It's Not Always Darkest Before the Dawn. (Scientifically, It Just Doesn't Make Much Sense)

From: Rebecca Ferraro

To: Matt Kasznel

Subject: Whining

I have a topic to broach: the extreme overuse of the completely ridiculous phrase "It's always darkest just before the dawn." I've heard this in at least five songs and, of course, a Batman movie. I'm sure it's floating around out there in other regards as well. 

1) This phrase is incorrect. The night is actually lightest at twilight and prior to dawn. It's darkest in the middle of the night.

2) It's not even a clever phrase and it's irritating that everyone picks up on and utilizes it as if it's some majestic piece of poetry. It isn't.

3) If it's supposed to be a metaphor for difficult times in life, it's lame in that regard too. I rank it among my least favorite cliches, along with the closing doors and lighted tunnels and all the other nonsense.

From: Matt Kasznel

To: Rebecca Ferraro

It's alwayayayas darkest before THE DAAAAAWWWWWN. SHAKE IT OUT SHAKE IT OUT, OH WAY-UH. How could you burn the lyrical choices of dearest Flo Welch?

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of the phrase, but then again, the grass isn't always literally greener on the other side, and it's impossible to count chickens before they hatch because you don't have chickens for years after the chicks mature - plus, the answer should always be "zero," because fried eggs are soooooooo good.

There has to be a better phrase for "things are always most difficult before becoming wonderful." Which, in and of itself, is kind of a dumb idea. If things are at their worst, then by definition, they can only get better, right?

How about:
1. It's always Good Friday before Easter Sunday
2. There's always paid programming on before the morning news.
3. There are always disgusting, dried-out breakfast sandwiches that have been sitting under a heat lamp too long in the office cafe before they are replaced by marginally better lunch options.

From: Rebecca

To: Matt

Well, not only Florence but also City & Colour, Rise Against, Batman, numerous other movies... like come on people, it's a STUPID phrase. Surely there is no need to keep using it.

Ooo, okay, how about "Not being prepared for your meeting/interview/exam is like not being prepared for rain in Pittsburgh: it's inevitable, so why not avoid the storm?"

This brings me to another. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." Swell. I have done this. I enjoy the sentiment. But when I did it at Garden one night, Ronnie and Dylan were worried I was going to get struck by lightning. A valid concern. Should we really be encouraging that?

Also, the phrase "Live, laugh, love" is on a million posters, frames, wine glasses, and what have you. Not particularly inspiring. "Oh, I am brooding and melancholy today but this coffee mug told me to lighten up so I totally should,” said no one ever. 

From: Matt

To: Rebecca

The whole idea of running out in the rain by your own volition is bonkers. Sure, if you're already outside, and it's already raining, and you're already wet, then yeah, get used to it. It's water, after all.

But if I'm waiting for the storm to pass, I'm generally indoors. I'm generally already comfortable. I'm probably enjoying a nice glass of bourbon and listening to a podcast or watching Steven Seagal: Lawman or something. If I wanted to get in touch with my "spontaneous, free-spirited" side, I'd watch Free Willy, mostly because of what "Free Willy" means in England. Point being, I can experience all the "freedom" I want without getting pneumonia.

Can we take a minute to discuss motivational posters in general? I'm struggling to come up with one scenario where a poster, coffee mug, meme, or motivational speaker moved the needle for me. I can think of several occasions where I listened to a motivational speaker and though, "Oh, he/she is really good. I'll bet a lot of people enjoyed him/her." But I never get inspired myself.

Maybe I'm overly cynical, because the moment I hear a phrase or read anything that starts to sound remotely inspirational, I shut it down. It enters "Cliche Zone." Almost as if I don't want to think that I'm "the type of person" that draws motivation from that sort of thing. Which is extremely judgmental, but whatever.

To: Matt

From: Rebecca

If we're being honest, I zone out a lot during motivational anything. I motivate myself. 

