With twenty-two votes in, it’s time to tally up and cast my vote. Are you waiting with baited breath? Sitting on the edge of your seat? Anxious to see the outcome? Well, probably not, but this was a fun BATTLE for me with the voting going back and forth.

When Mr. Sheboygan Six offered this tune to me, one of the contenders he suggested was Karla Bonhoff. I love her, and had forgotten all about using her in one of my BATTLES, but then the search was on to find a worthy contender. Mr. Six thought that maybe Charlotte Church would make a good match-up. I listened to her version and thought it beautiful, but felt that you the voters, would lean heavily toward Karla and create a real blow-out. Nobody wants to see that!

As I listened and listened to the numerous versions of this beautiful song, I became more and more confused. Honestly, I don’t think there is a bad one in the lot (I admit that I did not listen to the Pete Seeger version, so maybe…). I avoided the Lilith Fair rendition mainly because it was a concert performance and an unusual group, but when I finally listened, I was blown away by the ending. Many of you called it ‘emotion packed’ and I certainly agree.

In the end I cast my vote for Karla Bonhoff and friends. The overall simplicity and truly melancholy feel to her version is perfect for this lovely, haunting melody with the heartbreaking words. In the end the majority of you agreed with me.

The final tally, including my vote is:

          

          Karla Bonhoff and Friends            14 votes

         

          Lilith Fair Girls                              9 votes

I would say this was a pretty fair match-up, wouldn’t you?

Let me know what you think. I promise to get back to you soon, but I will be on the road tomorrow, so please be patient with me. I’ll be back on the first of October with another, what I hope will be, good BATTLE for you. Until that time…Happy Trails!

Here's a favorite of mine and a Thank You for the help I received from my friends on this BATTLE. Enjoy while you wait for me to get back to you!

BATTLE OF THE BANDS OR How long can you tread water?

September 15^th, and time for another BATTLE OF THE BANDS. I have to admit that right around the first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue or not, but with a lot of encouragement from my friends and a little bit of help; here I am and ready to go.

I’m sure that somewhere before on my blog I’ve mentioned that I consider myself a ‘water person’. I love the water and do some of my best thinking ‘neck deep’. When it’s cold outside and all else fails, even the shower proves to be a great ‘think tank’ for me. Therefore, when this song was suggested it really spoke to me and some of the things I’ve been feeling and going through lately.

My selection is a song that I’m very familiar with, but had not thought of using it in a BOTB, until it was suggested by a friend. Thank you very much, Mr. SB6. I’m in your debt.

‘The Water is Wide’ – There is a lot of history surrounding this tune and the lyrics. I’m not going to take your time by reprinting all or any of it here, but I do suggest you go HERE, if you’re interested to learn more.

This song has been covered a lot. I dare say there are probably hundreds of covers available at YouTube alone and probably hundreds more that never made it to that musical site. I’ve debated for about a week now about which versions to use. I hope you’ll enjoy the two I’ve chosen. I really like them both( I like a lot of the versions I’ve listened to recently!)

First up Karla Bonoff with a little help from her friends James Taylor and JD Souther

Next the ladies from the Lilith Fair tour – Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and Indigo Girls. (I may never forgive Sarah for those Humane Society commercials she does, but all the same, I like what she has done here.)

If you like this song and are looking for something really special click HERE to hear an instrumental version by Mark Knopfler recorded as a tribute to Chet Atkins following his death.

 OK now, get on down to the comment box and vote. Then tell me why you chose as you did. Once you’ve finished up here, head on over to the home of TSMOTP and see what Mr. McCarthy has cooked up for us. STMcC Presents Battle of the Bands After you vote on his BATTLE, check out the link and please visit the other participants.

I’ll be back on the 21^st or thereabout (I could be a little late, because I’ll be traveling over that time.) to cast my vote and give you the results. Until that time…Happy Trails!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

I'm feeling a whole lot better and a little bit bad that I opted out of BATTLE OF THE BANDS for September 1, so here's a musical selection for your enjoyment. 

No voting, nothing whatsoever required of you, but to sit back and enjoy.

Man, I hate to see summer come to an end.

BOTB & IWSG

It's the first of September and time for another BATTLE OF THE BANDS and tomorrow should be an IWSG Post. 

As you might have already guessed by the hour alone, that isn't gonna happen here. I'm overwhelmed, over-tired, and just plum out of ideas. I'm not so sure I'll make it for a BOTB on the fifteenth of September either, but I'll try to be back by October 1, or then again, maybe not. You know me...

In the meantime go play with all the other participants. Start your BOTB fun HERE.  Then follow the links for the other players. 

Short and sweet, but today it's all I got. Hey, this part of the post is even a day early.