Roadside Jesus mashes science and metal

Looking a rock through a "scientific" lensI'm not sure who Roadside Jesus is, but his "Periodic Table of Rockin' " is  hilarious, breaking a variety of rock bands into different "scientific" categories ranging from "Noble Gases" to "Nonmetals" and designations like "Ho" for Hall & Oates and "Lof" for Meat Loaf.

The audio introduction accompanying the "Periodic Table of Rockin' includes this wisdom:

"An element of the rockin' for me is the use of the bandanna, either as a fashion accessory or the strategic placement on the microphone. All of these bands either wear bandannas or I wear a bandanna when listening to the band."

And if you click on the tiles within the periodic table, you'll find even more insightful -- and hilarious -- supporting information on the individual band. Here's the blurb on Motorhead:

"My friend, the Lemmy from Motorhead once said, "If Motorhead moved in next to you, your lawn would die." I disagree, my friend. The lawn would not die, it would simply rock harder than any other lawn in the neighborhood. Unless you count Motorhead's own lawn."

Yes, it's silly, but in a brilliant Spinal Tap kinda way.


Breaking down Bonham's killer intro to "Rock 'n' Roll"

Thanks to my co-worker Steve Mayer for sharing this wonderfully geeky breakdown of the drum intro to Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n' Roll."

It's part of a quirky series of "Drum History Minute" podcasts by drummer Daniel Glass. Glass, who will be doing a clinic in Bakersfield later this month, excels at dissecting a very complex rhythm in ways that novices can understand.

What's really fun is he ties Bonham's groove to Little Richard's "I Keep a Knockin' from 1957, itself a cover of a 1938 Louis Jordan song.

Other podcasts tackle "Rock Around the Clock," country drummer Buddy Harman, "the "Bo Diddley Beat" and "The Amen Break," which Glass links to breakbeats.

Good stuff.

Update on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:43 PM by Logan Molen

Check out Steve Mayer's interview with Daniel Glass in The Bakersfield Californian in advance of his Bakersfield clinic next week.

Imagine replaying the Super Bowl -- that's what Aussie footballers are doing

Can you imagine the Super Bowl ending in a tie, and having both teams replay the entire game a week later?

That's what's happening Down Under in the Australian Rules Football Grand Final, where last week's match between Collingwood and St. Kilda ended in a tie. League rules require not overtime but a completely brand new match. Players on both sides were in disbelief after last week's game, and while the prospect of a "replay" is hard for them to swallow, for viewers it makes for great theater.

Americans can watch the second title match on ESPN Friday night, with coverage starting on ESPN Classic at 9 p.m. Pacific and following in progress on ESPN2 at 10 p.m.

If you're not familiar with "footy," you're missing out on an exciting sport that mixes American football, rugby, soccer and hockey (here's a good primer and the video above shows a wide range of highlights from over the years, including some mad leaps, painful collisions and long-distance goals.

The athletes must have equal parts endurance, toughness and smarts. Refs call only brief stoppages of play with longer breaks between quarters, so the 18 players on each team covering a field roughly 2.5 times the size of an American football field must be in fantastic shape. And because there's lots of often violent contact, this is not a sport for sissies, where refs toss penalty flags right and left for the slightest infractions.

Give "footy" a try. And if you like it, be sure to toss ESPN a line and tell them you want more.