The posters are absurd too. It's always like...a scrunchy-faced kitten trying to claw its way up a mountain and some slogan reminding you that if you believe it, you'll land among the stars or some crap. When I have a classroom, my posters are going to say "You should want to do well, so do well" and "I read for fun. Try it and you too will struggle for years to find a job that allows you to keep that hobby and pass it off to others". 

Speaking of books and motivation, the other day I saw this thing in my news feed from Time or Reader's Digest about the top 8 books you need to read right now. I excitedly clicked on the link only to learn it was a list of stupid self-help and motivational books. What a tremendous disappointment for me. Talk about a beautiful letdown. Bribe me with books--the girl who could build a house out of the tomes she has chilling in her room-- and then make it all about how to better myself. Who cares? -_-

Keeping the Christ in Christmas

            “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” the music proclaims (albeit about a month too early for my liking), and I couldn’t agree more. Christmas is, and has always been, my favorite holiday: the season characterized by people bustling to and fro, shopping for the perfect present, the soft illumination of Christmas lights glowing on a tree decorated with ornaments and memories, the scent of pine, cinnamon, and freshly baked cookies mingling together through the house.

From Halloween on, this is all I look forward to, and it fills me with joy to think about the celebration of the birth of God’s only son, the way that a little newborn baby brought so many people together. I love the feeling of people standing together in communion at midnight mass around the glow of candlelight, the organ blaring “O Come All Ye Faithful,” as everybody leaves with smiles for the anticipation of the following morning.

            In this hustle-and-bustle laden season, I find myself disappointed to see the reason for it all getting lost in the shuffle. This has been a long time coming, beginning with the focus being more on presents than Christ. There is literally no comprehensible reason why Santa Claus was set up at the mall on All Saints Day, yet there he was. People rush around purchasing gifts for family members they see once a year, gritting their teeth at strangers in an effort to make it through the line first or grab the last prized ham off of the shelf. In recent years, though, the pretense of Christ has been taken out of “X-mas” altogether, allowing for political correctness to go entirely too far.

In recent Christmas seasons, I’ve walked around noticing that nearly everything I come in contact with is labeled as “holiday” rather than Christmas. Signs depict advertisements for “holiday trees” and other nondenominational things, such as holiday ornaments to decorate them. Sounds fantastic. I’m not out to offend those who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even the non-believers. The greatest part of living in a free country is being allowed to express ourselves freely and without the fear of being inhibited or infringed upon by others.

As it stands, I find myself being infringed upon when Christmas cookies with trees and candy canes and Santa Clauses are holiday cookies, the crackers shaped like trees and bells are holiday treats, and so forth and so on. It’s disappointing to me. These are things that are obviously related only to Christmas.

In grade school, we received ornaments that were emblazoned with golden letters proclaiming “Jesus is the reason for the season!” over a depiction of a manger scene. If that is the reason for the Christians to celebrate Christmas, taking the entire word out altogether is as good as removing a holiday I celebrate from existence. Political correctness is supposed to protect everybody, and yet I’m left feeling sorely discriminated against in its wake. This is one more way of letting it get carried too far.

Don’t give in and wish people happy holidays. Say “Merry Christmas,” not because you’re thrusting your belief on somebody else, but because that’s what you believe in and want to express. I shouldn’t be suppressed because of what’s happening somewhere else. It’s a free country, and freedom of religion is a right I plan on taking part in this Christmas.

The Cloud vs. Mixes, or "Get Off My Lawn: Music Edition"

From: Rebecca Ferraro

To: Matt Kasznel

Subject: The Cloud vs. Mixes

So, I've been meaning to get to you about this article I read in the September 8, 2014 issue of The New Yorker. It's called "The Classical Cloud" by Alex Ross. He/she (I don't freaking know) was talking about rearranging CDs and how sad it is that they are becoming obsolete. 

Some quotes:

"The tide has turned against the collector of recordings, not to mention the collector of books: what was once known as building a library is now considered hoarding. One is expected to banish all clutter and consume culture in a gleaming, empty room."

"If I were a music-obsessed teenager today, I would probably be revelling in this endless feast [of cloud/Spotify/online music], and dismissing the complaints of curmudgeons. No longer would I need to prop a tape recorder next to a transistor radio in order to capture [a song]."

