As most of you know, my Trivia journey has been a lifelong pursuit, but in 2014 Trivia definitely experienced a big uptick in importance for me during my 40th year. From attempting to take on a larger role with my big Trivia team, Dad's Computers, to hosting more than 100 live pub trivia contests at bars all over Portland; it definitely has been a long, strange, and thoroughly enjoyable trip. Here's some highlights, a few lowlights, and everything in between from 2014. Happy New Year Trivia fans.
JANUARY 2014: Dice's Trivia year started with a phone call. Last Call Portland needed a trivia emcee and I needed a "lucrative" part-time job while I was providing care for my cancer-stricken father. I had tried several non-traditional attempts at breaking into the Trivia Jockey world, but finally slapped a truly TJ-worthy resume together and fired it off to Carey at Last Call Portland. The rest is HISTORY as they say, which as a whole, is a category you nerds prefer a lot more than SPORTS.
January lowlights...starting my Trivia "homework." Taking notes on every episode of the 60's TV show "F Troop." Key word..."starting." I still have a couple "F Troop" episodes to finish. Kinda like my college degree...
FEBRUARY 2014: I hosted my first show, Last Call's awesome QUIZ game, on a Sunday in February at the KINGSTON BAR & GRILL in Downtown Portland. Turnout was small, but a fun crowd, including a team of drunks. At this point, I was pretty sure I needed to keep looking for work. Other February highlights...KVSC's exceptional Trivia contest and giving a little remote help to eventual champion STEFANS DREAM.
MARCH 2014: The evolution of my TJ personality "Dice" began in earnest when I took over an existing show Tuesday nights at THE PRESS CLUB in SE Portland. Talk about a venue that completely understood what a Trivia night is supposed to be about. Sadly, The Press Club closed in mid-July ending what was arguably the best Trivia night in PDX. I will always hold a special place in my heart for the TEAMS and the STAFF at The Press Club...
APRIL 2014: My "real" trivia team, DAD'S COMPUTERS, captured our second consecutive championship at the "World's Largest Trivia Contest" held annually in Stevens Point, Wisconsin! Our quest for a three-peat is a year-round proposition of note-taking and collecting, but truly begins when we compete in WWSP's Trivia 46: Guardians of the Contest which starts April 17-19, 2015. Dice envisions using his tip money to travel to this years contest, so give generously!
MAY 2014: Working harder, not smarter was probably Dice's motto for this month. I was spinning my wheels trying to get several of our non-Trivia products started at several non-traditional venues. It certainly was frustrating putting the same energy into planning and playlist preparation for shows that never started or eventually cancelled due to poor numbers, but I also learned the valuable skill of how to entertain to smaller crowds while still getting to put my personal stamp on each and every show.
JUNE 2014: The highlight has to be celebrating my 40th birthday Trivia-style at The Press Club at the end of June. Cake, gifts, and love were in abundance (as was the alcohol...) as I attempt to embrace being one of Baz Luhrmann's "most interesting 40-year-olds" that have no clue what they want to do with their life!
JULY 2014: My mid-life crisis wasted no time starting. In July, my father's cancer treatment options had expired, so we started transitioning to comfort and care treatment for him. We were also informed that my family would need to find a new place to live as our rental was being sold, so we were busy looking for a house again. In addition, I had recently had to permanently cancel several of my shows due to low turnout leaving me with just one weekly show. And, just to add some frosting to the crapcake that was July...THE PRESS CLUB CLOSED suddenly. Needless to say, depression was looming until...
The Trivia Gods intervened, and I was presented the opportunity to take over a show on Wednesday nights at the ON DECK SPORTS BAR & GRILL in the Pearl District. What started out as a temporary gig, has turned into a great Trivia night that I look forward to each week. The STAFF and OWNERS have truly embraced what I do, and the TEAMS that play are an absolute joy to host for. Dice says, "The Pearl District has never seen Trivia like this! The action starts at 7:30pm every Wednesday at ON DECK!"
Dice quietly celebrated his 50th show at the end of July. By "quietly" I mean he forgot to tell people it was his 50th show. Funny, he forgets to tell people about this blog too.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2014: Dice may not have enjoyed 9 consecutive weeks of having only one weekly Trivia show, but it couldn't have come at a better time for me personally. We finally found the perfect house way out in Scappoose, so the Rockwood version of Deiss Haus packed up and moved to the new Deiss Haus. The new digs offer amazing outdoor space, clean air, peace and quiet, and daily interactions with nature that have had curative powers. During this time, I was also able to provide much of my father's care for his final months, which was probably the best gift each of us could have given each other through what has generally been an often misunderstood and difficult relationship.
At the end of September, THE CIDER MILL called needing a TJ and Dice was ready to answer. This show has been amazing since the beginning! A few of Portland's top teams enjoy the Cider Mill's FRYER TUCK fried chicken and their weekly dose of Dice's Last Call. Dice says, "Get to the CIDER MILL early, parking and tables are at a premium for this Tuesday 7:30pm show!"
OCTOBER 2014: My first Trivia show at THE TILLICUM was also the last time my dad got to tell me he was "right." I tried explaining to him how new shows frequently take some time to get started and that I would "most likely" not have a show that night, so I would be back soon. Dad said the show "must go on." Of course, it did. He passed away that night being right one final time, no doubt finally at peace (and blissfully pain free). Through the end, Dad enjoyed listening while I created my Trivia playlists and I can say that our mutual appreciation for music (even if he stopped listening to new music in 1969) was one of few things that he and I had in common. Dice says, "The Trivia at THE TILLICUM is always remarkable with several of Portland's best teams gathering every Thursday at 7:30pm!"
Dice hosted 14 Trivia shows in October, jumpstarting his personal goal to host 100 Trivia shows before the end of 2014. Hosting three dynamic shows each week definitely boosted my spirits through all of those difficult times. Having an outlet to play loud music, sample a few beers with new Trivia friends, and all the joy that is being your TJ was an amazing gift that each of you helped give me. Thanks!
NOVEMBER 2014: Dice's thirst for more Trivia saw us take on a fourth show every week, this time Monday's at MALONE'S CAFE in Beaverton. In March, I substitute TJ'd at Malone's and, to put it mildly, the whole show seemed to bomb, so I was understandably nervous as Dice took over for Jeremiah, one of PDX's best TJs. The transistion has been seamless and every week Dice gets to dig deeper into his playlist than ever before, mining musical gems that would go unnoticed at other venues, but are inspiration to the teams at Malone's. Dice says, "Mondays at MALONE'S at 7:30pm, Trivia's dirty little secret."
DECEMBER 2014: 100 SHOWS!!! Phew! That was close! The final tally...102 TOTAL SHOWS HOSTED! I couldn't have done it without you all! December also marked the beginning of Dice's Trivia blog and Facebook page that keeps Trivia fans updated on all of Dice's shenanigans. 2014 was also the first DICE'S TRIVIA-MAS CELEBRATION, his annual holiday music spectacular which really isn't. I'm pretty sure Dice just uses it as an excuse to have a couple extra drinks.
Here's a look back at Dice's first 100 Trivia Shows...
1st Show - February 23rd at Kingston Sports Bar & Grill
25th Show - May 14th Subbing at Buster's Texas Style Barbecue
50th Show - July 30th at On Deck Sports Bar and Grill
75th Show - October 30th at The Tillicum
100th Show - December 18th at The Tillicum
Music Stats:
1808 different songs minimum
1004 different artists played minimum
4.6 consecutive days of music played
???? Hours spent creating Trivia playlists
Have a safe and joyous New Years! Until 2015...Good Luck Trivia Teams!
-Dice
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
12.30.14 Cider Mill Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.30.14 Cider Mill Trivia
WOW!! My final Trivia show of 2014! What an eventful year of Trivia! Look for Dice's year in review post soon!
TEAMS: Winning the day and practicing showing us theirs, THE "O" FACE (65) went for two on the final drive to force overtime, where they edged the mighty TRIGGER HAPPY (SNOW) BUNNIES (65) in the tie-breaker. Worry not THB fans, the Bunnies snagged two prizes tonight, the 2nd place gift certificate AND the coveted SNOWBOARD being raffled away tonight by the CIDER MILL and CASCADE LAKES BREWING! Are you kidding me? Last week, Blazer tickets, this week a snowboard! Well played Cider Mill, well played.
In first place through regulation, CHIMP N' IT (64) knows everything there is to know about ALCOHOL, but faced the leader's dilemma and dropped to third without wagering a point on the final round. The very real and very wise JACKALOPES (62) debated wildly throughout the night, but missed glory by a whisker (or was it an antler?). The serious SILLY SCALLOPS second-half slipped sideways after a solid start. Cider Mill favs SCRATCH N' SNIFF smelled something in the final round, but whiffed and were left scratching their heads wondering what that smell was.
