Battle of the Bands Results - Lily Was Here

It seems when it comes to my faovurite jazz artists, I tend to draw battles one-sided. Again, this was not intentional. I honestly thought it could go either way. This battle, more than the Krall battle of weeks ago, I thought would be fair. Turns out, not so much.

First Round Picks were all thrown towards Candy Dulfer. Voters in the first round were Stephanie, Shady, Arlee and Robin.

The second round saw 75% of the votes going to sweet Candy.
Candy Dulfer Second Round - Michele, Dixie, Chrys
Silvermoon received one vote from Birgit.

The third round was entirely thrown towards Candy Dulfer once again. This time votes were received from Mike, Mary, Cathy and Kim from ReInintaged.

The final battle gave one more vote to Silvermoon, via Janie. However, the rest of the votes were captured by Candy; John, Stephen and FAE.

So without further hoopla,

the winner with a final score of 14-2 is....


Winners Circle
Congratulations to Candy Dulfer and her Sax
The following video, she assists Van Morrison on a Moondance



Top Comments

Stephanie Faris - I've heard that song before! I didn't know the name of it. I'm going to vote for #2--Candy Dulfer and David A. Stewart. The first one sounds like something you'd hear in a club and that music always seems obnoxious to me. Like an ear assault.

Arlee Bird - This was a totally new song to me. I like it! Interesting Battle. Both versions have merit to my listening sensibilities. I enjoyed the synth-jazz version by Silvermoon--the trance style is cool, but I'm not always in the mood for it. The real jazzier version by Duffer and Stewart was definitely the cooler and more musical of the two. I go with the second version.

Birgit - I give my vote to Silvermoon, I like the temp more because I never got into the sax the way it was played in the '80's-always had a tinge of sleaze to it:)

Chrys Fey - The first one was neat with the techno feel to it but a woman sax player won me over. My vote goes to Candy Dulfer.
Mary Burris - Candy and David A Stewart get my vote. I loved the smooth saxxyness.

Cathy Kennedy - This was an easy peasy pick for me. I didn't watch the videos. The first contender was too electro-technical. I wanted the jazz mood you're currently experience and Candy delivered on that.

John Holton - Candy Dulfer's version of this is classic. Because I felt that way, I wanted to hear if Silvermoon did anything different, and whether or not I liked it. Yes to the first question, no to the second. Candy Dulfer for me.

Janie Junebug - I vote for Silvermoon because their version makes me want to dance with Willy Dunne Wooters even though we don't dance.

Stephen T. McCarthy - Jazz is my favorite musical genre, but only because it begins with "J" and so does "J"effrey. The Silvermoon version started out pretty good but it became so monotonous so quickly - with that Electronica-TechnoPop sound - that by the 1:15 mark, the honeymoon was over. At the 2:22 mark, I hit the "Stop" button because I could take no more of that "repetitiously monotonous sameness".

farawayeyes - I clicked the first one off at exactly the 1:13 minute mark and I listened to the second one twice. You can guess (easily) which one I vote for.


Once again, thanks to everyone who stopped by and placed a vote.
Come back again for a new battle March 1st
Who will you vote for?
What song will I choose?
Which artists will battle it out?
Stay tuned.

Don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see who won their battles.

FAR AWAY SERIES
STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING
YOUR DAILY DOSE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
NOVEL BREWS
QUIET LAUGHTER
BE_REINVINTAGED
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS
eViL pOpTaRt

Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.

Avoiding New Project Overload

Today I'm hosting guest blogger, Stephanie Faris. She will be discussing how to avoid becoming overburdened by a new project undertaking.

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You have a great idea for a book. You’ll just sit down, start writing, and 80,000 words later, you’ll be done
Wait…80,000 words?

The idea of writing a book can seem beyond daunting at the beginning. With so many words to get to “the end,” it’s hard to imagine you’ll ever get there. If it takes six months, a year, or longer to reach the final page, is it worth it? What if you never get it published? What if you self-publish and nobody buys it?

If you’re a planner, the best way to get past those early feelings is to sit down and map out your entire book. When you see the full trajectory of your book, you’ll at least see it as accomplishable. Then set small daily goals for yourself and try to stick to them. You don’t have to write 2,000 words a day, but at least try to write 100 words. Most days you’ll write more words than 100 and soon you’ll find you’re halfway to the end.

I’m not a planner, but I downloaded Scrivener last year and I’ve found it has helped in a lot of ways. One major way is that I can’t easily see the word count on my manuscript while I’m writing. So instead of watching that number at the bottom of my screen, I just write. Occasionally I “compile” to see how far along I am and I’m always surprised by how much progress I’ve made. You may find that’s easier.

National Novel Writing Month is also a great way to make serious progress on your manuscript. You commit to writing a book during the month of November and if you succeed, you get a nice little badge for your blog. If you don’t succeed, you almost always have made significant progress on your book. Finishing is just a matter of sticking with it into the new year.

Writing a book is hard work. It’s a long-term commitment but when you finally type “the end,” it is such a huge accomplishment. Like anything in life worth doing, you’ll put in long hours and sometimes feel like you can’t continue but if you just push through, you’ll have a finished book that you can then edit, revise, and (eventually) share with the world.

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Piper Morgan Joins the Circus

By Stephanie Faris

Blurb:
Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.

Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!

Bio:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, as well as the upcoming Piper Morgan series. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.