Kids don't know what they're missing. I LOVED doing that. And seriously, if you have ever made or received a mix tape you understand the absurd amount of time that goes into perfectly timing not only the flow of the songs but also the time on each side to provide continuum to the second and not cut a song off. 

Additionally, songs played on Spotify only grant the artist "two hundredths of a cent" for each play of the most popular track. As more people subscribe to Spotify, they have promised the pay will go up, in what Ross calls a chilly "if you give us dominance, we will be more generous" proposition. 

Thoughts on any or all of the above?

From: Matt Kasznel

To: Rebecca Ferraro

Thoughts - Alex Ross is a man, not a woman.

Oh, the rest of it? Okay.

I never really used cassette tapes to make mixes - I wasn't exactly a big music fan until middle school, when CD-writing disc drives starting becoming the norm in desktop computers.

But I loved the challenge of trying to distill a single band, moment in life, or gift into 80 minutes. It's much harder to pick an hour's worth of songs to give someone than it is to dump 10 gigs of MP3's.

Mix tapes have given way to mix CDs, which gave way to iTunes playlists, which have now given way to Spotify and Pandora radio stations. It used to be "I like you, here's this mix of 8-10 songs I made you," or "If you really like Pink Floyd, here's a tape of songs you might like." Now, everyone has an unlimited quantity of tunes at their disposal at all times. There's no longer a need to be selective in acquiring songs. I'm as guilty of this as anyone - hey, Google's got a free Ariana Grande CD? It's mine! I don't even know anything about her, but I have it now.

Theoretically, more options should lead to people finding more good songs and more good bands coming to the forefront, but it never works like that. Bands get drowned out by the options. It's the same reason not everyone is a genius or a walking encyclopedia even though we all have access to literally all human knowledge via the Internet.

From: Rebecca

To: Matt

I get that. I feel that it's a loss though. There's something inherently missing from today's society in that it's depriving people the struggle and pleasure of trying to parse through an entire library of songs to select the ones that flow just right and convey just the right message for one particular person. A mix is a unique thing. One I would make for you is different than one I would make for my sister, Alex, Jenna, or even Ki. There's a message behind each, a way of saying "I get you. I know what you're into. These bands sound like you." 

A playlist is easy. Take every song in your library, add it to a list, and share.  No thought, no struggle. It's my biggest issue with today in general: there are wayyyy too many options for EVERYTHING. Be selective, make a decision, and commit. A slightly tangential point but one I feel is true nonetheless.

Music: Why We Like What We Do

From: Rebecca Ferraro

To: Matt Kasznel

Re: Music

So, I just walked 3.5 miles to Starbucks so I could get an internet connection and write this email to you. I was left with two realizations when I arrived. 

1) It is absurd that my household is still without internet in mid-late 2014. 

2) There are A LOT of hills in Pittsburgh. A fair portion of my journey was uphill, and these hills are steep. Like, it took me between 10 and 12 minutes to crest the top of one. 

Thank goodness for Coheed singing me through my journey. 

Anyway. So we talked about music, and our need to compare everything we hear to other bands. You mentioned the new Gaslight album only being a comparison in your mind to other artists-- I can empathize with this, as every time I hear them I think of Bruce Springsteen. 

Your question to me was then "Is this the fault of the artist for only putting out derivative stuff, or the limitations of people who listen, since we can only compare it to stuff we already know?" 

I have a question to throw back at you: Why do we bother compare music to anything at all? Why can't we just listen to it and appreciate it as is? 

But honestly, when was the last time you heard anything NEW and truly original-sounding? 

We discussed the Madden Brothers tune "We Are Done" being an oldies, "Age of Aquarius"-esque bit of music, you mentioned the potential originality of the latest Arctic Monkeys album, and how Enter Shikari is original to some degree only in that the band combines two distinct genres that have been done but meshes them together. 

The Beatles = revolutionary. 

