As you may already know, I am a bit of a statistics geek. So after these first four months of 2009, I decided to look back over the list of shows I've seen so far this year again. I was intrigued to realize that there are three bands in particular that are leading the way in terms of the number of shows I've seen from them compared to everyone else.
So far this year, I've seen 9 shows by ReadyGoes, 8 by The Invincible Kids, and 7 by The Wannabe Hasbeens. (Plus after this weekend is finished I'll be able to tally on another 1 for WBHB and 2 for TIK.) Nobody else is above 4 (Joey Ryan & The Inks, Sick of Sarah, The Soviet Machines) and everyone else I've ever seen is at 3 or less so far in 2009.
The most intriguing thing I noticed is that there have literally been only two weeks, as in Sunday-to-Saturday, in which I did not see a show by any of those three bands so far this year. Observe:
Dec 28-Jan 3: TIK
Jan 4-10: TIK
Jan 11-17: RG
Jan 18-24:
Jan 25-31: RG+TIK
Feb 1-7: TIK+WBHB
Feb 8-14: RG (x2)
Feb 15-21: RG+TIK
Feb 22-28: WBHB
Mar 1-7: TIK
Mar 8-14:
Mar 15-21: WBHB (x2)
Mar 22-28: WBHB, RG
Mar 29-Apr 4: WBHB+TIK
Apr 5-11: TIK
Apr 12-18: RG, WBHB
Apr 19-25: RG
Apr 26-May 2: RG, WBHB+TIK, TIK
So not only are these three bands seeming to play the most often in town these days, they also seem to do it exactly when I'm able to make it to their shows. Even more convenient is when at least two of these bands share a bill with one another, which has happened 4 times (5 after this weekend).
This inter-band unity is the kind of stuff that made 2007-2008 one of the most amazing periods of musical renaissance in the Twin Cities music scene. Unfortunately, some of the bands that helped to make for that amazing time period rarely play in town (or just rarely play period) anymore. Everyone's still friends with everyone obviously, it's just that I don't get to see all of the same great bands as often as I used to.
But ReadyGoes, The Invincible Kids, and The Wannabe Hasbeens — both individually and collectively — offer another shining example of what happens when great music gets together. The bands are all friends with each other obviously, plus Mo plays in both ReadyGoes and The Wannabe Hasbeens anyway. When one of these bands has a show, I know it'll probably be great; but when two or more of them get together, there's serious potential for band crossover insanity as well.
So, just like another great Minneapolis Trifecta before them, (White Light Riot-The Alarmists-The Debut, which played a series of 4 amazing shows all together in 2007) RG-TIK-WBHB is one hell of a show that I would love to see happen more than once this year, or anytime soon. Let's make it happen dudes.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Perennially living under the radar? Perhaps.
But it doesn't have to be that way forever.
I've always felt like what I do doesn't reach the kind of audience that it probably could (or should). I still garner a fairly small number of per-day hits on my website (with occasional spikes like right when the recent Campus Glitter Ball photos went up), and have a Facebook group dedicated to my photography sized only in the lower 100's after 2 years of existence and 800+ photos uploaded to the group.
It's not like my photography goes completely unnoticed outside of my friends and bands I know though. In fact, I would say I get random people who I don't even know coming up to me at shows almost every few weeks. They tend to say something like they've seen my work and like it, and/or they've seen me out at tons of shows. I'm still amazed every time it happens, but I guess it's a good sign because that means that more people are finally starting to see and enjoy my photography.
Experience is a huge factor in what I do. About every six months or so, I'll look back on photos I shot about six months before. And every time I'm blown away by how much better my more recent work is. Whether it's a better camera, a better understanding of my camera, or just plain being better at shooting, I've been consistently improving my craft to the point that it probably should be garnering some more attention these days.
While hanging out at Transmission earlier for the So It Goes EP listening party/video release, a few friends of mine offered suggestions as to how I could go about getting my work out to a larger audience and possibly work towards actually make a living off of it as well. One suggested that I do another gallery show, which is something that I am all for and have always intended on doing again at some point. Though the Give the Gift of Rock benefit show at The Varsity back in December was a great success and raised money for a good cause (The Paul Green School of Rock's scholarship fund), I don't feel like I did as much as I could have for promoting myself as a photographer. Or maybe I did, it's just that I didn't really gain any momentum from it outside of becoming a strong believer in the School of Rock.
