But where does this tricky attitude come from?

We’re not sure, but we’re thinking it might come from their architecture, and in particular, this crazy staircase on campus.

Anyone have any ideas on how that is possible? We’re thoroughly confused ourselves!

Big shout out to Steve Layne for finding this video. We don’t get it either. Thankfully, Break.com seems to get it.

Editor’s note: Welcome to another great installment of “Spotted”. With your help, we hope to shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, whether it be on TV or in real life. If you find any aspect of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect it, we would love to hear from you. Take a quick photo or video and email it to info@lacrosseallstars.com.

This week’s spotting comes to us from Kevin McDermott, who caught a glimpse of a Traditional Laser HiWall in the novel, Rich Boy Cries for Momma.

Rich Boy Cries for Momma

“…Rich Boy Cries for Momma is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel by Ethan H. Minsker, an American writer and filmmaker. It is set in Washington, DC during the turbulent 1970s and ’80s, when the city and the nation, led by ruthless and amoral men, were riddled with strife, class struggles and scandal. The story is told by an unnamed teenage narrator, the dyslexic son of two successful lawyers. Taunted, bullied and rejected by the “nice” children of the Washington elite, he is looking for a world that accepts him as he is. Outcasts, the teenager and his friends create their own world, without adults, that centers around punk rock music. In this underground subculture, with its own codes and hierarchy, it is survival of the fittest.”

Check out more on Rich Boy Cries for Momma on their Facebook page.

For more lacrosse spottings, check out our full archive of ‘Spotted’ posts.

Did you spot lacrosse somewhere unexpected? Email your spottings to info@lacrosseallstars.com!

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Given the dramatic progress of the NCAA Tournament that everyone is buzzing about, I saw it fit to bring you some tracks from a bunch of college (or at least college-aged) kids that are making big sounds in the music world. We’ve got one new artist and one Music Monday double-dipper, both of which should be able to get you pumped for the next lax game or simply pick up your Monday.

Coyote Kisses – “This Is How You Know”

Let me introduce another newcomer to both my music library and Music Mondays…Coyote Kisses! Yes, it’s an incredible band name but beyond that, these kids can jam. The group is just two college kids who have been pumping out tunes in the genre that, according to their Facebook, they call “Space Punk.” Whatever you want to call it, this song is a hit that is just right to get the summer moving, as is the rest of their new Thunder Color EP (link below!).

Download the full album here.

Logic – “Nasty” [Explicit language]

We featured Logic with the first single off of Welcome to Forever back on March 4th in Music Monday: Walking West and it is now my pleasure to bring you the full mixtape. This is the first rap mixtape that I have enjoyed thoroughly, from beginning to end, in a long while. Choosing just one track for our post was nearly impossible, so I urge you to go out and listen to the rest (link below). Especially check out “Roll Call,” Logic’s ridiculous freestyle over the beat of Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.” At just 23, Logic is proving himself as a flat out amazing lyricist (when you have rappers like Nas praising your work, you know you’re into something good).

Download the full album here.

Next week, I will follow up with a story on the first year team that I was coaching in Brooklyn this Spring… but this series can’t end with Mary and me!

So I’m putting the call out there to new programs from across the country, and around the world, to submit stories about their first year (or their first years) out on the field.

I don’t expect every story to be a story of pure success, and it is almost never about the wins and losses. I’m looking for real stories, not just Disney movie type tales, and I want to help you share it all with the world.

What went right? What went wrong? What did you learn?

If you played on, coached, reffed, or watched a first year team in 2013, I want to hear about it. Check out Mary’s post from yesterday, and use it to get started. Check out my post next week, and give it another shot. You just might surprise yourself.

Please submit your First Season Stories to LAS via out Tipline!

As fashion around the world, and even in your closet, continues to trend in many different ways, I can still remember when I played lacrosse in the early 2000′s. Even back then it was all about looking good on the field because you wanted to stand out, but when it came to the lacrosse community and it’s size compared to now, it wasn’t even close to as big as it is now.

