First, let us take a moment to honor America, by the singing of our National Anthem by 5-time Grammy Award-winner and pop super-star, Christina Aguilera:
Another quick reminder, that My Voice Music's Annual Benefit Concert is just days away! If you'd like to enjoy some great music, spirits, and good people all the while benefiting a great cause in our local community, don't hesitate! Get your tickets today because they online pre-order closes tomorrow (Thursday).
Also, a reminder of the UP Happy Hour event next week -- you definitely want to check that out:
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| UP Happy Hour at the Spirit of 77, stop on by next Thursday (June 5) |
The World Conference Championship has a match-up between two folks who have each had rather impressive runs in this year's Tournament, becoming the first 13-seeds to win Regional Championships: 13) Emily Wizola and 13) Andrew Salzman.
First up, hailing from the Boston but playing from somewhere in China, the 2014 World Men's Regional Champion: Andrew Salzman....
Of course, if given the reigns to decide intro music, I went with Boston for the Boston guy, and what better song than "More Than A Feeling"?? ....and, with his pick, he is going to select....
Van Halen : The Greatest Musical Act
I must admit I was confused by the judging in the last round. Based on previous rounds and your comments on our submissions, I'd assumed that judging was based on the quality of the answer, as opposed to what the answer actually was. Now, of course, I realize that was wrong, which makes this slightly tricky. How am I to guess what you consider to be greatest band ever (or at least a better band than my opponent selects)? And even if I just go on my opinion and hope that's good enough, this is still almost impossible to answer. Pick anything contemporary, and the choice could turn awful by their next album. Choose something older, and it looks cliche. This is a long winded way of saying that my current favorite non-metal/hardcore band that best fits a 'greatest' description is Van Halen. And Van Halen = Diamond Dave, none of that Van Hagar stuff. If I'm going down after this magical run, then so be it. But if this doesn't get your blood going, you're cold blooded.
Van Halen -- great classic pick. One of the world's most selling bands of all time, an icon of American hair-band rock of the late '70s-'80s, and a true staple of their genre. Call me a pop devourer, but "Jump" is one of my favorite songs to rock out to. I don't know a ton of Van Halen songs but "Jump" is a classic. For those of you who remember the Mario Bros. movie from way back when, I remember "Jump" from that soundtrack.
I can see how the game-play could be confusing, but, in principle, it didn't vary too much. The first go-around was, undoubtedly, more open-ended -- as there are probably thousands of things that are annoying and many of them universally so; whereas once we got into actors, well, there may not be a "right or wrong" answer, but there certainly are "right-er" answers, haha. I thought that was more clear than others, perhaps, since the basis of the question was who was the greatest actor ever -- ya know, there is some hierarchy of names that should be at the top. However, I can be persuaded.
Music aside, my favorite aspect of Van Halen was their pioneering of the rider as part of their contract with the venue that they were performing at. Contrary to popular belief, the part of the rider about M&M candies was not them being flexing their clout and being colossal jerks, but, rather, was an easy cue -- to them -- on whether or not the other critical aspects of the rider had been fulfilled. While I've never been to a Van Halen concert, I have heard that they are WILD shows, and so anytime that you have wild performances with the equipment that they have and the energy/electricity that goes into it, there are a lot of safety elements that need to be in place. Having the ridiculousness of the M&M's sans brown (or only green, I forget) was a clear way for them to know whether or not the other requirements were likely to have been fulfilled. That's just good sense.
However, contemporary artists have taken the rider and abused it for their own diva needs and wishes. But, props to Van Halen for doing it for the right reasons. Getting electrocuted: ain't nobody got time for that.
Good solid pick. We're going to take a quick break before continuing on with today's action and seeing what the World Women's Champion, Emily Wizola, will counter Van Halen with. But first a message from some good people:
And now, to make her claim for the World Conference Championship, the 2014 World Women's Regional Champion: Emily Wizola...
