Somebody's Baby (#BoTB)

I'm so sorry, gang... I've been missing too many battles lately. Yes, it's fast times here in Curaçao, but that's really no excuse—I'm sure you all have oodles of stuff to do, too, and yet you manage to post promptly, on time and regularly. So I apologize, and I hope you still love me.

Speaking of fast times, do you remember the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

#BoTB — Results (Ojalá Que Llueva Café)

This one was quick and dirty; Café Tacuba took the lead out of the gate, but Señor Guerra didn't let that stand for long.

Café Tacuba: 3

Birgit

Lee

Dixie

Juan Luis Guerra: 5

Cherdo

Michele

Jeffrey

Mike

John

I love the original, both for its musical integrity and for the lyrics, for Guerra's mastery of both craft and art, and for the subtlety of its lyrics, and it gets me dancing every time. But Café Tacuba's version gives me chills. Yes, of course it's related to my Mexican identity, to how the Son Jarocho speaks to my soul... Perhaps I can't be objective. Perhaps it's a myth to think we can judge any form of art objectively. So, with apologies to Señor Guerra, whom I admire deeply, my vote goes to the Mexican band. (Not that it makes any difference to the result... At least in that regard I can avoid the guilt.)

Loved hearing your take on this one, guys. Until next time! (And I promise I'll be on time... not just for posting my Battle but also for visiting yours. Missed too many this time.)

To close, I leave you with Bachata en Fukuoka, from Mr. Guerra's 2010 album 'A Son de Guerra' ("To The Beat of War", literally, though it's a wordplay on his name).

I'm not sure how popular bachata is in your corner of the woods, so in case you have no idea what it is, let me tell you it's a musical form originally from Dominican Republic (and still mostly popular there), a 4/4 beat that sounds deceptively simple but is incredibly complicated to dance to. Watch these guys:

Now you have something to keep you busy over the weekend :) Have fun!

#BoTB — Raining Coffee

I'm late to the party, I know... I apologize. I was on a deadline to deliver a short story, and I finally managed to send it in just a little while ago—two days late... ooops. So, with the "job" taken care of, let's hear some music!

This is one of those alternative Battles that sometimes find their way in. The song is Ojalá Que Llueva Café, by Juan Luis Guerra (1989), and we're pitting that original against a cover by an off-the-beaten-path band from Mexico called Café Tacuba (officially spelled Tacvba, the old Castilian way).

Drift Away — #BoTB Results

Sorry I'm late with the results, guys. (Not sure what happened to my Tuesday :D ) Because these two songs were so different not just from the original but from the Dobie Gray version we all (I think) know best, I expected the votes to be more evenly distributed. I even dreaded thought maybe we'd end up with a tie, which I'd be forced to break. Or make. Fortunately (for me, not for Ringo and his all-stars), after a rocky start—pardon the pun—the Stones managed to run away with the Battle.

Here's the breakdown:

Ringo & The Gang: 4

Debbie

Cherdo

Janie

John

Rolling Stones: 9

Dixie

Lee

Michele

Jeffrey

Stephen

Robin

Birgit

Mike

Yolanda

Much gratitude to everyone who came by to listen and vote, and share your thoughts on the music. It's always a pleasure to feel a part of this BoTB community.

To close, I leave you with another Stones cover... Well, it's semi-Stones, really. Keith Richards and Norah Jones sing Love Hurts. But, in spite of Norah's presence (and Mick's absence), I think it qualifies as appropriately cringe-worthy :D

Happy Hump Day, all!

#BoTB — Drift Away

Gimme the beat, boys,
and free my soul
I want to get lost in your rock n' roll
and drift away...

All I've got to do is hum that chorus and my feet start tappin' and my soul starts liftin'. But I always wondered about one thing. It's very clearly a country song—maybe that's just the context I heard it in, or the context of the versions I knew: Dobie Gray, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, Garth Brooks—but the lyrics, also very clearly, say rock n' roll. For years it stayed one of those weird discrepancies people of my generation (i.e., who grew up without YouTube or Wikipedia or any such) learned to live with.

Until today.

Turns out Drift Away (written by Mentor Williams) may have been famous by Dobie Gray—his version stole the show in 1973—but the original was recorded in 1972 by John Henry Kurtz—and that version totally does sound rock n' roll-ish.