You said Van Halen's lead guitar was amazing but not groundbreaking. Paul Simon and Nirvana were tossed around-- Nirvana definitely world-shattering for the time (see the book "Love is a Mix Tape") and that Foo Fighters essentially rode the wave of emo-tending modern rock (although good Lord, does anyone do this better than Dave Grohl?). 

In response to my offering of Lana del Rey, you determined that she owes Florence Welsh an apology. I brought up Green Day, who potentially did the punk-pop-rock thing before anyone else, but you determined that it had a lot to do with the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. And even dear Florence isn't alone because she brings in the orchestral sound that bands of the '90s already did ("Bittersweet Symphony", anyone?), although after hearing "Heavy in Your Arms" when it first came out, before Flo was even a big deal, I thought "This chick has one hell of a voice" and I stand by that opinion.

I said I had relevant things to contribute to this discussion. I was sitting at the table reading "The New Yorker" this morning and eating my Raisin Bran (how OLD am I?!?!) and I stumbled across an article called "Cross Country: Nashville expands its range" with a caricature of Luke Bryan and Eric Church. I was JUST in Nashville a week ago and I enjoy the musical talents of both of these artists, so I perused the article.

It at least reassured me that the "our" in "our need to compare music" is a general one and not limited to us and our group. The article was discussing how general and relatable country music is and how it has these overarching themes, such as "finger-picked guitar arpeggios that sound more like Dire Straits'" and that Church's song "Outsiders" off of the album of the same name "feels more like 'We Will Rock You' than like Johnny Cash." There are references to instrumental breaks sounding like Yes, and a crescendo/bridge adhering to a style Metallica would gladly claim (although isn't the idea of Metallica doing anything gladly kind of amusing? I got a chuckle out of this mental image).

The entire album is likened to Pink Floyd. Meanwhile, Luke Bryan is compared to the beachy feel of Kenny Chesney and one of his newer tunes, "Roller Coaster", is apparently diverse enough to be a pop hit for the likes of One Direction, Pink!, or Bruno Mars. 

The moral of the story is that it seems to be the norm for us to compare our musical tastes against one another and try to find the common ground, the reason that we are so drawn to it. The music you listen to is essentially an audible definition of who we are as individuals-- it represents us and what we like to listen to at varying phases of our lives. Finding the thread among them that ties them all together is a way of discovering ourselves.

From: Matt Kasznel

To: Rebecca Ferraro

First off, I think I had to have been drunk if I said Van Halen wasn’t groundbreaking. I mean, Christ.

Second, to answer your question: the comparisons are less for us than for other people.

I know, for example, that the Hold Steady is an awesome band. Musical preferences are generally opinions, but I can say unequivocally, and without fear of contradiction, that they are a fantastic band, and your tastes are clearly warped and unreliable if you disagree. (He says tongue planted firmly in cheek)

It may be a challenge to explain to you exactly why they are awesome, though, without finding, as you said, that common thread. I could say, for example, that they play classic rock, but my God, that opens up a silo full of cans of worms. Blues rock, like Aerosmith or the Stones? Theatrical prog rock like Styx or Zeppelin? Arena rock? Punk rock? And if it’s blues rock, then what kind? Boogie? Garage rock? Southern garage rock with a touch of the psychedelic? THE COLORS DUKE, THE COLORS

So just saying “classic rock” is not a goo representation of the band, nor does it let you know what you’re getting into if you pick up their CD, as your definition of “classic rock” could be miles from mine. Or, I could say, “Oh, they’re a lot heavier on licks than groove, but still reliant on the 12 bar boogie with a hint of…” and watch your eyes roll into the back of your head. Nobody knows what any of that means, nor do they give a shit. It’s nonsense.

But if I tell you, “They’re like George Thorogood and Bruce Springsteen with a super literary singer,” that’s a pretty clear picture right there. “Hey, I like Bruce. I’m okay with George Thorogood. This could be interesting.” Or, “Hey, I hate Bruce and I’m terrified by George Thorogood’s teeth. ABANDON SHIP.” Either way, you know what to expect now.