TRIVIA: By now, you've probably heard of the Black Friday "hoax" delivered by the geniuses at CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY, where they sold 30,000 boxes filled with 100% certified angus bullpucky. They really did and people really bought it. Was it a hoax? Publicity stunt? Some of both really. The people at CAH apparently REALLY despise Black Friday. So much so, that this year they pulled ALL of their product from their online stores and ONLY sold those boxes of poo until they sold out in mere hours. In 2013, CAH had a "Black Friday Sale" where they raised their prices by $5 on everything in an effort to show the ridiculousness of Black Friday and still sold out. Again, the question is why?
To better understand the CAH consumer, you have to understand a little about the game. The best description is Apples-to-Apples for horrible people. It can be incredibly fun with the right people! The designers at CAH intended the game to be available to everyone and they even have a free version on their website that you can print and play at home before doing what most of us have, purchasing the game and everything else CAH puts out. Besides the original game, there are currently 5 official expansion packs, several "theme" packs of cards, their incredible annual holiday subscription, and "The Bigger, Blacker Box" which not only provides a place to conveniently store your CAH game, but also offers a little surprise if you know where to look......Which is why MOST of the people bought their BOX OF BULL$#!T from CAH this year, in hopes of receiving some unique treasure not available to everyone else. For most of them, I think their wish was granted.
TUNES: The double dip from Neil Sedaka were Dice's secret favorites tonight. Growing up, my favorite 8-track cassette was a compilation of #1 hits from the 50's and 60's and Neil Sedaka reigned supreme! Two songs from Van Halen ignited the Van Halen/Van Hagar debate (as it always does...) and Hozier's "Take Me To Church" and George Ezra's "Budapest" brought us back to 2014 just in time for 2015!
Happiest of New Years to each and every one of you! Good luck Trivia Teams!
-Dice
WOW!! My final Trivia show of 2014! What an eventful year of Trivia! Look for Dice's year in review post soon!
TEAMS: Winning the day and practicing showing us theirs, THE "O" FACE (65) went for two on the final drive to force overtime, where they edged the mighty TRIGGER HAPPY (SNOW) BUNNIES (65) in the tie-breaker. Worry not THB fans, the Bunnies snagged two prizes tonight, the 2nd place gift certificate AND the coveted SNOWBOARD being raffled away tonight by the CIDER MILL and CASCADE LAKES BREWING! Are you kidding me? Last week, Blazer tickets, this week a snowboard! Well played Cider Mill, well played.
In first place through regulation, CHIMP N' IT (64) knows everything there is to know about ALCOHOL, but faced the leader's dilemma and dropped to third without wagering a point on the final round. The very real and very wise JACKALOPES (62) debated wildly throughout the night, but missed glory by a whisker (or was it an antler?). The serious SILLY SCALLOPS second-half slipped sideways after a solid start. Cider Mill favs SCRATCH N' SNIFF smelled something in the final round, but whiffed and were left scratching their heads wondering what that smell was.
TRIVIA: By now, you've probably heard of the Black Friday "hoax" delivered by the geniuses at CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY, where they sold 30,000 boxes filled with 100% certified angus bullpucky. They really did and people really bought it. Was it a hoax? Publicity stunt? Some of both really. The people at CAH apparently REALLY despise Black Friday. So much so, that this year they pulled ALL of their product from their online stores and ONLY sold those boxes of poo until they sold out in mere hours. In 2013, CAH had a "Black Friday Sale" where they raised their prices by $5 on everything in an effort to show the ridiculousness of Black Friday and still sold out. Again, the question is why?
To better understand the CAH consumer, you have to understand a little about the game. The best description is Apples-to-Apples for horrible people. It can be incredibly fun with the right people! The designers at CAH intended the game to be available to everyone and they even have a free version on their website that you can print and play at home before doing what most of us have, purchasing the game and everything else CAH puts out. Besides the original game, there are currently 5 official expansion packs, several "theme" packs of cards, their incredible annual holiday subscription, and "The Bigger, Blacker Box" which not only provides a place to conveniently store your CAH game, but also offers a little surprise if you know where to look......Which is why MOST of the people bought their BOX OF BULL$#!T from CAH this year, in hopes of receiving some unique treasure not available to everyone else. For most of them, I think their wish was granted.
TUNES: The double dip from Neil Sedaka were Dice's secret favorites tonight. Growing up, my favorite 8-track cassette was a compilation of #1 hits from the 50's and 60's and Neil Sedaka reigned supreme! Two songs from Van Halen ignited the Van Halen/Van Hagar debate (as it always does...) and Hozier's "Take Me To Church" and George Ezra's "Budapest" brought us back to 2014 just in time for 2015!
Happiest of New Years to each and every one of you! Good luck Trivia Teams!
-Dice
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
12.29.14 Malone's Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.29.14 Malone's Cafe
TEAMS: Dice's first night back from the long holiday break and the trivia was tight all night! Satisfying only themselves, JV TEAM (69) climaxed at just the right time and snatched victory from a myriad of trivia suitors. WHOA! (68) were the first to come for tonight's show, but petered out in the sixth round and settled for second. BJ'S LEFT BOOB (67) shocked everyone with their third place wardrobe malfunction after bouncing up and down the leaderboard all night.
Newcomers to Malone's, SS&M (58) turned several tricks throughout the show, but forgot the safe word ("0 points") on the final round and wagered away their chance at dominating. Trivia with yourself is never easy, but SIT UBU SIT (58) willingly embraced his underdog role and pounded out a strong fourth-place tie. FACE FULLA FIST got a little cocky on the final question, but managed to hold off the advances of all three different men who played as THE DOM tonight. DJ OLE (55) wanted to use their collection of high-tech toys to achieve glory, but their batteries ran out in the end.....
TRIVIA: Alice Cooper and the Algonquins know that Milwaukee, Wisconsin is "the good land," but did you know that until 1862, the spelling of Wisconsin's largest city's name was a political point of contention for several Democrat, Whig, and Republican postmasters? True story...and all this time I thought Oregon's Milwaukie (my birthplace) was just a typo!
Prior to 1835, when the Milwaukie post office was established, there was no agreed upon way to spell the city's Algonquin name. Variations of the name included: Miliwaki, Milawakee, Milwaki, Milwaukee, Milwalky, Milwauk, and Milwaukie, the name preferred by Democrat Postmaster Solomon Juneau (Cousin of Juneau, Alaska's founder Joseph Juneau.). From 1843-1849, new Whig postmaster Noonan changed the date stamps to Milwaukee, but the office was returned to Democrats and the name quickly changed back to the -ie ending. Noonan successfully regained the office from 1853-1857 and the name was changed again. A Democrat defeated Noonan in 1857 and, again, the city was Milwaukie. This spelling stood until 1862, when Republicans (the former Whigs) took political control of much of Wisconsin and finally changed Milwaukee's name for good.
Portlanders wanting a reason to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Check out the Pabst Mansion...PBR never looked so classy.
TUNES: At Malone's, the Trivia is always good and the Teams are always great, but what sets the venue apart more than anything is the Tunes. Tonight, as always, Dice delved into the deepest chasms of his music library playing "Tongues of Fire" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, a menage-a-tois of songs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies doin' their thing, and the Gleaming Spires' "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?"
Until 2015 Malone's......
-Dice
TEAMS: Dice's first night back from the long holiday break and the trivia was tight all night! Satisfying only themselves, JV TEAM (69) climaxed at just the right time and snatched victory from a myriad of trivia suitors. WHOA! (68) were the first to come for tonight's show, but petered out in the sixth round and settled for second. BJ'S LEFT BOOB (67) shocked everyone with their third place wardrobe malfunction after bouncing up and down the leaderboard all night.
Newcomers to Malone's, SS&M (58) turned several tricks throughout the show, but forgot the safe word ("0 points") on the final round and wagered away their chance at dominating. Trivia with yourself is never easy, but SIT UBU SIT (58) willingly embraced his underdog role and pounded out a strong fourth-place tie. FACE FULLA FIST got a little cocky on the final question, but managed to hold off the advances of all three different men who played as THE DOM tonight. DJ OLE (55) wanted to use their collection of high-tech toys to achieve glory, but their batteries ran out in the end.....
TRIVIA: Alice Cooper and the Algonquins know that Milwaukee, Wisconsin is "the good land," but did you know that until 1862, the spelling of Wisconsin's largest city's name was a political point of contention for several Democrat, Whig, and Republican postmasters? True story...and all this time I thought Oregon's Milwaukie (my birthplace) was just a typo!
Prior to 1835, when the Milwaukie post office was established, there was no agreed upon way to spell the city's Algonquin name. Variations of the name included: Miliwaki, Milawakee, Milwaki, Milwaukee, Milwalky, Milwauk, and Milwaukie, the name preferred by Democrat Postmaster Solomon Juneau (Cousin of Juneau, Alaska's founder Joseph Juneau.). From 1843-1849, new Whig postmaster Noonan changed the date stamps to Milwaukee, but the office was returned to Democrats and the name quickly changed back to the -ie ending. Noonan successfully regained the office from 1853-1857 and the name was changed again. A Democrat defeated Noonan in 1857 and, again, the city was Milwaukie. This spelling stood until 1862, when Republicans (the former Whigs) took political control of much of Wisconsin and finally changed Milwaukee's name for good.
