of 38 years for sexually assaulting and murdering 35-year-old aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena in Ilford, east London. Speaking at the Old Bailey, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said she has “no doubt” McSweeney intended to kill Ms Aleena and said his decision not to come to court for sentencing showed he had “no spine whatsoever”. The court…

[crazy-noonoohead]

A year ago, I stood on the corner of 52nd St. and 8th Ave., waiting to go inside for a free first preview of a new Broadway show. I generally prefer to wait until a show officially opens, partly so I can judge a final product, but mostly because a former friend attends early previews and I go out of my way to avoid her. But who can say no to free theatre tickets? (If she was there that night, I didn't see her, so crisis averted.) As always, I was excited to see a new show, but I had some concerns. Did we really need another adaptation of a movie, especially one so beloved by many? I had only seen the movie once, but I still knew it was iconic and completely understood why. Would it live up to the original source material, or would it be as offensively bad as some other adaptations I won't publicly name? I remained cautiously optimistic and eager to find out.

The opening number set the scene with just the right amount of exposition, and the following number was making me laugh, until all of a sudden they had to stop the show. Understandable. It was a first preview, and I figured they were still working some technical kinks out. Then forty-five minutes passed and free drinks were offered. I even considered not waiting at the stage door. At this point, I would already get home late, and I had to be up early for work the following day. The composer, book writer, and director got up on stage and reassured their audience that this never happened in rehearsals. They told us that despite the turntable refusing to cooperate, they would resume the first act concert-style, and then perform five songs from the second act. They also said they would give us all vouchers to come back to a later preview so we could see it the way they wanted us to. The actors had to sit in chairs and couldn't change out of their costumes, but they still gave it their all. Their ability to laugh through the stress and perform as if they were using the full set and choreography blew my mind. I think, "There you are" got the biggest laugh of the night, since all someone did was get up out of a chair. When the lead actor burst into laughter, I knew I was going to wait and congratulate everyone. It would be worth being tired the next day. When I went back a few weeks later, there was another technical stop, but this time it only lasted ten minutes. And I got to see/hear half of one of my favorite songs in the show twice. Still the best car chase I've ever seen, and probably ever will see.

Four months went by before I would see it again, but in that time I listened to the cast recording constantly and memorized the score. It was the show I recommended to friends without hesitation. I even sang the act two opener in acting class with the "Hope" (see what I did there?) that it would encourage people to buy tickets. But it wasn't enough. A week and a half after my third trip to Punxsutawney, the show posted its closing notice, and it hurt way more than I was expecting it to. I went back a lot during its final month, made friends both on the Internet and in real life, and cried with them through the final performance. I managed to see it eight times during its six-month-and-one-day run, and I wish I could have gone more.

This beautiful gem of a show deserved to run as long as Phil was stuck in that time loop. No. It deserved to run even longer than that. The care and detail that team put into every line, every movement, every...everything...continues to amaze me. It's been gone six months (minus one day) now, and I'm still picking up on new details when I listen to it or when my mind happens to wander back to its time on Broadway. A tragedy occurred in Barcelona, and the next day, they changed a line from, "It always makes me think of Barcelona" to, "It always makes me think of Machu Picchu." Something a certain other show I won't publicly name could have learned from. I'm not bitter. It enhanced the original source material, and cast a large, diverse group of kind people who deserve nothing but happiness and success. I will never stop missing it, but I'm forever grateful for the time we had together, even if it was cut far too short.

Revive Groundhog Day.

[tasha-draws]

Groundhog Day Fan Week - Day Seven (I Need A Hero)

I couldn’t settle with only one person for this prompt so here is a compilation of superhero counterparts of GHD characters and actors:

Top Left - Jonathan with super strength Top Right - Larry with the power of overseeing everything Bottom Left - Jordan Grubb with his real life superpower of taking on any GHD role with ease Bottom Right - Andy Karl as the strong and unstoppable Captain America

{The Punxsutawney Panels Compilation}

[eighthmark]

Groundhog Day for Broadway in Bryant Park

[punxsutawneyspirit]

jordangisme  Phil!? Phil Connors!? Last night will forever live in my "happy memory" bank #groundhogday #billmurray#groundhogdaybway

[milliondollarbaby87]

Cast

Andy Karl – Phil Connors Barrett Doss – Rita Hanson Rebecca Faulkenberry – Nancy John Sanders – Ned Ryerson Andrew Call – Gus/Billy the Bartender Raymond J. Lee – Ralph

Venue: August Wilson Theatre

Date – Friday 14th July 2017

  Groundhog Day the Musical is based on the extremely popular film from 1993 with the music and lyrics written by Tim Minchin. A show which started out in the West End and did fantastically well at the Olivier Awards, I had just missed it back in October as it closed a few days before I had a trip. Therefore I could not resist heading to see the show when out in New York, so pleased I did as well.