I think that’s why Pandora Radio is so popular. “Based on your previous selections…” is the music genome version of “Hey, I saw you had the new Big D and the Kids Table CD in your car. You should check out…”

So I guess my answer is, it definitely says more about us than the artists. Sure, every time a band or singer wants to re-brand themselves, they start pumping out names of famous “influences” in press releases and interviews. (Remember when Brandon Flowers suddenly become a HUGE Bruce fan just a year or so after the Killers were still trying to be Duran Duran?) But it’s only because they know we’ll respond to it.

From: Rebecca

To: Matt

I completely agree with everything you said. I mean, maybe except the Van Halen part. I don't think the band is untalented or anything, I just don't like them as much as...lots of other bands. 

Anyway. I feel like this is a good time to bring up the fact that we are talking about actual music versus, say, some of the nonsense that's pumped to the masses these days via Top 40 radio. Could I continue this thread by comparing Ke$ha to slaughtered cats? Justin Beiber? "He sounds like your 8 year old niece... with better jewelry" and you could hear that, right?

One question though: You said they start spewing other names because they know we'll respond to it. HOW do they know? And WHY do we respond to it? What is it that makes us go through these radical changes in what types of music we find preferential to others?

From: Matt

To: Rebecca

Don't be so mean to slaughtered cats...or your eight-year-old niece.

Maybe they describe their own music in terms of other bands because that's what they used to do before they became "serious musicians" and starting defining music by modes and time signatures instead of "yo dude, get a load of that SICK breakdown, bro!" It's a populist view.

I think I've also figured out what causes our changes in music over time. You know, besides maturity and trends and the whole "our generation's music was better than this generation's music" thing (South Park did a whole episode on it). I think it's time.

Yesterday, I was listening to the first two episodes of this new radio show Serial, a This American Life spinoff that's taking a deeper dive into a 15-year-old murder case over the course of 10 episodes (at least this season). The case revolves around two high school students who dated for a few months before splitting up. The girl was found dead a few months after the breakup, and the ex-boyfriend, correctly or not, was found guilty of the killing.

While the show's host and retroactive investigative reporter, Sarah Koenig, put together the story of the two young lovers, she came across diary entries reflecting not only how intensely the two felt for each other, but also the dark, angst-ridden side of adolescence. As the school's English teacher said, it was difficult to determine whether the boy, Anand, had a legitimately concerning "dark side" because "all teenagers had that sort of side to them."

I remember that part of it myself - sure, I liked some poppy, joyful tunes, but it was way more satisfying listening to brooding, morose alternative rock. If I was born in the later 60s or early 70s, I guarantee you I'd have grown up with at least three Robert Smith posters in my room.

Is it because teenagers lack perspective of the physical and emotional changes they're experiencing? Sure. But I think it's also related to how much time you have to stew inside your own head. As I've grown older, I've had far less time to toss and turn over "feelings" with the added responsibilities of college, employment, bills, etc. If I have too much time to myself, though, I'll occasionally gravitate back to the real-life simulators that are my subconscious, endocrine, and exocrine systems.

(I differentiate "feelings" from actual feelings. "Feelings" are what happens when an otherwise ordinary individual starts jumping to conclusions the way Pat Soltano does in Silver Linings Playbook)

I think that's why we start to enjoy more straightforward lyrics and tunes as we grow older. We don't have the time to parse a Nirvana song six ways to Sunday anymore. Just let Bruce or Paul Westerberg tell you what you want to hear.

From: Rebecca

To: Matt

SO TRUE.

I was actually thinking of that the other day, apropos of nothing. I know my musical tastes have changed. Not like I listened to garbage before and now I'm listening to the GOOD stuff, man. But I definitely went from really dark grungy stuff and a lot of whining emo to more upbeat, Belle & Sebastian type stuff or more straight-forward Gaslight stuff. 

I am a busy person, as is almost anyone over the age of 18. I have memories of being an OLSHer, wrapping myself up in a hoodie, and lying outside at night either in the grass, on the porch swing, or on the hood of my mum's '98 Sunfire and listening to a new album in my portable CD player. I would focus on nothing else, letting the music wash over me and dissecting the lyrics while I stared at the stars. "Hamburg Song" by Keane was so lonely and broken it made me cry. Seriously. I listened to angry girl music a la Paramore and applied the lyrics to my current situations.