Portlanders wanting a reason to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Check out the Pabst Mansion...PBR never looked so classy.
TUNES: At Malone's, the Trivia is always good and the Teams are always great, but what sets the venue apart more than anything is the Tunes. Tonight, as always, Dice delved into the deepest chasms of his music library playing "Tongues of Fire" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, a menage-a-tois of songs from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies doin' their thing, and the Gleaming Spires' "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?"
Until 2015 Malone's......
-Dice
Saturday, December 20, 2014
12.18.14 Tillicum Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.18.14 Tilly Club
TEAMS: The 4th (& Final) night of Dice's 2014 Trivia-mas was a joyous celebration of the season, with Christmas songs filling the air and trivia teams scrambling to score points on what proved to be a decidedly brutal Trivia contest. STANLEY CUPCAKES (68) used a dominating 7-point 5th Round (Nearly an unprecedented "anti-social" three-peat...) and a reluctant half-wager on the final question to take down the mighty TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD (67), which nailed the final round, but struggled during several rounds through the night. DILDO BAGGINS (43) earned a single bonus point in the second-half, but somehow vaulted into third, correctly answering the final round. That is not a typo...Dildo Baggins, one of the finest trivia players anywhere, scored a single point for an entire half. Take this moment in trivia teams, because I assure you it won't happen again! 6TH SENSE and DRAKES each contended throughout the show, but tripped up on the Millenial-friendly final round question and wagers.
TRIVIA: You may not realize this, but I'm posting this on "Super Saturday," the second busiest retail shopping day of the year. According to the National Retail Federation's "Holiday Survival Kit 2014", "Black Friday" claims the title of busiest, ahead of Super Saturday, December 26th, and upstart "Cyber Monday," which was coined in 2005 after retailers noticed a sharp increase in online sales beginning the Monday after Black Friday. NRF data shows that sales occuring in the months of November and December account for $3.2 trillion, or nearly 20% of the industy's annual sales, easily making it the top consumer spending event of every year (Back-to-School shopping is second with $74.5 billion in sales.). Some more statistics...The NRF estimates that holiday consumer spending averaged $767.27 per person in 2013, with gifts for family accounting for over $430. Food and candy are second with just over $100 spend per person. I don't know about you, but we maybe will spend $767.27 for the entire holiday...for all six of us including food and candy.
TUNES: After several days of anything-but-traditional Christmas and holiday songs, I tried to close out Dice's Trivia-mas filling several requests and playing songs many of us would consider "classics." Several Burl Ives' Rankin-Bass favorites joined "Linus and Lucy" from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special representing a by-gone era of seasonal TV programming. Nat King Cole's "Buon Natale" appeared to help nobody during our "Italian Cities" theme round and John Denver and the Muppets singing the "12 Days of Christmas" will never get old ("buh-duh-dum-dum"). For the record, Dice's Trivia-mas wouldn't be complete without a few irreverent songs! Bob Rivers' parody "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire" delighted, and I wasn't the only one that enjoyed Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa".
I hope you all have a safe holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my Trivia teams, players, and venues!
-Dice
TEAMS: The 4th (& Final) night of Dice's 2014 Trivia-mas was a joyous celebration of the season, with Christmas songs filling the air and trivia teams scrambling to score points on what proved to be a decidedly brutal Trivia contest. STANLEY CUPCAKES (68) used a dominating 7-point 5th Round (Nearly an unprecedented "anti-social" three-peat...) and a reluctant half-wager on the final question to take down the mighty TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD (67), which nailed the final round, but struggled during several rounds through the night. DILDO BAGGINS (43) earned a single bonus point in the second-half, but somehow vaulted into third, correctly answering the final round. That is not a typo...Dildo Baggins, one of the finest trivia players anywhere, scored a single point for an entire half. Take this moment in trivia teams, because I assure you it won't happen again! 6TH SENSE and DRAKES each contended throughout the show, but tripped up on the Millenial-friendly final round question and wagers.
TRIVIA: You may not realize this, but I'm posting this on "Super Saturday," the second busiest retail shopping day of the year. According to the National Retail Federation's "Holiday Survival Kit 2014", "Black Friday" claims the title of busiest, ahead of Super Saturday, December 26th, and upstart "Cyber Monday," which was coined in 2005 after retailers noticed a sharp increase in online sales beginning the Monday after Black Friday. NRF data shows that sales occuring in the months of November and December account for $3.2 trillion, or nearly 20% of the industy's annual sales, easily making it the top consumer spending event of every year (Back-to-School shopping is second with $74.5 billion in sales.). Some more statistics...The NRF estimates that holiday consumer spending averaged $767.27 per person in 2013, with gifts for family accounting for over $430. Food and candy are second with just over $100 spend per person. I don't know about you, but we maybe will spend $767.27 for the entire holiday...for all six of us including food and candy.
TUNES: After several days of anything-but-traditional Christmas and holiday songs, I tried to close out Dice's Trivia-mas filling several requests and playing songs many of us would consider "classics." Several Burl Ives' Rankin-Bass favorites joined "Linus and Lucy" from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special representing a by-gone era of seasonal TV programming. Nat King Cole's "Buon Natale" appeared to help nobody during our "Italian Cities" theme round and John Denver and the Muppets singing the "12 Days of Christmas" will never get old ("buh-duh-dum-dum"). For the record, Dice's Trivia-mas wouldn't be complete without a few irreverent songs! Bob Rivers' parody "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire" delighted, and I wasn't the only one that enjoyed Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa".
I hope you all have a safe holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my Trivia teams, players, and venues!
-Dice
Thursday, December 18, 2014
12.17.14 On Deck Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
12.16.14 - Cider Mill Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.16.14 Cider Mill
TEAMS: Christmas is a mere 9 days away and we still find a way to pack the house at the Cider Mill. GOAL DIGGERS (84) wins in extra time tonight, scoring points from Appalacia to Malibu to take home the $30 gift certificate! TRIGGER HAPPY BUNNIES (84) had victory within it's furry little paws, but fired randomly on the final question and missed the tie-breaker by a hare. Joining forces and surprising everyone, including themselves, TIMBERBLAZERS (75) used a perfect final question to steal the final gift certificate from the short-handed SPOOKY SKELLIES (73) and Cider Mill favs CHIMP N' IT (66). For VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS and THERE'S A MOLE IN THE CIA, being on the wrong end of a 30-point swing in the final round can be heartbreaking, but each played brilliant contests throughout and scored some sweet swag prizes in consolation.
TRIVIA: As a host, one of my least favorite Trivia situations is when someone comes up clearly ready to argue about a particular answer. This is uncomfortable for several reasons, but mostly because I take pride in doing some background research on questions that I don't know or suspect might cause some potential dispute. Tonight's halftime question didn't earn any condemnation from any of the teams or players, but rather a grizzled Veteran of the Korean War that pointed out that Lee Harvey Oswald had never been proven or found guilty in a court of law of assassinating JFK. He certainly has a point, although from the whiskey on his breath, I suspect the conversation was going to spin wildly out of control faster than his clearly modified Rascal scooter, so I just turned up the music.
Funny thing is, he's right enough about Oswald, but he shouldn't have stopped there. Although the identity of Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth is never argued; like Oswald, Booth never had his fate decided by a jury of his peers as he was fatally shot twelve days after Lincoln's assassination inside the burning barn where he and his conspirators were holed up.
Our other successful assassinators, Charles Guiteau (Garfield) and Leon Czolgosz (McKinley) were each convicted and executed for their crimes. Guiteau famously danced his way to the gallows and Czolgosz was tried, convicted, and executed within 45 days of the passing of McKinley.
TUNES: Dice's Trivia-mas Spectacular is in full swing this week. The Enchanters' 1957 song "Mambo Santa Mambo" and The Moonglows' 1953 cut "Hey Santa Clause" had everyone grooving. New songs "Just Another Christmas Song" by Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live's "Sump'n Claus" are soon to be classics for all. Several Christmas parodies by Bob Rivers should make the holidays a little more enjoyable and his song "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire," should make the next time you have to hear anything by the Chipmunks a little less annoying.
Enjoy the links and the knowledge! See you next week at the Cider Mill!
-Dice
TEAMS: Christmas is a mere 9 days away and we still find a way to pack the house at the Cider Mill. GOAL DIGGERS (84) wins in extra time tonight, scoring points from Appalacia to Malibu to take home the $30 gift certificate! TRIGGER HAPPY BUNNIES (84) had victory within it's furry little paws, but fired randomly on the final question and missed the tie-breaker by a hare. Joining forces and surprising everyone, including themselves, TIMBERBLAZERS (75) used a perfect final question to steal the final gift certificate from the short-handed SPOOKY SKELLIES (73) and Cider Mill favs CHIMP N' IT (66). For VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS and THERE'S A MOLE IN THE CIA, being on the wrong end of a 30-point swing in the final round can be heartbreaking, but each played brilliant contests throughout and scored some sweet swag prizes in consolation.
