Masters of the Hemisphere

It’s been a good long while since we’ve heard from Masters of the Hemisphere, almost an entire decade. Well, not a “good” while, because it would have been nice if they had been cranking out a thoughtfully winsome, sweet-as-punch indie pop/rock album every couple of years instead of lying dormant.
Instead of lamenting their absence, let’s celebrate their return on October 4th because that’s when their new album Maybe These Are the Breaks is being released by the fine folks at Magic Marker. In the spirit of triumphant comebacks, we asked the band to send us a list of their favorites.
Baby, comeback! When I was first tasked with the assignment to write about my favorite comebacks, my mind immediately went to sports and military victories. The problem with both of those kinds of comebacks is that there is always a loser.
I wanted to think outside of the comeback box and profile some of the great, all-time comebacks in which there were no losers, only winners. Here goes:
5. Coca-Cola Classic. Arguably the most refreshing comeback ever.
For those of you who are not familiar with the phoenix-like rise of Coca-Cola Classic, know that in 1985 some idiots at Coke thought it would be a great idea to alter the century-old formula of Coca-Cola, changing it to a strychnine/battery acid-based solution of pure demon poison bottled under the name New Coke. Americans, especially those living in the Southeastern United States, shat bricks.
After much intense remonstration, Coca-Cola Classic was unleashed on a thirsty public just 78 days after New Coke came on the market. It was the longest 78 days in American history.
4. What’s Happening Now!!
The early 1980s was a dark, dark period for American television audiences. Throughout the late 1970s, folks had fallen in love with the foolish antics of Raj, Dwayne, Rerun, Dee, and Shirley from the hit sitcom What’s Happening!! But on April 28th, 1979, the show’s last episode aired leaving so many questions unanswered. Would Raj and Dee ever patch things up with their father?
Would the Doobie Brothers ever forgive Rerun for sneaking a tape recorder into their show? What is Charles Widmore’s history with the island? Thankfully, after an excruciating wait, What’s Happening Now!!
debuted in 1985, and all of the tough questions were answered. FYI, Raj turned out to be a writer, Rerun a used car salesman, Shirley bought Rob’s Place and changed the name to Rob’s, Dee went off to college, and Dwayne was a computer programmer (WTF, right?).