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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.]

Saturday, December 9, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: DECEMBER 1, 2023 (Or, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER VERSUS LAWRENCE WELK & COMPANY)


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CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY GREETINGS, All Y'all!
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I thank you all for giving me the only gift that really matters (i.e., a vote in my Battle Of The Bands installment HERE). The song was 'CAROL OF THE BELLS' and the contestants were Mannheim Steamroller and Lawrence Welk & Company. I won't go quite so far as calling it a "Christmas Miracle", but Larry & his Goils completely wiped out Mannheim & his Steamroller! It wasn't beyond my ability to imagine Lawrence Welk winning this Battle, but I surely thought that it would be a close reindeer race.
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I like the Mannheim version quite well, except for that section around the midway point in the song when they introduce about 20 seconds of very un-Christmassy electronic robot voice & sound effect stuffs. Thankfully, the music quickly returns to a majestic Christmas sound (as is proper).
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For so many of the same reasons that Welk voters mentioned in the comment section, I also prefer Champagne Larry & his bubbly Goils' version.
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FINAL TALLY:
Mannheim Steamroller = 2 votes
Lawrence Welk = 11 votes

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Beginning on January 1, 2024, I will be presenting a brand new BOTB theme and ongoing song challenge. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and will include an extremely wide range of different musical styles. So I hope you'll all rejoin me in the New Year. Until then, I wish for each and every one of you a joyful Christmas and a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
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If you're looking for a great playlist to enjoy during these next two or three weeks, check out my YouTube...
[link> E-Ticket Christmas Song Videos! (playlist)
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I'll leave you all for now with this bit of weirdness from me, D-FensDogG, your favorite Christmas Canine:
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God is Love & Jesus Christ is our Sinless Savior!!
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Me? I have a twisted sense o' humor and it's just not quite Christmas until I've heard Tiny Tim coughing his way through 'Amazing Grace' in his 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' medley.
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Every year on Christmas Day, my Brother and I drop a coin into a body of water and make a wish that someday Tiny Tim will have a second hit song! This December 25th tradition is now roughly 20 years old. But I believe 2024 is the year the Tiny Tim wish will finally come true (...maybe). Please join us on Christmas Day and "Make A Wish For Tiny Tim".
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O Come, All Ye Faithful (medley) -- Tiny Tim



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~ Stephen

Friday, December 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: DEC. 1, 2023 (Or, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER VERSUS LAWRENCE WELK & COMPANY)

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Howdy, Xmas DogGs and DogGettes. 
Welcome to my traditional Christmas / Holiday Battle Of The Bands installment!
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How many of you remember this really old television commercial?
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When I was a kid, that Andre Champagne TV commercial always merrily reminded me that Christmas (my very favorite Holiday) was right around the corner. I've never particularly liked champagne, but I still love that commercial in a very heartwarming, nostalgic kind of way. It probably wasn't until I was about 21 years old that I learned the music used in that Andre commercial was a real, genuine Christmas song titled 'Carol Of The Bells'. Today, that is amongst my all-time favorite Christmas songs. And I really appreciate that it's about "The Reason For The Season":
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Photo credit: 'I Love L.A.' music video by Randy Newman
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So, I've chosen two versions of 'CAROL OF THE BELLS' to share with you in this December BOTB contest. One is instrumental-ish and the other is a song with singing and harmonizing and stuffs like that. I like them both. (It'd be difficult to really mess up this great carole.)
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Pour yerself a glass of champagne (or Revel Stoke Roasted Pecan Whisky & ekker nog) and vote for your preferred rendition in the comment section below. And then please be sure to visit all of the other BOTBers (links in the column over there somewheres ---->) and vote in their Battles also.
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I intend to return here on or about December 8th to cast my own vote and announce the winner.
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Alright, let's get on it. 
Let's get ON this thing!
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CAROL OF THE BELLS -- 
Mannheim Steamroller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8405nEFJXpk

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Santa signals the "BEEE!" sign. (Some of you Al K. O'Holics know what that means. 😉)
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CAROL OF THE BELLS -- 
Lawrence Welk Orchestra & Chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIntt9md7ok

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We'll yak again soon.
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May you all...
Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McClaus
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POSTSCRIPT:
LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!
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Wednesday, November 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: NOV. 1, 2023 (Or, JONNY LANG VERSUS JOHNNY HORTON)