TRIVIA: As a host, one of my least favorite Trivia situations is when someone comes up clearly ready to argue about a particular answer. This is uncomfortable for several reasons, but mostly because I take pride in doing some background research on questions that I don't know or suspect might cause some potential dispute. Tonight's halftime question didn't earn any condemnation from any of the teams or players, but rather a grizzled Veteran of the Korean War that pointed out that Lee Harvey Oswald had never been proven or found guilty in a court of law of assassinating JFK. He certainly has a point, although from the whiskey on his breath, I suspect the conversation was going to spin wildly out of control faster than his clearly modified Rascal scooter, so I just turned up the music.
Funny thing is, he's right enough about Oswald, but he shouldn't have stopped there. Although the identity of Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth is never argued; like Oswald, Booth never had his fate decided by a jury of his peers as he was fatally shot twelve days after Lincoln's assassination inside the burning barn where he and his conspirators were holed up.
Our other successful assassinators, Charles Guiteau (Garfield) and Leon Czolgosz (McKinley) were each convicted and executed for their crimes. Guiteau famously danced his way to the gallows and Czolgosz was tried, convicted, and executed within 45 days of the passing of McKinley.
TUNES: Dice's Trivia-mas Spectacular is in full swing this week. The Enchanters' 1957 song "Mambo Santa Mambo" and The Moonglows' 1953 cut "Hey Santa Clause" had everyone grooving. New songs "Just Another Christmas Song" by Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live's "Sump'n Claus" are soon to be classics for all. Several Christmas parodies by Bob Rivers should make the holidays a little more enjoyable and his song "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire," should make the next time you have to hear anything by the Chipmunks a little less annoying.
Enjoy the links and the knowledge! See you next week at the Cider Mill!
-Dice
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
12.15.14 Malone's Cafe Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.15.14 Malone's Cafe
TEAMS: Santa-Dice delivered his holiday playlist to the merry pranksters at Malone's. SIT UBU SIT (75) frequently plays by himself, but needed no help to get to the finish line tonight. JV TEAM (71) also translated the final question correctly, but misinterpreted the wager and settled for second. POOPCUP (66) courteously flushed away the DENTAL DIVAS and BANG! who needed a little encouragement to get things moving in the right direction.
TRIVIA: When we lived in Berkeley, IKEA was a cheap date and a great way to wear out the kids, letting them try EVERY chair, bed, couch, cubby, counter, and shortcut. Did you know, IKEA was founded in 1943 by 17-year-old Swede named Ingvar Kamprad. Prior to that, Kamprad figured he could purchase matches in bulk from Stockholm and then SELL THEM INDIVIDUALLY for a profit. Yeah. The guy that is responsible for 75% of my furniture, those giant blue megastores, and meatballs that aren't made out of horse because that would be disgusting, sold MATCHES one at a time and now is either the 5th, 11th, or 160th richest man in the world depending on if he actually owns any part of IKEA, which he claims he doesn't. Regardless, the 88-year-old's story is incredible. Apparently, Kamprad only flies economy, still drives a '93 Volvo 240, is an avid recycler, and is known to stop in IKEA stores for a cheap meal. Simply awesome.
TUNES: As previously mentioned, Santa-Dice arrived at Malone's Cafe and delivered his early Christmas present...a specially themed playlist just for the "Welcome to Malone's" Crew. There's really nothing to say other than it was generally inappropriate, definitely not traditional, and possibly appreciated by some! Highlights are tough to find but the selections from the Barenaked Ladies' "Barenaked for the Holidays" album are phenomenal. Musical lowlights...pretty much everything by Bob Rivers, although his songs are all Yankovic-worthy parodies of classic Christmas tunes. I enjoyed finding "Santa's Rap" by Treacherous Three featuring Doug E. Fresh from the 1984 movie "Beat Street" for the staff at Malone's.
Have a great Christmas week Malone's...
-Dice
TEAMS: Santa-Dice delivered his holiday playlist to the merry pranksters at Malone's. SIT UBU SIT (75) frequently plays by himself, but needed no help to get to the finish line tonight. JV TEAM (71) also translated the final question correctly, but misinterpreted the wager and settled for second. POOPCUP (66) courteously flushed away the DENTAL DIVAS and BANG! who needed a little encouragement to get things moving in the right direction.
TRIVIA: When we lived in Berkeley, IKEA was a cheap date and a great way to wear out the kids, letting them try EVERY chair, bed, couch, cubby, counter, and shortcut. Did you know, IKEA was founded in 1943 by 17-year-old Swede named Ingvar Kamprad. Prior to that, Kamprad figured he could purchase matches in bulk from Stockholm and then SELL THEM INDIVIDUALLY for a profit. Yeah. The guy that is responsible for 75% of my furniture, those giant blue megastores, and meatballs that aren't made out of horse because that would be disgusting, sold MATCHES one at a time and now is either the 5th, 11th, or 160th richest man in the world depending on if he actually owns any part of IKEA, which he claims he doesn't. Regardless, the 88-year-old's story is incredible. Apparently, Kamprad only flies economy, still drives a '93 Volvo 240, is an avid recycler, and is known to stop in IKEA stores for a cheap meal. Simply awesome.
TUNES: As previously mentioned, Santa-Dice arrived at Malone's Cafe and delivered his early Christmas present...a specially themed playlist just for the "Welcome to Malone's" Crew. There's really nothing to say other than it was generally inappropriate, definitely not traditional, and possibly appreciated by some! Highlights are tough to find but the selections from the Barenaked Ladies' "Barenaked for the Holidays" album are phenomenal. Musical lowlights...pretty much everything by Bob Rivers, although his songs are all Yankovic-worthy parodies of classic Christmas tunes. I enjoyed finding "Santa's Rap" by Treacherous Three featuring Doug E. Fresh from the 1984 movie "Beat Street" for the staff at Malone's.
Have a great Christmas week Malone's...
-Dice
Friday, December 12, 2014
12.11.14 Tilly Club Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.11.14 Tillicum
TEAMS: Mother Nature and the calendar seem to be conspiring against our fledgling Trivia show at the Tillicum. A few weeks ago freezing rain kept Dice stranded at home; then there was no show for Thanksgiving; and tonight, we were back battling Mother Nature's wrath again as the entire Portland-Metro area was under severe wind warnings. Dice and several Trivia squads dodged downed trees and power outages, and braved the weather to enjoy a great contest. BRICK (80) jumped to an early lead and conservatively wagered to kept this contest looking closer than it really was. SEXTING WHILE DRIVING (75) took a little while to get started, but flexed their mental thumb-muscles and snatched second with a perfect 15 point final round. Tilly Club regulars, 6TH SENSE (59), needed the tie-breaker to take down newcomers, SCRABULOUS (59) for tonight's final prize. DECK THE BALLS arrived a week early for Dice's holiday spectacular, and DRAKES arrived a half late, but each stayed and played and knocked on the door of Trivia stardom. Best of luck at the Finals BRICK...
TRIVIA: Figuring out the oldest fermented beverage in the world, especially when you've consumed a few of said fermented beverages, can be a chore. Tonight's question was simple in its request, but very difficult for several of our teams. After having several teams answer with wine, I was more curious than ever about mead and did a little digging of my own. According to several more reputable studies than Wikipedia cares to cite, a honey-based fermented drink with rice, hawthorne berries, and grapes was the first intentionally fermented beverage in the world. Chemical analysis has been conducted on jugs from Jiahu, a neolithic village located in China's Yellow River Valley that provides strong evidence that these mead-type beverages were dated from 7000-6600 BCE, at least 500 years before any evidence of grape-based or wine-type beverages. Beer or fruit-based beverages have been frequently cited as the oldest fermented beverages, but this historical evidence, a better understanding of the ease of making mead versus the difficulty of brewing beer or wine, as well as consideration of the ease of access to honey that these early civilizations had, give researchers enough to give mead the title of oldest. Additionally, studies have shown that a signifcant majority of wild yeasts are present through flowers, thus giving our pollenators a head start at providing the necessary ingredients for making the "Nectar of the Gods." In fact, it is highly probably that the bain of our Trivia contest, Mother Nature, provided the final ingredient needed for making mead...flood. When flooded, large hives, which would takeover the interior of some trees, would provide the storage vessel for the now flooded honeycombs which were already ripe with wild yeast just waiting to ferment and give us mead. Think about that. Mead trees. Yeah. Like syrup, but better.
Thank you Mother Nature...you're pretty great and we're all sorry we bitched about you earlier!