Now we have lacrosse companies who are working everyday not only to promote their product, but to also promote the sport. Moreover, being trendy was an after thought for many when I played, but for the lucky individuals who get to play now, you are just too spoiled with so many accessories to choose from in regards to our community based companies.

Just check out the LAS theme based sleeveless shirt that Laxology did as an example! Now, that is a true work of art, but that isn’t what they truly do best. Aside from the endless days of talking to players about their product and answering questions, doing giveaways, and even running clinics, Laxology has found a unique way to keep a piece of the sport with us at all times. From the breakaway OTF bracelets, the Fast Break, to the clothing, Laxology is paving the way for a unique and one-of-a-kind niche.

While they have been introduced, they have been making big strides in order to make even more exciting products for the Laxologists that follow them.  Here are just some of the products they are working on, or have put out recently:

We have some custom shirts with some really unique designs, wait, don’t look away just yet…

They even have hoodies, you cold?  They also have matching bracelets just to ensure to keep that theme on point…

Afraid of the dark?  This crazy bracelet looks like it was colored from some fruity pebbles, and while it won’t taste as good, the skull in the picture right at the tie off glows in the dark. So whether it’s the Blair Witch you’re afraid of, or some simple Paranormal Activity, this bracelet is sure to make a bright impression on the night…

Thinking all white is all good?  How about trying some all black everything.  The new Laxology logo is even reflective, so people will be saying, “you see that bracelet on his wrist, it’s shining like WHOA.”

If you liked the LAS themed shirt, and all the graphics, the shout out here goes to Paul Shoeneck for Kicks Clothing.

As always, Jeremy and James from Laxology both enjoy talking to anyone and everyone, so feel free to add them on Facebook or send a shoutout via Twitter. And be sure to say Josh sent you! As for me, just @ me on Twitter and I will be sure to answer back if you ever need anything.

You can see the original Hot Pot post here, but the gist is that now that I’ve seen, coached, and played so much lacrosse that I’m starting to think of the game differently. I believe that getting away from drills, and just playing the game, will benefit players more. I believe that less structure creates better players, and potentially better teams. And I pretty much left it at that.

Here is Brian Silcott’s response:

I have to ask which teams you are referring to that “just play the game” and don’t drill specific skills, techniques and situations. I believe you need to use both to become a great player or a great team. There are things that are best learned through well designed drills that mimic game situations, and more importantly, game speed. They allow you to give athletes lots of reps in these critical skills and situations in a short period of time and correct mistakes immediately after they are made.

Even if players have mastered the basics like catching, throwing, shooting etc (all of which are things best mastered through high reps) there are still lots for more intricate and team based skills and situations that need to be drilled.

However, playing the game is equally important. We all have seen the guys who are great at drills but for some reason just cant transfer it into game situations. Getting the flow of full field play both as an individual and as a team is vital to success.

Let’s look at fast breaks. I think this is a good example of something that needs to be drilled through high repetition but also needs to become part of your natural game flow. The fast break is essentially a quick set play within the flow of the game. Teaching your players how to line up, what their looks are and getting them both comfortable with those positions and precise in the execution of their responsibilities is best and most efficiently achieved by doing it lots of times in a short period of time.

However it is also important that players learn to anticipate the break, communicate what is happening get to their spots and execute the break in an “unplanned” situation, this is what happens by “just playing the game”.

I believe there are a few critical elements to effective drills and their execution in practice:

1.  Make them game like.  Don’t drill things that don’t really ever happen in games.  There are lots of ways to get repetition on stick skills in practice, line drills may be the worst I have seen.

2.  Push players to play at full speed all the time.  Obviously new skills need to be moved through at a slower pace first but the goal is to get to game speed as quickly as possible.  This makes the drill more effective, more fun and hopefully reduces the need for additional conditioning.