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Former bar owner, Stephanie, at far left.
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I sincerely thank every one of you who stopped by to cast a vote in the "Super Bowl" (final round) of my Battle Of The Bands $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge which took place HERE. After six months of Battles, we have our champion!
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This was a really terrific Battle; exactly the sort of neck-&-neck competition I had hoped to see in our $D$$C Super Bowl. And it seemed very fitting that a Jonny Lang song would wind up vying for the championship, since it was the Silver Dollar Saloon's former owner, Stephanie (now dwelling in the Spiritual realm), who made me aware of Jonny Lang in December of 2019.
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I like the Jonny Lang song 'Lie To Me' quite well. Apparently The Kid was only 15 years old when this was recorded. What a talent! (This kind of nearly unreal "prodigy" stuff is one of many things that convince me of the truth of reincarnation. You don't come into "this world" with talent like that unless you honed it to some degree in a previous lifetime.)
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Beforehand, I felt certain about how Debbie D'Doglady would vote (no "Purple Waylon Effect" this time), and also certain about how Judge Al Bondigas would "rule". And since I knew their votes would cancel each other out, a shutout was out of the question. I didn't feel confident in predicting how my other friends would vote, so I was anticipating a possible blowout... or a tie.
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I love the Johnny Horton novelty song 'The Battle Of New Orleans' too much, and have far too much personal history wrapped up in it to possibly vote against it. My Ma bought the 45 single but we wee kids (my Brother, my Sister, and I) played it more than she did. I must have spent hours studying the record's dust sleeve.
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What all that boils down to is...
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FINAL TALLY
Jonny Lang = 5 votes
Johnny Horton = 6 votes

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'The Battle Of New Orleans' by Johnny Horton is (in this blog's opinion) the supreme song of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. The Silver Dollar Saloon, the only essential dive bar in Virginia City, where dogs are welcome and people are tolerated:
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Fun Fact: Did you know that the Silver Dollar Saloon was once included in a Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon?
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..
SPEND 1 MINUTE INSIDE THE 
REAL SILVER DOLLAR SALOON: 
CLICK RIGHT HERE!
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Well, thanks again all y'all for making my $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge lotsa fun! I intend to return here again on December 1st with a Holiday themed Battle for your consideration. I hope you'll be here, too! Until then...
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Happy Trails to you, and may you
Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: NOV. 1, 2023 (Or, JONNY LANG VERSUS JOHNNY HORTON)

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Welcome to the $uper Bowl of the $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge! For you folks who don't know nut'n 'bout football, that means this is the LAST installment in this Challenge, and whoever wins is "the best", and they'll be going to Disneyland... Knott's Berry Farm... Virginia City, Nevada (my favorite place whole the world!)
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ONLY songs that I have heard played at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City have been eligible to participate in this contest. That's the common thread: I've heard them at one time or another in one of the funkiest bars I've ever had the pleasure to pass out in!
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No, the sign isn't a joke. Dogs ARE welcome at the Silver Dollar Saloon; and I have been tolerated there many times since February, 1992.
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A quick recap of what's brought us to this point:
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Dr. John (11) beat The Average White Band (4) in February, 2022.
Dr. John (9) beat Jonny Lang (4) in January, 2023.
Dr. John (10) beat Greg & Steve (3) in February.
Dr. John (8) beat Waylon Jennings (3) in May.
Jonny Lang (9) beat Dr. John (4) in August.
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'Lie To Me' by Jonny Lang is our current reigning champion. I heard this song in the Silver Dollar Saloon on December 8, 2019. In this Grand Finale showdown, it is going up against 'The Battle Of New Orleans' by Johnny Horton, which I heard in the Silver Dollar Saloon on August 8, 2022.
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I consider Horton's recording to be one of the all-time greatest American bar songs. In my 2016, "Margarita Day" Battle Of The Bands post, I explained why I feel this way, and how this song connects Arlee Bird, Sixgun McItchyfinger (a.k.a. Sheboyganboy Six) and myself together into a Terrible Trinity! If'n anyone is interested in that old story, you can read it HERE. (In a funny and twisted roundabout way, if you like Lee's blog, and if you like the April 'A To Z Challenge', you can probably thank Johnny Horton's song for their existence.)
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It's JONNY versus JOHNNY "for all the marbles", as we kids used to say in the early 1960s on the playground at Iva Meairs Elementary School in Garden Grove. Jonny (without an h) or Johnny (with an h) - which one are you voting for in the comment section below?
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LIE TO ME by Jonny Lang
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THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS 
by Johnny Horton
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After you vote here, please be sure to vote in the other BOTB contests. (See the Participants links in the right-hand column of this blog.)
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I will return here on or about November 8th to cast my own vote and announce the final winner of THE $ILVER DOLLAR $ALOON $ONG CHALLENGE! Be here or be really, Really, REALLY uncool!
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Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
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POSTSCRIPT:
If you'd like to view a beautiful 5-minute tour of Virginia City, Nevada, photographed from above by a drone, don't miss this super-bitchin' video:
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VIRGINIA CITY by Drone World
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Sunday, October 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: OCT. 1, 2023 (Or, SINATRA & THE MOB VS. THE DOCTOR & HIS NURSE)