Andy Karl in the leading role is absolutely outstanding from start to finish. It cannot be an easy show to perform in with the same day being repeated over and over again. This certainly gave it that fantastic comedic edge though with the audience really being able to find the funny side of it all. You probably have  to have seen the film though to really appreciate certain parts of it and to really understand the story.

The original songs are pretty impressive with Tim Minchin really adding in his unique style. A slight warning should be that it certainly is not for young children. It has a very good sleek feeling to it as it flies through the day over and over again. Adding the musical numbers at brilliant times as Phil Connors is attempting to work out just why he is stuck reliving the 2nd of February. In that you know horrible little town that he totally hated. It is amusing to see what he then decided to do on different days and that is something that makes you wonder what types of things would you get up to if it didn’t really matter as you would wake up being the only person who knew what had previously happened.

  It is wacky at times but in well such a great way, seeing the truck being driven across the stage was well pretty hilarious. I loved the style of the music (and have since brought the Broadway cast recording) and thought it was very heartfelt at times as well. I am therefore extremely pleased that we managed to get tickets to see this show. Had a brilliant view of the stage as well, which obviously makes attending the theatre even better.

Andy Karl was a truly terrific leading man and deserves all of the credit for how much energy he places within this show from the opening moment to curtain call. I really was blown away by him and it has to be the best male performance I have seen in a very long time.

Something either unique or strange about this show has to be that while you know the story (I am assuming everyone has seen the film) the songs are all brand new. I hadn’t listened to any of it before the show. I actually really enjoy that about a new musical, being able to experience all of the songs on stage for the first time. It means you are in for plenty of surprises. I certainly hope Groundhog Day keeps going on Broadway and that we have it back in the UK at some point as well, I think this is a show that would do very well on tour!

Groundhog Day the Musical (Broadway) Review Cast Andy Karl - Phil Connors Barrett Doss - Rita Hanson Rebecca Faulkenberry - Nancy John Sanders - Ned Ryerson…

[asharinhun]

About The Writer/Mun

– one / NAME / ALIAS. Asharin or Asha are the names I go by here on tumblr and mostly on discord too.

– two /  BIRTHDAY. 26th of December 1994

– three / ZODIAC SIGN.  Capricorn

– four /  HEIGHT. 182 cm (I think it is the last official one I had), let’s say around 180 cm

– five  / HOBBIES. reading, collecting MtG cards, collecting and painting Warhammer miniatures, drawing, rping, playing on pc and sleeping

– six /  FAVORITE COLORS. crimson and black, blue, different greens, greys, browns, violet

– seven / FAVORITE BOOKS. I have a lot of these... Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames, StarCraft: Liberty’s Crusade by Jeff Grubb, Legends of the Dragonrealm series by Richard A. Knaak, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Twilight Reign series by Tom Lloyd, The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and sooooo many more

– eight  / LAST SONG LISTENED TO.  I Want My Tears Back from Nightwish

– nine  / LAST FILM WATCHED.  if you mean the cinema, then The Lion King, if otherwise, it was either How to train Your Dragon 3 or Kung Fu Panda

– ten  / INSPIRATION FOR MUSE. I have quite a lot of ocs, listing all the inspiration for them would be impossible... I generally like fantasy stuff, especially elves and dragons, that was a deciding factor about why so many of my ocs are from those races

– eleven  / DREAM JOB. I don’t know... somethign I would enjoy to the fullest while earning nice amount of moneyy so I wouldn’t have to worry about the finances of my family and had mroe than enough to spare for my hobbies

– twelve  / MEANING BEHIND YOUR URL. it’s the full first name of my main oc, duh xD

Tagged By: @safrona-shadowsun

Tagging:@lady-proudmoore @ask-naraenil @shuuhuu @penvenomstarkstar @thepalewolfhowls @anubelore-delana @liukka and anyone else who would like to do it

[movedtosync-up]

It's SpongeBob the Musical's one year anniversary of opening on Broadway! Happy anniversary, SpongeBob!

In celebration of the event (and because I recently hit 50 followers) here are some of the SpongeBob audios I have! Enjoy!

Spongebob Squarepants | December 4, 2017 | Broadway | mp3 | Tracked

Tracked by bikinibottomboots

Ethan Slater, Lilli Cooper, Gavin Lee, Brian Ray Norris, Danny Skinner, Wesley Taylor, Gaelen Gilland, Matthew Hamilton, Curtis Holbrook, Stephanie Hsu, L'ogan J'ones, Jai'Len Christine Like Josey, Tom Kenny, Kelvin Moon Loh, Lauralyn McClelland, Vasthy Mompoint, Oneika Phillips, Jon Rua, JC Schuster, Abby C. Smith, Robert Taylor Jr, Allan K. Washington