TUNES: I was all over the place tonight! Three songs (one, two, three) from Elvis (Presley, not Costello), "The Marriage of Figaro" from the Shawshank Redemption, several previews of next week's Triviamas playlist, and George Ezra's incredible song "Budapest."
My favorite song of the night has to be The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." For you music trivia fans, the Beatles failed to credit guitarist Eric Clapton's solo work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," on the White Album (Now known as "The Beatles."). In fact, Clapton had to be talked into performing on the song by his friend and the song's writer, George Harrison. Clapton and Harrison, conveniently enough for tonight's Trivia, each played a Gibson guitar for this recording. Clapton actually plays Harrison's now legendary red Gibson guitar "Lucy" for the uncredited solo performance (Interestingly, Clapton had gifted the guitar to Harrison merely weeks before.).
For everyting you could possibly want to know about "Lucy," click HERE.
Listen to this...It's Clapton's guitar track on "While My Guitar..." isolated.
TEAMS: Mother Nature and the calendar seem to be conspiring against our fledgling Trivia show at the Tillicum. A few weeks ago freezing rain kept Dice stranded at home; then there was no show for Thanksgiving; and tonight, we were back battling Mother Nature's wrath again as the entire Portland-Metro area was under severe wind warnings. Dice and several Trivia squads dodged downed trees and power outages, and braved the weather to enjoy a great contest. BRICK (80) jumped to an early lead and conservatively wagered to kept this contest looking closer than it really was. SEXTING WHILE DRIVING (75) took a little while to get started, but flexed their mental thumb-muscles and snatched second with a perfect 15 point final round. Tilly Club regulars, 6TH SENSE (59), needed the tie-breaker to take down newcomers, SCRABULOUS (59) for tonight's final prize. DECK THE BALLS arrived a week early for Dice's holiday spectacular, and DRAKES arrived a half late, but each stayed and played and knocked on the door of Trivia stardom. Best of luck at the Finals BRICK...
TRIVIA: Figuring out the oldest fermented beverage in the world, especially when you've consumed a few of said fermented beverages, can be a chore. Tonight's question was simple in its request, but very difficult for several of our teams. After having several teams answer with wine, I was more curious than ever about mead and did a little digging of my own. According to several more reputable studies than Wikipedia cares to cite, a honey-based fermented drink with rice, hawthorne berries, and grapes was the first intentionally fermented beverage in the world. Chemical analysis has been conducted on jugs from Jiahu, a neolithic village located in China's Yellow River Valley that provides strong evidence that these mead-type beverages were dated from 7000-6600 BCE, at least 500 years before any evidence of grape-based or wine-type beverages. Beer or fruit-based beverages have been frequently cited as the oldest fermented beverages, but this historical evidence, a better understanding of the ease of making mead versus the difficulty of brewing beer or wine, as well as consideration of the ease of access to honey that these early civilizations had, give researchers enough to give mead the title of oldest. Additionally, studies have shown that a signifcant majority of wild yeasts are present through flowers, thus giving our pollenators a head start at providing the necessary ingredients for making the "Nectar of the Gods." In fact, it is highly probably that the bain of our Trivia contest, Mother Nature, provided the final ingredient needed for making mead...flood. When flooded, large hives, which would takeover the interior of some trees, would provide the storage vessel for the now flooded honeycombs which were already ripe with wild yeast just waiting to ferment and give us mead. Think about that. Mead trees. Yeah. Like syrup, but better.
Thank you Mother Nature...you're pretty great and we're all sorry we bitched about you earlier!
TUNES: I was all over the place tonight! Three songs (one, two, three) from Elvis (Presley, not Costello), "The Marriage of Figaro" from the Shawshank Redemption, several previews of next week's Triviamas playlist, and George Ezra's incredible song "Budapest."
My favorite song of the night has to be The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." For you music trivia fans, the Beatles failed to credit guitarist Eric Clapton's solo work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," on the White Album (Now known as "The Beatles."). In fact, Clapton had to be talked into performing on the song by his friend and the song's writer, George Harrison. Clapton and Harrison, conveniently enough for tonight's Trivia, each played a Gibson guitar for this recording. Clapton actually plays Harrison's now legendary red Gibson guitar "Lucy" for the uncredited solo performance (Interestingly, Clapton had gifted the guitar to Harrison merely weeks before.).
For everyting you could possibly want to know about "Lucy," click HERE.
Listen to this...It's Clapton's guitar track on "While My Guitar..." isolated.
Saturday is the League Tournament Final at BWW-Lloyd Center starting at noon...See you there.
-Dice
RIP George Harrison (25 Feb 1943 - 29 Nov 2001)
Thursday, December 11, 2014
12.10.14 - On Deck Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.10.14 - On Deck Sports Bar & Grill
TEAMS: When larger trivia teams are forced to split into two competing teams, the results can often be mixed. Dividing areas of expertise, drinking ability, and cooperation isn't always easy, but proved immensely successful for a couple of teams tonight at On Deck. PRESTIGE WORLDWIDE (88) was the better step-sibling this week, scoring a near perfect first half and a perfect 15 on the final question. GIRLS NIGHT OUT (79) grooved their way to a second-place finish, masterfully wagering throughout the entire contest. Prestige's other half, WHERE'S TOM? (70) didn't get the top bunk from their brethren, but did out pace HAT TRICK SWAYZE (61) and DUDE (52) who may or may not have successfully bribed their TJ with alcohol.
***SPECIAL NOTICE to all you Trivia teams out there...Santa-Dice is putting on a special Ho-Ho-Holiday-Themed contests at ALL his venues NEXT week (12/15-12/18)! Be there! Bring presents for a "white elephant" gift exchange and be ready for Dice's annual holiday TRIVIAMAS!***
TRIVIA: Occasionally, a particular trivia question will inadvertently coincide with a real life news story or event...I like to think of these as "Truman Show" moments. Sometimes these are monumental events and the correlation is evident to everyone, while other times the news is small or inconsequential, but interesting to me nonetheless. As I was creating yesterday's playlist, music-streaming service Spotify named Hozier's incredible song, "TAKE ME TO CHURCH" as the most streamed song of 2014 with over 87 million streams (and over 40 million YouTube views...). The timing of this bit of news was perfect as I was trying to find an appropriate song for a question about Pastafarianism (Good luck finding any songs about noodles...). As I continued making the playlist, only a couple of questions later, teams were asked to identify the musician that performs the hit song, "Take Me To Church," so I played the song again, this time an incredible cover by the group NEON JUNGLE.
Hozier, 24, born Andrew Hozier-Byrne, hails from Ireland and is the son a blues musician. He took to music immediately and joined his first band at the age of 15. Side note...when I was 15, I was in a Beach Boys-themed lip-sync parody group called The Preach Boys...pretty sure I was the one that needed to be taken to church... Hozier studied music at Trinity College Dublin before dropping out to pursue a musical career. In case you're wondering, Hozier plays a sold-out show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom February 13th....
TUNES: I've already provided links above to Hozier's song and Neon Jungle's cover version... so let's talk about Weezer, who played Portland's Roseland Theater last night WHILE I was playing Weezer's "Buddy Holly" at On Deck! LA-based Weezer formed in 1992 and vaulted to immediate fame with the release of their offically self-titled, but better known as Weezer's "Blue Album", a triple-platinum effort that is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the decade. Here's Weezer's awesome "Buddy Holly" video featuring Weezer performing within scenes from the classic TV show "Happy Days."
Since you're probably missing out on seeing Hozier, beginning the same day (February 13, 2104 for those of you not paying attention...) you can join Weezer, Doug Benson, and a bunch of other artists for the WEEZER CRUISE to the Bahamas, a five-day excursion that will definitely be amazing and probably won't end in everyone on board catching some nastastic gastrointestinal virus.
While you're clicking links and watching videos...check out Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's ultimate frisbee grab during a concert WITHOUT missing a beat!
-Dice
TEAMS: When larger trivia teams are forced to split into two competing teams, the results can often be mixed. Dividing areas of expertise, drinking ability, and cooperation isn't always easy, but proved immensely successful for a couple of teams tonight at On Deck. PRESTIGE WORLDWIDE (88) was the better step-sibling this week, scoring a near perfect first half and a perfect 15 on the final question. GIRLS NIGHT OUT (79) grooved their way to a second-place finish, masterfully wagering throughout the entire contest. Prestige's other half, WHERE'S TOM? (70) didn't get the top bunk from their brethren, but did out pace HAT TRICK SWAYZE (61) and DUDE (52) who may or may not have successfully bribed their TJ with alcohol.
