2015.05.28 Rolling Stone Age

most embarrassing name in boardgaming



5 Players: G, W,  M, Si, J

Game: Stone Age + Style is the Goal Expansion
Location: G
Choice: M


 

Game One:

Si(117pts), G(114pts), J(86pts), W(70pts) & M(64pts)

 

Final Tally:

Si was declared victor for this week.

 

Notes:




• Game was called early due to time
• Non-canon game this Saturday at Si's 

 

 

 Music Features (with notes from AllMusic.Com unless noted)

Stanton Moore: III (2006)



Maple Plank is the seventh song on the album

...These are future funk grooves made by basic instrumentation from the past. Moore's always been about shakin' it down, but in the past his sense of syncopation and adventurous instrumental dictates won out over solid, in-the-pocket funkifying. That's not to say that All Kooked Out! and its predecessor, Flyin' the Koop, weren't good records...hell, they were great. But they were complex jazz and soul studies, whereas III is nothing but greasy...

...As a bandleader, Moore's got it all: he has the right players for whatever he might attempt, and this is the finest example of that yet. It's from the heart, and it's got all the sass, spit, vinegar, and laughter that the great soul-jazz records of old had, and proves that the format isn't done by a long shot.

Highlight for G: Instrumental cover of When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin).
 



The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969)

Mostly recorded without Brian Jones -- who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) -- this extends the rock and blues feel of Beggars Banquet into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory...

...some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was The Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as The Stones ever got.



 

CSNY: 4-Way Street (1971)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had come out of Woodstock as the hottest new music act on the planet, and followed it up with Deja Vu, recorded across the second half of 1969 and released in March of 1970, supported by a tour in the summer of that year. As it happened, despite some phenomenal music-making, the tour was fraught with personal conflicts, and the quartet split up upon its completion. And 4 Way Street followed, released in April of 1971: a live double-LP set, chock-full of superb music distilled down from a bunch of nights on that tour that more than fulfilled the promise of the group. Indeed, contained on those original four LP sides was the embodiment of everything great that the unique ethos behind this group -- which was not a "group" but four individuals working together -- might have yielded. Each of the participants got to show off a significant chunk of his best work, whether presented alone or in tandem with the others, and the shared repertory -- "Long Time Gone," "Ohio" etc. -- binding it all together as more than a documentary of some joint appearances. Conceptually it was all as diffuse as the concept behind the group, but musically, 4 Way Street was one of the great live rock documents of its time, a status it retains along with such touchstones as the Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East, the live half of the Cream's Wheels of Fire, and the Grateful Dead's Live/Dead; some of the extended guitar jams between Stills and Young ("Southern Man") go on longer than strict musical sense would dictate, but it seemed right at the time, and they capture a form that was far more abused in other hands after this group broke up. Although Neil Young and Stephen Stills had the advantage of the highest wattage on their songs and their jams together, David Crosby and Graham Nash more than manage to hold their own, not only with some strong and distinctive songs, but also a strong case that less could be more; they reached the more introspective members of their audience, mostly individually, while Stills and Young wowed the crowds collectively. The double-CD version adds more acoustic material by each of the participants, which gives a fuller picture of what they were all about musically -- Nash's acoustic rendition of "King Midas in Reverse" doesn't slot in too easily next to the earthier Crosby, Stills & Young originals, but it also adds a welcome British psychedelic pop interlude to the proceedings. The essentials of the original album are all intact, and all in better sound.

 



Neil Young: Live at the Fillmore East (recorded 1970, released 2006)

so when is Miles Davis playing?

[From PopMatters.com] There is considerable controversy surrounding this anxiously awaited release. For Neil Young fans, this is an unexpected gift—a live show of the first, short-lived incarnation of Crazy Horse in all their ragged glory. For Neil Young freaks, this is an overdue, unconscionably abbreviated version of a two-night stand at the Fillmore East that has long been legend. The verdict? For anyone who enjoys good music, this is a no brainer that comes heartily recommended, period.

 

 

 

 

2015.05.20 Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda



Apparently the pools in Granada are unfiltered...