Notes: Opening Night

https://mega.nz/#!4plTlSBR!4MIzKepBypHn0UCXNBX93NbZ1aM8DsxyUNUx1mTBKys

Spongebob Squarepants | February 6, 2018 | Broadway | mp3 | Tracked

Tracked by bikinibottomboots

Ethan Slater, Brynn Williams (u/s Sandy), Gavin Lee, Brian Ray Norris, Danny Skinner, Wesley Taylor, Gaelen Gilland, Matthew Hamilton, Curtis Holbrook, Stephanie Hsu, L'ogan J'ones, Jai'Len Christine Like Josey, Tom Kenny, Alex Gibson (u/s Perch), Lauralyn McClelland, Vasthy Mompoint, Oneika Phillips, Jon Rua, JC Schuster, Abby C. Smith, Robert Taylor Jr, Allan K. Washington

https://mega.nz/#!Y18hDSRD!4lWUhNkCKX85VzOEOAlxJybcfpRcIs4R9dBxhSSJhsk

Spongebob Squarepants | April 8, 2018 | Broadway | m4a

Curtis Holbrook (u/s Spongebob Squarepants), Danny Skinner (Patrick Star), Lilli Cooper (Sandy Cheeks), Gavin Lee (Squidward), Matt Wood (u/s Eugene Krabs), Wesley Taylor (Plankton), Abby C Smith (Mrs. Puff), Jai'len Josey (Pearl Krabs), Stephanie Hsu (Karen Plankton), Brandon Espinoza (Patchy), Vasthy Mompoint (Security Guard/BFF/Plankton Dancer/Sardine), JC Schuster (Security Guard/Old Man Jenkins), Gaelen Gilliland (Mayor), Kelvin Moon Loh (Perch), Tom Kenny (French Narrator), Robert Taylor, Jr (BFF/Plankton Dancer/Sardine), Oneika Phillips (Plankton Dancer/Sardine), Lauralyn McClelland (Sardine), Juliane Godfrey (u/s Plankton Dancer/Sardine/Krabby Patty), Kyle Matthew Hamilton (BFF/Electric Skate), L'ogan J'ones (Electric Skate), Jordan Grubb (u/s Electric Skate/Larry the Lobster), Brynn Williams (u/s Sardine/Buster Blue Tang/Gary)     ​

Notes: Both Juliane and Brynn understudies some male ensemble roles despite being female swings!

https://mega.nz/#!g81HSCZJ!gNVIT2tHlmgIax0vnaN0QEKPB07BX03JRDfdFqmuLbQ

[wikifoxnews]

Who is Jordan McSweeney ( Man face murder trial after aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena ) Wiki, Bio, Age, Crime, Arrest, Incident Details, Investigations and More Facts

Jordan McSweeney Biography                                        Jordan McSweeney Wiki

A man faces a murder trial after aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena was dragged into an alley and killed, a court heard.

Jordan McSweeney, 29, will be tried later this year on charges of murder and attempted r*pe and robbery, a High Court judge said. Zara Aleena, 35, was just yards from her home in Ilford, east London when she was beaten to death on her way home from a night out, according to a court. Jordan McSweeney to face murder trial after Zara Aleena 'dragged into driveway and killed' https://t.co/1CWT3IvrEA pic.twitter.com/b0RlGzC7GX — The Sun (@TheSun) October 19, 2022 The alleged murder took place around 2:45 am on June 26. McSweeney, of Church Elm Lane, Dagenham, east London, is accused of stealing her cell phone, keys and purse and attempting to rape her. The defendant was not present at the hearing scheduled today at the Old Bailey. Madam Justice Cheema-Grubb has scheduled a trial that will begin December 5 at the Old Bailey. The chief judge adjourned the hearing to Monday, October 24, with McSweeney remaining in police custody. In July, the Old Bailey learned how Zara was discovered with severe head injuries and partially clothed after the horror attack. The court was told that rescuers were rushed to Cranbrook Road after Zara's body was found. The autopsy revealed that she sustained several serious injuries. Her screams woke up nearby residents, who called the emergency health services.

Investigations

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC added: "Police and paramedics were present and attempted to provide lifesaving first aid, but the injuries she sustained were so severe that nothing could be done to save her." During the attack, Ms. Aleena was dragged into an alley on Cranbrook Road, where she was kicked and kicked, prosecutors say. Zara was an aspiring attorney who had just started working at the Royal Courts of Justice. Her death sparked outrage after unknown killers killed Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard in London on their way home. Zara's family paid tribute to her in a heartbreaking statement after her death. Her family added: "Zara, 35, a loved one, daughter, niece, cousin, niece, friend of all, was a joy for all of us. "She took care of her her mother and grandmother. Taking care of others about her came naturally to her. "Zara was kind, she was everyone's friend. She was everyone's daughter, everyone's niece, everyone's sister, everyone's cousin. She was pure of heart. "She was a delight to all of us, her sparkling eyes and raven black curly hair. Her good laugh and her sweet, smiling voice. Her petite figure embodied a passionate spirit and indomitable energy. ". Read the full article

[kwebtv]