3.  Use three 10 minute drills rather than one 30 minute drill.  

4.  Be creative.  Find drills that are best for you teams style of play and what you want them to do on the field.  All drills were made up by someone if you have something you need to drill and don’t know a good one, ask other coaches or sit down and figure out something out yourself.

5.  Always give the kids a chance to “just play the game”.  While drills are great for mastering specific elements in the game, this is not football.  In the end you need to get comfortable in the full field flow both as individuals and as a unit.  Not to mention scrimmaging is lots of fun.

Ok, now that you have read Brian’s entire comment, you can see why I posted it! It’s filled with TONS of great information, questions, and tips for success. It’s possibly the most intelligent comment on their entire internet. It’s freaking genius!

I can readily admit that Brian is right, especially at the higher levels, that drilling is still a useful tool that every team uses at some level. I clearly went a little overboard in my argument, but I was trying to make a point, and head in a new direction. Thankfully, Brian brings me back down to Earth. It’s an especially good thing that he did, because in the process Brian also provided a balanced approach to coaching, and now the people out there have something they can use in the real world, with concrete examples.

But just for the fun of it, and the mental exercise, I’ll go through Brian’s questions and arguments and provide an alternate view. Hey, if my crazy ramblings two weeks ago elicited a response like the above from Mr. Silcott, maybe this week’s post will help release his magnum opus on lacrosse philosophy. We can always hope!

- I have to ask which teams you are referring to that “just play the game” and don’t drill specific skills, techniques and situations. Ok, I don’t know of any teams that JUST play the game except the high school team I coach. I don’t believe we’re at the point where drills would help us yet. We need to get a more natural feel for the game first, so all we do is scrimmage and play trash can lacrosse. I don’t think any college team would be willing to even try this method, so I have no examples to point to. Brian 1, Connor 0.

- Even if players have mastered the basics like catching, throwing, shooting etc (all of which are things best mastered through high reps) there are still lots for more intricate and team based skills and situations that need to be drilled. For me, all of these skills listed above are things players should be drilling and working on themselves, outside of practice. Same goes for conditioning. I like to put it on the players’ shoulders, maybe that’s just the NESCAC in me. Brian 1, Connor 0, NESCAC 1.

- However, playing the game is equally important. We all have seen the guys who are great at drills but for some reason just cant transfer it into game situations. Getting the flow of full field play both as an individual and as a team is vital to success. I think it’s fair to give myself a point here. Brian 1, Connor 1, NESCAC 1.

- Let’s look at fast breaks. I think this is a good example of something that needs to be drilled through high repetition but also needs to become part of your natural game flow. The fast break is essentially a quick set play within the flow of the game. Teaching your players how to line up, what their looks are and getting them both comfortable with those positions and precise in the execution of their responsibilities is best and most efficiently achieved by doing it lots of times in a short period of time. 

I love that Brian picked fast breaks because this is the exact type of example where I believe that drilling hurts teams. How many true 4 on 3 fast breaks do you get in a game? 1, 2, maybe 3 or 4 if it’s an up and down affair? How many slow breaks do you get in a game? 12? 20? How many 4 on 4 breaks do you get in a game? 5 on 5s? The point I’m making here is that drilling narrows the focus on transition to a set play, whereas my belief on transition is that it is constant.

Subbing a guy off? That is transition. Is a guy locked off by the other team? Transition. Did the other team just switch from man to zone? Transition! It’s ALL transition play, and “fast break” situations can materialize in a million different ways. 3 on 2s, 2 on 1s, and other variants come up ALL THE TIME, and by playing the game, kids see the situations as they come up, and begin to recognize them only as another part of the pace of play, and another opportunity to score.

I trust my players to do what they do all the time much more than I trust their ability to form a pattern, run a play and score off a traditional fast break, all after recognizing that it’s happening, or by me yelling. I’ll take some non-traditional fast break screw ups, because I know I’ll also get a couple fast break goals where other teams would have pulled it out.

I literally can’t provide a scoreline on this, as I’m way too biased. We’ll keep it all tied up at 1.

