BATTLE OF THE BANDS XXIII - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES 'ALMOST'

I guess you guys have figured out that my hearts not really in this today. Heck, it's after one in the afternoon here (I'm in the Pacific Time Zone), you guys on the East Coast are about packing it in for the day. I had originally planned a different song in celebration of the revolution, you remember the one we celebrate on the fourth of July every year here in the US. Almost seems pointless anymore, but well you know how it goes tradition and all that jazz.

Anyway...I don't have time to put all of that together, maybe it will show up as a belated revolutionary post on the 15th, we'll just have to wait and see. Instead, I've chosen something that's pretty much 'American'.

Let's start out with the man himself Mr. Woody Guthrie (you know Arlo's dad - please don't tell me you don't even know Arlo, let alone Woody.)

OK, I get it; that version is probably gonna drive a lot of you guys completely crazy, try to remember it was a long time ago.

Next up a completely different version by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

I could have given you a choice between the more melodious, harmonious, and probably familiar version by Peter, Paul and Mary and then there is the absolutely horrible version (IMO) by Bruce Springsteen, but I went for some real diversity by going back to the original and then pairing it up with a newer more bluesy version. Not a whole lot of similarities here other than the very basic melody line and the words.

So there you have it, a song as American as...well, maybe the original American Revolution. Now you should know what to do and how to do it. when you finish up here head on over to Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends The home of the ever so charming Mr. Stephen T. McCarthy. Stephen will give you the links to the others who are participating in BOTB. I urge you to visit all of the sites and cast your votes.

I'll be back on the 7th with my vote and the final tally. I really do appreciate all of the continued support for this endeavor, especially since it seems to be about all I can find the time and energy to post anymore.
 

NO GRUPO GROUPIES HERE or BOTB RESULTS XXII

Time for the results post of BATTLE OF THE BANDS XXII – already. My time sure flies when you having…something.

As you can see I’m back; pretty much. I now have six out of the ten digits on my hands working. My thumbs and pinky fingers think they are working but, 9 out of 10 times they don’t strike the keys on my keyboard with enough pressure to make a difference. Makes typing pretty slow going, but at least I am typing, and mostly using both hands - all six digits.

Just so you know…I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a few years ago and it has gotten progressively worse. I have started seeing a group of doctors in Reno, who believe they can help with the Fibro. They have also determined that I suffer from an Auto Immune Disease (which they are also hoping to turn around) that has yet to be pin pointed. (hopefully, my blood test will rule out Lupus or MS-my biggest fear) The long and short of all that is - I have a lot of pain, most of which is centralized in my back and legs, but occasionally it travels around to areas like my hands and fingers. OK, now you’ve got the basics.

I appreciate the well wishes and I DO believe that they help (especially the prayers). I also have a new appreciation for anyone who suffers with Auto Immune problems. If you don’t know; that’s when basically your body turns on itself and begins destroying healthy organs and tissue. Just what I needed, eh?

OK enough about me.

In the comments section of my BOTB Sheboygan Six said ‘No Grupo Groupies here.” Boy, oh Boy, did he ever hit the nail on the head. They only managed to garner two votes from you guys. Most of you complained about the percussion. Interesting that the two votes they did get, singled out the percussion as something they liked.

I have always like Stevie Wonder. It never really bothered me that he could get pretty smaltzy at times. I really like the sentiment of this song. The fact that someone would call up JUST to say I LOVE YOU. Who doesn’t want to hear that? (Maybe one day when I have more time and space, I’ll tell you exactly what made me think of Little Stevie Wonder, and then led me to use this match-up.)

I used this match-up, not because I have a sense of humor, as Mr. Bird suggested, but because I wanted to give you a taste of some island music of the Caribbean. These ‘fellas’ are from the Dominican Republic. Their style is called ‘bachatta’.

Here’s what Wiki-watchee has to say about Bachata:

Bachata is a Latino genre of music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the early parts of the 20th century with the African descendants in the country and spread to other parts of Latin America and Mediterranean Europe. It became widely popular in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. The original term used to name the genre was amargue ("bitterness", "bitter music", or "blues music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. The form of dance, Bachata, also developed with the music.^[1]

Anyway, just another attempt to eukate yous guys to what really plays down in the Caribbean. Most of the music you hear in the states with an ‘island sound’ (steel pan or marimba) is only played in the tourists bars. The real sounds of the islands as still most definitely African – even Reggae has its roots in Africa, although a lot of what you hear is toned down.