Sara Dane  -  Network Ten  -  June 10, 1982  - July 19, 1982

Drama / Miniseries  (8 episodes)

Running Time:  248 minutes total

Stars:

Juliet Jordan as Sara Dane

Harold Hopkins as Andrew Maclay

Brenton Whittle as Jeremy Hogan

Barry Quin as Richard Barnwell

Sean Scully as Louis de Bourget

Ilona Rodgers as Julia Ryder

Paul Sonkkila as James Ryder

Robert Grubb as John MacArthur

Judy Dick as Annie Stokes

Peta Toppano as Alison Barwell

Henry Salter as Ted O’Malley

[sinceileftyoublog]

Ryley Walker Interview: The Truest Form

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Earlier this month, headlining the Empty Bottle’s fall block party, Ryley Walker joked, “How far did they have to go for me to headline?” to a crowd of fans who loved him for his banter just as much as his playing. “Osees weren’t available?” Funny enough, the music ended up just as raucous as those San Francisco psych rockers. Walker played with a band made up of guitarist Bill Mackay, bassist Andrew Scott Young (two main contributors to April’s Course In Fable, his first LP released on his own label husky pants records), and drummer Quin Kircher. They brought an immediately fried, buzzy vibe on “Striking Down Your Big Premiere”, Walker and MacKay in tune with their solos, and cooled off with the limber, gentle “Rang Dizzy”. And in revisiting his older catalog, Walker went full-on indie jam (Deafman Glance’s “Opposite Middle”), prog (“Telluride Speed”), and prog-folk (Golden Sings That Have Been Sung’s “The Halfwit In Me). It was simultaneously the most technically impressive and loosest I’ve ever seen Walker, the same combination that renders Course In Fable his best album to date.

Working with heavyweights like Tortoise’s John McEntire and string musician Douglas Jenkins (who provided all the string arrangements on the record), Walker’s latest is his most confident record. Though it’s rife with the same self-deprecating humor and references to past drug binges as his legendary Twitter account, Course In Fable sports positive vibes, especially in the dynamism of the instrumentation. The wonderfully titled one-take “A Lenticular Slap” jams for a couple minutes before going into its verses and swaying chorus, circular guitar rhythms atop mathy stop-starts. Tempos change amiably on the skronking “Axis Bent” and jazzy “Clad With Bunk”, Walker letting out a “woo!” on the latter to introduce serious riffing. 

The start-to-finish Course In Fable must have been similar to what the Empty Bottle set was to Walker and his band: forward, fast-charging, and fun. It was demoed in Chicago last June and recorded a year ago in Portland, Walker driving across the country in two days by himself. (He listened to the audiobook of NOFX’s autobiography during the drive.) And when it came time to release the record, Walker, whose contract with Dead Oceans had run out, chose his own label. While at this point, husky pants is home to albums by Chicago’s Luggage and Mukqs, an upcoming record from al Riggs, and Walker’s collaboration with one of his musical heroes, Gastr del Sol’s David Grubbs, in April, it was by far the label’s biggest release yet. Judging by its current roster, the risk to self-release paid off.

I spoke to Walker over the phone from his apartment in Manhattan earlier this year before Course In Fable was released. His sense of calm and optimism, even in the face of a world full of darkness, was apparent and seems to have served him well in a year that’s culminating in him finally playing his new songs live again. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What made you want to start your own label after being on Dead Oceans for a long time?

Ryley Walker: My contract ran up on Dead Oceans, and there were options to go back or find a new label, but I needed a job. There’s no beef with any label or any falling out story or fodder for the readers. I’m just happy to take it on my own, on my own timeline, and keep it close to the chest. It’s a nice challenge. It’s a lot more work, but I really enjoy it. For years, I kind of just coasted on hiring people to do all the work for me, but I’m in a position now to take that on and do a somewhat good job at it.

SILY: You’re releasing records for others, too. Some old friends.

RW: That’s kind of the goal, and why any label starts. “I guess I’ll do this myself and hope it works.” So far, it’s working okay. I haven’t hit any big snags yet, and I’m sure those will come in the future, but it’s really rewarding to put out music by friends and stuff I enjoy.

SILY: What about Course in Fable is unique as compared to all of your other records?

RW: Every other record is kind of a growth period of figuring things out, but I like to think I’ve settled into a sound I can dial into. That comes a lot from [drummer] Ryan [Jewell] and Bill and Andrew and all of the chemistry we had together. It’s all influenced by those Drag City and Thrill Jockey bands, and that’s the music I’ve always loved and wanted to make. I’m older, I get an ego, I lose an ego. I’d like to think this is the truest form of any record I’ve made, and I’ve gotten better at writing lyrics and playing guitar. I was a lot more calculated in how I record and more prepared than I’ve ever been. Previous records have often been songs with half-baked ideas, but this was fully ready to go with demos and words. It was very efficient. We got in and got out and there wasn’t so much guesswork.