- However it is also important that players learn to anticipate the break, communicate what is happening, get to their spots, and execute the break in an “unplanned” situation, this is what happens by “just playing the game”. Oh, so Brian does take all that I said above into account. I guess he wins this one too. Brian 2, Connor 1, NESCAC 1.

- 1.  Make them game like.  Don’t drill things that don’t really ever happen in games.  There are lots of ways to get repetition on stick skills in practice, line drills may be the worst I have seen. Agreed. Brian 3, Connor 1, NESCAC 1.

- 2.  Push players to play at full speed all the time.  Obviously new skills need to be moved through at a slower pace first but the goal is to get to game speed as quickly as possible.  This makes the drill more effective, more fun and hopefully reduces the need for additional conditioning. Agreed. Brian 4, Connor 1, NESCAC 1.

- 3.  Use three 10 minute drills rather than one 30 minute drill.  We’ll split this one. I consider trash can lacrosse a drill, at least to a certain extent, and we do that for 45 minutes sometimes. Can we call this one a draw? I’m going to. I can’t take another lost point. Brian 4.5, Connor 1.5, NESCAC 1.

- 4.  Be creative.  Find drills that are best for you teams style of play and what you want them to do on the field.  All drills were made up by someone if you have something you need to drill and don’t know a good one, ask other coaches or sit down and figure out something out yourself. Agreed and I love it. Make drills, if you will do them, like games. Creativity is good too. Brian 5.5, Connor 1.5, NESCAC 1.

- 5.  Always give the kids a chance to “just play the game”.  While drills are great for mastering specific elements in the game, this is not football.  In the end you need to get comfortable in the full field flow both as individuals and as a unit. Not to mention scrimmaging is lots of fun. I’ll give myself a point for this one as it is the driving force behind my thesis, but that’s not enough to close the gap. Brian 5.5, Connor 2.5, NESCAC 1.

Honestly, that wasn’t too bad! Sure, Brian outargued me in the realm of reality, but I think we both offered up some interesting thoughts on coaching the game, and hopefully the back and forth will help you become a better instructor and coach. Want to argue any of these points further? Defend the NESCAC? Drop us a comment below and we’ll see where it takes us!

A couple of months ago, we got a question from a reader about players switching sticks during a game that stumped us, so we reached out to Gordon Corsetti, an official who refs lacrosse down in the Atlanta area, for his expert interpretation.

We can’t remember who sent us this question, and we reformulated it a bit, but to whoever dropped this gem, THANK YOU. It’s a doozy:

1. If a player drops his stick on the ground, can another player drop his stick, and pick
up his teammates?
2. What happens if a player knocks the stick out of an opponent’s hands, and the ball
stays in it – can the defender pick up their opponent’s stick?
3. Can two players switch sticks during the play of the game in any way?

Let’s allow Gordon to take the floor:

Whenever I get a rules question I go to the one place that has never let me down – the rulebook!

Only one of these questions has an explicit ruling in the rulebook, and the other two are open for interpretation. I will tell you what is most likely to happen based off my reading of the rulebook and knowledge of lacrosse officiating for the above three situations.

1. If a player drops his stick on the ground, can another player drop his stick and pick up his teammates?
a. There is no definitive answer in the rulebook to this question, but there are a few guiding principles that officials will probably follow. If a player drops his stick and he is nowhere near the play and his teammate picks it up there is not likely going to be a foul because there is no advantage gained by this exchange. However, if the ball is anywhere near the dropped stick and a player’s teammate drops his own stick before picking up the originally dropped stick, the officials will most likely whistle the play dead with an Illegal Procedure call for playing without the crosse.

2. What happens if a player knocks the stick out of an opponent’s hands, and the ball stays in it – can the defender pick up their opponent’s stick?
a. This is the question with an answer straight out of the rulebook! Short answer is no. Long answer is according to Rule 5.10.1 Situation D, “B1 drops his crosse, then secures an opponent’s crosse and continues to play. RULING – Personal foul, unsportsmanlike conduct.”
b. Rule 4.7.1 Situation: “A1’s crosse is dropped or checked out of his hands and onto the ground with the ball in it, or under, it. RULING – Illegal Procedure. Award the ball to Team B.” If the officials are on top of this situation there should be an immediate whistle as soon as the stick hits the ground, and the defender should not have the opportunity to reach for his opponent’s stick in the first place.

