Coachella Wrap / Canes In a Hole

the 'Canes / Devils round 1 matchup has become a series of thrilling games decided by the slimmest of margins....had the pleasure of seeing Jokinen's "buzzer beater" the other night in person, one of the craziest and best endings (if you're a 'Canes fan) to a hockey game i've ever seen, though i didn't think that giving up a 3 goal lead was a good harbinger. last night Brodeur just shut down the 'Canes in an imposing way, in the process tying Patrick Roy for most playoff shutouts. Carolina played really well, putting up 44 shots against Brodeur, Ward was sensational in his own right, but nothing was getting past Marty last night, it was intense til the clock ran out. of course things are looking good for the Devils but i have hopes that Carolina can at least send it back to NJ for a Game 7...

last weekend we were in the desert playing Coachella and the festival is incredibly well-run and friendly, but still exhausting as any festival is, especially one in the desert. at 94 degrees the day we played, it was still about 13 degrees cooler than the last time i was out there, but hot as blazes nonetheless. apparently it went over pretty well though, rented gear and all, and the record store they had set up on the grounds (Zia) for Record Store Day was really cool as well. on Friday we got to see some great Merge action -- M.Ward, Conor Oberst -- as well as some of the Giants of Modern Music -- Leonard Cohen & Paul McCartney. Cohen cleared the backstage yard and then eased into his set, getting his unique 80's vibe (backup singers, synthesizer sax thingy) up and rolling over the course of the first two songs but then nailing it the rest of the set, establishing his presence in a setting (Rock Festival) that grew less incongruous as the sun went down. His voice sounded amazing but it was also they way his smallest moves carried great (and humorous) dramatic weight.

would like to have seen a lot of Sunday -- Fucked Up, No Age, My Bloody Valentine, the Cure -- but two days in the desert is enough for this year...