So for one, I want to do another gallery showing of my work, and not just as a one-day deal either. Whether it's a restaurant or some other fine establishment(s) around town, I would love to have my work on display where people can enjoy it besides just seeing it online.
Another friend also had the idea of me putting together a book, which is yet another thing I've really been meaning to do. The one thing that's held me back from really pursuing it (besides a lack of funding obviously) is the fact that, compared to national and more prominent local acts, very few people know about the bands I really love to shoot.
Matter of fact, if it wasn't for me shooting amazing-but-unknown-to-most bands like The Debut or Charlz Newman, there would literally be almost no good photos of them. Not because I'm the only good photographer who shoots them regularly, but because I am the only photographer who ever tends to be at their shows regularly. To me they're almost like the "Rodney Dangerfield" bands of the scene, in a sense.
Yet those are just two of the bands I love to shoot in this town. Right now, there are 15 local bands I would say I am completely loyal to, in that if they're playing a show nearby and I can make it, I will almost certainly be there. There are probably another dozen or so bands on top of that I also enjoy and try to see regularly, and I'm constantly discovering new bands through the ones I already like.
Though I've been musically branching out even more lately by seeing more national acts at The Varsity and elsewhere, it's just not my main objective to go out and shoot all the bands that everyone knows, or to try and only shoot the "hip" up-and-coming acts. I believe that when it comes to great photography, it doesn't really matter how prominent a band is or how big the room is that they're playing. What really matters is the material you get, and if your best work comes from bands that people don't really know about, then so be it. I'd much rather see a hundred awesome photos of a hundred unknown bands over a mediocre photo of a huge band any day of the week. And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way either.
If I were to do a book on my photography, it would most likely focus on local bands and probably involve some in-depth interviews and insight from the bands, myself, and other people around town talking about what they've meant to me and the Twin Cities music scene. Or who knows what it might be about? I'm keeping all my options open at this point.
So, long story short:
-I take really good photos.
-I want more people to see them.
-I have ideas on ways to maybe do that, like a gallery showing or a book.
-But I want more than just my own ideas involved in this, because I am not a beacon for creativity.
So I ask you, people of the land of the Internets, what should I do, and who would like to help me out on this? All ideas, suggestions, connections, and offers to fund my pursuits are welcome.
I've always felt like what I do doesn't reach the kind of audience that it probably could (or should). I still garner a fairly small number of per-day hits on my website (with occasional spikes like right when the recent Campus Glitter Ball photos went up), and have a Facebook group dedicated to my photography sized only in the lower 100's after 2 years of existence and 800+ photos uploaded to the group.
It's not like my photography goes completely unnoticed outside of my friends and bands I know though. In fact, I would say I get random people who I don't even know coming up to me at shows almost every few weeks. They tend to say something like they've seen my work and like it, and/or they've seen me out at tons of shows. I'm still amazed every time it happens, but I guess it's a good sign because that means that more people are finally starting to see and enjoy my photography.
Experience is a huge factor in what I do. About every six months or so, I'll look back on photos I shot about six months before. And every time I'm blown away by how much better my more recent work is. Whether it's a better camera, a better understanding of my camera, or just plain being better at shooting, I've been consistently improving my craft to the point that it probably should be garnering some more attention these days.
While hanging out at Transmission earlier for the So It Goes EP listening party/video release, a few friends of mine offered suggestions as to how I could go about getting my work out to a larger audience and possibly work towards actually make a living off of it as well. One suggested that I do another gallery show, which is something that I am all for and have always intended on doing again at some point. Though the Give the Gift of Rock benefit show at The Varsity back in December was a great success and raised money for a good cause (The Paul Green School of Rock's scholarship fund), I don't feel like I did as much as I could have for promoting myself as a photographer. Or maybe I did, it's just that I didn't really gain any momentum from it outside of becoming a strong believer in the School of Rock.
So for one, I want to do another gallery showing of my work, and not just as a one-day deal either. Whether it's a restaurant or some other fine establishment(s) around town, I would love to have my work on display where people can enjoy it besides just seeing it online.