3. Can two players switch sticks during the play of the game in any way?
a. Again, there is no defined ruling or situation in the rulebook that addresses this so I default to whether or not an advantage is being gained due to the actions on the field. If two players exchange sticks and they are forty yards away from the ball I’ve got no problem with it. However, if one of those players is the ball carrier he will technically be playing without the crosse for a split second, which could result in an Illegal Procedure penalty. Better question here would be why would you exchange crosses with the ball carrier when you could much more easily, and sneakily, flip the ball and break to the cage in different directions?

As a lacrosse official, I live for these kinds of questions. They get me digging into the rulebook and thinking of weird situations so I know exactly what to do when I run into a strange situation on the field. If anyone has any additional questions feel free to comment below!

Thanks to Gordon for taking the time to answer this wacky question. If you have more questions, or some weird situations of your own, send them in to us via the Tipline, and we’ll make sure they get answered and figured out!

April showers bring May flowers…if by flowers you mean a garden of brand new tunes that make it hard to pick just a handful of songs to share with you. For the second week in a row, we’re bringing you a triple track dose of tunage that transcends many genres on this mega Music Monday.

Wyclef Jean – “Trap N Roll (Feat. Waka Flocka)”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1C3UOgXgt4

Clef and WAAAAAKKKKAAAAAA (Flocka) got together to blow up a completely unexpected track with this one off of Jean’s new mixtape April Showers. I’ve been following Wyclef ever since I started buying my own CD’s and one thing I’ve always been into is his enthusiasm to collaborate with the most unlikely artists (try Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, you get the idea). Although Waka Flocka is a fellow rap artist, it’s safe to say that he and Wyclef are on very different wavelengths. Yet, the former Fugee’s adaptability makes the booming trap and his guitar riffs work quite nicely. If only Clef still had his dreads to shake around with Waka on this one…

Spin Doctors – “If The River Was Whiskey”

Whether whiskey is your jam or not, this track is for you. It’s got to be hard for anyone to stay still with the cool sound of a blues guitar at your ear – reminds me of laying back on the waterfront during the Blues Festival in Portland. Spin Doctors got together and released their first album in eight years, and it doesn’t seem like they missed a beat. This psychedelic-blues-jam band from the 1990s still has the touch, as they show on If The RIver Was Whiskey (2013), named after this single. I like to think these guys fall somewhere in between The Black Keys and John Mayer Trio on TRY! If you’re picking up what I’m putting down here, go check out the rest of the album (especially “About A Train” and “Some Other Man Instead”).

Chance The Rapper – “Favorite Song (Feat. Childish Gambino)” [Explicit]

We apologize in advance for some of the language used in this track (none of which LAS condones at home or on the field), but couldn’t resist sharing this new song and fresh artist with you. This is not Chance’s first appearance on LAS’s Music Monday (see Hip Hop You Haven’t Heard Of from February 25th), and won’t be his last. “Favorite Song” is just one hit off of his recently dropped Acid Rap (2013) mixtape that is a consistently entertaining listen. Chance The Rapper, born Chancelor Bennet which is an awesome name on its own, has a light-hearted and fun flow but incorporates some really impressive word play, much like Childish Gambino on the work we’ve heard from him. I look forward to seeing how Chance’s career takes off from this lyrically-impressive mixtape. This my favorite song, you just don’t know the words

Our inclusion serves as a reminder that we are not just here now, but that we are part of a bigger picture, and history.

You can see team LAS at the 1:20 mark playing agains the Syracuse Stingers.

Unbelievable video, and well worth an hour of your time!