***SPECIAL NOTICE to all you Trivia teams out there...Santa-Dice is putting on a special Ho-Ho-Holiday-Themed contests at ALL his venues NEXT week (12/15-12/18)! Be there! Bring presents for a "white elephant" gift exchange and be ready for Dice's annual holiday TRIVIAMAS!***
TRIVIA: Occasionally, a particular trivia question will inadvertently coincide with a real life news story or event...I like to think of these as "Truman Show" moments. Sometimes these are monumental events and the correlation is evident to everyone, while other times the news is small or inconsequential, but interesting to me nonetheless. As I was creating yesterday's playlist, music-streaming service Spotify named Hozier's incredible song, "TAKE ME TO CHURCH" as the most streamed song of 2014 with over 87 million streams (and over 40 million YouTube views...). The timing of this bit of news was perfect as I was trying to find an appropriate song for a question about Pastafarianism (Good luck finding any songs about noodles...). As I continued making the playlist, only a couple of questions later, teams were asked to identify the musician that performs the hit song, "Take Me To Church," so I played the song again, this time an incredible cover by the group NEON JUNGLE.
Hozier, 24, born Andrew Hozier-Byrne, hails from Ireland and is the son a blues musician. He took to music immediately and joined his first band at the age of 15. Side note...when I was 15, I was in a Beach Boys-themed lip-sync parody group called The Preach Boys...pretty sure I was the one that needed to be taken to church... Hozier studied music at Trinity College Dublin before dropping out to pursue a musical career. In case you're wondering, Hozier plays a sold-out show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom February 13th....
TUNES: I've already provided links above to Hozier's song and Neon Jungle's cover version... so let's talk about Weezer, who played Portland's Roseland Theater last night WHILE I was playing Weezer's "Buddy Holly" at On Deck! LA-based Weezer formed in 1992 and vaulted to immediate fame with the release of their offically self-titled, but better known as Weezer's "Blue Album", a triple-platinum effort that is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the decade. Here's Weezer's awesome "Buddy Holly" video featuring Weezer performing within scenes from the classic TV show "Happy Days."
Since you're probably missing out on seeing Hozier, beginning the same day (February 13, 2104 for those of you not paying attention...) you can join Weezer, Doug Benson, and a bunch of other artists for the WEEZER CRUISE to the Bahamas, a five-day excursion that will definitely be amazing and probably won't end in everyone on board catching some nastastic gastrointestinal virus.
While you're clicking links and watching videos...check out Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's ultimate frisbee grab during a concert WITHOUT missing a beat!
-Dice
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
12.9.14 Cider Mill Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.9.14 Cider Mill/Fryer Tuck Chicken
***Programming note, next week Santa-Dice makes an appearance as we have our first annual Merry Trivia-mas Party at the Cider Mill starting at 7:30pm***
TEAMS: Another incredible Trivia turnout tonight at the Cider Mill, including a couple teams that made it clear they are primed and ready for this weekend's tournament finale. FEMBOTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO (71) scored 4 perfect rounds tonight and affirmed their place among Portland's Trivia elite. O FACE (66) showed us theirs as they perfectly wagered their way to the $20 gift certificate. Soon to be regulars, JACKALOPES (65), capitalized on their years of Trivia experience and watched their competitors wager their way OUT of the tonight's money.
CHIMP N' IT (62) played shorthanded, but were the "Leader of the Pack" (as it were) of contenders that couldn't quite Jimmy their way into the top three. Ricky Bobby disciples, IF YOU AIN'T FIRST, YOU'RE LAST (54) believed in their name too much and gambled their way from second (2nd "ain't first"...) to 5th. TRIGGER HAPPY BUNNIES (51) edged the most dominant first-half trivia team in history the GOAL DIGGERS (50...36 of those in the first half...), as well as Cider Mill regulars SCRATCH N' SNIFF, VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS, and the always entertaining SILLY SCALLOPS.
TRIVIA: Olympia, Washington is NOT in the top 20 most populous cities in Washington. Seriously. I'll give you the link that proves it, but before you click HERE, give yourself 3 minutes and try to list 20 cities in Washington, let alone, 20+ that are bigger than Olympia. Here's a song from tonight's playlist to inspire you...Capital Cities' "Safe and Sound."
Washington's top ten cities by population are: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Yakima, Renton, and Spokane Valley. Each of the Tri-Cities also beat out Olympia, which only narrowly edges Sammamish in population. Sammamish. Say that a few times drunk.
TUNES: David Bowie's 1974 hit "Rebel Rebel" has to be one of my favorite songs from the year I was born. The single serves as the final hit song of Bowie's pioneering glam rock phase and has been covered by numerous artists including by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and another of tonight's artists, one-hit wonders, Dead or Alive.
-Dice
***Programming note, next week Santa-Dice makes an appearance as we have our first annual Merry Trivia-mas Party at the Cider Mill starting at 7:30pm***
***Programming note, next week Santa-Dice makes an appearance as we have our first annual Merry Trivia-mas Party at the Cider Mill starting at 7:30pm***
TEAMS: Another incredible Trivia turnout tonight at the Cider Mill, including a couple teams that made it clear they are primed and ready for this weekend's tournament finale. FEMBOTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO (71) scored 4 perfect rounds tonight and affirmed their place among Portland's Trivia elite. O FACE (66) showed us theirs as they perfectly wagered their way to the $20 gift certificate. Soon to be regulars, JACKALOPES (65), capitalized on their years of Trivia experience and watched their competitors wager their way OUT of the tonight's money.
CHIMP N' IT (62) played shorthanded, but were the "Leader of the Pack" (as it were) of contenders that couldn't quite Jimmy their way into the top three. Ricky Bobby disciples, IF YOU AIN'T FIRST, YOU'RE LAST (54) believed in their name too much and gambled their way from second (2nd "ain't first"...) to 5th. TRIGGER HAPPY BUNNIES (51) edged the most dominant first-half trivia team in history the GOAL DIGGERS (50...36 of those in the first half...), as well as Cider Mill regulars SCRATCH N' SNIFF, VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS, and the always entertaining SILLY SCALLOPS.
TRIVIA: Olympia, Washington is NOT in the top 20 most populous cities in Washington. Seriously. I'll give you the link that proves it, but before you click HERE, give yourself 3 minutes and try to list 20 cities in Washington, let alone, 20+ that are bigger than Olympia. Here's a song from tonight's playlist to inspire you...Capital Cities' "Safe and Sound."
Washington's top ten cities by population are: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Yakima, Renton, and Spokane Valley. Each of the Tri-Cities also beat out Olympia, which only narrowly edges Sammamish in population. Sammamish. Say that a few times drunk.
TUNES: David Bowie's 1974 hit "Rebel Rebel" has to be one of my favorite songs from the year I was born. The single serves as the final hit song of Bowie's pioneering glam rock phase and has been covered by numerous artists including by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and another of tonight's artists, one-hit wonders, Dead or Alive.
-Dice
***Programming note, next week Santa-Dice makes an appearance as we have our first annual Merry Trivia-mas Party at the Cider Mill starting at 7:30pm***
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
12.8.14 Malone's Teams/Trivia/Tunes Recap
12.8.14 Malone's Cafe
TEAMS: Trivia at Malone's is a whole different animal than most venues, from the teams to the tunes, and the trivia in between, just about anything goes when Dice drops in. Tonight's contest was decidedly difficult, but four of the five teams that started the show found their way to the finish line. -2 (pronounced "MINUS TWO" (67) took advantage of perfect halftime and final rounds (MOVIES and TV NETWORKS...) to claim the victory. BANG! (55) earned every single bonus point tonight and bubble tea'd their way to second place. Tuning up for this weekend's final tournament, JV TEAM (40) suited up only two players and battled back from a tough first half to take our final gift certificate. DOUBLE DONKEY PUNCH (31) found every way imaginable to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, while MOUNTAIN MAFIA left at halftime despite a strong first half performance.
TRIVIA: So much trivia to cover tonight...as I mentioned the trivia was more difficult than difficult. Dastardly, maybe. 4 anti-socials and 5 questions where only 1 team answered correctly. My guess is this was the back-up contest for last Saturday's semi-final. Fortunately, everyone went plaid on our ludicrous MOVIES question. Did you know that Mel Brooks has won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Tony award...the "Grand Slam of Show Business", joining only 11 other people winning each of those awards at least once. Crazy. Think about this...If Brooks wins another Academy Award, he'll be the only person to have been awarded the "Grand Slam" twice. That's nuts. NVTS, nuts.
TUNES: Sadly, it isn't as often as I should, that I get to play the phenomenal trivia-parody supergroup, SHAKE A HAMSTER BAND, but when I do I'm always delighted to watch trivia teams instantly recognize the opening riffs, only to have the Hamsters take it in an entirely new direction. Tonight, I couldn't resist playing the Hamster's "Naked," an exceptional parody of the Ramones' punk classic "I Wanna Be Sedated."
I discovered the Shake A Hamster Band participating in the annual KVSC trivia contest at St. Cloud State University. My regular trivia team, Dad's Computers, uses the St. Cloud contest as a warm-up for the "World's Largest Trivia Contest" in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Hamsters are all professional musicians that are in some way affiliated with the station in St. Cloud. Each year, they will work up several trivia-themed parodies and release them during the contest. The Hamsters are also known for throwing an incredible trivia after-party, should you ever make to St. Cloud in early February. For more info about the Hamsters, or to download any of their songs, check out the SHAKE A HAMSTER BAND website (Warning...not all of their songs are suitable for all ages, but enjoyable to most!)