This song has been covered a lot (I mean, Michael Bolton? Really?), and most versions have the Dobie Gray country feel, but I managed to find two that (sort of) don't... And I'm not talking light-weights, either. The first is by none other than the Rolling Stones, an unreleased version that does not include Keith Richards in the line-up—which might explain the odd, not-quite-Rolling-Stone sound:

And to challenge that, we have another group of legends: Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, and Alanis Morissette, and Steve Tyler, with an arrangement that, to me at least, sounds straight-up Ringo (not a bad thing):

What do you think? Which version do you like better? Did the gritty uniformity of the Stones win you over, or did you prefer the color lent by the eclectic vocal choices of the Ringo version? Looking forward to your feedback! I'll be back next Wednesday to tally up the votes, cast my own, and tell you how it all went down.

In the meantime, hop on over to these blogs where more epic Battles are being fought. As always, much gratitude to host Stephen T. McCarthy for keeping the Battle hop not just going but roaring. (And yet, yes, we do miss you, FAE.)

STMcC Presents 'Battle of The Bands'

Debbie D. ("Doglady")

Your Daily Dose

Tossing It Out

Mike's Ramblings

Jingle Jangle Jungle

Curious as a Cathy

Cherdo on the Flipside

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing

J. A. Scott

Angels Bark

dcrelief ~ Battle of The Bands

ReInVintaged Goods

Evil Pop Tart

#BoTB (I'm back!): Fleetwood Mac's 'Storms'

A bit late, yes, but back nonetheless—and very, very happy about it. I apologize for abandoning this blog during April; the A2Z really took its toll this year. (Mainly because I, again, did not prewrite my posts. Why do I do that to myself? Why, why, why?) But it was a great month over at the dog blog... I'll get into that in a later post, though. For now, on to the main thing today: The Battle of The Bands!

#BoTB Results: Thunderstruck (guitar vs cellos)

I'm so pleased you liked this one, guys. And I do apologize for not replying to your lovely, lovely comments... The A2Z has taken over my life. I did make it to a few of your blogs before the voting closed, though, which makes me very happy.

Here's how the guitar vs cellos battle played out:

Guitar (Luca Stricagnoli): 9

Lee

Mike

Debbie

Michele

Dixie

Robin

Cathy

Jeffrey

Birgit

2Cellos: 3

Cherdo

Stephen

FAE

Yep... The guitar came out on top. Most of you had a hard time choosing (I'll take that as a compliment, thank you), which might mean that, in spite of the disparity in votes, these two version were well-matched after all. And which, really, means little. The point is you enjoyed it, and that's what it's all about.

As for my vote... Like you, I couldn't choose. The cello video really made an impression (those popped bowstrings—brilliant), and Luca's playing is truly virtuoso. How to choose? I'll go with the cellos, but I'm not sure if it's a pity vote :D

Thank you so much for playing, and for putting up with my silence. As a token of my gratitude, I leave you with another jewel of Luca Stricagnoli's guitar...

#BoTB: Thunderstruck

Music can be so versatile... as versatile, in fact, as the musician. And only as versatile as the musician. And these two take AC/DC's Thunderstruck to a whole new level.

Which of these two versions of Thurderstruck do you like most (or dislike the least)? Which of the two—guitar maverick Luca Stricagnoli or the rebels of 2Cellos—do you feel accomplishes the better musicianship? Are you a fan of classical crossovers? What do you think of that rumor making the rounds about Axel Rose replacing Brian Johnson as AC/DC's lead vocals? Cast your vote and share your thoughts in the comments, and come back next Friday to check which way the voting went.

And when you're done voting here, take a hop over to visit these other Battle of the Bands participants for more awesome musical face-offs. As always, a gratitude shout-out to hosts Stephen T. McCarthy and Far Away Eyes for keeping the BoTB going!

STMcC Presents 'Battle of The Bands'

Far Away Series

Debbie D. ("Doglady")

Your Daily Dose

Tossing It Out

Mike's Ramblings

Jingle Jangle Jungle

Curious as a Cathy

Cherdo on the Flipside

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing (Back in May)

J. A. Scott

Angels Bark

dcrelief ~ Battle of The Bands

ReInVintaged Goods

P.S. — I apologize upfront; due to the A-to-Z Challenge (which I'm participating in with the dog blog) I may be a bit late replying and visiting you back. But I will get there :) And if you're doing the A-to-Z this April, please let me know!

Rhythms del Mundo: #BoTB Results

Well, well. I'd like to say I'm surprised by the winner here, but... the Latin version of Clocks really does swing...

Clocks: 11

Lee

Michele

Susan

Cathy

Dixie

Hilary

Robin

Stephen

Birgit
FAE
Cherdo

Hotel California: 2

Jeffrey

Elliptical Man

Purple Haze: 4

Debbie

Jacques

John

Mike

What I am surprised at is the loser: Hotel California got all of two votes.

Wow.