SILY: It seems like for a while, each record was a reaction to the past one, trying to stray from it. This one seems like a logical next step from Deafman Glance. Has your relationship with your past material changed a lot over time?

RW: I don’t think about it too much. I wouldn’t want to do the same things I did on the old English folk-inspired records. Those are cool, but I wouldn’t do that again. I don’t think they’re bad, necessarily, but it was a pastiche, fan dedication era. I still do that now; I’m still a big fan of music and have a lot of carbon copies of things I enjoy.

SILY: At what point did you realize you wanted to work with John McEntire for this record?

RW: That was something I wanted to do when I was 15 years old. I knew John in Chicago before he lived in Portland. We weren’t good friends or anything, but we were friendly, and by friendly I mean I would corner him at [Chicago dive bar] Rainbo [Club] and be like [voice cracks] “Oh man, I love you, I’m a big fan!” I reached out to him at some point early last year. There were a couple options I had in mind, but he makes everything sound so good, and to have his print on the record would be amazing. And it was! He was really cool. It was one of the smoothest, most fun sessions I had, and he had a lot to do with how the music sounds. I’m really grateful for it.

SILY: The other collaborator that really stands out to me is Douglas Jenkins. These string arrangements are decidedly different than any strings on your previous albums. They conjure so many of the album’s different moods. How did you get in touch with him and decide you wanted to work with him?

RW: That was the recommendation of John. Douglas and John had worked together on a bunch of stuff. Douglas lives in Portland, too. I didn’t know who he was or any of his work before, so when we came out of the mixing, John said, “I want to add strings to a bunch of this stuff.” 

SILY: I first heard Douglas’s work on Jolie Holland's Wine Dark Sea, so when I saw his name, I thought, “Unexpected, but cool!”

RW: At first, I wasn’t really open to the idea. I wanted it to be this barebones rock record with guitars and drums, but I’m really glad I had a bit of humility to listen to John because I think it adds so much to the music.

SILY: What made you want to release “Rang Dizzy” as the first single?

RW: I guess it’s the most digestible song on the record. There were a couple other ideas, but it’s a nice intro to the record without giving away the whole thing. My thought process going into it was, “It’s an easy 4-minute folk guitar song that I guess will grab a listener.” But there’s a lot more crazy shit on the record that I didn’t want to give away, so I gave them the appetizers. I brought the mozzarella sticks out for the buffalo burger with fries basket.

SILY: It does seem to cover a lot of the lyrical ground you explore on the record. Words about being alive but also losing your shit.

RW: Yeah, so that encapsulates a good serving of the whole thing. 

SILY: How did you decide upon the sequencing?

RW: I think we recorded it in this order. I had a sequence worked out, which is a good thing about being prepared. I had the home demos on a 4-track, and then the band demos, and I figured out the sequence then. Starting big with a track like “Striking Down Your Big Premiere” is like [New York accent] “What the fuck is up? Welcome to the record.” And then it goes through those peaks and valleys. I like records that don’t have a totally dead middle. It kind of goes up and down and ends on a high note, so you don’t end with a total downer song. 

SILY: The title’s taken from the first words of “Axis Bent”. What made you want to title the record Course in Fable?

RW: That song was originally called “Course in Fable”, but I didn’t want to have an album with a title track, so I called it “Axis Bent”. The way I write words is all oddball poetry. Mixed and matched couplets. Any sort of overarching theme or story arc to the songs is totally unintentional, but I guess it works out at the end. It’s all these little samples from a super fried buffet of words I have, and I stitch them together. “Course in fable” was just something I wrote. I can’t really grasp a deeper meaning. If somebody wants to take what they can from it, that’s totally up to them, but it’s not a direct message. I don’t know, “course in fable,” [i.e.] “Here’s how to bullshit?”

SILY: I love songs about songwriting, and that seems to be what “Axis Bent” encapsulates. I don’t know if I’m off there...

RW: No, you’re not reaching at all. They’re all personal words that come from a personal place. I don’t have the answers to anything. I just know the way it comes out is how it works for me. I don’t want to seem like I take myself too seriously.

SILY: There’s no concrete narrative arc, but to what extent do these songs refer to real things that have happened or real moments in your life?

RW: Yeah, there’s talk about crack in there and stuff. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a crack binge or two in my life. [laughs] I think it’s a happy record. Self-deprecating, but generally happy.

SILY: Even some of the darkest moments, like on “Pond Scum Ocean”, when you sing, “Jump into pond scum oceans / I can’t wait until I die / walk a victory lap around whale shit tombs,” you can’t help but laugh. Many times on the record, you’re referring to a low place in a funny way.

RW: That’s how I’ve always dealt with it. I’m not living in denial or anything. It’s some sort of therapy and living in the solution and the present more and more.

SILY: How much of the jamming on here was improvised?