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The song was 'Makin' Whoopee' and the contestants were Frank Sinatra versus Dr. John & Rickie Lee Jones. The Battle (if we can use that word) took place HERE.
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Before I go any further, as always, I thank each and every single one of you who took the time to stop by, listen, and submit a vote (a.k.a. "spiking the punch" and "feeding the kitty"). This was a nice turnout... although the contest turned out nothing like I expected it would. 
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Personally, I like both of the recordings, and I thought that John & Jones had a decent chance of squeaking out a win. However, since Ol' Blue Eyes is the "Chairman of the Board", I figured that made John & Jones the underdog(s) in this contest. 
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Hokey-Smoke! Look at these results:
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FINAL TALLY :
Frank Sinatra = 3 votes
Dr. John & Rickie Lee Jones = 10 votes
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My own vote also went to John & Jones. I really like that slow, funky groove they had going on, and I also thought that this song worked great as a male / female duet.
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Please join me here again on November 1st for the final (Super Bowl!) installment of my $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge. Until then . . . .
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Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

Sunday, October 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: OCT. 1, 2023 (Or, OL' BLUE EYES VERSUS THE DOCTOR & HIS NURSE)

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Howdy, Friends! How all y'all?
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Next month, on November 1st, we will be determining the ultimate winner of my year-long $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge. I'll be introducing the final challenger and it will be the Super Bowl of the $D$$C. Be here or be... the drunken dog in the saloon!
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As you'll recall, Dr. John was wiping out all the competition in the $D$$C until that punk kid, Jonny Lang, threw him off the throne. And you'll recall that last month in an unrelated Battle Of The Bands match-up, Ol' Blue Eyes (with help from the Mob) beat Kenny Loggins in the 'Lady Luck' Battle.
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Well, this week, we're going to put those two - The Good Doctor & Ol' Blue Eyes - up against each other on 'Makin' Whoopee', a song that's considered a Jazzy Standard. Dr. John will be getting some help in his duet version from Rickie Lee Jones. (Long-time Friends of my BOTB contests will remember that [link> John & Jones beat John, Krall & Costello on this same song back in 2014.)
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OK, let's see if Sinatra & the Mob can beat The Doctor & his Nurse. Please vote in the comment section, and then be sure to visit all the other BOTBers and vote in their Battles also... or the Wolfman's gonna getcha!
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing! . . .
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MAKIN' WHOOPEE -- Frank Sinatra (& the Nelson Riddle Orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMhSwMkJU0

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MAKIN' WHOOPEE -- Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNKEyN6_mtY

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I'll return here with my own vote and the Battle Results on or about Sept. 8th.
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Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T.

Friday, September 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: SEPT. 1, 2023 (Or, FRANK SINATRA VERSUS KENNY LOGGINS)

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First and foremost, as always, I sincerely thank you -- each and every one of youse who took the time to visit and drop "two bits" into my September 1st BATTLE OF THE BANDS slot machine here.
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Martin & Lewis in 'Hollywood Or Bust'
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We were playing with a Lady Luck (or, "Blow On The Dice") theme featuring 'Luck Be A Lady' by Frank Sinatra and 'Lady Luck' by Kenny Loggins. The conversation in the comment section was fun -- kind of like how Las Vegas used to be. The only thing missing was three olives surrounded by a Martini.
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My Spidey sense Doggy sense told me in advance that Ol' Blue Eyes was destined to win this contest, but I felt it could be a pretty tight horse race. As the Battle went along, it felt like Frankie was clobbering Kenny. But to my surprise & delight, after adding in my own vote for Kenny, I discovered that the end result was indeed a tight horse race:
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FINAL TALLY
Frank Sinatra = 7 votes
Kenny Loggins = 5 votes