I'm so glad you all enjoyed this quirky Battle. Thanks so much for coming by to play and vote and comment and dissect your opinions. Next Battle is on April 1st, and although this blog isn't joining the A-to-Z April Challenge, I am participating with The Dog Blog... which means April BoTB posts will probably be short and sweet (and result posts might be a tad late)... Apologies upfront for that, and thanks for understanding :)

Speaking of the Challenge and The Dog Blog, today is the Theme Reveal hop. If you're so inclined, I'd love to see you over there... That blog needs all the help it can get, and the theme I've chosen isn't exactly going to earn me any popularity awards, so a friendly comment or two to drown out the crickets would be much, much appreciated :)

Love you all to bits! And, to prove it, I leave you with another awesome Latin crossover cover. Bet you never imagined Led Zeppelin's mega classic could sound this good ;) (Give it time, though... it takes near 2 min from the start to get fully Latinized.)

#BoTB: the Rhythms del Mundo edition

I'm back! The flu did me in for a couple of weeks, then life just... went a little wild. All's good though, and I'm happy to be back in the Battle of The Bands swing.

Got something a little different for you today. These aren't different versions of the same song, but rather different songs in similar covers. Perhaps you're familiar with the Rhythms del Mundo albums? As fundraising for Artists Project Earth, they create covers of pop songs in latin rhythms, very often with the original artists on vocals and some instruments. The first album, Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba, for instance, had none other than Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) as main collaborators. The results were... well, pretty amazing, I thought. And now I'm curious to see what you think.

Instead of pairing the cover version with the original, I decided to showcase three of my favorite songs in their Latino incarnations and let you be the judge of which works best (or least worse) as an adaptation.

Ready?

First up is Coldplay, Clocks. (Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba, 2006)

The Killers with Hotel California... (Rhythms del Mundo: Classics, 2009)

And, finally, the weirdest (but good weird) cover I've ever heard of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. The fact that they kept Jimi's guitar (if not the vocals) just adds to the whole sense of unreality here. (Rhythms del Mundo: Classics, 2009)

So. What do you think? Which of these three sounds most like it was born to be Latino? Or, maybe, which one sounds least ridiculous doing the cha-cha? Let me know in the comments, and come back next Tuesday to find out how the votes played out. Also, take a hop over and visit the excellent battles being fought at these blogs, too:

STMcC Presents 'Battle of The Bands'

Far Away Series

Debbie D. ("Doglady")

Holli's Hoots and Hollers

Your Daily Dose

Tossing It Out

Mike's Ramblings

Jingle Jangle Jungle

Curious as a Cathy

Cherdo on the Flipside

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing

J. A. Scott

Angels Bark

dcrelief ~ Battle of The Bands

NovelBrews

ReInVintaged Goods

Thanks for coming by, and for playing along with my weird battle today. Really looking forward to your thoughts on this one.

#BoTB Results: Wish You Were Here

And thus ends the decades-long Gilmour-Waters dispute. Take a knee, Roger, and bow your head.

David Gilmour: 17.5

Lee

Denise

Mike (0.5)

Elsie

Alex

Vidya

FAE

Cathy

John

Michele

Elliptical Man

Roland

Birgit

Hank

Jeffrey

Robin

Donna

Madilyn

Roger Waters: 3.5

Mike (0.5)

Yolanda

Dixie

Susan

I almost feel sorry for Roger. Almost. Because I'm in the majority here... As much as I admire the eerie quality of his voice, the way emotion translates unedited into it, and his talent on the bass, it's Gilmour who wins this for me. Sorry, Roger.

For your further enjoyment, the Pulse version of Wish You Were Here (Division Bell tour, 1994)

Thank you so much, everyone, for being a part of this story, of this epic battle, and of the roaring success that was the Lost & Found hop. Special thanks to mastermind Arlee Bird and co-hosts Denise Covey, Yolanda Renee, Elizabeth Seckman, and the Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh, without whose dedication and effort and enthusiasm—and, in Alex's case, extraordinary tech support—this hop might not have been half as successful, and certainly not nearly as much fun. It was an honor to be your co-host.

The Love Song That Wasn't — Lost & Found hop + #BoTB

"Every new beginning comes

from some other beginning's end."

~ Seneca

(Seneca, yes. Not Semisonic.)