I’ll let Jeff speak for himself through the upcoming content he has planned, but his trip to Jamaica to Grow The Game was a brand new experience for him, and when you start to hear more details, you’ll begin to see just how deep this new connection goes.

For me, it was a return to the Czech Republic, which I fell in love with last year. The box lacrosse in Radotin is obviously top notch, and the tournament scene is as good as it gets, but the village, and the people of Radotin, have so much more to offer than just excellent boxla. It is truly a little slice of heaven on Earth. Forget the resorts, big cities, and museums, I’ll take that beautiful little town any day!

All this brings me to the entire point of this week’s Hot Pot: Travel does you good.

Meeting new people, and trying to make your way around a country where you don’t truly know the language, or culture, can be difficult, especially when you venture outside of tourist heavy areas. Differences in food availability, sleeping accommodations, cultural customs, toilet paper, and a host of other issues can all seem daunting. The inclination to keep to yourself or your group of friends in an attempt to maintain “normalcy” is strong.

But that would be missing the entire point!

The more I travel around the country and world, the more I believe that delving into the local scene to be crucial for a truly beneficial experience. Being the same old you, just in a different place, is fine and dandy because you’ll see a lot, but being a better you? A more open-minded you? A more interesting and interested you? Well, travel gives you that opportunity, and I highly recommend that you take it.

When I’m thrown into a new environment, and all of my old crutches and aids are gone, I am forced to adapt, and to think on my feet. I have to open my senses to the rest of the world, and that’s just so I can figure out how to order a coffee at the airport. When I speak with someone who speaks English as a third or even fourth language, communication skills like eye contact become more crucial. An understanding and friendly face certainly helps. Truly listening to what the other person is saying is a must…

Of course when I think about all of the above, I realize I should be doing all of those things all the time, and with everyone, but also that I don’t, because at home, I am comfortable, and life is relatively easy.

My big takeaway from this trip is that I had a lot of fun, lived well, and did good, all in a very different environment. Since I am now home, and comfortable, I should be able to do even better here. I can be better with people. I can be better in life. Travel showed me that, and I can’t wait to make every day a travel day.

The last couple of weeks brought a cascade of new tunes across too many genres to mention. So, rather than toiling to tame my musical ADD in order to form a sensible, clever theme for this week’s Music Monday, I am doing just the opposite: bringing you three drastically different, utterly unrelated jams that have been keeping my speakers busy as of late. I hope that you can get down with all three of these songs but at very least, I’m guessing there is something for everyone in this post. Enjoy the tunage you laxrats.

Cris Cab – “Colors (feat. Mike Posner)”

One of my favorite young artists Cris Cab just dropped his mixtape Red Road (2013) that included this soon-to-be hit with Duke’s very own Mike Posner. Cris Cab is known for smooth vocals over reggae-influenced guitar riffs, and “Colors” sounds suspiciously like a theme song for the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup (I was thinking K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” from the 2010 South Africa games). Seeing as he split time between the States and the Caribbean as he grew up, it makes sense that Cris has such a worldly sound about him. Be sure to check out the rest of Red Road and also some of his older gems like “Good Girls” and “Better Off Running.”

Frank Turner – “The Way I Tend To Be”

Last month, we featured Frank Turner’s “Recovery,” the first single off of Tape Deck Heart (2013), on the St. Patty’s Day Edition Music Monday. The good news is that a week ago, the album released in full. “The Way I Tend To Be” immediately grabbed my ear as another tremendous song from Bahrain’s own Frank Turner, a converted punk rocker. It was hard to pick just one song off of the album to share with you, so definitely get on iTunes, Spotify, or whatever you crazy kids are using these days to check out the rest of his new album.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Thrift Shop (Crizzly Remix)”

I don’t usually toss out remixes of popular songs like this (since YouTube offers the same song in hundreds of mildly – or sometimes aggressively – manipulated versions) but I felt it was fair to give Crizzly a look. For one, “Thrift Shop” was quite possibly the biggest song of the year whether you’ve grown tired of it or not. Secondly, Crizzly absolutely smashes all of the remixes I’ve heard so far (my favorite being Crizzly and AFK’s remix of “Chain Hang Low”). I also felt I may have been neglecting all the bass head womp-womp lovers out there and wanted to show you all some love. Turn it up!