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In my opinion, Kenny Loggins' 1977 debut solo album 'Celebrate Me Home' was the best music he ever recorded! I did like a little of what he recorded with Jim Messina. Kenny's massive hit, 'Footloose', got played regularly in Los Angeles clubs in 1984 & '85. I always liked 'Footloose', primarily because it was the *only* song that I thought I could actually dance to fairly well. (When 'Footloose' played, I'd ask a gal to dance and I'd get on down with muh bad self!)
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Sure, the title track, 'Celebrate Me Home', eventually became a Holiday staple. But otherwise, the album was completely ignored despite containing what I feel was Kenny's most impressive and expressive singing ever. It also included musical contributions by some exceptional players such as Bob James, Richard Tee, Lee Ritenour, Tommy Tedesco, Eric Gale, Robben Ford, Dean Parks, and Steve Gadd (one of my favorite drummers ever).
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Hiram Bullock's playing at the end of [link> 'Lady Luck' has always been on my short list of very favorite electric guitar solos! That guitar is so amped up that you can hear the crackling of electricity just before Hiram hits the first searing note of his searing solo! "Cranked up to twelve, Baby! TWELVE!!" (Play it LOUD or... eat your prunes, brush your teeth and go to bed!)
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I consider this album to be one of the all-time most underrated by anyone! Kenny's singing -- his control and range (sweet & guttural) -- *still* knocks me out, and 'Celebrate Me Home' remains one of my most frequently played compact discs. If I were going to recommend just *one* song from the recording to highlight the greatness of it -- Kenny's vocals & the terrific musicianship -- I think I would point people to 'Daddy's Back'.
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'Daddy's Back' by Kenny Loggins 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVdA6l3S38

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Well, thanks again all y'all for giving me another successful BOTB installment. Daddy'll be back on October 1st for another round o' fun. Until then, may you all have The Best Of Luck and continue to...
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...Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen
(D-FensDogG & The Joker Of Clubs)

Friday, September 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: SEPT. 1, 2023 (Or, FRANK SINATRA VERSUS KENNY LOGGINS)

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Two or so weeks ago, my Brother and I were returning from a trip to a small casino in our area, when today's Battle Of The Bands theme occurred to me. I feel a strong affinity for Las Vegas themes - the flash, the glitz, Old School "Rat Pack"-like casinos & lounges - because, according to my dear departed Ma, I was actually conceived in this historic Vegas Hotel / Casino:
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As I recently mentioned to Lee here, "I used to like Las Vegas a great deal and went there often in the 1970s through the early '90s. But 'Classic Vegas' probably disappeared in the mid-'90s and I have no desire to ever visit there again. The last few times I was driving in the area, I went right through Vegas without ever even considering getting off the highway. No thanks. Like everything else, it ain't what it used to be."
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Everything eventually deteriorates, but I sure do remember and miss Old School Las Vegas, doggone it! One of my favorite Vegas memories is of seeing my Pa cleaning up in a Blackjack tournament at downtown's Lady Luck casino in 1988. Sadly, today, my Pa is gone, and so is the Lady Luck.
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Also gone is [link> The Algiers, my all-time favorite Vegas establishment. What a trip back in time that place was! Even in 1990 the joint felt like 1956!
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Although I always loved the atmosphere of Vegas, I've never really been a big gambler. The ONLY thing I know about poker is this:
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Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy.
She'll beat you if she's able.
You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet.

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Well, speaking of my conception, Classic Vegas, The Algiers, and the Rat Pack, let's have some fun with a LADY LUCK (or "Blow On The Dice") music theme. Below are two songs for your voting consideration. Please vote for whichever of the songs you dig the most. And then please make sure you visit all of the other BOTBers (see participation list in the right column--->) and drop your two bits into their slot machines also.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!
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LUCK BE A LADY -- Frank Sinatra (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfiKk4wxiVM

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LADY LUCK -- Kenny Loggins (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClnyOy-xyeU

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I'll return on or around September 8th to announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy 
(a.k.a. The Joker Of Clubs)

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULTS: AUG. 1, 2023 (Or, THE DOCTOR VERSUS THE KID)