5 Players: G, W,  K, Si, J
Game: Alhambra
Location: W
Choice: J


 

Alhambra's upside down scorecards are confusing

Game One:

G(100pts), W(87pts), K(81pts), J(72pts) & Si(56pts)

 

Game Two:

Si(97pts), J(83pts), G(79pts), K(76pts) & W(64pts)

 

Final Tally:

G (179pts)

K (157pts)

J (155pts)

Si (153pts)

W (151pts)

 

G was declared victor for this week.

 

Notes:




• so tired...
• W expressed disappointment when Galactic's great album was replaced.
• G strategically (duh!) overspent to acquire the "top" three colours.
• Great fiddle tunes from CCD and all W could hear was Looney Tunes. All Si could hear was Beverley Hillbillies. So Sad.
• Funny comments about feeling like being on hold with CRA when Taxman started playing. We wished muzak was this good.
• Possibly first time Sticky Fingers was listened to, in its entirety, by some participants.
• next week Si would like to hear Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetter's Super Ape (1976)

 

Music Features (with notes from AllMusic.Com)

cool, steady and easy

Galactic: Coolin' Off (1996)

After listening to Galactic's 1996 debut release, Coolin' Off, it's hard to believe that the band isn't comprised of seasoned funk veterans. Instead of showing off their instrumental chops at every given opportunity, the members of Galactic play as an ensemble, who know when to step back and let their soulful music groove and breath on its own. Vocalist Theryl de Clouet is only featured on a few of the album's tracks ("Something's Wrong With This Picture," "Everybody Wants Some -- Part 3," etc.), but his voice often steals the show when it's featured. The majority of Coolin' Off consists of funky instrumentals with a sound straight out of the '70s, but the band knows how to mix it up and avoid monotony. The opening "Go Go" is a good example of Galactic's sound: a prominent bassline is merged with horns and wah-wah guitar, while an organ creates a memorable melody. Other groove-oriented tracks include "Funky Bird," "Stax Jam," "Doo Rag," and "Church." Coolin' Off is an excellent debut from a band that is destined for great things.
 

 



 

folk festival champions

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind (2006)

The 14 uncredited (read: traditional) songs on the record touch on ancient blues and country, but to align what the CCD do with either of those branches would be an error. Songs like "Ol' Corn Likker" and "Black-Eyed Daisy" evoke a time and place far removed not only from the present but from contemporary notions of what those genres signify. When the trio plays "Dixie," you're listening not to a patriotic rebel anthem but a yearning, mournful moan. And the purity of Giddens' solo a cappella vocal on "Little Margaret" (note from G: traditional also known as Maddy Groves) belongs to an era when music was not something to be sold but something from the soul. The Carolina Chocolate Drops have stated that they are on a mission to keep this tradition alive, and that they do. But they do so not from the staid position of lecturers on ethnomusicology or as strident sociopolitical posturers but as musicians truly in love with this disappearing slice of Americana, more specifically a little known slice of black Americana. That they do it with zeal as well as respect, and that they have the talent to back up their knowledge, is why it works on its own merits, not merely as a historical study.






Dr John, aka "The Night Tripper"
kinda looks like Sir Paul in this photo



Dr. John: Dr. John's Gumbo (1972)

Dr. John's Gumbo bridged the gap between post-hippie rock and early rock & roll, blues, and R&B, offering a selection of classic New Orleans R&B, including "Tipitina" and "Junko Partner," updated with a gritty, funky beat. There aren't as many psychedelic flourishes as there were on his first two albums, but the ones that are present enhance his sweeping vision of American roots music. And that sly fusion of styles makes Dr. John's Gumbo one of Dr. John's finest albums.

 

 

I would ride this elevator day and night

Soulive: Rubber Soulive (2010)

Recording predominantly instrumental soul-jazz Beatles' covers isn't a unique concept; both George Benson and Booker T. & the MG's attempted a similar concept to varying degrees of success in the early '70s. But Soulive strips the sound down to a three-piece organ combo and swings its way through 11 Beatles tunes, including rockers such as "Help" and "Day Tripper," jazzing them up without losing the hummable melodies that makes this timeless music still resonate...

 

The solos are generally kept short, sharp, and tight, unlike other jazz covers that use a song's melody as a jumping-off place for lengthy improvisation that often strays too far from the tunefulness of the source material. Rather, the trio keeps the Beatles' songwriting abilities foremost in the presentation, although when they do wander off the page on short jams -- as in "Taxman" -- but it's never for long. Like the Liverpool lads who intuitively meshed together, Soulive's members interlock to yield results greater than the sum of its parts on this successful tribute that combines the Beatles sense of excitement, imagination. and musical exploration with a funky, down-home R&B/jazz groove.