Now I listen to music while studying for the GRE or while I'm running or driving or drying my hair (the only comfortable time to sing along (at least SOME things don't change)). There's not a lot of time to dissect or even learn lyrics when your mind is mostly somewhere else. Very few songs these days do I know every word to. I feel like I'm missing out on something elemental though. The music was made to be listened to, and I feel like now we're kind of just hearing it.

I sort of wonder if Romeo and Juliet would have been so quick to act if 1) they weren't teenagers and 2) they had some grunge to mellow out to. "Un Giorgno per Noi" isn't exactly emo.

Will Somebody Please Drink This Sprite?

Sprite

Seriously, guys, somebody please drink this Sprite. Sprite gives me a headache, but I bought it for a party, and there's one left, and it's been there for months, and nobody will just put it out of its goddamn misery.

Drink it, mix it with something, whip it at a passing child, I don't care. Just dispose of this lemon-lime thorn in my side. I can't even look at it anymore. Simply knowing it's in the house is driving me to the brink of insanity.

Reward: $100,000, or let's be honest, whatever you want. Ever wanted me to write a song/blog post/300-page novel about balsa wood? Or how much I love Nazis? How about turning myself in to the feds as the second JFK shooter? Here's your big chance, and all you have to do is consume a day's worth of sugar in one caffeine-free sitting. Do it for me.

Damn it all.

*resumes banging head against wall*

Ziggin' and Zaggin' with the Heart of a Lion: Local MMA Fighter Prepared to Win Match July 12

Ziggin' and Zaggin' with the Heart of a Lion: 

Local MMA Fighter Prepared to Win Match July 12

by Rebecca L. Ferraro

Zach "Zig Zag" Forrester

On Steubenville Pike, bordering the line between Oakdale and Imperial, is a little MMA apparel store attached to the Fort Pitt Bar called Out of the Cage. The store, which doubles as an MMA gym, is where Zach “Zig Zag” Forrester has been training for his upcoming fight on July 12, 2014.

           On June 29, a mere two weeks before his eleventh combat competition, Zach, 26, an Imperial native, practices sparring with John Miller, Bobby “The Bug” Mader, and Out of the Cage owner and coach Drew Lyscik. Zach leaps and dances around the red gym mats, bobbing and weaving with his brother and sparring partner John Miller, 25, before giving him a taunting smile. Zach is constantly in motion, moving his feet in maze-like patterns that make it evident where the nickname “Zig Zag” comes from.

“It’s about speed, the way I move,” he grins. “I bounce around like a rabbit, I don’t know if you noticed.”

            Zach, Bobby, John, and Drew trade off between sparring and grappling with each other on the mat or sitting on the sidelines coaching. While actual fights have 3 three-minute rounds, these practice rounds run at five minutes to build endurance.

            Zach is playful in spite of the 89 degree gym and the four thermal shirts he’s wearing to shed any excess water weight. He’s turning cartwheels and somersaults in between sparring, and manages to stay humble and good-natured to the compliments and teasing that his fellow fighters pepper him with alternately.

“Hey, make sure you write down that his nose is easy to hit!” Bobby yells, turning his face away from Zach for a moment—just long enough for Zach to leap on Bobby as lithe as a spider monkey. Drew reminds Zach that nobody fights quite like Bobby, and that coupled with the extreme size advantage Bobby has will culminate in Zach being a better, more prepared fighter.

From left to right: Bobby Mader, Zach Forrester, Drew Lyscik, and John Miller. 

Drew, with his signature seriousness and crossed arms, shares his confidence in Zach’s ability to win the upcoming fight.

         “I have never trained nor trained with anyone who puts in more effort than Zach. He is definitely one of the toughest up and coming fighters in the city,” he said.

Zach’s been into fighting since the first UFC fight he saw piqued his interest and continued to watch them into adulthood.