So, in the end I’m gonna give my vote to Grupo Rush, if for nothing else that it reminds me of home. Sorry Stevie, I love youse a lot, but…

The final tally is:

                        

                        Grupo Rush        3 votes

                        Stevie Wonder   10 votes

Come back on the first of July when I have a patriotic match-up planned. Well, maybe calling it patriotic is a bit tongue ‘n cheek, but then you know me.

BATTLE OF THE BANDS XXII

Little Stevie Wonder

VS.

Grupo Rush

Sorry folks, poor health has caught up with me, and my hands and wrists hurt too much to type. You should know what to do and how to do it. If not go to F-FFF and Stephen will tell you what to do. He knows everything.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Time for the results of BATTLE OF THE BANDS XXI. I have to admit that I’m a tad bit disappointed in the turn-out for this BATTLE. I do sincerely appreciate each and every one of you who came by to cast a vote, but in the end there were only eleven (11) votes. I don’t know maybe it was my choice of tunes, maybe it was the artists, or maybe it’s just me. I never claimed to be one of the ‘popular girls’ but the exposure this BATTLE enjoyed was just plain sad.

If you read my BATTLE OF THE BANDS posts closely, you can generally tell who I will vote for in the end. Sheboygan Six had me figured out in this one when he said, ‘I vote Linda counterbalancing your future vote for Little Feat. Anyone that has kept and loved that album that long GOTS to vote for FEAT.’  Yep! He called it correct. My vote goes to Little Feat. I have always liked this band, and in particular this song.

Many of you thought it was too slow. Mr. Bird even included a link to a version by Seatrain that is quite a bit faster, only Mr. McCarthy defended the slower version. I too like it nice and easy, and slow. It might be a ‘truck drivin song’, but it’s not about barreling down the road, but more about the arduous task to getting from one place to another, while leaving what you love behind. To me, at least, ‘Willin’ is more than a ‘truck drivin song’.

Alas, you guys did not agree with me. The final tally is as follows, including my vote.

                             Little Feat              5 votes

                             Linda Ronstadt      7 votes

Come back on the 15^th of June and we’ll have another BATTLE OF THE BANDS. I hope you’ll enjoy my selections a little bit more at that time, but be warned I have a rather eclectic taste in music and I chose for myself, I’m not out to ‘WOW’ anybody. Thanks again for your participation.

In my last few posts I’ve been doing a lot of whining about moving (I hate that – moving and whining – I also don’t really like talking about myself, but here I go again.), so I thought I would give you guys a little update. I’m moved and starting to get organized. I’m still on Lake Tahoe, I just moved around the lake a little (still in Nevada, not California – gasp!). I have a bad shoulder (swimming) and it has been on fire for a few weeks now, I’m tired and cranky, but what else is new, and I still can’t find my flip flops, but other than that I’m settling in nicely, thank you very much.

If you really didn’t like ‘Willin’ don’t bother clicking on the following link, but I thought you might enjoy a duet. I found this while entering into that time-suck YouTube. It’s a live duet of Lowell George and Linda Ronstadt singing on some radio program. It is actually a rather sweet version of the song. Not often that any of us are able to find a duet between the two contestants in a BATTLE OF THE BANDS, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTPQ0fVeN8

COMPETITION

I tend not to be a very competitive person. For the most part that’s a good thing, but sometimes not so much. I do believe wholeheartedly in competing with myself. The goal should be to be better, not be better than someone else. I’ve always become bored quickly with the “I’m better than you… ’My work is better than yours’ syndrome.

In the on-line writing community there is a spirit of cooperation and help, but sometimes we too, become just a little bit too competitive. I don’t know about the rest of you, but this only heightens my insecurities. Everyone is different. It’s important to develop your own style. Perfect your craft within your boundaries and limitations. ‘To Thine own self be true’.

Lately, my life is in a heap…literally. I’ve just moved and am still in the process of finding everything and finding a place for it all. This tends to promote my insecurities in general. I feel lost and overwhelmed. I know this will pass, I know I’ll get organized, I know I’ll develop a new routine (or at least as much of a routine as I ever confine myself to) but in the meantime, I need to keep reminding myself…

If you want to know more about the Insecure Writers Support Group click HERE and get all the information from the founder and creator Alex J. Cavanaugh. There’s also a list of other participants, where you can find a little more encouragement than I’m able to give this month.