-Dice
TEAMS: Trivia at Malone's is a whole different animal than most venues, from the teams to the tunes, and the trivia in between, just about anything goes when Dice drops in. Tonight's contest was decidedly difficult, but four of the five teams that started the show found their way to the finish line. -2 (pronounced "MINUS TWO" (67) took advantage of perfect halftime and final rounds (MOVIES and TV NETWORKS...) to claim the victory. BANG! (55) earned every single bonus point tonight and bubble tea'd their way to second place. Tuning up for this weekend's final tournament, JV TEAM (40) suited up only two players and battled back from a tough first half to take our final gift certificate. DOUBLE DONKEY PUNCH (31) found every way imaginable to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, while MOUNTAIN MAFIA left at halftime despite a strong first half performance.
TRIVIA: So much trivia to cover tonight...as I mentioned the trivia was more difficult than difficult. Dastardly, maybe. 4 anti-socials and 5 questions where only 1 team answered correctly. My guess is this was the back-up contest for last Saturday's semi-final. Fortunately, everyone went plaid on our ludicrous MOVIES question. Did you know that Mel Brooks has won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Tony award...the "Grand Slam of Show Business", joining only 11 other people winning each of those awards at least once. Crazy. Think about this...If Brooks wins another Academy Award, he'll be the only person to have been awarded the "Grand Slam" twice. That's nuts. NVTS, nuts.
TUNES: Sadly, it isn't as often as I should, that I get to play the phenomenal trivia-parody supergroup, SHAKE A HAMSTER BAND, but when I do I'm always delighted to watch trivia teams instantly recognize the opening riffs, only to have the Hamsters take it in an entirely new direction. Tonight, I couldn't resist playing the Hamster's "Naked," an exceptional parody of the Ramones' punk classic "I Wanna Be Sedated."
I discovered the Shake A Hamster Band participating in the annual KVSC trivia contest at St. Cloud State University. My regular trivia team, Dad's Computers, uses the St. Cloud contest as a warm-up for the "World's Largest Trivia Contest" in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Hamsters are all professional musicians that are in some way affiliated with the station in St. Cloud. Each year, they will work up several trivia-themed parodies and release them during the contest. The Hamsters are also known for throwing an incredible trivia after-party, should you ever make to St. Cloud in early February. For more info about the Hamsters, or to download any of their songs, check out the SHAKE A HAMSTER BAND website (Warning...not all of their songs are suitable for all ages, but enjoyable to most!)
-Dice
Friday, December 5, 2014
12.5.14 - Tillicum 3T: Teams, Trivia, Tunes
5 December 2014 - The Tillicum
TEAMS: Paul, Tilly Club's incredible bartender, worked his final shift tonight before moving with his family to the Seattle area. Best wishes Paul...you will be missed!
TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD (85) needed less than 30 seconds on the final round to take the top honors at tonight's show...thanks in part to an art degree that is finally paying off! SEXTING WHILE DRIVING (84) earned max points at halftime AND the final round, but got caught stargazing (while sexting while driving...) and wagered too much too soon in each of the last two rounds. Tillicum stalwart STANLEY CUPCAKES (83) snagged tonight's final prize in the tie-breaker over the upstarts from Ohio, MIDWEST MAFIA (83). Tillcum's house team, the always dangerous TILLY CLUB (79), led the pack of contenders including JOHNNY WALKER TEXAS RANGER (61) and FIG JAM (60), that got hung up in the 5th round tonight and were on the outside looking in. For the record, going in to the Final Round, ten points separated first and last...it was that close. Just awesome trivia all around!
TRIVIA: Speaking of awesome trivia... Dice is confused why fast-food colossus McDonalds would replace their original mascot, Speedee, with Ronald McDonald. Especially when you think about how terrifying the original Ronald was. You decide...
Here's Speedee...
TEAMS: Paul, Tilly Club's incredible bartender, worked his final shift tonight before moving with his family to the Seattle area. Best wishes Paul...you will be missed!
TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD (85) needed less than 30 seconds on the final round to take the top honors at tonight's show...thanks in part to an art degree that is finally paying off! SEXTING WHILE DRIVING (84) earned max points at halftime AND the final round, but got caught stargazing (while sexting while driving...) and wagered too much too soon in each of the last two rounds. Tillicum stalwart STANLEY CUPCAKES (83) snagged tonight's final prize in the tie-breaker over the upstarts from Ohio, MIDWEST MAFIA (83). Tillcum's house team, the always dangerous TILLY CLUB (79), led the pack of contenders including JOHNNY WALKER TEXAS RANGER (61) and FIG JAM (60), that got hung up in the 5th round tonight and were on the outside looking in. For the record, going in to the Final Round, ten points separated first and last...it was that close. Just awesome trivia all around!
TRIVIA: Speaking of awesome trivia... Dice is confused why fast-food colossus McDonalds would replace their original mascot, Speedee, with Ronald McDonald. Especially when you think about how terrifying the original Ronald was. You decide...
Here's Speedee...
What a perfect mascot. Speedee's smiling at me. He's winking at me. He's wearing a chef hat so I know he can be trusted. Plus, 15-cents for a hamburger...Pink slime or not, sign me up! In 1967, burger baron Ray Kroc dumped poor Speedee into any one of several conveniently located, but overflowing trash recepticles and replaced him with...brace yourself...
I made that smaller so it would be less frightening... Original Ronald was created and played in 1963 by Willard Scott, eventual weatherman for the Today Show. Today's Ronald is nearly as troubling, but this original Ronald gives Pennywise a run for creepiest clown of all time.
TUNES: Arguably the song that best describes my life, XTC's "Dear Madam Barnum" was probably my favorite song of the night. That song and I have a little Trivia history too...ask me about it sometime!
Despite a fear that my mother's warnings from 30+ years ago might come true, nothing bad happened when I played KISS. Really, I have no idea what her hangup was about them...Tonight KISS covered The Crystal's 1963 hit "The (S)He Kissed Me." Other favorites tonight included..."Cecilia and the Satellite" by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Paolo Nutini's "Scream (Funk My Life Up)," and the best cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist" you will ever hear.
See you all next week at the Tilly Club!
-Dice
Thursday, December 4, 2014
12.3.14 - On Deck 3T: Teams, Trivia, & Tunes
3 December 2014 - On Deck in the Pearl District
TEAMS: Trivia can't stop/won't stop at On Deck! Private party? So.... we'll take over the bar!
Dice and ten of the best trivia teams from across the globe gathered in On Deck's bar for our weekly Wednesday show! WHERE'S TOM? (85) didn't need Tom, but brewed up a perfect 15-point final round, filling their mugs with tonight's big prize! ARCTIC FOX (79) buzzed to life in the final round after dregging through the first two rounds and vaulting into second place. GIRLS NIGHT OUT (78) are probably like that friend that doesn't drink coffee, but seems to have boundless energy. They missed two questions all night (and wagered nil on the final) and take home the bronze. Research has proven that bronze medal winners are significantly happier than their silver medal winning counterparts...Dice will have to ask them. Last week's champion, F**K IT! (69), figured they had already won, so they didn't wager anything on the final question...you can guess what their response was when they discovered they finished 4th...
ANY THOUGHTS? provided plenty of right ones beating MICKEY MOUSE CLUB by an ear. One of Dice's all-time favorite teams, BATMAN & ROBIN LOPEZ, made their triumphant return to On Deck celebrating their team's namesake's contribution to the Blazer victory on Tuesday! PORTLANDIANS and DELLA & THE PUSSYCATS each flashed moments of brilliance but failed to connect all the dots tonight.
Dice wants to give a special shoutout to Chicago-based SAWSQUATCH, repping the fine SKIL tool product lines at an upcoming convention here in Portland. The second half may have been rough on you, but your genuine enthusiasm was sincerely appreciated!
TRIVIA: Everybody knows Shel Silverstein wrote the best-seller A Light In The Attic, but did you also know he is also responsible for writing the hit song "Cover of a Rolling Stone" performed tonight at On Deck by none other than Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show? Well, now you do...you're welcome!
TUNES: SAWSQUATCH enjoyed recreating the infamous "Super Bowl Shuffle" before Dice could even drop it. Poe's "Angry Johnny" inspired while we tried to determine if Johnny Cash is actually talented. Lustra taught us about triangles (love variety) with "Scotty Doesn't Know" and we let Hozier preach some truth with "Take Me To Church." Dice's favorite tonight has to be Southern Culture On The Skids' "House of Bamboo"...awesome, fun song.
See you next week at On Deck!
-Dice
TEAMS: Trivia can't stop/won't stop at On Deck! Private party? So.... we'll take over the bar!