Editor’s note: Welcome to another great installment of “Spotted”. With your help, we hope to shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, whether it be on TV or in real life. If you find any aspect of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect it, we would love to hear from you. Take a quick photo or video and email it to info@lacrosseallstars.com.

This week’s Spotted comes to us from Hayden Watts. Hayden was watching Due Date the other night and saw a pair of fiddle sticks in a scene where Robert Downey Jr’s character encounters one of the many weird experiences he has while getting home to his wife.

For more lacrosse spottings, check out our full archive of ‘Spotted’ posts.

Did you spot lacrosse somewhere unexpected? Email your spottings to info@lacrosseallstars.com!

First and foremost, I cannot say how thankful I am for the incredible response by the members of law enforcement surrounding the Boston Marathon attack last week. I never thought that just days later, the people responsible would have been identified, located, and brought to justice. As I sat locked in my Cambridge apartment on Thursday night and Friday watching the manhunt unfold, I was genuinely astonished at the effort put forth by multiple law enforcement agencies, medical professionals, local residents, and so many others that ultimately allowed Boston to breathe a sigh of relief on Friday night. All that being said, I’ve been in need of some good feeling songs now that the worst has passed, and that’s what I’m bringing to you today. Boston Strong.

Olly Murs – “Dance With Me Tonight”

Nobody can forget the sixth season of X Factor, but just in case you did, let me reintroduce Olly Murs. This UK-born pop star is best known for his appearance on the show (in both the sixth and eighth seasons, if you were wondering) and the single “Heart Skips a Beat” featuring college rap star Chiddy Bang. “Dance With Me Tonight” comes off his last album release, Right Place Right Time (2012), and is exactly that feel-good tune I was describing. I can picture John Travolta and Uma Thurman kicking their shoes off and twisting away to this one right now. The music video slightly bothers me with Olly’s ‘I almost look like Matt Damon’ thing, but it’s worth it for the song.

Iron & Wine – “Grace For Saints and Ramblers”

Let me introduce another lesser-known artist, Iron & Wine. Led by singer/songwriter Samuel Beam out of South Carolina, Iron & Wine first caught my ear with their folkier songs “Boy With A Coin” and “Dearest Forsaken,” both of which are worth a listen and remind me of something in between The Lumineers and Fleet Foxes. “Grace For Saints and Ramblers” is one of the more upbeat tracks off of his brand new Ghost on Ghost (2013), Iron & Wine’s eighth album. Be sure to explore the rest of this album and The Shepherd’s Dog (2007) if you like the sound.

To read more on Mike’s experience, head on over to GiveSomeThing.com. To get the Boston Cannons take on things, check out this article on their website.

Here is an excerpt of the fundraising effort, and how things are being handled:

That is why we have set up a fundraiser page through GivingSomeThing to receive donations to help families impacted by yesterday’s tragedy. I have turned to the sport of lacrosse, which Jake introduced me to in 5th grade and which has given so much to my life, to help raise funds for Monday’s wounded. On Saturday, the Boston Cannons will be scrimmaging a local All-Star team as part of our pre-season training camp. All players from both teams have pledged $20 to play in the game to go towards this fund. On top of that, the Mike Stone Lacrosse Academy and other local groups have committed to donate $10 for every goal scored in the game to further help these families.

The scrimmage will take place at Harvard at 6pm for anyone local interested in attending.

100% of the proceeds received will be given directly to One Fund, the fund created by Mayor Thomas Menino and Governor Deval Patrick to benefit marathon victims.

As of 12:45 PM ET on Friday, the fundraiser has pulled in almost $6,900. Let’s help them take this to the next level.

The cheering after “our flag was still there” made me tear up a little.

Stay strong, everyone.