 

 

 

 

I love it when the singing stops and the jazz begins

The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971)

 

Pieced together from outtakes and much-labored-over songs, Sticky Fingers manages to have a loose, ramshackle ambience that belies both its origins and the dark undercurrents of the songs. It's a weary, drug-laden album -- well over half the songs explicitly mention drug use, while the others merely allude to it -- that never fades away, but it barely keeps afloat. Apart from the classic opener, "Brown Sugar" (a gleeful tune about slavery, interracial sex, and lost virginity, not necessarily in that order), the long workout "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and the mean-spirited "Bitch," Sticky Fingers is a slow, bluesy affair, with a few country touches thrown in for good measure. The laid-back tone of the album gives ample room for new lead guitarist Mick Taylor to stretch out, particularly on the extended coda of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." But the key to the album isn't the instrumental interplay -- although that is terrific -- it's the utter weariness of the songs. "Wild Horses" is their first non-ironic stab at a country song, and it is a beautiful, heart-tugging masterpiece. Similarly, "I Got the Blues" is a ravished, late-night classic that ranks among their very best blues. "Sister Morphine" is a horrifying overdose tale, and "Moonlight Mile," with Paul Buckmaster's grandiose strings, is a perfect closure: sad, yearning, drug-addled, and beautiful. With its offhand mixture of decadence, roots music, and outright malevolence, Sticky Fingers set the tone for the rest of the decade for the Stones.

 

2015.05.13 “Only he who has no use for the empire is fit to be entrusted with it.” - Zhuangzi, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Everything that has transpired has done so, according to my design.

5 Players: G, W,  K, Sc, M
Game: Imperial
Location: K
Choice: group


 

Game One:

G(100pts), M(97pts), Sc(95pts), W(89pts) & K(85pts)

 

Final Tally:

G was declared victor for this week.

 

Notes:




• France was the first country to reach 25 points
• Italy was the worst run country

 

Music Features

Phish 2012-09-01 Commerce City, CO (Dick's Sporting Goods Park)

A fantastic example of Phish 3.0. This was the second night of a three-night run at Dick's. These three shows would end the 2012 Summer Tour. A three-night run at Dick's to end the Summer Tour has become a new tradition for the band and this was a night to remember. Just check out the killer setlist:

 

Set 1:

Run Like an Antelope

Backwards Down the Number Line >

Tweezer >

Fluffhead >

Roses Are Free (Ween cover) >

Funky Bitch >

The Moma Dance >

When the Circus Comes to Town (Los Lobos cover)

Theme From the Bottom >

Golgi Apparatus

Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

 

Set 2:

Golden Age (TV on the Radio cover) >

Prince Caspian >

Light

Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder cover) >

The Wedge

The Horse >

Silent in the Morning >

Mike's Song >

No Quarter (Led Zeppelin cover) >

Weekapaug Groove

 

Encore:

Sleeping Monkey >

Tweezer Reprise

 

 

 

2015.05.07 Putting the "Imp" in Imperial

Except for Germany, that is.



W had the same faraway look
as we tallied the victory points

5 Players: G, W,  K, J, S
Game: Imperial
Location: K
Choice: G


 

Game One:

G(113pts), J(87pts), K(82pts), S(77pts) & W(75pts)

 

Final Tally:

G was declared victor for this week.

 

Notes:




• Italy was the first country to reach 25 points
• England was the worst run country
• Before the game began, W was asked if he would like to swap starting flags from Germany to England. His reply: "What does it matter? I'm still going to lose this fucking game?"
• To the shock of all participants, one of us revealed that he cries every time he watches Disney's Frozen. He also wept at Disney on ice. He's a crier.
• Possible non-canon game this coming Saturday

 

Music Features

Frank Zappa: Over-Nite Sensation (1973)

Love it or hate it, Over-Nite Sensation was a watershed album for Frank Zappa, the point where his post-'60s aesthetic was truly established; it became his second gold album, and most of these songs became staples of his live shows for years to come.