Dice and ten of the best trivia teams from across the globe gathered in On Deck's bar for our weekly Wednesday show! WHERE'S TOM? (85) didn't need Tom, but brewed up a perfect 15-point final round, filling their mugs with tonight's big prize! ARCTIC FOX (79) buzzed to life in the final round after dregging through the first two rounds and vaulting into second place. GIRLS NIGHT OUT (78) are probably like that friend that doesn't drink coffee, but seems to have boundless energy. They missed two questions all night (and wagered nil on the final) and take home the bronze. Research has proven that bronze medal winners are significantly happier than their silver medal winning counterparts...Dice will have to ask them. Last week's champion, F**K IT! (69), figured they had already won, so they didn't wager anything on the final question...you can guess what their response was when they discovered they finished 4th...
ANY THOUGHTS? provided plenty of right ones beating MICKEY MOUSE CLUB by an ear. One of Dice's all-time favorite teams, BATMAN & ROBIN LOPEZ, made their triumphant return to On Deck celebrating their team's namesake's contribution to the Blazer victory on Tuesday! PORTLANDIANS and DELLA & THE PUSSYCATS each flashed moments of brilliance but failed to connect all the dots tonight.
Dice wants to give a special shoutout to Chicago-based SAWSQUATCH, repping the fine SKIL tool product lines at an upcoming convention here in Portland. The second half may have been rough on you, but your genuine enthusiasm was sincerely appreciated!
TRIVIA: Everybody knows Shel Silverstein wrote the best-seller A Light In The Attic, but did you also know he is also responsible for writing the hit song "Cover of a Rolling Stone" performed tonight at On Deck by none other than Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show? Well, now you do...you're welcome!
TUNES: SAWSQUATCH enjoyed recreating the infamous "Super Bowl Shuffle" before Dice could even drop it. Poe's "Angry Johnny" inspired while we tried to determine if Johnny Cash is actually talented. Lustra taught us about triangles (love variety) with "Scotty Doesn't Know" and we let Hozier preach some truth with "Take Me To Church." Dice's favorite tonight has to be Southern Culture On The Skids' "House of Bamboo"...awesome, fun song.
See you next week at On Deck!
-Dice
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
12.2.14 - Cider Mill 3Ts: Teams, Trivia, & Tunes
12.2.14 - Cider Mill Lounge (and Fryer Tuck Chicken!)
TEAMS: At this rate, the Cider Mill is going to have to bring on another server just for trivia nights! Seven trivia teams braved the blustery winds for a shot at glory, but only one earned the right to call themselves champion. Tonight, FEMBOTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO (77), one of PDX's preeminent trivia teams, played the final round conservatively posting a solid score as they continue to tuneup for the upcoming league finals. Fembots just barely outdistanced the terrific twosome of VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS (76), and Dice's musical compadres CHIMP N' IT (75). One of Dice's top up-and-coming trivia teams, SCRATCH N' SNIFF (72), just missed the money after a sixth-round wager slip-up. BETTER LATE THAN PREGNANT (62) continued their risk-taking ways, wagering "everything they can and then some" on the final round only to have their lead and their hopes and dreams dashed at the final moment. The SILLY SCALLOPS (59) and the Cider Mill's resident soccer team, GOAL DIGGERS (50) each looked like legit first half contenders (Goal Diggers posted a first-half 42!), but a series of unfortunate second-half blunders gave each only a distant chance at winning tonight.
TRIVIA: I'll bet trivia teams across the country were highly disappointed to learn (possibly to the tune of wagering 7 points...) that the fruit juice industry in India is, in fact, dominated by MANGO-based beverages, not dragonfruit. Occasionally, our quizmasters and our "hints of the week" will get crossed up and inadvertantly lead teams astray. Dice's advice on those more vague hints of the week: take the points and wager as low as you can.
In case you're wondering, Dice's favorite pop is Fanta Shokata, a Romanian Fanta flavor with elderflower and citrus. Fanta Shokata tastes like Squirt and Ginger Ale having a beautiful love-child...in your mouth. Speaking of Fanta...Did you know there have been more than 100 different flavors produced worldwide, with somewhere between 70-90 flavors currently available?
Make sure you get your hints of the week, every week at www.lastcallusa.com because they're really just answers.
TUNES: Shoutout to Jana, my lovely trivia-widow, for one of tonight's selections! "Affection" by Lisa Stansfield was one of many perfect selections on the greatest mixtape ever made way back in the early 90's....thank you dearest! Mowtown Records first #1 record, "My Guy" by Mary Wells and The Beatles' first US hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" took us way back to the 1960's and we finished out the show, by request, with Neil Diamond's "America."
Hope you all have a fantastic week and we'll see you next Tuesday at The Cider Mill!
-Dice
TEAMS: At this rate, the Cider Mill is going to have to bring on another server just for trivia nights! Seven trivia teams braved the blustery winds for a shot at glory, but only one earned the right to call themselves champion. Tonight, FEMBOTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO (77), one of PDX's preeminent trivia teams, played the final round conservatively posting a solid score as they continue to tuneup for the upcoming league finals. Fembots just barely outdistanced the terrific twosome of VAN DE GRAF & THE GENERATORS (76), and Dice's musical compadres CHIMP N' IT (75). One of Dice's top up-and-coming trivia teams, SCRATCH N' SNIFF (72), just missed the money after a sixth-round wager slip-up. BETTER LATE THAN PREGNANT (62) continued their risk-taking ways, wagering "everything they can and then some" on the final round only to have their lead and their hopes and dreams dashed at the final moment. The SILLY SCALLOPS (59) and the Cider Mill's resident soccer team, GOAL DIGGERS (50) each looked like legit first half contenders (Goal Diggers posted a first-half 42!), but a series of unfortunate second-half blunders gave each only a distant chance at winning tonight.
TRIVIA: I'll bet trivia teams across the country were highly disappointed to learn (possibly to the tune of wagering 7 points...) that the fruit juice industry in India is, in fact, dominated by MANGO-based beverages, not dragonfruit. Occasionally, our quizmasters and our "hints of the week" will get crossed up and inadvertantly lead teams astray. Dice's advice on those more vague hints of the week: take the points and wager as low as you can.
In case you're wondering, Dice's favorite pop is Fanta Shokata, a Romanian Fanta flavor with elderflower and citrus. Fanta Shokata tastes like Squirt and Ginger Ale having a beautiful love-child...in your mouth. Speaking of Fanta...Did you know there have been more than 100 different flavors produced worldwide, with somewhere between 70-90 flavors currently available?
Make sure you get your hints of the week, every week at www.lastcallusa.com because they're really just answers.
TUNES: Shoutout to Jana, my lovely trivia-widow, for one of tonight's selections! "Affection" by Lisa Stansfield was one of many perfect selections on the greatest mixtape ever made way back in the early 90's....thank you dearest! Mowtown Records first #1 record, "My Guy" by Mary Wells and The Beatles' first US hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" took us way back to the 1960's and we finished out the show, by request, with Neil Diamond's "America."
Hope you all have a fantastic week and we'll see you next Tuesday at The Cider Mill!
-Dice
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
12.1.14 Malone's 3T: Teams, Trivia, and Tunes
1 December 2014 - Malone's Cafe
TEAMS: Happy December everybody! Battling everyone's busy schedules this time of year is always a challenge, but your trivia emcee Dice enjoys playing for smaller, more intimate audiences just as much as when he packs the house. There is something to be said about getting your trivia fix in 25% less time than usual! Feeling like the winners that they actually are, GRUMPY RHINO flexed their mental muscles and dropped a 69 to win the big money! Team BANG! ran with the Rhinos stride for stride (and Bonus Question for Bonus Question) finishing just short of the title. SIT UBU SIT was a good dog, but needs more nerdy friends for this crowd!
TRIVIA: Did you know the New Oxford American Dictionary scrapped the entry "Information Superhighway" from its pages in 2005 because apparently nobody says it any longer. Here are some other words that nobody says anymore, but Dice thinks they should.
CRAPULOUS - To feel ill because of excessive drinking or eating.
JARGOGLE - To confuse or bamboozle.
TWATTLE - To gossip or talk idly.
BRABBLE - To argue loudly about something inconsequential.
FUZZLE - To make drunk, intoxicate.
TUNES: I assure you no other trivia host went to the same lengths Dice did putting tonight's playlist together. Ska and punk were in heavy rotation this week as the show opened with Less Than Jake giving their rival battle of the bands contender, Johnny Quest, a taste of what selling out sounds like. Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Save Ferris, and Me First & The Gimme Gimmies each rocked Malone's spacious interior. Dice's favorites from Monday..."Jenny Says" by Cowboy Mouth and "Dancing Shoes" from Portland's own Cool Smoke.
See you next Monday at Malone's (or Tuesday at the Cider Mill, Wednesday at On Deck in the Pearl, or Thursday at the Tillicum...)
-Dice
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