I'm not going to hold forth again on the virtues of soccer and FC Buffalo considering I did that earlier in the week, and in the interest of brevity and time that I don't really have, I'm just going to offer a few suggestions for music to be played before, during (at halftime of course, we're not philistines) and after FC Buffalo home matches, the first of which happens tonight at 7:30. One of the owners, Nick Mendola, asked for suggestions, so may God have mercy on his soul. Here it goes:

Before matches:

Tame Impala - "Be Above It." I really like the sentiment, and the way that it builds to a psychedelic frenzy.



Shuggie Otis - "Special." Simply because this old school new jack jam is utterly ridiculous.



The Very Best - "Warm Heart of Africa" featuring Ezra Koenig. East meets West internationalism at it's funkiest.


Goal music:

The Heavy - "How You Like Me Now?" Propulsive, sassy, and a little nasty, the chorus to this jam says it all.



Half Time:

BLK JKS - "Zol!" I know I threw this one out there last year, but the thought of little kids playing a halftime game with this song in the background makes me smile.



Led Zeppelin - "Immigrant Song." The thought of little kids playing half time soccer to this just makes me laugh.



Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?"


After matches:

Phoenix - "Second To None," for wins.



McFadden and Whitehead - "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." After losses, to keep the vibe super positive up in this house. This one is for the Boogie Nights fans out there. Also, check out this fine Soul Train action. Goddamn!



FC Buffalo's season kicks off tonight at 7:30 against Zanesville Athletic at Robert E. Rich All High Stadium. Tickets are $5.


Update:

Really, it's an addition and a prediction. The prediction is that next year could be a transformative year for American sports fans in terms of appreciating soccer because for the first time ever there will be wall to wall television coverage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. ESPN will be able to broadcast in high definition soccer all day (and all night if they showed the replays after midnight) because for the first time in 20 years the Cup will be played in this hemisphere. And because it's in Brasil it will be a spectacle in every way possible and in the best way possible. American fans won't know what to do with themselves and sports fans will get in on the action because the games will be in primetime (plus late afternoon and dinnertime). Sooo, with a year out NOW is the time to check out FC Buffalo and soccer, so you'll know what's up next year when the world parties. Oh the conversations you will have. In this spirit here's a little something to honor next year's hosts:

Os Mutantes, "Bat Macumba." It's obligatory to include Os Mutantes

Back in the day (before even my time), movie houses used to show rock movies on Saturdays at midnight. Usually involving getting wicked torqued up in the parking lot in advance of seeing movies like The Song Remains The Same, The Wall, The Last Waltz, this rite of passage was a touchstone for rock fans and the kind of shared experiences that have been lost in this 21st century of ours. But in a brilliant twist, the Dipson Amherst Theater is reviving this wonderful concept every Saturday thru the end of March, and tonight they'll be offering WNY a third screening of the Led Zeppelin Celebration Day concert movie that blew minds back in October. Shot at Zepp's one off 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena featuring Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, Celebration Day is a visceral and immediate live experience that gives viewers an incredible opportunity to watch this reconstituted Led Zeppelin be Led Zeppelin and crank their legendary jams in minute detail, and if you missed it in October it's definitely worth your time and consideration. 

Please note: buffaBLOG does not recommend getting wicked torqued up in the Amherst Theater parking lot, on Main Street, in Amherst. That would not be a good idea.

This past Friday saw the return of the long running Blouses of the Holy, Nietzsche's increasingly popular Zeppelin tribute night. The capacity crowd was treated to performances by Yogurt Club, LED, Jeff Miers, FECK, Purple Monkey Dishwasher, as well as several others. Despite a blown soundboard causing monitor and feedback issues, the performers soldiered through, making it one of the best Zeppelin nights yet. Here is some video of Feck, featuring Kari Czubinski, Dave Youngblood, Josh Notaro, and Mike Evangelista performing "Black Dog" and "The Ocean."

