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Welcome back, my friends, to the "Battle" that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
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This is 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB') where you listen to different recordings and vote for the one you like best. A new Battle gets posted on the 1st of each month and on the 7th, I place my own vote, tally 'em all up and announce the winner.
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Friend? Foe? Stranger? No matter, ALL are welcome. So pull up a chair, pour yourself 24 oz. of DOG BITE High Gravity Lager (or the poison of your choice) and turn it up to Eleven!
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[NOTE: Links to the first year of 'BOTB' (#1 - #24) can be found at the very bottom of this page.]

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

BOTB RESULTS: 2019, MAY 15 (Or, BASIE VERSUS ADDERLEY VERSUS SETZER)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, May 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or,  Count Basie Versus Cannonball Adderley Versus Brian SetzerAnd The Final Tally:
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First of all, a BIG THANK YOU to all you kind folks who participated in my BOTB tribute to my dear, ol' Ma. You dun made it a goot juan!
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The Battle / Tribute took place HERE and featured 3 of my Ma's favorite songs: 'April In Paris' by Count Basie, 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!' by Cannonball Adderley, and 'Since I Don't Have You' by Brian Setzer. And considering the fact that Setzer got the first 4 votes cast, and 5 of the first 6, this actually turned into a first-rate Battle.
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The womens really seemed to go for Brian's sexy voice in that song. But being the [link> "confident heterosexual" I am, for me it was between 'April In Paris' and 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!' I really love both of those instrumentals. But the soulful build-up of Adderley's saxophone and the electric piano is what captures my own vote / bote.
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So, here's how it turned out:
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Count Basie = 4 votes
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Cannonball Adderley = 5 votes
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Brian Setzer = 6 votes
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Pretty competitive outcome! Thanks, Everyone! I enjoyed it.
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I wish I could speak as glowingly about our newest psychic, Sikike Phteven. He's gotten off to a bad start in his BOTB prognosticating career, and is kind of in my doghouse at the moment.
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Prior to the Battle, Sikike Phteven stated: "You bet your sweet bippy that Cannonball'll win!"
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I sure hope none of you bet and lost your sweet bippy over this Battle.
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I spoke with Sikike Phteven (0-1) briefly about his ignoble start and here's what he had to say:
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STMcC: How do you explain your very bold BOTB prediction being wrong?
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SIKIKE PHTEVEN: This is a technique of the anti-psychics, to take dry humor + sarcasm literally and “fact check” it. Like the “Cannonball Adderley winning” thing, you’d have to have the social intelligence of a sea sponge to think it’s literal.
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STMcC: Seriously? That's your excuse? You were just kidding?
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SIKIKE PHTEVEN: Hey, if [link> a woman in Congress can get away with that in the mainstream media, it ought to work just as well on some nobody's blog. Er... I hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about the "nobody". As for the predictions, to borrow a quote from the greatest filmmaker of all time: My next one will be better.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

2019, MAY 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, BASIE VERSUS ADDERLEY VERSUS SETZER)

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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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I had no idea what direction to go in with this BOTB installment, but then it came to me late in the afternoon of May 13th..
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Ma passed on in 2005. May 12th was Mothers' Day, and May 13th was my Ma's Birthday. And like I do on every May 13th, I played some of my Ma's favorite music. And that's when the idea of doing a BOTB tribute to my Ma unfolded in my mind.
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So, I have selected 3 of some of my Dear Ol' Ma's favorite songs and I'm asking you to vote for one of them.