RW: The beginning of “Pond Scum Ocean” was the only jammy, improvised part. The rest of it is pretty written out and calculated. Bill’s guitar solos on the record are pretty different from take to take, but generally the whole thing was pretty written in stone. The intro to “Pond Scum Ocean” was taken from a crazy half hour jam. We cut up the best bits from it and put it at the beginning of the song.

SILY: What’s the story behind the album art?

RW: It’s by this painter named Jenny Nelson. She lives in upstate New York. I’m just a fan of her work. She makes these abstract oil paintings and water colors. I always loved the album art for Gastr del Sol and David Grubbs albums; it was always these abstract paintings. I hate looking at myself on the record cover and trying to sell myself as cool. [laughs] I like abstract art. It’s the only visual art I’m drawn to. I’m not a critic and don’t know anything about art, but it’s what I like. Jenny did a great job.

Course In Fable by Ryley Walker

[crazy-noonoohead]

Who would have thought a show that didn't involve Andrew Rannells, based on a movie I had seen once (now twice), would become such a huge part of my life? Or that a 45-minute technical stop would lead to one of the most fun theatrical experiences I've ever had? Or that its star would go from someone whose talents I admired but didn't spend a lot of time gushing about, to one of my all-time favorite actors? Or that its entire cast, most of whom I hadn't previously heard of, would become a group of people I would drop everything to support? Or that despite it being a story about having to live the same day over and over again, I would discover new things with each visit? All of this happened in six months and a day. As Phil says in the final scene, "I am also surprised!"

Thank you, Groundhog Day. Thank you for turning the doorknob to my heart and adding even more of a spring to my step. We had a beautiful day together eight times. That's a wrap. And of course...that's good weather.