Another friend also had the idea of me putting together a book, which is yet another thing I've really been meaning to do. The one thing that's held me back from really pursuing it (besides a lack of funding obviously) is the fact that, compared to national and more prominent local acts, very few people know about the bands I really love to shoot.
Matter of fact, if it wasn't for me shooting amazing-but-unknown-to-most bands like The Debut or Charlz Newman, there would literally be almost no good photos of them. Not because I'm the only good photographer who shoots them regularly, but because I am the only photographer who ever tends to be at their shows regularly. To me they're almost like the "Rodney Dangerfield" bands of the scene, in a sense.
Yet those are just two of the bands I love to shoot in this town. Right now, there are 15 local bands I would say I am completely loyal to, in that if they're playing a show nearby and I can make it, I will almost certainly be there. There are probably another dozen or so bands on top of that I also enjoy and try to see regularly, and I'm constantly discovering new bands through the ones I already like.
Though I've been musically branching out even more lately by seeing more national acts at The Varsity and elsewhere, it's just not my main objective to go out and shoot all the bands that everyone knows, or to try and only shoot the "hip" up-and-coming acts. I believe that when it comes to great photography, it doesn't really matter how prominent a band is or how big the room is that they're playing. What really matters is the material you get, and if your best work comes from bands that people don't really know about, then so be it. I'd much rather see a hundred awesome photos of a hundred unknown bands over a mediocre photo of a huge band any day of the week. And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way either.
If I were to do a book on my photography, it would most likely focus on local bands and probably involve some in-depth interviews and insight from the bands, myself, and other people around town talking about what they've meant to me and the Twin Cities music scene. Or who knows what it might be about? I'm keeping all my options open at this point.
So, long story short:
-I take really good photos.
-I want more people to see them.
-I have ideas on ways to maybe do that, like a gallery showing or a book.
-But I want more than just my own ideas involved in this, because I am not a beacon for creativity.
So I ask you, people of the land of the Internets, what should I do, and who would like to help me out on this? All ideas, suggestions, connections, and offers to fund my pursuits are welcome.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Two years!
Today is the 2-year anniversary of my Facebook group, Mike Minehart: Rock Photographer. In that time I've uploaded over 800 photos to the group with a new photo (or two) going up almost every day.
In the past year the size of the group has doubled, and I thank everyone that has invited and joined over these past two years. But come next April 7th, let's see if we can double (or even triple) the size that it's at now. Invite your friends and spread the word that if you like to see some great music photography to join this group.
On top of that, I also have a website where you can check out full show galleries.
http://www.mikeminehart.com/
And like most everyone else these days, I have a few more social networking pages set up for updates on my photography and whatnot.
http://twitter.com/mikeminehart
http://mikeminehart.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/minehartbreaker
So encourage your friends to check out my work and also to join my Facebook group, because it's the only place on the Internet where you're guaranteed to see a new photo from me quite literally almost every day.
In the past year the size of the group has doubled, and I thank everyone that has invited and joined over these past two years. But come next April 7th, let's see if we can double (or even triple) the size that it's at now. Invite your friends and spread the word that if you like to see some great music photography to join this group.
On top of that, I also have a website where you can check out full show galleries.
http://www.mikeminehart.com/
And like most everyone else these days, I have a few more social networking pages set up for updates on my photography and whatnot.
http://twitter.com/mikeminehart
http://mikeminehart.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/minehartbreaker
So encourage your friends to check out my work and also to join my Facebook group, because it's the only place on the Internet where you're guaranteed to see a new photo from me quite literally almost every day.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Updated band tree: An 8th derivative?! Plus the future...
Now that we're a quarter of the way through 2009, I went through and updated my "band tree" (What the hell is a band tree?) and realized that I now have a pair of 8th-derivative bands.
On top of that, I've already seen 51 (!) new or new-to-me bands so far this year through 58 (also worthy of an ! because that puts me on pace for a personal record-shattering 232) shows. I guess that would almost have to be the case when a lot of my older favorite acts that I got into in the "early days" of 2005-2006 are either playing less (TWF/WLR/The Alarmists) or are on tour more (Catchpenny/Roster McCabe/Ari Herstand).