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My Ma was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the nicknames I had given her was "Binky Buckeye, Ohio's Flippin' Squirrel"
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Here's a photo of part of an inscription my Ma wrote in a Holy Bible that she gave me as a gift:
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Sadly, my Ma was ill for many years late in her life, and I can distinctly recall a certain day, long ago, when she was listening to Count Basie's 'April In Paris'. I saw tears come into her eyes. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "I just now realized that I will never be able to dance to this music again." 
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So, first up in this contest is 'April In Paris'. I hope my Ma is dancing in Heaven to this while you're listening to it.
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APRIL IN PARIS - Count Basie (1955)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCmcoZktZG4


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As a young boy, I got a good musical education from the varied musical tastes of both my Pa and Ma. They both liked certain singers, such as Sinatra and Louis Prima, but overall, my Pa leaned more toward Country, while my Ma had more of a liking for music with a pronounced groove, such as Blues, Soul, and R&B. 
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I was 7 years old when The Cannonball Adderley Quintet album 'Live At "The Club"' appeared in my parents' LP collection. I didn't need to ask which of my parents bought that one. The 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!' track has my Ma written all over it, and it got played so often that I came to memorize not just every note of the music, but also every word of the spoken introduction.
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MERCY, MERCY, MERCY! - Cannonball Adderley (1966)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQprFhWYr0s


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My Pa passed on in 1996, and a few years later, I bought the album 'The Dirty Boogie' by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. I really loved the sexy playfulness of 'You're The Boss' and I thought my Ma would love it, too, so I played it for her. Eh... She liked it well enough, but it didn't knock her socks off. So then I played her 'Rock This Town' - the Big Band treatment that Setzer had given to his earlier Stray Cats hit. Ma thought it was OK. I played her a couple other songs, neither of which WOW-ed her.
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I was about to pack it in, when I heard Lieutenant Columbo whisper into my mind, "Oh, one other thing...", and so as an after-afterthought (aka post-afterthought), I played 'Since I Don't Have You', Brian Setzer's cover of the old Skyliners hit. 
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HOKEY-SMOKE 'n' HOO-WEE! That did IT! 
Binky Buckeye, Ohio's Flippin' Squirrel, absolutely FLIPPED!!! She instantly fell in love with that song and the sound of Setzer's voice in it. 
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For the next 7 years of her life, she'd sometimes ask me to play it for her, and would ask me all kinds of questions about Brian Setzer: "Where did he come from?" "How old is he?" "Is he a good guitarist?", etc., etc. (I think that poor ol' widow may have developed a slight crush on Setzer in her final years, based solely on that one song.) 
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SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU - Brian Setzer (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdNAMyG1Ti4


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Honestly - with God as my witness - I'm really not sure which of these 3 songs my Ma would vote for if she were here and able to cast a vote in this BOTB installment. It's a really close call, and one I wouldn't feel comfortable or confident in trying to make on her behalf. So, y'all can choose the winner by yer votes.
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NEWS FLASH! 
Since the unforeseen deaths of The Magic 8-Ball and The Amazing Sixwell in the same bus accident, we have gone out and hired a new psychic. Fortunately, psychics are a dime a dozen, so we got this one for just 83.33/100th of a cent! He goes by the name Sikike Phteven ("that's Steven spelled with a ph"). His diary explains how and when he acquired his supernatural gift:
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Wendsday, March 10, 1970 
I have gone sikike. 
i had a dream that 
my girl friend wasn't 
in the cafetiria (it came true)
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Question: Will Cannonball Adderley win this Battle?
Sikike Phteven sez: Is beer one of the major food groups? Did STMcC's Mother love baseball? Do rabbits love 'Bolero'? You bet your sweet bippy that Cannonball'll win!
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or notto 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...
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE. (Returning to BOTB today!)
@ '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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Tuesday, May 7, 2019