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My thanks to EVERYONE who participated in my latest Battle Of The Bands $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge which took place HERE.
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After wiping out the competition in four previous rounds of this challenge, Dr. John (song: 'Right Place, Wrong Time') finally lost to a 15-year-old Kid (song: 'Lie To Me'). "Inconceivable!" However, in a way, this seems like kind of a fitting tribute to Stephanie, the former owner of the Silver Dollar Saloon who turned me on to Jonny Lang back in 2019 and unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Maybe this underdog victory was in the stars, or in the cards (i.e., predestined to occur somehow).
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I expected Jonny Lang to do pretty well, but figured Dr. John would be the one moving forward to the final round of the $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge in November. Reason being is because I, myself, actually like Lang's song [link> 'Rack 'Em Up' better'n I do 'Lie To Me', and 'Rack 'Em Up' lost to Dr. John's song by a fairly large margin back in January.
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My own Battle bote went to 'Right Place, Wrong Time', but the Good Doctor needed a whole lot more help than I could provide him with:
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FINAL TALLY
Jonny Lang = 9 votes
Dr. John = 4 votes

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Oh, well, so the Battle rolls. There was some surprising BOTB "boting" going on in this round, and it has given birth to a new term: The Purple Waylon Effect (thanks, Debbie! 😎)
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The Super Bowl of the $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge is scheduled to occur on November 1st. Jonny Lang will be the defending champion going up against a song that actually has notable history connected with Lee, Sixgun McItchyfinger and myself. I'm real curious to see how that ultimate Championship Battle is going to turn out!
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Meanwhile, I plan to be back here again for a different sort of Battle on September 1st, and I hope all y'all will return here for that one, also. Until then...
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Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. ("D-FensDogG") McCarthy

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2023, AUG. 1 (Or, JONNY LANG VERSUS DOCTOR JOHN)

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TODAY IS THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' SERIES
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Wow! Time flies when you're listening to Rock, Jazz, Blues, Folk, Country, Gospel & Show Tunes!
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I'm also pleased to announce that 'Battle Of The Bands' has a new participant. Kindly welcome Christine @ STINE WRITING. And please be sure you visit her debut BOTB installment, cast a vote, and add her to your linked list of BOTB Participants. Christine is one of us now.
[Link> HA!-HA!-HA!-HA!
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After a two-month break, we are revisiting the ongoing $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge. This is the penultimate match-up in this series. You'll recall three things:
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1) In order for a song to be eligible in this challenge, I *must* have heard it played at one time or another in Virginia City's Silver Dollar Saloon (where dogs are welcome and people are tolerated).
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2) Doctor John's 'Right Place, Wrong Time' has been running the table in this contest, having already clobbered these artists:
The Average White Band
Johnny Lang
Greg & Steve
Waylon Jennings

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3) Although he lost the Battle back in January, so many voters were impressed by that kid, Jonny Lang, that I promised him a rematch against The Doctor.
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I recently learned that Stephanie, the owner of the Silver Dollar Saloon, passed away some months back. It was Stephanie who, on December 8, 2019, made me aware of Jonny Lang by playing two of his songs for me in her saloon. Therefore, this installment in the $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge is *DEDICATED TO STEPHANIE*. May she Rest In Peace.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!
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We'll start with Jonny Lang. Although he is 42 today, he was only 16 years old when he released 'Lie To Me'. Sheesh! Shaking-My-Head!! I was still reading Encyclopedia Brown & The Hardy Boys when I was 16!
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And here's the defending champ, Dr. John:
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RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME -- DR. JOHN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuvIrvgoCag

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Please vote for The Doctor or The Kid in the comment section. Then please be sure to visit the other BOTBers, and don't forget about our new member of the family, Christine @ STINE WRITING. I will return here on or about the 8th of August to cast my own vote and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy (the D-FensDogG)

Monday, July 24, 2023

A BOY LEFT WAITING

[Link> Quadrille #180: Pouring Out Our Poems

A BOY LEFT WAITING 

He lies on the new dock and listens to the water 

As it gently spanks the shore in contempt 

In the midst of this solitary scolding 

He can do nothing but think back on that dream 

And recall her soft face and tender ways 


~ D-FensDogG

Saturday, July 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: JULY 1, 2023 (PLUS, 'THE LONELIEST ROAD' VACATION NOTES)