The fact that I still go to as many (if not more) shows than I do in the past is great, but it does feel weird to think about how everything has evolved over time. Back in the day (which according to Dane Cook, by the way, was a Wednesday) I would only go to shows if a band I had already seen and was totally into was already on the bill. That's why when you look at the "originals" column in 2007 it looks so sparse.
Then again, back then there was little need to "branch out", because shows by my favorite bands were frequent and plentiful. Now, with many of those early bands taking a step back or a step away, I find myself following newer bands more often, reaching a little bit deeper into the scene to find shows when nothing obvious is happening, or even just taking a blind stab by seeing bands I have little or no connection to at my favorite venue (The Varsity, of course).
2009 has been a fun year so far, but now things get a little bit complicated. Why? Because I need to find a new job, as my old college job working at the U of M Law School is now complete. I'm really sad to leave the Law School (they were awesome to me and it was actually pretty cool), but now I need to find something post-college.
Something in graphic design and/or photography would be nice, though music photography is obviously my forté. My only worry is that, were I to go with the music photography route, would I have to move to New York or LA to be able to do it viably? I love the Twin Cities music scene and all my friends here, but my current knowledge and ability to "make it" as a self-employed person is limited at best. So I'd probably have to jump on with some publication, label, or whatever to be able to shoot bands and make a living. But is there anywhere in the Twin Cities that I could do that? At this point, I'm not entirely sure.
Money does not motivate me, but being able to make a living doing what I love (music photography) would certainly be nice. And if I can do it in the Twin Cities, that's freaking awesome. The last thing I want to do right now is start over in another town, but if someone from NY/LA were to come calling with an offer I couldn't refuse, you know I'd probably have to take it. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to have a job doing what I love if it keeps me from having to work at a job I want nothing to do with just to pay the bills.
In the end, I believe that the most important thing in life to is to be happy and make other people happy with what you do. And I've been lucky to realize, with a strong level of certainty, what exactly that is for me. Heck, I've already been doing it for the better part of 3 1/2 years. Now I just need to figure out how to pay the bills that way too...
On top of that, I've already seen 51 (!) new or new-to-me bands so far this year through 58 (also worthy of an ! because that puts me on pace for a personal record-shattering 232) shows. I guess that would almost have to be the case when a lot of my older favorite acts that I got into in the "early days" of 2005-2006 are either playing less (TWF/WLR/The Alarmists) or are on tour more (Catchpenny/Roster McCabe/Ari Herstand).
The fact that I still go to as many (if not more) shows than I do in the past is great, but it does feel weird to think about how everything has evolved over time. Back in the day (which according to Dane Cook, by the way, was a Wednesday) I would only go to shows if a band I had already seen and was totally into was already on the bill. That's why when you look at the "originals" column in 2007 it looks so sparse.
Then again, back then there was little need to "branch out", because shows by my favorite bands were frequent and plentiful. Now, with many of those early bands taking a step back or a step away, I find myself following newer bands more often, reaching a little bit deeper into the scene to find shows when nothing obvious is happening, or even just taking a blind stab by seeing bands I have little or no connection to at my favorite venue (The Varsity, of course).
2009 has been a fun year so far, but now things get a little bit complicated. Why? Because I need to find a new job, as my old college job working at the U of M Law School is now complete. I'm really sad to leave the Law School (they were awesome to me and it was actually pretty cool), but now I need to find something post-college.
Something in graphic design and/or photography would be nice, though music photography is obviously my forté. My only worry is that, were I to go with the music photography route, would I have to move to New York or LA to be able to do it viably? I love the Twin Cities music scene and all my friends here, but my current knowledge and ability to "make it" as a self-employed person is limited at best. So I'd probably have to jump on with some publication, label, or whatever to be able to shoot bands and make a living. But is there anywhere in the Twin Cities that I could do that? At this point, I'm not entirely sure.
Money does not motivate me, but being able to make a living doing what I love (music photography) would certainly be nice. And if I can do it in the Twin Cities, that's freaking awesome. The last thing I want to do right now is start over in another town, but if someone from NY/LA were to come calling with an offer I couldn't refuse, you know I'd probably have to take it. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to have a job doing what I love if it keeps me from having to work at a job I want nothing to do with just to pay the bills.