She should really be rolling in on those dubs.....no chrome on the wheel, she's a grown up for real.... And, with her selection, for the Greatest Musician Ever, she is going to go with.....
Johnny Cash, the Man in Black : The Greatest Musician Ever
I know this is a little risky since you specifically said you are not too big in to country, however I think he spanned many styles and genres over his career. The vulnerability, honesty and grit in his music are undeniable. He was able to captivate audiences across time with just a guitar and raw emotion. Although, I suppose the prisoners at Folsom Prison had no choice but to be a captive audience. He persevered to record music despite serious mental health, physical health, and addiction issues, and he recorded right up until his final days. I would also like to think he would have a sense of humor about himself hanging out and watching Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Very good pick. I probably should have clarified that by not being a big fan of "country" I should gave the qualifier of "contemporary country" -- Johnny Cash is all good in my book. The thing that is great about Johnny Cash is his versatility and originality. There is no one else quite like Johnny Cash; and there likely never will be.
In terms of his versatility, I never really knew just how much he could do until he started doing covers of songs from artists of the late 20th century towards the end of his life. He proved that he was able to do folk and country incredibly well, that he could do gospel, and cross-overs, but when he started covering Depeche Mode and NIN, that was when he took his game to a new level. And he didn't take crap from anybody.
Another thing that I really like about Johnny Cash is that he gave me a solid example to give when I hate on Trent Reznor and NIN: never has there been a NIN cover song to where someone said that the Trent Reznor rendition was better; that doesn't happen. He should stick to just writing songs, because, clearly, the content is there for it to be amazing .... but NIN can never get it to that level. I am a hater. I like it when people give me a reason to hate on things.
Although, with "Hurt", Johnny Cash straight-up owned it. It is the perfect "life reflection" song that was made even more powerful because of how it was sung by Johnny Cash and the fact that the man had seen some real struggles in life. For a dying man, it was the perfect song.
While it's been a good run for Andrew this month, I am going to side with Johnny Cash on this match-up, simply because of what he had accomplished in his career, as well as the depth and diversity of his music. His covering of more contemporary songs, I feel, goes to show just how wide-ranging he truly was. It was a good run, though.
####
And there we have it!! The World Conference Champion is set for Saturday and now awaits the winner of the Portland Conference Champion tomorrow night!! An incredible journey it has been, for sure! Two days left to go in Tournament action before we crown the 2014 Champion of Champions!
-Ryan.
Commissioner
May Mayhem Tournament of Champions
I must admit I was confused by the judging in the last round. Based on previous rounds and your comments on our submissions, I'd assumed that judging was based on the quality of the answer, as opposed to what the answer actually was. Now, of course, I realize that was wrong, which makes this slightly tricky. How am I to guess what you consider to be greatest band ever (or at least a better band than my opponent selects)? And even if I just go on my opinion and hope that's good enough, this is still almost impossible to answer. Pick anything contemporary, and the choice could turn awful by their next album. Choose something older, and it looks cliche. This is a long winded way of saying that my current favorite non-metal/hardcore band that best fits a 'greatest' description is Van Halen. And Van Halen = Diamond Dave, none of that Van Hagar stuff. If I'm going down after this magical run, then so be it. But if this doesn't get your blood going, you're cold blooded.
Van Halen -- great classic pick. One of the world's most selling bands of all time, an icon of American hair-band rock of the late '70s-'80s, and a true staple of their genre. Call me a pop devourer, but "Jump" is one of my favorite songs to rock out to. I don't know a ton of Van Halen songs but "Jump" is a classic. For those of you who remember the Mario Bros. movie from way back when, I remember "Jump" from that soundtrack.
I can see how the game-play could be confusing, but, in principle, it didn't vary too much. The first go-around was, undoubtedly, more open-ended -- as there are probably thousands of things that are annoying and many of them universally so; whereas once we got into actors, well, there may not be a "right or wrong" answer, but there certainly are "right-er" answers, haha. I thought that was more clear than others, perhaps, since the basis of the question was who was the greatest actor ever -- ya know, there is some hierarchy of names that should be at the top. However, I can be persuaded.