Note to BoTB-ers: To skip the preamble and go straight to the Battle, scroll down to where the long Lost & Found banner is :)

When people of my generation think of love songs, they might think of Bryan Adams or Bangles or Peter Cetera or Air Supply or Richard Marx (if they're mainstream). The "pseudo-rocker" crowd might list Journey, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler, Meatloaf, or Heart, while the "real" rockers might go for Def Leppard, INXS, U2, The Cure, Scorpions, Cheap Trick, REM. The really alternative ones might go for The Smiths or Billy Idol or Leonard Cohen or Fiction Factory or Cutting Crew or David Bowie or Echo & The Bunnyman or ... let's face it, we wouldn't have known them anyway.

#BoTB Results: Tribute to David Bowie

This was as close to a shut-out (or is it blow-out? I can never keep them straight) as my Battles have come... Nirvana won 15 to 2.

Nirvana (15)

Lee

Debbie

Dixie

Mike

Mary

Michele

Stephen

Kim

Donna

Jeffrey

John

Janie

Robin

Madilyn

Cherdo

Midge Ure (2)

Birgit

FAE

Not that my vote would matter at this point, but... Yeah, I vote for Nirvana, too. I love Midge's version, but — like so many pointed out in the comments — Nirvana's has an emotional significance (and content) that's hard to match.

Thanks, everyone, for coming by to vote and comment, and my apologies for the late post with the results. I'm finally back in Dushi Kòrsou, happy to be home (and in good-wifi land :D ). I've missed you all.

#BoTB : Goodbye, David Bowie

Can you hear me, Major Tom? 
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?

A legend has left us behind. This is my mediocre way of paying tribute to a genius that changed the face of music with a career that spanned half a century.

In Bowie's own words (1997):

"That song for me always exemplified kind of how you feel when you're young, when you know that there's a piece of yourself that you haven't really put together yet. You have this great searching, this great need to find out who you really are."

Great, great song.

No New Year's Like Curaçao's, #BoTB Results, Lost & Found, Etc.

Even if this battle wasn't too popular (only 13 votes), it was still very close.

Karen Souza: 6

Dixie

Mary

Stephen

John

Janie

Jeffrey

Aslan: 7

Michele

Mike

Birgit

Elliptical Man

Susan

Lee

Robin

Which brings us to my vote. I'm tempted to make this a tie... I really do like Karen's version and listen to it often, while Aslan's I'd never heard of until I found it for this Battle. And yet... Aslan really did blow me away. I think it was Robin who said their version was somehow sadder and more hopeful all at the same time — yes. Yes. There's something about that version that hits the spot for me in a way that Karen's, as interesting at it is musically, does not.

So. I vote for Aslan.

Huge gratitude to everyone that took time off from a busy start-of-the-year schedule to come by and vote (or just say hi) — loved seeing you here. I'm painfully behind on returning blog visits and in blogging generally, but I'll catch up in the next few days. Promise :)

You know that bit from the opening of The Miracle of Small Things,

"There's no stillness like the stillness of Curaçao on New Year's Day. Pointless tropical sun on deserted asphalt, every business shuttered, everything forlorn. Not even trash stirs: the wind is on furlough too. There's also no New Year's Eve like Curaçao's, which explains the stillness."

These are some of the reasons why.

Yes, January 1st is a quiet, quiet day. 

Speaking of 1sts, the sign-up for the Lost & Found hop on Feb 1st is going on FIFTY participants since the linky went up on Monday. Which is great — yay! But I've also noticed a few people who disqualify themselves from participating because they feel they've been unlucky in love, and that is not good.

So let's get something clear: this is a hop as much about being in love as out of it. As much about the presence as about the absence. And — this is important, so I need your undivided attention — it's about love in general, so not only of the romantic kind.

Listen, it's okay if you don't want to participate. But don't think you can't participate because love hasn't treated you right recently (or, you know, ever). This is your chance to get back at it. Let your creativity loose and tell us just how dimwitted the lovelorn look to the innocent bystander. Tell us about that awkward sense of relief when a bad relationship is, finally, over. Or go wild and tell us about that weirdo who's in love with his car. (No, don't look at me like that. Stephen King built a career on that one; why not you?)

Seriously. This is a hop meant to gather, prism-like, all the different aspects of that "crazy little thing", and all the weird stuff we'll do for it (or to avoid it). Your contribution, in whatever form it comes, will be unique — and, because of that, will add something important.

Okay, passionate plea is over. As you were.

New Year's Day (#BoTB)

"There's no stillness like the stillness of Curaçao on New Year's Day."

So opens The Miracle of Small Things, a line reminiscent of U2's "All is quiet on New Year's Day..." No song more appropriate, then, to start off a new year of Battle of the Bands.