In the end, I believe that the most important thing in life to is to be happy and make other people happy with what you do. And I've been lucky to realize, with a strong level of certainty, what exactly that is for me. Heck, I've already been doing it for the better part of 3 1/2 years. Now I just need to figure out how to pay the bills that way too...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Two nights after getting hit by a cab...
I'm feeling a bit more soreness in my shoulder and back on my left side where I landed. I think my ass is a bit better, which is good because I need it for sitting. And that is necessary for the oh-so grueling task of editing photos on a computer. Yesterday I was sitting on a pillow because the desk chair I use at my computer was a bit too hard, but now I don't think I need it.
But an hour ago I started feeling some new rib pain and now I'm seeing a bruise there too. Nothing was bothering me enough to warrant medication before, but now I think I need some ibuprofen. There doesn't appear to be any ibuprofen in my apartment right now though. Crap crappity crap crap crap. Getting hit by a car might seem badass, but feeling sore afterwards is a pretty lame side-effect if you ask me...
I haven't gotten to work out since it happened, which sucks because I had been making a point of it to work out almost every day since I started again back in February. I'm going to a clinic first thing tomorrow to get this checked out. I'll be pissed if I've broken a rib or anything, because I've never broken a bone nor had to have surgery in my life. If anything like that happens, there goes my lifelong streak of being both young and unbreakable. Bah.
On top of that, I was even sick last week. Though I'm pretty much recovered from whatever it was that was bothering me, my voice has been shot for like two days and it makes me sound like I'm back in puberty or something. I doubt it has anything to do with getting nailed by a cab, but with these injuries still bothering me who knows?
My hope is that I'll be back to 100% sooner rather than later. It's probably not as bad as I'm making it sound, but not being able to work out sucks, and I find that some kinds of bending or lifting with my left side is not a very good idea right now.
Sigh. I'm blogging and Twittering (two of the stupidest words I've ever heard, but whatever) about this mainly to establish a record of what my body has been feeling like since it happened for safety's sake should anything have to happen with a court case or whatever. But I'll be darned if I also couldn't use a little love every once in a while, so go ahead and pour it on. :p Send some love to my friend Cecilia as well, because she was walking a little behind me when it happened and also got dinged up a bit.
Well, I'm off to a 24-hour Cub to find some ibuprofen I guess. More on this story as it develops. Back to you, rest of the world.
But an hour ago I started feeling some new rib pain and now I'm seeing a bruise there too. Nothing was bothering me enough to warrant medication before, but now I think I need some ibuprofen. There doesn't appear to be any ibuprofen in my apartment right now though. Crap crappity crap crap crap. Getting hit by a car might seem badass, but feeling sore afterwards is a pretty lame side-effect if you ask me...
I haven't gotten to work out since it happened, which sucks because I had been making a point of it to work out almost every day since I started again back in February. I'm going to a clinic first thing tomorrow to get this checked out. I'll be pissed if I've broken a rib or anything, because I've never broken a bone nor had to have surgery in my life. If anything like that happens, there goes my lifelong streak of being both young and unbreakable. Bah.
On top of that, I was even sick last week. Though I'm pretty much recovered from whatever it was that was bothering me, my voice has been shot for like two days and it makes me sound like I'm back in puberty or something. I doubt it has anything to do with getting nailed by a cab, but with these injuries still bothering me who knows?
My hope is that I'll be back to 100% sooner rather than later. It's probably not as bad as I'm making it sound, but not being able to work out sucks, and I find that some kinds of bending or lifting with my left side is not a very good idea right now.
Sigh. I'm blogging and Twittering (two of the stupidest words I've ever heard, but whatever) about this mainly to establish a record of what my body has been feeling like since it happened for safety's sake should anything have to happen with a court case or whatever. But I'll be darned if I also couldn't use a little love every once in a while, so go ahead and pour it on. :p Send some love to my friend Cecilia as well, because she was walking a little behind me when it happened and also got dinged up a bit.
Well, I'm off to a 24-hour Cub to find some ibuprofen I guess. More on this story as it develops. Back to you, rest of the world.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
So I got hit by a car.
Yet for some reason it made me feel like a total badass...
