BOTB RESULTS: APRIL 15 (Or, ROBERT JOHNSON VERSUS THE ROLLING STONES)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, April 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Robert Johnson Versus The Rolling Stones - And The Final Tally:
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Because yesterday was Easter Sunday, I'm a day late in getting my BOTB Results posted.
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I celebrated yesterday by going on a nice, quiet hike. It was just me and my thoughts in the hills above my new home.
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Above the town of Willoughberry on Easter Day, 2019.

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Anyway... my most recent Battle Of The Bands contest took place HERE. It was Robert Johnson's original Blues classic 'Love In Vain' against The Rolling Stones' cover of the song, and I'm happy to report that the authentic Bluesman, who was probably the underdog here, won easily:
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Robert Johnson = 12 votes (counting mine)
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The Rolling Stones = 3 votes
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In this installment, I explained where the official BOTB logo originated...
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...And I also revealed who Eugene Martone and Jack Butler are:
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Eugene Martone and Jack Butler

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On June 1st, 2014, I kicked off my BOTB contest by writing, "Alright, let's get on it..." I began including that in every single subsequent Battle. And shortly afterwards, I added something else to it: 
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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How many times have you read that at the start of my Battles? Have you never wondered where that came from? Well, both of those sentences were inspired by moments in two different Blues songs - the first by Howlin' Wolf and the second by Lightnin' Hopkins.
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In my May 1st Battle, I am going to pit those two songs against each other, and you will be asked to vote for either "Alright, let's get on it" or "Let's get ON this thing!...
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I thank y'all for voting in my April 15th Battle, and I hope to see y'all back here again on May 1st.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2019, APRIL 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, ROBERT JOHNSON VERSUS THE ROLLING STONES)

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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it's time once again for 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB').
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Eugene Martone vs. Jack Butler

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Robert Johnson recorded 29 songs for the American Record Corporation. One of those songs, 'Love In Vain', recorded in a Dallas hotel room on June 20, 1937, has become an acknowledged Blues classic. There have been rumors of an unrecorded 30th song. This myth is pretty much Blues music's equivalent of 'The Holy Grail'.
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In 1986, a (really good!!) movie titled 'CROSSROADS' was made around the idea of a quest to find Robert Johnson's missing 30th song. I actually won free tickets from a Los Angeles radio station program (KLON's 'Nothin' But The Blues') to see the premiere of 'Crossroads' at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
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Have you ever wondered where BOTB's official logo (click HERE) came from, or who "Eugene Martone" and "Jack Butler" are (click HERE)?? Then you need to see the (really good!!) movie 'Crossroads'. It is amongst my favorite movies!
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Ralph Macchio is Lightning Boy. A kid who can make a slide guitar sing. Blind Dog is an old pro who knows it. Together, they're headed to a place where deals are made. And legends are born.
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Many years ago, I wrote a humorous review for the Robert Johnson album 'King Of The Delta Blues Singers, Vol 2', and if you're so inclined, you can read it by clicking HERE. 
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Goodniks vs. No-Goodniks

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On their 1969 album 'Let It Bleed', the Rolling Stones recorded a cover of Robert Johnson's 'Love In Vain', and those are our two BOTB contestants in this round.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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LOVE IN VAIN - Robert Johnson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07T3h0b93Rg


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Riddler vs. Batman

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The YouTube Region Restriction Checker said that the following video will play for our friends in Canada. I hope this is true because I was unable to find an alternate video for the song.
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LOVE IN VAIN - Rolling Stones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4x_oSD8ZZU


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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)
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Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' by clicking HERE.
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As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BOTB RESULTS: APRIL 1 (Or, EVERCLEAR VERSUS DJ DAVE)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, April 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Everclear Versus DJ Dave - And The Final Tally:
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Due to my recent road trip on "The Loneliest Road In America" (Highway 50 across the middle of Nevada to the Utah border), I was late responding to comments in my most recent BOTB installment. And I'm also a day late in getting these Results posted. "Sorry about that, Chief."
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I thank each and every one of you who took the time to watch and vote! And I hope y'all will be back for my next Battle on April 15th. 
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The Battle took place HERE, and it was between two very entertaining videos: Everclear's 'A.M. Radio' and DJ Dave's 'Whole Foods Parking Lot'.
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As far as I'm concerned, RAP isn't music, and apart from their videos, neither of these songs have any real musical value. Several people said that DJ Dave's RAP was repetitive. Well, isn't all RAP repetitive? And, honestly, I felt Everclear's song was also extremely repetitive. I didn't mind the repetition in either video because I find both of them extremely entertaining. For me, this had nuttin' to do with "music"; this was more like "Battle Of The Videos".
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The Everclear video is clever and fun. It brings back lots of memories, and I'm smiling all the way through it. The DJ Dave video, however, is laugh-out-loud funny to me! I've probably seen the video about 80 times over the years and it *STILL* makes me laugh aloud in places. So, my vote went to 'Whole Foods Parking Lot', which needed every vote it could get because this was Blowout City:
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Everclear = 13 votes
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DJ Dave = 5 votes
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I'm genuinely surprised that the 'Whole Foods Parking Lot' video didn't fare much better than it did in this match-up.
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OK, that takes care of The Battle. Now I'll share a smatterin' of the photos I took on my road trip across 'The Loneliest Road In America'.
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First, these are the roads I've traveled in Nevada thus far in my life:
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And this next photo highlights Highway 50 which I drove (from Carson City, Nevada, to Garrison, Utah, and back again) from April 2-4. A total of 829 miles:
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That little "stuck-up piece of road" toward the right is where I missed my turn out of Ely and mistakenly drove to a tiny town called 'McGill'. Neat little town but, boy, was I mad at myself! I was cussing myself out all the way back to Ely!!
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The lonely road behind me.