“Aw man, it was way back in the day, Don Frye versus the Shamrock. Don Frye used to just go out and swing like crazy and knock people out. He wasn’t afraid and just went brawling,” he said.

After that, he spent a good portion of his childhood watching the fights and was really influenced by Jens Pulver, primarily because of the obstacles he overcame to be a fighter. Pulver had a childhood that he referred to as a living hell, primarily because of his abusive alcoholic father. The underdog story hit home with Zach, who admitted that his home life growing up wasn’t always the greatest, but adds that he and his family counted on their grandmother to brighten things up. “Being there [at her house] just made things better,” he says, his brown eyes completely sincere.

 In spite of growing up watching MMA fights, it wasn’t something Zach considered doing until Bobby encouraged him to join. Bobby, John, and Zach have been close since childhood and that’s how, in 2011, Zach found himself training as a fighter, initially just to lose weight. However, at the beginning of this year, Zach saw Drew setting up Out of the Cage and learned that it was going to be a store and a gym. “I’ll be back when you open,” he had said to Drew, and he was. Now he’s down 30 pounds to 145, and will be fighting in the Bantamweight category at 5’7”, 135 pounds.

Zach grappling with Bobby at Out of the Cage

Since he’s been at Out of the Cage, he admits that while the hardest part is making sure that he comes in every Sunday through Thursday for two hours, he’s having a positive experience training there.

“It builds confidence and it’s a good get-away. Say you’re having a bad day. You leave here smiling,” Zach says. “There are good people to help you out and believe in you. It’s always nice to have someone like that on your side. Ain’t nothing like sparring with your brothers, and I got three brothers—Bobby, Allen [Bennett], and John,” he added, referring to his brother and two fighters from OTC.

In addition to a rigorous training regime including wrestling, boxing, jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, and cardio, he has been focused on eating healthy-- primarily berries, chicken breast, and lots of vegetables.

          “I’m eating healthy but when I’m not training, it’s milk and cookies all night every night. Put this down—oh my God, Oreos, chocolate chips, Nutter Butters…the peanut butter ones are my favorite!” He looks off just enough to make it apparent he’s dreaming of peanut butter cookies, then shifts his weight and gets serious.

 “I feel better than I have in a long time,” he shares. “I feel confident, not cocky, and I’ve been training harder than I ever have.” 

Bobby, Zach, Drew, and John at Out of the Cage

Zach acknowledges his opponent Cortland Woodard as a “tough kid” from the Pittsburgh Fight Club. He’s looking forward to walking out to greet his adversary to the bass-heavy Queen classic “Another One Bites the Dust” decked out in red, white, and black DuoMachy Fight Gear emblazoned with Out of the Cage and Kick ‘n’ Butts Vape Pals, his sponsors. Most likely, he’ll be sporting a red Mohawk to match his gear, similar to that of his favorite fighter Dan Hardy.

“I feel like it makes me a little tougher,” he laughs unpretentiously. “You look good, you feel good, you do good.” He adds that he is a man with the heart of a lion, completely fearless in the ring.

When asked what his best move is, Zach contemplates for a moment and then smiles sheepishly, unable to determine just one.

“I’d say my best move is my jab, left hook, or spinning heel kick."

His what?

 “Spinning heel kick. I can kick a dime in mid-air. Probably need about three tries.”

            He proceeded to demonstrate this, successfully, in three tries.

Zach and Bobby grappling at OTC

His ultimate goal as a fighter is to fight at Bellator (an MMA competition founded in 2008), something he feels “would be awesome.” Although he is a promising young fighter now, Zach already has plans for the future, when his fighting days are over. He plans to open up his own gym and wants to coach, especially kids.

His advice to any aspiring fighters? For this, he doesn’t miss a beat.

“Listen to your coach, train hard, and show up to the gym,” Zach says, smiling widely.

Tickets for Zach’s fight are available at Out of the Cage (7780 Steubenville Pike) for $40 each. The fight takes place on July 12, 2014, at 7:00pm at the South Pointe Iceoplex in Canonsburg.