Music aside, my favorite aspect of Van Halen was their pioneering of the rider as part of their contract with the venue that they were performing at. Contrary to popular belief, the part of the rider about M&M candies was not them being flexing their clout and being colossal jerks, but, rather, was an easy cue -- to them -- on whether or not the other critical aspects of the rider had been fulfilled. While I've never been to a Van Halen concert, I have heard that they are WILD shows, and so anytime that you have wild performances with the equipment that they have and the energy/electricity that goes into it, there are a lot of safety elements that need to be in place. Having the ridiculousness of the M&M's sans brown (or only green, I forget) was a clear way for them to know whether or not the other requirements were likely to have been fulfilled. That's just good sense.
However, contemporary artists have taken the rider and abused it for their own diva needs and wishes. But, props to Van Halen for doing it for the right reasons. Getting electrocuted: ain't nobody got time for that.
Good solid pick. We're going to take a quick break before continuing on with today's action and seeing what the World Women's Champion, Emily Wizola, will counter Van Halen with. But first a message from some good people:
 |
| John Dudzic, LMT - Feeling achy? Tired? Sore or stiff muscles? John Dudzic is the guy to see. Not only is he a licensed massage therapist, but he is also a miracle healer. Check him out at Palaquin Massage! |
She should really be rolling in on those dubs.....no chrome on the wheel, she's a grown up for real.... And, with her selection, for the Greatest Musician Ever, she is going to go with.....
Johnny Cash, the Man in Black : The Greatest Musician Ever
I know this is a little risky since you specifically said you are not too big in to country, however I think he spanned many styles and genres over his career. The vulnerability, honesty and grit in his music are undeniable. He was able to captivate audiences across time with just a guitar and raw emotion. Although, I suppose the prisoners at Folsom Prison had no choice but to be a captive audience. He persevered to record music despite serious mental health, physical health, and addiction issues, and he recorded right up until his final days. I would also like to think he would have a sense of humor about himself hanging out and watching Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Very good pick. I probably should have clarified that by not being a big fan of "country" I should gave the qualifier of "contemporary country" -- Johnny Cash is all good in my book. The thing that is great about Johnny Cash is his versatility and originality. There is no one else quite like Johnny Cash; and there likely never will be.
In terms of his versatility, I never really knew just how much he could do until he started doing covers of songs from artists of the late 20th century towards the end of his life. He proved that he was able to do folk and country incredibly well, that he could do gospel, and cross-overs, but when he started covering Depeche Mode and NIN, that was when he took his game to a new level. And he didn't take crap from anybody.
Another thing that I really like about Johnny Cash is that he gave me a solid example to give when I hate on Trent Reznor and NIN: never has there been a NIN cover song to where someone said that the Trent Reznor rendition was better; that doesn't happen. He should stick to just writing songs, because, clearly, the content is there for it to be amazing .... but NIN can never get it to that level. I am a hater. I like it when people give me a reason to hate on things.
Although, with "Hurt", Johnny Cash straight-up owned it. It is the perfect "life reflection" song that was made even more powerful because of how it was sung by Johnny Cash and the fact that the man had seen some real struggles in life. For a dying man, it was the perfect song.
While it's been a good run for Andrew this month, I am going to side with Johnny Cash on this match-up, simply because of what he had accomplished in his career, as well as the depth and diversity of his music. His covering of more contemporary songs, I feel, goes to show just how wide-ranging he truly was. It was a good run, though.
And there we have it!! The World Conference Champion is set for Saturday and now awaits the winner of the Portland Conference Champion tomorrow night!! An incredible journey it has been, for sure! Two days left to go in Tournament action before we crown the 2014 Champion of Champions!
-Ryan.
Commissioner
May Mayhem Tournament of Champions
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