Let's recap. Last night I went to The Entry for a stellar lineup featuring The Melismatics, Sick of Sarah, Maudlin, and Boom Booms For Everyone. Great show, tons of pics, etc., etc. Got pretty much everything that I was expecting from the show basically.
During load-out (around 1:30 AM) afterwards, The Melismatics asked me to drive their van for safety's sake. Cecilia (tour manager) and I headed out of The Entry towards the garage and began crossing 1st Ave, as we had the walk signal.
About halfway across the street, out of nowhere I suddenly find myself hit on my back-right side and flying into the air. As I'm airborne, I see a headlight or something careening down the street. I spin and land mostly on my left side and wonder, "What the hell just happened?" A few people on the street rushed over to Cecilia and I and started asking if we were alright because we had just freaking been hit by a cab.
The adrenaline rush was insane. Remember the scene from Pulp Fiction where they resuscitate Uma Thurman's character by injecting adrenaline directly into her heart? It felt kinda like that, minus the screaming.
The police and EMTs were on the scene in a minute or less, which was nice. I was standing up but my leg was still shaking a bit from the shock, and I walked over to the curb to sit down and try to relax as they checked me for any injuries. Immediately my first thought was, "I should call my dad," which I did, but not before posting a message on Twitter that I had just been hit by a cab. (In retrospect, that was pretty nerdy, even if it is a good idea to keep a record that way...)
The cab driver was still on the scene, and police talked to him, Cecilia, the witnesses, and I as the adrenaline continued to pump through me as if I had just finished an hour-long workout. At that point the only thing I noticed was a little bit of soreness on the left side of my ass from landing on it and some minor scrapes on my left hand. Didn't hit my head or anything like that thankfully. Filed a report and went to hang with some friends after the show as originally intended, though I had a brand-new story to share with everyone obviously...
Today I find myself with a sore shoulder blade and ass, but with a sense that it could have been way worse and I'll probably be fine again in no time. I'll know for sure on that tomorrow anyway. And though it might just be my personality, again, for some reason getting hit by a car and walking away mostly unscathed makes me feel like a total badass.
My only regret is that nobody got it on tape apparently. There goes my shot at being the star of Jackass if they ever brought it back I guess...
Let's recap. Last night I went to The Entry for a stellar lineup featuring The Melismatics, Sick of Sarah, Maudlin, and Boom Booms For Everyone. Great show, tons of pics, etc., etc. Got pretty much everything that I was expecting from the show basically.
During load-out (around 1:30 AM) afterwards, The Melismatics asked me to drive their van for safety's sake. Cecilia (tour manager) and I headed out of The Entry towards the garage and began crossing 1st Ave, as we had the walk signal.
About halfway across the street, out of nowhere I suddenly find myself hit on my back-right side and flying into the air. As I'm airborne, I see a headlight or something careening down the street. I spin and land mostly on my left side and wonder, "What the hell just happened?" A few people on the street rushed over to Cecilia and I and started asking if we were alright because we had just freaking been hit by a cab.
The adrenaline rush was insane. Remember the scene from Pulp Fiction where they resuscitate Uma Thurman's character by injecting adrenaline directly into her heart? It felt kinda like that, minus the screaming.
The police and EMTs were on the scene in a minute or less, which was nice. I was standing up but my leg was still shaking a bit from the shock, and I walked over to the curb to sit down and try to relax as they checked me for any injuries. Immediately my first thought was, "I should call my dad," which I did, but not before posting a message on Twitter that I had just been hit by a cab. (In retrospect, that was pretty nerdy, even if it is a good idea to keep a record that way...)
The cab driver was still on the scene, and police talked to him, Cecilia, the witnesses, and I as the adrenaline continued to pump through me as if I had just finished an hour-long workout. At that point the only thing I noticed was a little bit of soreness on the left side of my ass from landing on it and some minor scrapes on my left hand. Didn't hit my head or anything like that thankfully. Filed a report and went to hang with some friends after the show as originally intended, though I had a brand-new story to share with everyone obviously...
Today I find myself with a sore shoulder blade and ass, but with a sense that it could have been way worse and I'll probably be fine again in no time. I'll know for sure on that tomorrow anyway. And though it might just be my personality, again, for some reason getting hit by a car and walking away mostly unscathed makes me feel like a total badass.