 

Whereas the Flo and Eddie years were dominated by rambling, off-color comedy routines, Over-Nite Sensation tightened up the song structures and tucked sexual and social humor into melodic, technically accomplished heavy guitar rock with jazzy chord changes and funky rhythms; meanwhile, Zappa's growling new post-accident voice takes over the storytelling.

Frank always dressed up
for games of Imperial

 

While the music is some of Zappa's most accessible, the apparent callousness and/or stunning sexual explicitness of "Camarillo Brillo," "Dirty Love," and especially "Dinah-Moe Humm" leave him on shaky aesthetic ground. Zappa often protested that the charges of misogyny leveled at such material missed out on the implicit satire of male stupidity, and also confirmed intellectuals' self-conscious reticence about indulging in dumb fun; however, the glee in his voice as he spins his adolescent fantasies can undermine his point. Indeed, that enjoyment, also evident in the silly wordplay, suggests that Zappa is throwing his juvenile crassness in the face of critical expectation, asserting his right to follow his muse even if it leads him into blatant stupidity (ironic or otherwise).

 

One can read this motif into the absurd shaggy-dog story of a dental floss rancher in "Montana," the album's indisputable highlight, which features amazing, uncredited vocal backing from Tina Turner and the Ikettes. As with much of Zappa's best '70s and '80s material, Over-Nite Sensation could be perceived as ideologically problematic (if you haven't got the constitution for FZ's humor), but musically, it's terrific.

 (from AllMusic.com May 2015)

 

Fred Eaglesmith wouldn't make W cry

G's Folk Mix: Fall '06 Vol. 1

Included tunes from several artists that have played Blue Skies Music Festival. Some highlights:

 

Ian Tamblyn's Vancouver Island Song, Fred Eaglesmith's Cumberland County, Ani Difranco, Roy Harper, Greg Brown, Chuck Brodsky & Bruce Cockburn covering Mississippi John Hurt

 

The Grateful Dead: Two from the Vault (Recorded August 1968)

 

( Notes from Stereophile.com )

What I've always liked about the Dead is their willingness to take chances, to screw up in public and on record. To paraphrase Miles Davis, if you're not making mistakes, you're not making music.

 

Seriously, why isn't this a rule?

Live Dead, the classic 1960s Grateful Dead concert album, was so good it became a bit of a problem for the band. In an interview years later, lead guitarist Jerry Garcia griped good-naturedly about how the version of "Dark Star" on that album became, for a while, the version for record-oriented Deadheads nonplussed by the Dead's wildly varying performances of the tune. That concert was one moment in time, Garcia said (and I paraphrase), never to be repeated. After all, if the Dead are about anything, they're about improvisation.

 

Well, yes and no. Two from the Vault, recorded on two August nights in 1968, roughly the same era as Live Dead and the same songlist (with additions from Anthem of the Sun), proves at once how much mileage the Dead could get out of the same handful of tunes, and just how much variety they could come up with without changing the arrangements a bit.

 

Same thing happened to me once.
well, more than once actually...

Reading between the lines of producer Dan Healy's lengthy technical notes, I get the strong hunch that a number of Vault 2's versions of the '68 set list—particularly of "The Eleven," "Death Don't Have No Mercy," and "Turn On Your Lovelight"—would have made it on to Live Dead had the technology then been available to salvage tapes which have only recently been rendered usable.

 

Healy tells a fascinating story of conservative engineers from Warner Bros. (the Dead's label at the time) not trusting Healy, et al, with Warner's fancy new 8-track recording equipment. "The engineers they sent to us were accustomed to recording Big Band style and were not familiar with Rock & Roll close microphone techniques." Warners used a small number of mikes placed at considerable distances: vocal and audience mikes combined, each drumkit premixed to a single track, etc. Healy's challenges were those of "severe phase cancellation and time smear that reduced the time image to nothing." Using a B&K 2032 FFT analyzer and TC1280 delay units, Healy and Don Pearson were able to individually delay each of the tracks to compensate for their different mike distances, the result being a convincing semblance of "a nearly perfect stereo image." Think of that: the term "stereo image" discussed by a rock engineer. Amazing.

After all that, Two from the Vault sounds a lot like Live Dead, but with a less digitally friendly high end. Besides, two of the things I always enjoyed about early Dead albums were the natural dynamics and that distant drum miking; the drums sounded like real, homemade, wooden instruments, even if kickdrum went missing.