I wouldn't even dream of pitting the original against... well, anyone. This is a sacred song for me—for us. My dushi and I have been singing this together, at the top of our voices,  thirteen New Years in a row, sometime around 7pm—midnight in Holland, and the first New Year's "bang" here in Curaçao: fireworks, hugs, phone calls, clinking of beer bottles, general uproar—and a fairly predictable playlist, whether by DJ or live band, that includes Auld Lang Syne and U2's New Year's Day.

We may not have a "world in white" here in the tropics, but...

I want to be with you, be with you

Night and day

Nothing changes on New Year's Day.

#BoTB Results: Band Aid vs USA for Africa

So sorry to be late with the results, everyone. It's been crazy days.

I'm still processing this result. Honestly, I expected USA for Africa to win by a landslide. But I'm (very, very) pleased to announce that IT DIDN'T HAPPEN:

#BoTB: The Christmas Special

If you grew up in the 80's, chances are you already have a favorite in this Battle of the Bands.

First up: 25 November 1984, Bob Geldof's Band Aid records Do They Know It's Christmas to raise funds for Ethiopia. (WARNING: tough, tough images.)

#BoTB Results: ZZ Top vs Paul Rodgers on 'I Thank You'

Wow. I was really really not expecting this. Okay, let me start by saying I'd never heard of Paul Rodgers. And, also, I love ZZ Top. Not all their stuff—I don't even know all their stuff—but... well, enough of their songs have a place on my Anthem List. And my Feel-Good List. So... yeah, I thought this would be a shut-out.

Surprise, surprise...

ZZ Top: 11 

Michele

Janie

Debbie

Birgit

John

Yolanda

Donna

Hilary

Mary

Lee

Cathy

Paul Rodgers: 10

Dixie

Jeffrey

Elliptical Man

Susan

Robin

FAE

Stephanie

Cherdo

Stephen

Mike

Yeah. Wow.

The other thing I thought was that my vote would go to ZZ Top. I love their rendition of I Thank You. Love, love, LOVE it. It makes me dance every time. It makes me happy.

But, like I said, I hadn't listened to the Paul Rodgers version. And, like I heard from many of the comments y'all left here, it blew me away.

So... My vote goes to Paul. Which makes this battle a tie. After all the see-sawing (one vote for ZZ, one vote for Paul, one vote for ZZ, two votes for Paul, two more for ZZ...), maybe this is the fairest of all possible results. But I sure hate the responsibility of making that happen. The only thing I'd have hated more would've been to be the one to break the tie. So thanks for not letting that happen :)

See y'all on the 15th! (And apologies for the late posting... Not sure what happened to yesterday. One minute it was Monday and then... it wasn't.)

Elevate Your Pitch!

Now that November is over, it's time to start editing the hell out of that NaNo manuscript. Getting rid of all the plot bunnies, the useless (yes, even if fun) tangents, the darlings and the indulgently purple prose.

And nothing helps focus on—even discover—the core of your novel like a cut-'em-to-the-bone pitch. Which is why Samantha Redstreake Geary, spectacular author and freelance writer for the music industry, has opened the Elevate Your Pitch competition.

Got a novel? Whether it's this year's NaNo project or something you've been working for longer than 30 days (and nights), you probably know that it's going to get nowhere without a brilliant elevator pitch.

What is an elevator pitch?

The way writers convey the promise of what reading their book will deliver on.
(paraphrased from Chuck Sambuchino @ WD)

He follows that with a tidbit of magic to illustrate:

"An unforgettable novel about finding a piece of yourself in someone else."
~ And The Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini

Think of the pitch as the teaser trailer to your book. You have 20 seconds to hook a potential reader; how will you do it?

The best part: for this contest, you get to do it with music (like the pros!). Sam's providing all tracks of the Elevation album on the contest page—and if these awesome pieces don't inspire you to take your pitch to the next level, nothing will.

So go for it. Take a listen to the Elevation tracks, choose one that feels right for your manuscript, polish that pitch (max 3 sentences!), and submit via the comments form. Remember to mention which of the tracks you chose, so the judges can listen to it while reading.

Speaking of judges, I'm one of them—and I'm in excellent company, with author Amy Willoughby-Burle and Really Slow Motion director Agus González-Lancharro. Contest is open from now until January 8th, and prizes include:

— For the top three favorite pitches, digital copies of the Elevation album and of The Miracle of Small Things
— One lucky overall winner will receive a gratis license to one of the Elevation tracks for use in a book trailer, and a signed paperback of The Miracle of Small Things

Sound cool? Sign up here! (And check the contest site for guidelines.)

If, for whatever reason, you're not ready to participate, you might still want to follow along; several guests and judges will be providing pitch-rocking tips while the competition runs. (And Sam's blog is totally worth following anyway, for content and visuals. And music.)