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Monday, January 03, 2011

Let’s encourage Brewers closer John Axford to use Refused’s “New Noise” as his intro

And if that’s “punk” I’m a Young Monkeymen’s uncle!

In the past, we’ve spent sizable portions of Talkin’ Baseball columns criticizing the Milwaukee Brewers’ taste in music. But now, we’re hoping to use our power of music snobbery for good.

Early Wednesday morning, Brewers closer John Axford posted the music video for what was “probably [his] favorite” intro song (Audioslave’s “Cochise”) from last season on his official Facebook page. The post inadvertently led to fan suggestions for entrance songs for the 2011 season. And while most rivaled “Cochise” in quality, one suggestion stuck out, even to Axford.

Jared Blohm, an Appleton-based journalist who founded once-relevant Brewers blog Right Field Bleachers [Tyler Maas also contributed. —ed.], motioned that Axman enter save situations to “New Noise” by Swedish punk band Refused, and more specifically, saying, “especially if they started the song at about the 3:30 mark and [you] kicked open the bullpen door at 4:08.”

Being the polite and personable (read: Canadian) player he is, Axford was happy to respond to the impromptu proposals, saying, “I do enjoy all of your suggestions! But, Jared, I’ve always thought the same about that song! I dig it!”

Repoz Posted: January 03, 2011 at 09:36 PM | 31 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: brewers, media, music

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1. Select Storage Device Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:09 PM (#3722551)

It's a good choice for any closer, really, but if you use it, yer coming out at the beginning, not 3:30. No way.

As long as he stays the hell away from The International Noise Conspiracy.

How about Converge's Concubine?

2. Lassus Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:32 PM (#3722566)

How about Converge's Concubine?

Love the music, just can't stand the screeching. I know it's endemic, but I'll always find it bleh as a style across the majority of songs.

3. Barnaby Jones Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:36 PM (#3722569)

Screeching is silly.

4. Select Storage Device Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:38 PM (#3722573)

Haha, it's borderline un-listenable (though my 2002 self would disagree). Tongue-in-cheek of course, but if Axford is going to scrape up Refused, might as well go all the way.

5. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:42 PM (#3722576)

So who gets to 'approve' this? MLB, NL, Brewers?, All of the above? Can somebody come in to "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" if he wanted to do so?

6. Phil Coorey. Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:54 PM (#3722587)

Can I scream??!!

This is an inspired choice and the first 2-3 minutes of "New Noise" is just insane - go for it I say!! If not pay a steady diet of Fugazi - plenty of punk anthems in there that leave a lot of pretenders for dead...

7. Dan Szymborski

Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:55 PM (#3722589)

I don't know why no closers come out to the Dies Irae section of a number of Requiems - it'd be different, symbolically awesome, and they are frequently used in climactic parts of movies for a reason. Referencing the day of judgment as opposing batters meet their maker > being in a Michael Bay movie.

8. Phil Coorey. Posted: January 03, 2011 at 10:59 PM (#3722593)

and more specifically, saying, “especially if they started the song at about the 3:30 mark and [you] kicked open the bullpen door at 4:08.”

Upon reading more of the article I see I am probably a tad misplaced - but seriously - the intro kills it - kills it!!

Great frigging album - easily one of the best re-releases you will ever get if just for the doco that comes with it.

Crazy band

9. Fancy Pants Handle struck out swinging Posted: January 03, 2011 at 11:14 PM (#3722605)

I don't know why no closers come out to the Dies Irae section of a number of Requiems - it'd be different, symbolically awesome

I vote Carmina Burana.

10. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: January 03, 2011 at 11:27 PM (#3722618)

I'd want either Dogs Barking Jingle Bells or an awed silence.

11. Accent Shallow only believes what it believes Posted: January 03, 2011 at 11:39 PM (#3722631)

How about Converge's Concubine?

If he were to use a Converge song, I would recommend "Conduit".

I vote Carmina Burana.

I'm surprised that no one does this already.

12. Select Storage Device Posted: January 03, 2011 at 11:41 PM (#3722633)

The Cramps - "Garbage Man". Hands down.

13. phatj Posted: January 03, 2011 at 11:54 PM (#3722640)

Carmina Burana would be a good choice except it's kind of cliche now.

14. Leroy Kincaid Posted: January 04, 2011 at 12:26 AM (#3722656)

Never heard of it/them. Must be getting old. Now someone will tell me the song is 25 years old or something.

15. Walt Davis Posted: January 04, 2011 at 12:46 AM (#3722661)

Piffle.