 

( Notes from Stereophile.com )



2015.04.30 Wizard's Sleeve

5 Players: G, W,  K
Game: Woolyverse: Tower of the Wizard's Guild*
Location: W
Choice: W

* name of game has not been finalized.

 

Game One:

G(28pts), W(20pts) & K(18pts)

 

Game Two:

G(31pts), W(22pts) & K(20pts)



Final Tally:

G won both games and was declared victor for this week.

 

 

Notes:




• G asked for pictures/comments for cottage weekend blog entry
• Leftover cottage chips were enjoyed by the participants
• G: "OK well I was pretty sure that I was losing the first game but in the end I won it. Now for this second game, I'm definitely not winning... Oh look at that: I did win. How did that happen?"
• K: "Aaargh!"



 

 

Music Features (with notes from AllMusic.com):

 

The Band: Music From Big Pink * Remastered with Bonus Tracks

 

None of the Band's previous work gave much of a clue about how they would sound when they released their first album in July 1968. As it was, Music from Big Pink came as a surprise.

 

The Band in the early days jamming in the basement

At first blush, the group seemed to affect the sound of a loose jam session, alternating emphasis on different instruments, while the lead and harmony vocals passed back and forth as if the singers were making up their blend on the spot. In retrospect, especially as the lyrics sank in, the arrangements seemed far more considered and crafted to support a group of songs that took family, faith, and rural life as their subjects and proceeded to imbue their values with uncertainty. Some songs took on the theme of declining institutions less clearly than others, but the points were made musically as much as lyrically.

 

Tenor Richard Manuel's haunting, lonely voice gave the album much of its frightening aspect, while Rick Danko's and Levon Helm's rough-hewn styles reinforced the songs' rustic fervor. The dominant instrument was Garth Hudson's often icy and majestic organ, while Robbie Robertson's unusual guitar work further destabilized the sound.

 

The result was an album that reflected the turmoil of the late '60s in a way that emphasized the tragedy inherent in the conflicts. Music from Big Pink came off as a shockingly divergent musical statement only a year after the ornate productions of Sgt. Pepper, and initially attracted attention because of the three songs Bob Dylan had either written or co-written. However, as soon as "The Weight" became a minor singles chart entry, the album and the group made their own impact, influencing a movement toward roots styles and country elements in rock. Over time, Music from Big Pink came to be regarded as a watershed work in the history of rock, one that introduced new tones and approaches to the constantly evolving genre.

 

(from AllMusic.com May 2015)

 

Mickey Hart: Rolling Thunder

 

...Some unfortunate business dealings involving his father Lenny Hart -- who briefly managed the Grateful Dead -- resulted in Mickey extricating himself from the band in 1971. However none of the other members blamed Mickey and remained supportive of his sabbatical. It was as a result of suddenly having some time off the road that the Rolling Thunder project was completed -- primarily in the barn of his Novato, California ranch. Unlike Garcia and Weir, Hart ventured beyond the confines of the Dead for support, featuring a bevy of rock and roll heavies -- many of whom were also fellow Bay Area residents. 

ok so maybe the cover is a little hard to read...

...a seminal version of "Playing In The Band" which is titled "The Main Ten" in reference to the song's time signature. In addition to Dead mate Weir (vocals/rhythm guitar), the track also features Stephen Stills (bass), John Cipollina (guitar), the Tower Of Power horns, as well as legendary jazz percussionist Carmelo Garcia (timbales). 

 

..."Pump Song" is the only other track to have been incorporated into the Dead's repertoire. It was inspired by the rhythms inherent in an actual water pump located on Hart's ranch -- which can be heard during the intro. After a few minor rearrangements, the Dead worked it up as the "Greatest Story Ever Told".

 

...There are several other stunningly original compositions on Rolling Thunder, among them are "Blind John -- which was the a-side (b/w "Pump Song") of the only 7" single to be extracted from the long player. This folkie flavoured number features Jefferson Airplane -- soon-to-be-Jefferson Starship membersGrace Slick (piano/vocals), Paul Kantner (vocals) and David Freiberg (guitar/vocals) as well as Barry Melton(guitar/vocals) from Country Joe & The Fish.