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: NHL DRAFT DAY 2 SUMMARY AND NEWS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The bulk of the selections in the NHL Draft come on day two. Due to the pandemic, the sample size for current video and seeing players in-person is much smaller. Therefore, there were far fewer than normal games played. In some cases, no games were played at all. College players had a much shorter-than-usual schedule. Most schools had conference-only matchups, except for a few schools that managed to get in a few non-conference meetings. In Canadian junior hockey, only the QMJHL was able to play a division-only schedule, albeit an interrupted one. The WHL played just 25 divisional games while over in the OHL. They didn't play at all. Meanwhile, in the United States, the highest junior league, the tier-1 USHL, played a 54-game schedule, with many players that weren't selected, but that should have been. The breakdown of the final draft numbers is a bit surprising. In the major junior category, the WHL had 31 players selected. The QMJHL saw 24 drafted. The inactive OHL saw 22 of its players chosen, the same for the USHL. Finally, the tier-2 NAHL had one picked. Outside of the three studs from Michigan taken in the first five picks, two (2) other collegiate players were taken in the remainder of the draft. There were 91 players selected from Europe. ASSESSING WHO TO SELECT In terms of the ever-critical development picture, so many scouts were making assessments on year-old games or based their opinions on an incomplete '20-'21 season, with video as their only guide. Players have grown physically and mentally, but their in-game reps and in-person scouting assessments were critically lacking. Like New York Rangers first-round pick Brennan Othermann, who holds dual citizenship in Europe (Switzerland), and Chase Stillman, the grandson of former New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger, ninth round (154th overall) 1975 draft choice, Bud Stefanski, took a chance. Instead, they played in Denmark as they sought a less affected COVID country and giving themselves a heightened chance of being scouted. Scouts were put to the test this draft to fill organizational needs with hidden gems that nobody else had found. As a result, the dice were tossed all over NHL Draft rooms. MORROW GOES IN ROUND TWO The town of Darien is becoming a CT hockey hotbed of late. First, goalie Spencer Knight was drafted. He now skates for the Florida Panthers. Then, when the Carolina Hurricanes made their second pick (40th overall), they chose the right-handed shooting defenseman, Scott Morrow. Steve Morrow, his father, was drafted by the Flyers as a tenth-round pick in the 1987 Draft (209th overall). He had a brief minor-league pro career with the Hershey Bears (AHL) and the Ft. Worth Texans (CHL). Recently, he coached in the Mid-Fairfield Rangers youth hockey program. He is named after his uncle, Scott, drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fifth round (95th overall) in the 1988 NHL Draft. He never made it to Hartford but did play for their AHL farm team, the Springfield Indians. He had a ten-year minor league pro career. The younger Morrow has skated the last five years in the Shattuck’s St. Mary’s Sabres program (MNPREP), bypassing public and prep school hockey in the Nutmeg State. Instead, he's heading to play for the defending national champion UMASS-Amherst Minutemen (HE) program coached by Greg Carvel after de-committing from traditional hockey powerhouse, North Dakota (NCHC). Morrow sent a PowerPoint presentation to Shattuck’s-the modern-day version of the handwritten letter, which speaks about his commitment, use of modern technology, and maturity shown at a young age. Morrow was one of four Shattuck’s players drafted this weekend. He played with UCONN’s Artem Schlaine and will be his opponent this upcoming college season. He played two regular season USHL games with the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms, and he was traded twice. First, from Youngstown to the Sioux City (IA) Musketeers and had his rights dealt to the Fargo (ND) Force, he played six playoff games. He was also a 2018 QMJHL draftee of the Val d‘Or Foreurs. MORE SECOND ROUND The last pick of the second round, 64th overall, was Oliver Kapanen, nephew of Whaler favorite, Sami Kapanen, and the cousin of the Penguins' Kasperi. He played for the KalPa U-20 team and is slated to play for KalPa Kuopio (Finland-FEL) this season and is WJC eligible and played for Finland’s U-18 this spring. Sami, a fourth-round Whalers' draftee in 1988, is currently the head coach with HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA). He played 831 NHL games with Hartford, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Philadelphia Flyers. His grandfather Hannu played for the 1976 Finnish Olympic team and their World Championship squad. Other notables included the Arizona Coyotes, who were penalized by the NHL for their indiscretion in the NHL Combine process under former GM Jeff Chayka. They lost their first-round pick as a penalty imposed by the NHL took forward Josh Doan from the formidable Chicago Steel (USHL) program. Doan’s father, Shane, is the Coyotes all-time top player in every category for the troubled franchise’s history. He was passed over last year in the 2020 Draft, but a big season paid off. He was a 2017 Kamloops Blazers (WHL) draftee on his father’s team. He will skate for the Arizona St. Sun Devils, an NCAA Division-I independent program with no conference at this time. OTHER PICKS Samuel Helenius, a 6’6 center, was taken by the LA Kings 59th overall. He played for JYP (Finland-FEL) and is WJC eligible and played in the tourney last year. His father Sami was a 6’5 defenseman with 155 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, the Dallas Stars, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also played 296 AHL games with Saint John's, Utah, and Hershey, plus 56 IHL games with Las Vegas and Chicago. ROUND THREE With the first pick in the third-round (65th overall), the Rangers chose 6'3, 190-pound center Jayden Grubbe. Last year, he played only five games and was captain of the Red Deer Rebels (WHL), coached by NHL’er Brent Sutter of the famous hockey-playing Sutter family. In his rookie WHL season, he played 59 games with six goals and 23 assists. He has a younger 15-year brother Jordan playing in Alberta bantam hockey. The Rangers' second pick in the third round was another center, Ryder Korczak of the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL). He played 17 games with three goals and 13 assists but was a minus-11. In 62 games in the 2019-20 season for the Warriors, Korczak had 18 goals and 67 points but was a startling minus-40. His older Kaedan is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, a second-round draftee who split last year with Kelowna Rockets (WHL) and the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL). His father, Chad, is the general manager of their hometown Yorkton Maulers (SMAAAHL) team. With the 71st pick, the St. Louis Blues took Simon Robertsson, former Wolf Pack/Ranger Bert Robertsson's son. He played with three teams last year Skellefteå AIK (Sweden-SHL), Skellefteå AIK J-20 and Piteå HC (Hockey Ettan). He was sent home from the WJC Finland with a positive COVID test but did play for the WJC U-18 team. He is expected to play for the Skellefteå AIK (SHL and J-20) squads in the fall and remains WJC eligible. ROUND FOUR In the fourth round, the Rangers had three selections. Brody Lamb, taken 104th overall, is a University Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10) commit in the fall. He skated for three teams last season.  