the Ducks are dicks

we all knew that the former "Mighty", now just Ducks of Anaheim were assholes. talented? unquestionably. no one is denying that they have immense talent on the blue line and a deep bench, but bottom line is they are assholes. this was further proved when Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom required 13 stitches on his forehead after his face was lovingly smashed into the glass by both Rob Niedermayer and prodigal son Chris Pronger, who wasn't even penalized. bullshit. this is taking a lot out of me, because those of you who know me well enough know that i in fact am not so fond of the Red Wings, either, but enough is enough.

the only thing missing (which could have potentially caused me actually vomit on the spot) was Bryan Hayward's nagging voice explaining how it was Holmstrom's fault that he was lying flat on his back bleeding...

I Contracted the Syndrome

The Deadly Syndrome, that is.

When I told my friends I would be trekking out to Anaheim’s own Chain Reaction last Tuesday night, most assumed I was excited to catch Silverlake darlings Monsters Are Waiting. They were partially correct (though no partial credit was given), as I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to see the headlining act for a mere ten bucks. But really, I was giddy to see my latest obsession: The Deadly Syndrome.

This quartet of lads may appear your typical skinny-jean fad-loving pack of Indie Rock boys, but thirty seconds into their set it is apparent that their sound is anything but. What some may call pop-ish, others might classify as folky. Whatever you want to call it, The Deadly Syndrome’s catchy guitar hooks mixed with decisive beats and nimble piano lines leave you little chance of standing still when they are on stage. If lovers wear their hearts on their sleeves, singer/bassist Chris Richard bottles the essence of his soul and sells it by the glass when he performs. His haunting falsetto and utter sincerity throughout "I Hope I Become a Ghost" reminded me why I fell in love with music at the tender age of nine.

The venue's staff was clearly incapable of keeping track of time, as the show was already running late when The Deadly Syndrome took the stage. They were forced to cut their set short before having a chance to play crowd favorite "Eucalyptus," which often warrants all four members gathered around the drum kit in an all out free-for-all. Still, broken drumsticks or not, once again these boys proved why they were picked up by L.A.'s Dim Mak Records.

Word on the street is their debut album will be released in the fall, likely followed by a tour which will only help spread the Syndrome. In fact, get ready for an epidemic.