 

(from AllMusic.com May 2015)

 

The Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks Vol. 35 (August 1971)

 

Although many of the entries in the Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks series of archival recordings have great stories behind them, this four-disc volume bears an exceptional lineage. It seems after Keith Godchaux (keyboards) was hired in the summer of 1971, the keyboardist -- who would be replacing Ron "Pigpen" McKernan -- was given tapes of a recent tour by Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals). Godchaux's mandate was to familiarize himself with the band's concurrent repertoire in preparation for their next batch of dates in the fall. Fast-forward three and a half decades as Godchaux's personal belongings are being gathered and sorted by his son Zion and brother Brian on a houseboat once owned by Keith and Brian's parents (Zion's grandparents). There they found a significant cache of Grateful Dead master reels from the spring and summer of 1971. As they had been aboard the vessel for 35 years, the vast majority of the music had never been circulated among even the most faithful Deadheads... 

When the dead were a tight (?) five-piece band

The four-plus hours of music uncover the combo at a critical juncture as Mickey Hart (percussion) had taken a sabbatical a few months earlier and Tom "T.C." Constanten (keyboards) quit to pursue a solo career. Plus, Pigpen was beginning to suffer from years of drinking and questionable lifestyle choices...

 

Several tunes that would become staples in the Grateful Dead's continually increasing repertoire are heard here in their infancy. In terms of the group's trademark symbiotic instrumental interaction and despite (or perhaps because of) the personnel changes, there is a tight yet limber quality propelling the lengthier jams. For many, this will be the highlight of the entire package as nary a note is misplaced and they combine their acidic antics with some lean and convivial communications. Here is hoping there is more to be heard from this formerly hidden stash of vintage Grateful Dead.

(from AllMusic.com May 2015)









2015.04.24-2015.04.26 Unverifiable "facts"

 

 

Games In Review

Game 0: Dominion (Base + Seaside)

Time: Friday (day)
Scores: K (20pts), S (12pts), J (10pts) & G (10pts)
Final Verdict: K was the clear winner
Notes:

• Only four of six gamers were present
• Custom deck: (Moat, Woodcutter, Thief, Library, Festival, Salvager, Ghost Ship, Lookout, Smugglers, Native Village)



Caverna waits patiently by the fire while Friday's dinner is served and enjoyed

Game 1: Caverna

I smelled like this
when I got home

Time: Friday (night)Scores: S (74pts), G (71pts), K (64pts), J (60pts), W (53pts) & M (42pts)
Final Verdict: S was the clear winner




nah

Game 2 Stone Age

Time: Saturday (day)
Scores Fireplace: K (195pts), G (153pts), & S (132pts)
Scores Dining Table: M (120pts), J (103pts) & W (99pts)
Final Verdict: K was the clear winner
Notes:

• Two simultaneous games

I'm the one in the hat



Game 3: Imperial

Time: Saturday (day)
Scores: G (84pts), M (77pts), K (60pts), J (59pts), W (59pts) & S (59pts)
Final Verdict: G was the clear winner




Game 4: Alhambra

Time: Saturday (night)
Scores: G (103pts), J (70pts), K (64pts), M (60pts), S (55pts) & W (37pts)
Final Verdict: G was the clear winner and was also presented (in his dreams a la Corporal Clegg) with the prestigious Doctor Johnny Fever award for his unrestrained performance.


I even ate my vegetables

Game 5: 7 Wonders (Cities expansion)

Time: Saturday (night)
Scores: J (66pts), S (66pts), G (57pts), K (57pts), M (56pts) & W (55pts)
Final Verdict: J was the winner
Notes:

• Tiebreakers:
• J takes first place with 24 gold, beating S with 7 gold, and
• G takes third place with 19 gold, beating K with 12 gold.

I love this card but, then again, I mostly lose at this game

Game 6: 7 Wonders (Cities expansion)

Time: Saturday (night)
Scores: J (62pts), M (61pts), K (56pts), W (55pts), S (54pts) & G (53pts)
Final Verdict: J was the clear winner




pussies. I stand by that

Game 7: Dominion (Base + Intrigue)

Time: Sunday (day)
Scores Fireplace: K (35pts), M (31pts), & S (25pts)
Scores Dining Table: G (47pts), W (41pts) & J (18pts)
Final Verdict: G was the winner
Notes:

• Two simultaneous games
• Custom deck



I don't remember
this card bring played...