Jimmy Page is the primary keeper of the Led Zeppelin flame. He oversees the Zepp catalogue and handles the remixing and remastering when it gets reissued and even better when new stuff gets released (How the West Was Won, Celebration Day on November 19); he is the watcher and holder of their musical legacy. But thankfully, he's not the only one keeping the Zeppelin flame alive, and tonight that flame will be burning at the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls when Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience rolls through town. The son of legendary Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason has played with a ton of bands including Led Zeppelin when Mssrs. Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones want to (infrequently) jam, and his Led Zeppelin experience is a potent and enjoyable tour of the band's vast musical legacy. Doors open at 6:30, the show starts at 7:30, tickets are $45 at the door, and it's an all ages show (kids under 16 do need an adult to get in).



I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that the Regal on Transit will be showing an encore presentation of Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day tomorrow night at 7:30. If the sound is cranked up to proper levels it is a face melting experience watching Zeppelin be Zeppelin, creating that Zeppelin sound live in front of 18,000 blessed souls in December 2007, and a lot of that is due in no small part to Jason Bonham on drums. It's a Zeppelin two-fer, Jason Bonham tonight and Celebration Day tomorrow night. You can't go wrong.

OK, this isn't specifically a "buffaBLOG list," it's my weekly column in the form of a list that reflects my lapsed Catholicism, fondness for dark humor, and capacity for easy amusement...so sue me. Anyway, All Soul's Day. An explanation for the heathen among us: not to be confused with the dubious "holiday" Beggar's Night, All Soul's Day is two days after Halloween, following All Saint's Day and All Hallow's Eve. Basically those crafty Catholics piggybacked a few of their high holy days onto a spooky pagan hootenanny to create a high holy trifecta: the congregation gets to get their ya ya's out evil style before honoring the saints (who are dead by their nature) and then everybody else who's dead. Dia de la muertos. Beautiful stuff really when you think about it.So now that you're ready to scrub some tombstones tomorrow, here's a thoroughly incomplete list of rock stars who happen to be dead and deserving of a moments respect....

John and George.




Carl and Dennis.



Jimi



Bonham.


Marvin.


Plus Syd, Jerry, Bob, Ian, Elvis, Otis, Duane, Keith, John, Freddie, Frank, Bon, Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, Kurt, Jam Master, Biggie, Tupac, Michael, Whitney, Dimebag, and Mama Cass. 

And we're done. 

Actually, if you want to add any that I've missed to show that you're the clever one, go nuts in the comment section. Make a drinking game out of it. Knock yourselves out.

Many a fervent prayer were answered yesterday when Led Zeppelin announced the theatrical and dvd/cd release of their 2007 one-off reunion show at London's O2 Arena. Entitled Celebration Day, the video will at last feature the first public performance by Zepp's remaining members with Jason Bonham (son of John) ably filling in on drums since the band disbanded in 1980, and by all accounts (plus confirmation via YouTube videos from the show) Zeppelin totally still had it. The show triggered a wave of hope that the band would reunite for a tour, but alas that never materialized due to lead vocalist and Golden God Robert Plant coming down with a case of the Allison Krauss and later Dave Gilmour Syndrome, and as of right now this is the closest we're going to get. Via NME, Celebration Day will be released internationally in select theaters on October 17 and on dvd and cd on November 19 (right in time for the holiday season), and will include:

"Good Times Bad Times"
"Ramble On"
"Black Dog"
"In My Time Of Dying"
"For Your Life"
"Trampled Under Foot"
"Nobody’s Fault But Mine"
"No Quarter"
"Since I’ve Been Loving You"
"Dazed And Confused"
"Stairway To Heaven"
"The Song Remains The Same"
"Misty Mountain Hop"
"Kashmir"
"Whole Lotta Love"
"Rock And Roll"

No word on whether Celebration Day will be screened in Buffalo, but hopefully somebody will make that happen. For my part, if Buffalo can get a screening of that shamelessly self mythologizing LCD Soundsystem's Last Waltz, Buffalo can get some Zeppelin. 

Keep your fingers crossed.