My only regret is that nobody got it on tape apparently. There goes my shot at being the star of Jackass if they ever brought it back I guess...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Bracketastic.
Every year around the Ides of March, I find myself going mad. Not because I fear being assassinated in a conspiracy by Brutus and Cassius, but because of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Gotta love having a case of March Madness baby.
The first year I ever made picks for the event, I won my dad $200 in a pool he was in. It was a round-by-round format for picking, but still, I called some pretty important upsets and basically guided him to make most of the right picks that year.
I highly doubt that my bracket is going to do anything but completely implode this year, but I figure it's always worth a shot. Here's my full bracket via the ESPN challenge site:
Here's a quick rundown of a few of the more "interesting" picks...
Midwest Region
1st Round: (14) NDSU over (3) Kansas
Kansas is young and inexperienced; definitely prone to make mistakes. They went down to Baylor in the Big 12 tourney, which is pretty lame if you ask me. You can't really factor in last year's title run to this year's squad. Plus with Albert Lea (my hometown) native Ben Woodside scoring mad points for NDSU, anything is possible for this Cinderella candidate. I'd say the odds of an upset are really only about 20%, but that's good enough for me to at least take a shot at picking it.
(6) West Virginia in the Elite 8
If Kansas does go down to NDSU, West Virignia's 1-3-1 defense only needs to get past Michigan State in the Sweet 16. However, Tom Izzo is a great tournament coach and might be able to get around that 1-3-1. Then again, do I trust the "best" team from the overrated Big Ten when they couldn't even win their conference tourney? Then again, many other top teams went out early in their conference tourneys this year, so everything is kinda up in the air on seeding and such. Michigan State probably should've been put in Kansas's 3 seed spot anyway, and vice versa.
West Region
1st/2nd Round: (13) Miss St over (4) Washington and (5) Purdue
I have no East or West coast bias in me (Midwest represent!), but I can't really trust that the Pac 10 was that special this year. Neither was the SEC (probably even worse), but Mississippi State is a hot team that won their tourney. Purdue won the conference tourney in a grossly-overrated conference (my Big Ten) and isn't really that interesting anyway. Besides, I've gotta go with the hot team in this case, and a hot 13-seed taking down a 4 and a 5 doesn't seem like that big of a stretch anyway.
1st/2nd Round: (11) Utah St over (6) Marquette and (3) Missouri
I feel like Utah St could've been a 7 or 8 seed considering their record and RPI. Sure the WAC might've been down a bit, but winning 30 games in any conference is a huge confidence boost for a team. However, taking down a team from the best conference (Big East) and the Big 12 tourney champion (albeit they only had to beat Baylor in the final) is a pretty tall order. Just keeping my fingers crossed to say the least.
East Region
Nothing too fancy here, mainly just chalk and a easy-to-pick upset of (6) UCLA by (11) VCU. My (10) Minnesota Golden Gophers better damn well win at least one game by beating (7) Texas anyway...
South Region
1st Round: (12) Western Kentucky over (5) Illinois
The ever-popular 12-5 upset only appears once in my bracket. Western Kentucky took down top tournament seed Louisville by 14, and that's all I need to pick them over another team from the over-represented Big Ten.
(4) Gonzaga in the Final Four
I've known about this team ever since they beat my Gophers and made the Elite 8 as a Cinderella back in 1999. Since then, we stole (and fired) their coach and they got really, really good. Though they've been somewhat underachieving in the tournament with nothing beyond a Sweet 16 appearance since then, I believe this is their year to finally break through to the Final Four. If UNC's Ty Lawson and his toe aren't 100% (which is very likely at this point) I think the Zags could take them down, and (3) Syracuse will probably be out of gas (6 overtimes?!) by the Elite 8 after squeaking by (2) Oklahoma.
(11) Temple over (6) Arizona St
I picked three 11-6 upsets, though this one was basically on a whim. Temple won the A-10 tourney, and that's good enough for me.
Final Four
(2) Memphis over (1) Louisville
Memphis takes down their in-state rivals in an epic battle.
(1) Pittsburgh over (4) Gonzaga
As much as I love the Zags and their style, their run ends here.