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I thank each and every one of you who participated in my July 1st Battle Of The Bands installment HERE.
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I only escaped a shutout by the skin of my teeth, but I still really enjoyed the contest despite the massive blowout. I knew in advance that this would be an easy win for Glen Campbell, but I still wanted to share with y'all the uniquely different but lovely, lively version of 'Wichita Lineman' by the great Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
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It's pretty ironic that the iconic Glen Campbell rendition of the song is so saturated in [link> saudade. That's what one would have expected from the Brasil '66 version instead. Saudade is the way of Brazilian music / Bossa-Nova. Perhaps Sergio Mendes recognized that Glen had so thoroughly owned the saudade element in this great song that he should take it in a very different direction. It's a terrific song, either way, and I don't think Sergio could have recorded something bad even if he tried to.
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Oh, yeah, I broke one of the cardinal rules suggestions of BOTB by putting a relatively unknown cover up against a big hit by someone as exceedingly talented as Glen Campbell (member of the legendary "Wrecking Crew"). But I took a chance and managed to get away with it (thanks, John & Bryan), even though I was pretty much begging for a shutout.
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My vote went to Glen. I sided with the majority of "boters" this time. My ears say that Glen's 'Wichita Lineman' is a perfect song. With Glen's vocal tinged by that melancholic underpinning, and the unusual, remarkable string arrangement -- no, not even Sergio Mendes could beat that! 
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And as if that weren't enough, I even have a Spiritual connection to Campbell's version. On July 22, 2001, my Pa used the song to contact me from The Other Side (Pa passed away on April 10, 1996). At the time, I thought Pa was just acknowledging that he knew I would be going on "a small vacation" in a few weeks. It was in hindsight I realized that Pa was actually indicating that this upcoming "small vacation" was going to change the "Course" of my life through an encounter with Jesus Christ (in Reno of all places!)
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FINAL TALLY:
Glen Campbell = 10 votes
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 = 2 votes

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That takes care of this Battle Of The Bands installment. Thanks again to everyone who made it a success, and I hope to see you here again for my August 1st BOTB contest.
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==================
**********************
==================