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The lonely road ahead of me.

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And yet more lonely road ahead.

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One of the rare times I saw a car anywhere in my own lane.

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Going over one of the mountain ranges.

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Low hanging clouds in one of the valleys.

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The following photo shows a new friend I made while in Ely, Nevada:
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Dog in a sports bar.

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Austin, Nevada.

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Lonely street in Eureka, Nevada.

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Old miner's cabin in Baker, Nevada.

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Grave of an "Unknown" Mormon in Garrison, Utah.

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The best pizza on 'The Loneliest Road In America' (Silver State Saloon & Cafe in Austin, NV.)

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A new magnet for my refrigerator.

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2019, APRIL 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, EVERCLEAR VS. DJ DAVE)

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First off, let me say that from April 2nd through April 4th, I will be crossing off one of the very last things on my "Bucket List". 
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In approximately 2005, my friend, MelNel, gave me this book:
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And ever since then, I have wanted to do this drive:
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And since I now live in the city that is officially at the Western-most point of 'The Loneliest Road In America', I've decided now (while I'm still employment-free), is the time to finally make that drive. And when I return, it'll be time to get a job and go back to work.
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Therefore, because I'll be lonely on the road again, I may be late getting to your 'Battle Of The Bands' posts. But fear not! I'll get all my votes in, even if it's at the 11th hour.
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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Yes, we're doing another edition of 'The Battle For Los Angeles', subcategory 'The Battle For Dogtown'. I'm sure you remember that "Dogtown" is comprised of Venice and the Southern portion of Santa Monica.
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I grew up in the heart of "Dogtown" and, even today, I have a "Dogtown" sticker on the back of my pick-up truck:
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The following screenshot shows my old neighborhood, which also includes the 'Whole Foods' grocery store at the corner of Lincoln and Rose (remember that -- you'll need it later). There was no 'Whole Foods' there when I was a kid, and that area was more "ghetto-y" than it is now.
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Near the upper right corner, in green, it says "Penmar Golf Course". Just above that, it says "Sunset Ave." That's the street I grew up on, from 5th grade through high school. That's Santa Monica ("Dogtown").
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Near the center of the photo, you'll see "Whole Foods Market" in blue. That's Venice (a suburb of Los Angeles, and also "Dogtown"). That shows you how far away I lived from bozo Bezos' 'Whole Foods' grocery store in Venice - which wasn't even there!
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This is April Fools' Day, so I'm using two funny, foolish music videos in this installment of BOTB. And I'm allowing you to consider both the music AND the videos when casting your vote. Ordinarily, only the music counts in BOTB. But this time, you can also allow the videos to influence your vote. For the record, I really enjoy BOTH of these videos a great deal! I think they're both terrific, so there's no "wrong vote" as far as I'm concerned.  
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Our first competitor is Everclear with their song 'A.M. Radio'. Some videos I found (like THIS ONE), begin with the KHJ call slogan. KHJ was the granddaddy of all Los Angeles A.M. Top 40 radio stations, and I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that sing-song station identification!
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Everclear was founded by Art Alexakis, who grew up on the Westside of Los Angeles and he claims that when he was young, he attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Santa Monica Pier. UHP!... 
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Unarguably, one of MTV's most frequently played music videos in the 1980s was Randy Newman's 'I Love L.A.'. It contained many images that Angelenos were familiar with:
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"Look at that mountain!"

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"Look at that bum over there - he's down on his knees!"

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My dear friend, the Flying Aardvark, works in one of those triangular buildings.

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Tom's #5, near Santa Monica Beach. Wish I had a buck for every time I was there at 3:00 AM!

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The "Jesus Saves" sign in downtown Los Angeles.

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Stephen T. McCarthy in downtown Los Angeles (circa 1983).

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'Randy's Donuts' in Randy Newman's video.

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I really like how Everclear's video pays homage to the [link> 'Randy's Donuts' image in Randy Newman's 'I Love L.A.' video:
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'A.M. RADIO' image featured in Everclear's video.

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I hope this video plays for you folks in Canada. The YouTube Region Restriction Checker said it will, but it's been known to be a liar.
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A.M. RADIO - EVERCLEAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjg39XRkjVc

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This next song / video is by DJ DAVE, and it's the only RAP song I've ever liked! It's a tongue-in-cheek look at how tough-'n'-tumble it is trying to park and shop at 'Whole Foods' in Venice, at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Rose Avenue - about a 4-minute bicycle ride from the house I grew up in.
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My second favorite quote of all time:
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Fu#k everything east of Lincoln Boulevard!
~ Eric 

Spoken at ‘The Cinema’ cocktail lounge on Sepulveda Blvd. in Culver City, California -- which is east of Lincoln Boulevard!

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WHOLE FOODS PARKING LOT - DJ DAVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)
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Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' by clicking HERE.
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As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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