National Championship
(2) Memphis 76, (1) Pittsburgh 69
Memphis returns to the title game and wins it this time, ending the year with a 31-game winning streak dating back to before Christmas.
The first year I ever made picks for the event, I won my dad $200 in a pool he was in. It was a round-by-round format for picking, but still, I called some pretty important upsets and basically guided him to make most of the right picks that year.
I highly doubt that my bracket is going to do anything but completely implode this year, but I figure it's always worth a shot. Here's my full bracket via the ESPN challenge site:
Here's a quick rundown of a few of the more "interesting" picks...
Midwest Region
1st Round: (14) NDSU over (3) Kansas
Kansas is young and inexperienced; definitely prone to make mistakes. They went down to Baylor in the Big 12 tourney, which is pretty lame if you ask me. You can't really factor in last year's title run to this year's squad. Plus with Albert Lea (my hometown) native Ben Woodside scoring mad points for NDSU, anything is possible for this Cinderella candidate. I'd say the odds of an upset are really only about 20%, but that's good enough for me to at least take a shot at picking it.
(6) West Virginia in the Elite 8
If Kansas does go down to NDSU, West Virignia's 1-3-1 defense only needs to get past Michigan State in the Sweet 16. However, Tom Izzo is a great tournament coach and might be able to get around that 1-3-1. Then again, do I trust the "best" team from the overrated Big Ten when they couldn't even win their conference tourney? Then again, many other top teams went out early in their conference tourneys this year, so everything is kinda up in the air on seeding and such. Michigan State probably should've been put in Kansas's 3 seed spot anyway, and vice versa.
West Region
1st/2nd Round: (13) Miss St over (4) Washington and (5) Purdue
I have no East or West coast bias in me (Midwest represent!), but I can't really trust that the Pac 10 was that special this year. Neither was the SEC (probably even worse), but Mississippi State is a hot team that won their tourney. Purdue won the conference tourney in a grossly-overrated conference (my Big Ten) and isn't really that interesting anyway. Besides, I've gotta go with the hot team in this case, and a hot 13-seed taking down a 4 and a 5 doesn't seem like that big of a stretch anyway.
1st/2nd Round: (11) Utah St over (6) Marquette and (3) Missouri
I feel like Utah St could've been a 7 or 8 seed considering their record and RPI. Sure the WAC might've been down a bit, but winning 30 games in any conference is a huge confidence boost for a team. However, taking down a team from the best conference (Big East) and the Big 12 tourney champion (albeit they only had to beat Baylor in the final) is a pretty tall order. Just keeping my fingers crossed to say the least.
East Region
Nothing too fancy here, mainly just chalk and a easy-to-pick upset of (6) UCLA by (11) VCU. My (10) Minnesota Golden Gophers better damn well win at least one game by beating (7) Texas anyway...
South Region
1st Round: (12) Western Kentucky over (5) Illinois
The ever-popular 12-5 upset only appears once in my bracket. Western Kentucky took down top tournament seed Louisville by 14, and that's all I need to pick them over another team from the over-represented Big Ten.
(4) Gonzaga in the Final Four
I've known about this team ever since they beat my Gophers and made the Elite 8 as a Cinderella back in 1999. Since then, we stole (and fired) their coach and they got really, really good. Though they've been somewhat underachieving in the tournament with nothing beyond a Sweet 16 appearance since then, I believe this is their year to finally break through to the Final Four. If UNC's Ty Lawson and his toe aren't 100% (which is very likely at this point) I think the Zags could take them down, and (3) Syracuse will probably be out of gas (6 overtimes?!) by the Elite 8 after squeaking by (2) Oklahoma.
(11) Temple over (6) Arizona St
I picked three 11-6 upsets, though this one was basically on a whim. Temple won the A-10 tourney, and that's good enough for me.
Final Four
(2) Memphis over (1) Louisville
Memphis takes down their in-state rivals in an epic battle.
(1) Pittsburgh over (4) Gonzaga
As much as I love the Zags and their style, their run ends here.
National Championship
(2) Memphis 76, (1) Pittsburgh 69
Memphis returns to the title game and wins it this time, ending the year with a 31-game winning streak dating back to before Christmas.
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