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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.]

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

BOTB RESULTS: 2023, MARCH 1 (Or, JESSI COLTER VS. TONY RICE)

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My most recent Battle Of The Bands contest took place HERE. The song was 'Why You Been Gone So Long?' and the competitors were Jessi Colter (a.k.a. "Waylon's Widow") and Mister Tony Rice.
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It was a pretty decent Battle that was actually tied 5 to 5 right up until very late in the voting. That's when Jessi grabbed the final 3 "botes", including mine, to win this BOTB installment:
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FINAL TALLY
Jessi Colter = 8 votes
Tony Rice = 5 votes
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I liked Mister Tony Rice's recording real well, but Jessi had that "Outlaw" bass sound rumbling through her song, and that's what sealed the deal for me.
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Anyone who has ever attempted BOTB knows that it's a tricky thing. Unless you don't mind shutouts and blowouts, you need to try to step outside of yourself and attempt to hear potential BOTB songs the way others might hear them (minus your own personal bias), and it's not always easy. In fact, I would even say it's a kind of skill, and maybe even an "art". Contemplating all the possibilities can even drive a dogg or doggette a wee bit o' crazy.
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My original idea for this Battle was to use Jessi against a different male competitor, and I thought it looked like an exceptional match-up. But then when I re-listened to both recordings again, about a month later, I suddenly thought: Oh, this guy'll DESTROY Jessi in this Battle! 
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So, at the last minute, I switched to Mister Tony Rice as a competitor, thinking it would probably make for a closer contest. And although it WAS a good match-up, Jessi won by 3 votes, which is a fairly comfortable margin.
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So now I'm thinking about maybe revisiting this song sometime in the future, and going with my original idea of 'Jessi versus ____', to see if he really would destroy her in a Battle, or if it would actually be much, much closer than I imagined.
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BOTB can be a lot of fun. There's definitely a creative component to concocting good, competitive match-ups. It can also sometimes be a bit frustrating or exasperating. But SURPRISING is the one thing that it ALWAYS is!
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My sincere thanks to all y'all who participated in this Battle, and I hope to see y'all here again on April Fool's Day, when I'll have something quite different for you to consider and vote on. Until then...
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Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ STMcC

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: MARCH 1, 2023 (Or, JESSI COLTER VERSUS TONY RICE)

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I am pleased as spiked punch to announce that Debbie D'Doglady has rejoined our 'Battle Of The Bands' family! (Debbie, 'Why You Been Gone So Long?') You'll find her brand new BOTB blog located HERE and also in my sidebar list of participants. Y'all please BE SURE to visit her BOTB installment and add her to your own list of BOTB family members!
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Because I don't want everyone getting sick 'n' tired of hearing Dr. John's song 'Right Place, Wrong Time', I've decided to temporarily put my $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge on pause for this month and next month. But, God willing, it will return to this site on May 1st.
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Right now, I want to show a little love to a musical genre that doesn't get enough attention at 'Battle Of The Bands'. No, I DON'T mean RAP. I said "musical" genre. I'm talking about Country-Western music.
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!
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First up is Lisa. No, wait. She's not Lisa, her name is Jessi - Jessi Colter. Also known as Mrs. Waylon Jennings. Take it away, Julie-- er, I mean, Jessi!
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Why You Been Gone So Long - Jessi Colter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaieoS6sPpI

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Next up for your consideration is Tony Rice. That's MISTER Tony Rice, to you!
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Why You Been Gone So Long - Tony Rice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVThnFcBKtY

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Please vote for your preferred version of this song in the comment section, and then put yer two cents into the BOTB installments of all the other BOTBers. Thanks!
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I will return here on or about March 8th to cast my own BOTB "bote" and learn y'all who won.
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Much Love & Smiley Faces!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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