BOTB RESULTS: MAY 1, 2019 (Or, HOWLIN' WOLF VERSUS LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, May 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Howlin' Wolf Versus Lightnin' Hopkins - And The Final Tally:
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First and foremost, a hearty handclasp to all you folks who took the time to listen and vote in my latest Battle. Your appreciated is participation!
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The contest took place [link> HERE. And it was between Howlin' Wolf's song 'The Red Rooster' (representing the command "Alright, let's get on it.") and Lightnin' Hopkins' song 'Big Car Blues' (representing the command "Let's get ON this thing!"
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Lightnin' Hopkins scored the first three votes right out of the chute, and it looked like yet another blowout was in the making. But then, as often happens in BOTB voting, the tide began to turn. And after awhile, Howlin' Wolf had a three-vote lead over Lightnin'.
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As for my own vote... Howlin' Wolf is unquestionably my favorite Bluesman of all time. He's followed by Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Robert Johnson, in that order.
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However, in this one particular instance, I actually prefer Lightnin's 'Big Car Blues' to Wolf's 'Red Rooster'. I just dig that energetic rhythm of Lightnin's speeding Cadillac. So, although I hate to vote against my main man in the Blues genre, dogged if this time I didn't have to side with Lightnin's Caddy. And here's how the votes tallied up:
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Howlin' Wolf = 9 votes
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Lightnin' Hopkins = 8 votes
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A great, close Battle! Thanks again, all y'all, for playing along. And I hope to see you here again for my next Battle Of The Bands competition on May 15th. Until then, may you all...
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Bless And Be Blessed.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

2019, MAY 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, HOWLIN' WOLF VERSUS LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS)

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Republican Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Pro-Life Vs. Pro-Choice, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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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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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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Eugene Martone versus Jack Butler
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Those of you who were here for [link> my last Battle learned who "Eugene Martone" and "Jack Butler" are. You also learned where the official 'Dueling Guitars' BOTB logo came from.
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With this Battle, I'm gonna show you another lesson:
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For a very long time, I have been kicking off my BOTB installments with these sentences: Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!... 
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Goodniks versus No-Goodniks
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Until now, I've never revealed the fact that those two sentences were inspired by two different Blues songs by two of the true masters of Blues: Howlin' Wolf & Lightnin' Hopkins
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I'm about to feature those two Blues songs against each other, and your job - should you decide to accept it - is to vote for either "Alright, let's get on it" ('Red Rooster' by Howlin' Wolf) or "Let's get ON this thing!" ('Big Car Blues' by Lightnin' Hopkins). 
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Godzilla versus King Kong
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Howlin' Wolf agreed to record a Blues album with a bunch of White, British Rock musicians. Perhaps you've heard of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts? The album - released in 1970 - was titled 'The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions'. Although he was 6'3" and weighed close to 300 pounds, Wolf wasn't well at the time and would die about 6 years later.
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I once wrote a review for this album and stated that it was very effective in scaring Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses off your front porch. If you'd like to read that old review, click HERE.
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When the musicians went to record a version of Wolf's classic 'Red Rooster', the White British boys really wanted Wolf to not only sing it but also play acoustic guitar on it. So, Eric Clapton feigned an inability to play the song unless he could watch Wolf playing guitar on it and follow along. HILARIOUS!! 
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After a little yakking, Wolf gives Clapton some instructions on how to play the song, and then the massive Wolf (in that huge Alpha-Male voice) says, "Alright, let's get on it." 
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Here ya go - listen to the spoken instructions from Wolf to Clapton, and then the command, "Alright, let's get on it", and then just sit back and enjoy a classic Blues song:
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RED ROOSTER - London HOWLIN' WOLF Sessions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFMDmSglfc0


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Riddler versus Batman
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Lightnin' Hopkins - another legendary Blues artist and one of my very favorites - was recorded live doing a Lightnin' original called 'Big Car Blues'. The song is funny and tells a story about how the singer's wild girlfriend tries to push him to drive his new Cadillac beyond his comfort level. At one point she demands that he "Step ON this thing!", meaning the accelerator. 
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Well, for my BOTB blog bits, I turned "Step ON this thing!" into "Let's get ON this thing!"
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So, here ya go. Get into Lightnin's Cadillac, fasten yer seat belt, and... Step ON this thing! (aka "Turn it up to eleven!")
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BIG CAR BLUES - Lightnin' Hopkins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBQHSwV9ByA


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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or notto 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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