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VACATION NOTES FROM 
"THE LONELIEST ROAD IN AMERICA": 
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My Brother, Judge Al Bondigas, and I had a very nice trip driving Highway 50 completely across the middle of Nevada to Utah and back. I had done this alone once before, in April 2019. But this time it was better without the snow / threatening weather; having someone to share the driving and experience with; and having proper road music. We started the drive with my compact disc [link> 'ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Cruise Control'. You just can't go wrong by beginning the road trip soundtrack with the Pat Metheny Group  ('Are You Going With Me?')...
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Some other musical selections that blended beautifully with the road for us were Percy Faith's 'Theme From A Summer Place'; Oliver's 'Good Morning, Starshine'; 'Rainy Day People', 'Sundown', 'Beautiful', 'If You Could Read My Mind', and 'Carefree Highway' by Gordon Lightfoot. (The big disappointment for me when I did this drive in 2019 was that I didn't have any Pat Metheny Group music to play. I have always felt that the Pat Metheny Group's melodies are the world's greatest road music, and this time I had my self-compiled disc 'The Best Of The PMG' to keep us rollin' along in the wide open spaces.)
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I saved my CD [link> 'ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Pedal To The Metal' for the last leg of the journey, when we were pushing for home. (Again I wish to express my extreme gratitude to McBrother "Beer Boy" Bryan for recording my two 'On The Road' playlists on CDs for me some years back. I find them to be truly essential for road trips!)
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We saw lots of gorgeous scenery and several hauntingly enchanted 1800s old mining towns. 
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Sadly, the tiny restaurant in tiny Austin that had the fantastic pizza has not survived the You-Know-What:
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But here are the two peculiar incidents that occurred on this "small vacation":
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We stayed two nights at the Jackson House Hotel next to the Opera House in Eureka. One night I was suddenly, inexplicably *compelled* to look closely at the towel rack on the wall in the bathroom. Here's what I found: 
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Yip! Made in Wichita! How odd considering that I had this 'Wichita Lineman' Battle running, and considering that the song is an otherworldly connection between my Pa and I, going back to July 22, 2001. Mere coincidence? Maybe. But why was I suddenly *compelled* to get an up-close and personal look at the towel rack? Trust me, I don't normally go around examining items in the rooms I rent; and especially not in BATHROOMS!
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That's some beautiful scenery! But I suppose it would get old pretty quickly if you were stranded on 'The Loneliest Road In America' and walking through miles and miles and miles of that terrain in 89-degree heat.
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Judge Al was driving, and having left Ely, Nevada, we were heading eastbound for Baker, which is 7 miles from the Utah border. Somewhere in the middle, we saw a man in his mid- to late 30s walking westbound toward Ely. What the--?! Then about 3-4 minutes later (we were going 75 miles-per-hour) we saw an abandoned car in the brush off the side of the road. Despite my poor math skills, even I could do this addition: 1 + 1 = Man Stranded On 'The Loneliest Road In America'.
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The Judge and I were certain that someone would come along going westbound and give him a ride into Ely, the nearest & biggest town on 'The Loneliest Road'. Yeah, the traffic is sparse out there in the middle of Nowhere, U.S.A., but still cars *do* use Highway 50 in both directions.
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We dinked around in Baker, then drove to Garrison, a wide spot in the road a stone's throw from Nevada, just across the Utah border. Then we turned around and began driving westbound, stopping to dink at two different Visitor's Centers at Great Basin National Park. Finally, we were going back toward Ely in earnest, and then on to our hotel in Eureka.
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With me behind the wheel now, I remembered that guy and his car out in the middle of nowhere. The Judge and I discussed it and agreed that we would pick him up if we saw him anywhere on the way; although we were both about 99.9% certain that at this point someone would have already come along and helped him out.
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After awhile, we drove past the man's abandoned vehicle. And then sometime later I pointed out to the Judge what looked like it could be a man walking along the highway up ahead. A few moments later I changed my mind, thinking it was just a fence post in the distance. But then suddenly the "fence post" *DID* turn into a walking man! My Brother and I were ASTOUNDED that this guy was still trudging along toward Ely and that NO ONE had stopped to help him!! At this point he had been walking for 2 to 2.5 hours in approximately 89-degree heat (He later said the heat hadn't been "too bad".)
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I put on my emergency flashing lights and pulled over ahead of the man. He came up to the window and asked if we would give him a ride to Ely. I made some room for him in the back seat and we headed west again. The man's name was Chris. We introduced ourselves and offered him some water, peanuts and pretzels -- all of which he declined. He said that he had recently rebuilt the engine in his car and had been out camping when the vehicle mysteriously died on him.
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I asked him where he wanted us to take him in Ely and he said that any gas station would do. So, traveling at our customary 75 miles-per-hour, we saved Chris from having to walk an additional 16 miles, and I pulled into a very big Chevron station. While getting out of the car, he thanked us for the ride and then started limping toward the gas station convenience store. I called out to him, walked up and offered him a little money. He declined that as well.
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Chris was rather uncommunicative during the drive (too exhausted maybe?) 2 to 2.5 hours walking in that heat, and he didn't even want some of the water we had with us? Nothing to eat? On our way back to Eureka, Judge Al and I agreed that there was something very *peculiar* about the man and the entire scenario.
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Yeah, I know it's dicey in 2023, and Highway 50 isn't exactly crowded with traffic, but I still have trouble believing that NO ONE offered this man a ride for at least 2 hours. Judge Al and I surmised that Chris was possibly a criminal or an angel. Maybe no one else on the road could see him? Perhaps only the Judge and I could see Chris because he was an angel in disguise, and the entire scenario was a test to see if my Brother and I would do the "Christian" thing.
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Let brotherly love remain in you. And forget not hospitality toward strangers; for thereby some were worthy to entertain angels unawares.
~ Hebrews 13:1-2

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Judge Al and I had a very nice "small vacation", and we've even considered driving "The Loneliest Road In America" again sometime in the future. But for me, the most memorable part of this trip -- the one thing that will stand out most in my mind years from now -- is helping out Chris when he was stranded in the middle of pretty much Nowhere, U.S.A. Hopefully, if I ever find myself in a similarly bad situation, a "Chris" will come along and assist me. For as The Good Book says:
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...whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
~ Galatians 6:7

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Bless And Be Blessed!! 
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~ (alias) Stephen T. McCarthy 
(pseudonym) STMcC 
(a.k.a.) D-FensDogG 
(nom de plume) Mr. Brenda Lee 
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