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All-world junior may not be pulling up from downtown, but he is capable of going with a windmill reverse jam off the bounce. Check out Keith Hornsby, a freshman guard at UNC Asheville, who also happens to be the basketball-playing child of the three-time Grammy winner.
At UNCA’s Midnight Madness event on Friday night, the Oak Hill product wowed his teammates and the small assembled crowd with his hops, no doubt honed through years of shooting hoops and running drills in the Tidewater gyms with dad (a fairly accomplished area baller when not touring with the Grateful Dead or selling millions of jazz albums). Keith’s favorite player is Stephen Curry, another son of a famous father, but he’s already got the former Davidson star in the jumping category. His game consists of a strong jumper and is modeled after another former Virginian star, Duke’s JJ Redick.
Keith’s brother, Russell, matriculated at Oregon this fall as an elite middle-distance runner. According to this article from The Roanoke Times, Bruce is proud of where his progeny have ended up: “We’ve got both our kids going to two of the great hippie towns in America. They can let their freak flag fly in Asheville and Eugene. All the Deadheads in Asheville and Eugene can come and root for the son of the guy who played with Jerry.” Spoken like a true rock superstar. … Read More (video embedded)
(via rush the court)
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More Bruce Hornsby content here.
The above article references Hornsby’s The Old Playground, but he had another, more popular song I always thought was about basketball too. Here’s a short clip of that tune by his Noisemakers, featuring Bonnie Raitt:
More on this weekend later today. For now, it’s back to sonic Friday jams:
Nobody wants to spend time reading second-rate material about second-rate material, so I should clarify that what I want to do with this is highlight groups that are good, but for certain reasons, never emerged onto the national scene. I’m calling them B-list bands not because they necessarily deserve their place outside of the spotlight, but because they are outside of the spotlight, and also because it seemed to alliterate well in my head.
The model I have in mind right now describes artists that started out very similarly to, but ultimately failed to match the trajectory of another that made it big.
First up is The Outlaws. Formed in 1967 in Tampa, by the early 70s they had developed into a triple-guitar-attack Southern Rock band with an emphasis on a strong live performance. Sound familiar? Compare Lynyrd Skynyrd: formed in 1965 in Jacksonville, developed triple-guitar-attack Southern Rock by the early 70s, and a reputation built on strong live performances, catapulting themselves to long-running national prominence.
Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant even helped them get their first record deal– after The Outlaws opened for them, Van Zant apparently announced to all in attendance, including their Arista rep, that “If you don’t sign The Outlaws, you’re the dumbest music person I’ve ever met.” Keep reading (and start listening)…
Just hours before this week’s meeting between the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, Hank Williams, Jr., the face of the program for twenty-two years– more than half its existence– was a guest on the Fox News program Fox & Friends, talking politics with the show’s hosts. Early in the interview, Williams referenced President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boehner, and Ohio Governor John Kasich’s golf outing this summer, calling it “one of the biggest political mistakes ever.” Why? “It turned a lot of people off. . . . That’d be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” Williams went on to clarify that Obama and Biden are “the enemy” and endorse Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. At the end of the segment, Williams confirmed that he used “the name of one of the most hated people in all of the world to describe the President.” The discussion apparently transitioned to sports after that. … Read More
(via QuestionsPresented)
More on this weekend’s coverage later today. For now, a related Friday jam:
I’ll be down on Main Street tonight.
One of the nice things about having my first real autumn in a few years is knowing that I won’t be sweating my face off at any more football games this fall. Another is a more natural turning to seasonal music, which is why I had this song in my head this morning:
He was an All-Star in 1993-94; had a shaved dome and chiseled physique when fades and “smooth muscle” were still the norm; and could always be counted on for minor upheavals, via crossovers, hesitations, or bolts to the basket that left no question as to his strong on-court identity (if not necessarily his value). In this way, he may have been the perfect analogy for Pearl Jam before they even knew it. … Read More
(via Deadspin)
Mississippi State lost a defensive struggle to SEC West foe LSU last night in Starkville. The visitors had a 6-3 lead at the half, and I thought the Bulldogs had the winning edge a couple times in the third quarter, but they couldn’t quite overcome LSU, which finally broke the dam in the fourth and won 19-6. Mississippi State still is a team on the rise, but I’m not sure they’re going to get a chance to improve on last year’s nine-win season until 2012.
Because I couldn’t come up with a Friday-themed Friday jam, I’ll make it up to you with two clips. I guess everybody’s got to have a thing (I guess?), and Mississippi State has made the cowbell its thing. Two clips to try to cheer up Bulldog fans and remind everyone else that something sorta good came out of Starkville once:
The four-day week that follows a long weekend is like the power play after a long-delayed penalty, and it’s an underappreciated calendaric gift.
To the point: I was going to use John Conlee’s “Friday Night Blues” as this week’s Friday jam, but it turns out he really was a one-hit wonder. Instead, and in reflection of last weekend’s Nashville jaunt, here’s the Station Inn’s own Mashville Brigade with their rendition of Conlee’s hit, with a bonus tease of a planned future Friday jam:
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