Brotzmann's "Machine Gun" -- although it calms down a lot sooner than I remembered; Zorn's "never again" (probably too heavy plus “contains high frequency extremes at the limits of human hearing and beyond, which may cause nausea, headaches and ringing in the ears”); and I'm not sure which Kevin Drumm I'm thinking of, either the one with Dorner or "Sheer Hellish Miasma". I assume there's some appropriate Merzbow.

Ohh, full mid-70s Brotz video with good camera work (in Poland!)

16. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: January 04, 2011 at 12:56 AM (#3722666)

Start the music at the 0:46 mark, make the entrance at 1:05-- NOTHING could be better.

17. Select Storage Device Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:02 AM (#3722669)

Man, there's no appropriate Merzbow, in any context.

18. phatj Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:24 AM (#3722685)

#14, Carmina Burana is 75 years old. It's a choral piece. The O Fortuna movement was popularized in the movie The Doors (if not sooner, but that's where I remember first hearing it) and was overused a few years ago in melodramatic TV sports footage. I'd be stunned if you'd never heard it, even if you didn't know it by name.

19. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:28 AM (#3722687)

I'm not sure Leroy was referring to your post phat. I figured he was talking about the song in the thread's title.

20. phatj Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:31 AM (#3722689)

Could be.

21. Leroy Kincaid Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:35 AM (#3722692)

Spawn of Sam is correct. I youtubed them both. Carmina Burana is very familiar. The thread title, not at all. I don't dig it.

22. Bob Evans Posted: January 04, 2011 at 01:40 AM (#3722697)

I dig it!

Well, all reet, Jackson!

23. Dan Szymborski

Posted: January 04, 2011 at 02:02 AM (#3722721)

Carmina's definitely overplayed. Lots of Dies irae movements to choose from though - because it has such a strong extra-musical connotation, you get a lot of wild treatments.

If I had an entrance theme, I'd totally use the entrance in the last movement of the Symphonie Fantastique - coming in to the tubular bells and then the tubas and bassoons would be wicked cool.

24. morineko Posted: January 04, 2011 at 06:17 AM (#3722849)

It's just O Fortuna that's been overplayed. I don't recall hearing any of the drinking song section of Carmina Burana in popular media.

'Veris leta facies' may be appropriate to play on the day pitchers and catchers report but it would make crappy entrance music.

25. Lassus Posted: January 04, 2011 at 08:05 AM (#3722875)

SOME CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR CLOSERS

Verdi - Dies Irae

György Ligeti - Requiem (You have a couple of choices here for three-minute warmup. The start of this second part just for three or four minutes, or start at 6:27.)

Brahms - Requiem; Denn alles fleisch, es ist vie gras (The first three minutes are good, with the climax coming while the pitcher is warming up, or you can start at 2:00)

Bruckner - Ecce Sacerdos Magnus

Mahler - Symphony #2, 1st movement (middle) (See, I'm of the mind where the music will start at 4:36. and then from the moment he starts walking to the mound the music keeps playing, reaching the moment of terror on the last fortissimo when the final warm-up pitch hits the glove. If you want more drama out to the mound, start at 7:06 or so.)

Rossini - Inflammatus et Accensus (Now, if you really want to give the opposing team a feeling of finality rather than actually going up in flames, you could always use any part of the Amen.)

Stravinsky - Sacrificial Dance

Lastly, the Allegretto from Beethoven's Symphony #7, mostly because it might make the opposing players too melancholy to hit. (Maybe it would be better for middle relief, where everyone on the field is kind of depressed.)

26. Lassus Posted: January 04, 2011 at 04:18 PM (#3723060)

I'm going to bump my own last comment. Yes, I'm going to hell.

27. WillYoung Posted: January 04, 2011 at 04:36 PM (#3723071)

Give his mustache last season, I think Axford should enter to "The Entertainer"

28. Swedish Chef Posted: January 04, 2011 at 04:41 PM (#3723074)

SOME CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR CLOSERS

For closers that like the bombastic and have a high opinion of themselves the Halleluja chorus from Händel's Messiah would work. Let's hope K-Rod is listening.

29. The Keith Law Blog Blah Blah (battlekow) Posted: January 05, 2011 at 12:16 AM (#3723523)

If he were to use a Converge song, I would recommend "Conduit".

"Cruel Bloom", with him entering the field at the 3:00 mark.

30. Gold Star - just Gold Star Posted: January 05, 2011 at 12:40 AM (#3723541)

SOME CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR CLOSERS

I thought coffee's for closers.

31. The George Sherrill Selection Posted: January 05, 2011 at 01:05 AM (#3723557)

Was it Smoltz who ended up with "Dancing Queen"?

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Let’s encourage Brewers closer John Axford to use Refused’s “New Noise” as his intro

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