Game 8: Dominion (Base + Intrigue)

Time: Sunday (day)
Scores Fireplace: W (42pts), G (26pts), & M (15pts)
Scores Dining Table: K (35pts), S (31pts) & J (27pts)
Final Verdict: W was the winner
Notes:

• Two simultaneous games
• Custom deck
• Slightly modified custom deck from earlier game

meanwhile... over at the stock ticker table,
 the economy suffered

Game 9: Stock Ticker

Time: All weekend
Scores: J ($7 450), M ($7 050), S ($4 475), K ($4 475), G ($3 350) & W ($2 250)
Final Verdict: J was the winner
Notes:

• Tiebreaker: S drew the higher random card

 

Weekend Review

Notes:

• stopped here on the way up for a great selection of Quebec microbrews: Depanneur Rapido
• even match-ups: every single player was able to win at least one game
• J won the overall weekend score as tabulated by K
• there's great poutine in a little diner in Shawville on Hwy 148 just after the 303 turn-off
• the cottage was a bit cold at first but once the fireplace had been burning for a few hours the place quickly grew quite warm
• only one instance of vomitus horriblis
• there were shiny new bellies and hairy old ones
• mouse poop was ubiquitous
• we fixed the broken water pipe!
• S managed, after several others haplessly tried, to put up the %#& eavestrough
• a disappointing amount of chips were consumed despite the overabundance of said snack items
• all agreed that the weekend was a success
• big thank you to Laurie and family: a collection was struck up to purchase a suitable bottle de vin for the generous proprietress

 

 

 

 

 

 



2015.04.16 There Can Be Only Two



5 Players: G, W, J, Si, K
Game: Puerto Rico
Location: W
Choice: K

 

first the mayor gets us some "colonists"

Game One:

G(61pts), Si(52pts), J(51pts), W(35pts) & K(33pts)

 

then hoes come to the indigo field

Final Tally:

G was declared the victor of this week's session.

 

finally somebody crafted!

Notes:

indigo, baby

• house rule swapped factory and university
• initial turn order was G (indigo), J (indigo), K (indigo), W (corn) and Si (corn)
• G and W bought factory
• a night of seemingly endless popcorn

Gaming Weekend at the Cottage (April 24-26) :

• an initial list of games that we can bring for six players that are already known to most, if not all, players:



actual cabin may be smaller than shown

1. Caverna
2. Settlers
3. Lords of Waterdeep
4. Imperial
5. Alhambra
6. Citadels
7. 7 Wonders

• an initial list of games for three to four players that we can bring more than one copy of:
1. Stone Age
2. Puerto Rico
3. Agricola
4. Dominion
5. El Grande
6. Small World
7. Carcassonne

 Gaming Weekend Food Responsibilities

• Friday dinner
• BBQ meat (K - freezer clear out) + Salad (?) + BBQ Sauce (G - homemade)
• Cooks: G + S
• Sat breakfast
• Sausage (W) + pancakes (W) + coffee (W + ?)
• Cooks: W + M
• Sat lunch
• Pulled Pork (G - homemade) + Buns (J) + Cheese sliced (J) + Coleslaw (J)
• Cooks: J + K
• Sat Dinner
• Roast Chicken or Pork (Si) + Salad (?) + Potatoes (G)

  

  I would so eat these

• Cooks: G + S
• Sun Breakfast
• Waffles (M) + coffee (W + ?)
• Cooks: W + M
• Sun Lunch
• leftovers
• Cooks: J + K
• Snacks: chips (all) + treats (all)

 

Father's Day Camping Weekend (June 19-21):

• G has booked a campsite (#181) at Rideau River provincial park 
• G has booked the adjacent campsite (#179) at Rideau River provincial park for the weekend.
• There is room for three tents per campsite:
1. G and St in one tent
2. D and Ash in another
3. W will bring little Si and Q 
4. J with Je & possibly H.
5. Si with F & Sa
6. I with M
• Hotdogs for kids, steak for dads
• G to prepare scavenger hunt 



EmmyLou

Music Features:


Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (title track written by Neil Young and originally released on 1989"s Freedom album - noted by Si).



Baba Richie and the Raags: Varanasi Never Sleeps



War: All Day Music



Jerry Garcia: Way After Midnight



Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter (circa 1963)