The Dodge County High School team in Kasson, MN, where, in 24 games, he had 52 goals and 87 points. The second team was a travel team TDS Construction (USSEHL). In 19 games, Lamb had 12 goals and 23 points. He also had ten games with the USHL Green Bay Gamblers, where he had two assists playing for former Beast of New Haven's Pat Miskesch, who is the head coach and GM of the Gamblers. In 53 games total, he had 64 goals and 111 points. He played three playoff games between TDS and Green Bay with one assist. His father, Jeff, played collegiately for the University of Denver Pioneers then in the WCHA and had a brief three-year minor pro career two with the original Maine Mariners (AHL) and his last season with the Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL). FINAL FOURTH-ROUNDER Then three picks later, at 107th, they selected their first European pick of this draft, 6’4 185 lb. 18-year-old LW Kalle Väisänen from TPS Turku U-20 team where he skated in 27 games with nine goals, 21 assists for 30 points and played one game with the U-18 team. He is slated to play for TPS Turku (Finland-FEL) this year and is WJC eligible. His father Markku played in the Finnish league professionally for eight years and coached at various times in four years in the lower levels of Finnish hockey. Then five slots later, at 112th overall, the Rangers' third pick in the round, the team went for a tall goalie and the biggest player in the draft. At 6’8, they chose Talyn Boyko from the Tri-City (WA) Americans (WHL). In his third season, he played 14 games with a 3.02 GAA, .901 save percentage, and had a record of 7-7-0. He turns 19 in October, so he will likely return for the fourth season of junior hockey. Then forward, Ethan Cardwell was taken 121st overall by the San Jose Sharks. He is the nephew of former New Haven Knights (UHL) player Matt Cardwell. He plays with the Barrie Colts (OHL),  but last year laced them up for Surahammers IF (Sweden HockeyEtttan Division-1 third tier) and had 27 points in 18 games and had a team-best plus-10. ROUND FIVE With the 144th overall pick, the Rangers chose forward Jaroslav Chmelar, an 18-year native of the Czech Republic. He played in Finland for the Jokerit U-18/U-20 teams and played for the Czech national J-18 team in the J-18 tournament held in Canada. He stands at 6’4 and weighs 198-pounds. He shoots right-handed. Detroit took Oscar Plandowski, a Selects Academy at South Kent team member, in 2018-19. He played last season for the Charlottetown (PEI) Islanders. His father, Darryl, is the Director of Amateur Scouting for Arizona. From the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL), Cameron MacDonald was selected with the last pick in the round (160th) by the  Standley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He also played for the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep program in 2018-19 and out in a game with the CT Jr, Rangers (NCDC) that season. Other interesting players of note who were taken in the round include the Carolina Hurricanes selection of Robert Orr, no relation to the great Robert Gordon Orr, aka Bobby Orr. This Orr playing for former Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach J.J. Daigneault with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL). The Hurricanes also took Justin Robidas, born in Plano, Texas, and is the son of former NHL’er Stéphane Robidas (937 games). Arizona took Manix Landry, the son of long-time AHL and European player Éric Landry, who had a brief NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens. ROUND SIX Selecting 186th overall, the Edmonton Oilers took Shane LaChance, the son of Bristol-born Scott LaChance. His father was drafted out of BU in the 1st round (4th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 1991 Draft. His uncle Bob LaChance skated for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) and Danbury Trashers (UHL). His grandfather is legendary long-time Boston University head coach Jack Parker. LaChance played last year for the Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) and is enrolled and has played for Tabor Academy (MAPREP). He is a 2022-23 commit to the Boston University Terriers (HE), to no one's surprise. ROUND SEVEN The Rangers' last draft selection was a defenseman—Hank Kempf from the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL), who was taken 208th overall. In 26 games, the 6’2 190-pound rearguard had four goals and 10 points and was a plus-5. He is a Cornell Big Red (ECACHL) commit in the fall. Early in the last round Ryan McCleary, the son of former New Haven Senators and NHL’er Trent McCLeary, was selected 194th by Pittsburgh. McLeary was the fifth-youngest taken at age 17 and the fifth lightest at 154 lbs. TRADES After nine seasons in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, right-wing Cam Arkinson (Riverside/Avon Old Farms) was moved to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Jakub Voracek. NOTES The Rangers announced that defenseman Tony DeAngelo had cleared waivers. His buyout is now complete and his turbulent Rangers career is finished. He is now a free agent. The 6’8 240-pound goalie, Hugo Ollas, a draft pick last year from Sweden, commits to Merrimack College (HE) in the fall. He is WJC eligible. The AHL Henderson Silver Knights will have 61 games next season at their present temporary home of Orleans Arena. They will play their final home games and post-season hockey in their brand-new Dollar Loan Center starting April 2, 2022. The Springfield Thunderbirds had two big signings from the parent St. Louis Blues. First, Australian veteran winger Nathan Walker signed a two-year two-way deal at $750K-NHL/$300K-AHL. The other is a one-year, two-way for winger Nolan Stevens. The deal pays him $700K for play in the NHL and $100K in the AHL. Stevens comes to Springfield, where his AHL Hall of Fame father, John Walker, played for the Springfield Indians. He won a Cader Cup in 1990-91 and is currently an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. The parent clubs of the Ontario Reign and Tucson Roadrunners conducted an AHL trade. Los Angeles (Reign) sent Cole Hults and Bokondji Imama to the Arizona Coyotes (Roadrunners) for Brayden Burke and Tyler Steenbergen. The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning signed Gemel Smith to a two-way, two-year deal paying $750K-NHL/$250K-AHL. NHL HOME Read the full article

[blairemclaren]

Alexander Michael | Jordan Gwynn Death - Obituary, Alexander Michael | Jordan Gwynn Has Died

Alexander "Alex" Michael Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death The two homicide victims in Eden. N.C. have been identified: Alexander "Alex" Michael Grubbs , 29 of 160 Dan River Church Rd. Eden, N.C.....click link to learn more

Alexander “Alex” Michael Death – Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death The two homicide victims in Eden. N.C. have been identified: Alexander “Alex” Michael Grubbs , 29 of 160 Dan River Church Rd. Eden, N.C. Jordan Lee Gwynn, 27 of 160 Dan River Church Rd. Eden, N.C. Both were shot and killed while sitting on the porch of a home at 160 Dan River Church Road in Eden around 10 p.m. Sunday. A third…