Links:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Battle of the Bands - Lily Was Here

In the Winter months, especially in the evenings, I have a particular fondness for jazz music. I listen to more jazz,muck like how I listen to more 80's music in the Summer. Being Winter, I felt it was time for another jazzy song to battle it out. Perhaps, I will have a few more coming up down the road. I would like to be a little more versatile. Mostly, because there are so many music genres I enjoy. Any top 40 hit from the 50's through today. Jazz, Classical, Electric Strings, Comedy, well you get  the point. So I'd like to try and include a few more different selections. Songs I have always loved and wish to share. Today I have another of my favourite artists joining the battle. I won't say which of the two is my favourite, I'll let you guess. I will say this, I found both version great in their own way. How will you find them? let's find out. It's time for the...

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

The two musical contenders for this Battle of the Bands are found below.
Please listen to both and let me know which you like best.

Silvermoon


Candy Dulfer


Those are the two contenders. Ignoring the actual videos, who do you think performs the song best? I collected the two bands to battle it out, now it's your job to vote on your favourite. Please list your preferred song choice in the comments. Additionally, let me know why you feel the way you do. Voting ends on the 8th when I'll cast my vote and announce the winner in a separate posting.

Additional Questions:
Do you have seasonal music?
Were you a Lost fan?
Who can name my favourite jazz artist of all time?

If you enjoyed this Battle of the Bands feature, don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see what sort of music they are featuring. You will certainly be entertained, so click on their links below.

FAR AWAY SERIES
STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING
YOUR DAILY DOSE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
QUIET LAUGHTER
BE_REINVINTAGED
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
NOVEL BREWS
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS
eViL pOp TaRt

Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.

Battle of the Bands Results - I Got You Babe

The month of February is the shortest month of the year. Ironic then, it has started out so busy. I noticed there were a lot of blog hops taking place at the same time. It was pretty much a Battle Of The Blogs. Bloggers posting and visiting as many bloggers as they could possibly muster. I, however, decided to lay low and work on my music battle posts, mostly because I have been extremely busy myself and I'm seriously trying to work on my short story series.

The result of all this? I have been running late in my blogging and I've noticed a slight decline in visits. But never mind all that, it's time to deliver the results of my battle taking place this month, my latest Battle of the Bands. It's why you came here for, after all. And what a battle it was!

The first round was pretty decisive. Land of the Giants received a majority of the votes and started this battle off strong with a 3-1 majority.
First round picks for Land of the Giants - Arlee, Guilie & Alex
First Round picks for UB40 - Shady

The second round was more of a competition and votes for UB40 started to pick up. But with a strong lead, could UB40 catch up?
Second round picks for Land of the Giants - Nabanita & Daxie
Second round picks for UB40 - Stephanie, Robin & Michele

Starting off the third round, Land of the Giants was still in the lead by one vote. Could they maintain that lead?
Third round picks for Land of the Giants - Chrys
Third round picks for UB40 - Cathy, FAE & Stephen

In round four, UB40 took the lead. But could they hold onto it? They were only leading by one. This could go either way! (I consider that a win in my book) ;)
Fourth round picks for Land of the Giants - Birgit
Fourth round picks for UB40 - Mike, Kim, Cherdo and Jeffrey Scott

With the final score of 7-11, the winner is....


Winners Circle
Congratulations to UB40
As winners, UB40 have returned to perform one of their most well known songs.
Please enjoy, 'Red, Red, Wine'.
Is it just me, or is he actually drinking beer and not wine???



Top Comments

Arlee Bird - Offhand I guess I'd have to name "I Got You Babe" as my favorite Sonny and Cher song. They were a great duo. I used to enjoy not only their music, but their TV show--they had some great acts performing with them.

Shady Del Knight - This must be reggae day on the BOTB circuit because it is the third contest I have encountered with a reggae contestant. Didn't you offer a reggae choice in your precious contest as well? "Baby Don't Go" is my favorite Sonny & Cher single, but I also love "I Got You Babe." In this battle I found the vocals on the version by Land of the Giants to be slightly annoying, although I liked the arrangement. To answer your second question, no, I do not know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried. Do you?

Alex J. Cavanaugh - I can't hear that song without thinking of the movie Groundhog Day...

Nabanita - It has to be 'Land of the giants ' for me..it just does something to me, strange I know! I guess memories of first time having heard it has something to do with it.

Dixie@dcrelief - I'm with Shady - "Baby Don't Go' was a favorite of mine too. This is an interesting battle, Jeffrey. I liked Sonny & Cher.

Robin - As a kid I had a record player (shocking, right?). My mom would buy records at yard sales for me. So, my illustrious collection included the first two Sonny & Cher albums (Look At Us and The Wonderful World of Sonny & Cher). Both got a great deal of play on my player.

Michele Truhlik - I adore Sonny & Cher!! By the way, I'm unfamiliar with both of the bands that you presented here. Thanks for the introduction!

Cathy Kennedy - I loved your text conversation! I see you're a Groundhog Day fan. :D Isn't that such a fun movie? Now, you got me wanting to watch it. Both versions seemed a bit disconjoining to my ear. The one that messed with my brain the least is UB40, so I'm giving them my vote. What a fun battle, Jeffrey!

FAE - I got through exactly one minute of the first version. Since I'm very familiar with the UB40 version and a big reggae fan, after that one minute I knew where my vote was gonna land. Do I gotta say it out loud! BTW, I like UB40 doing this song better than Sony and Cher.

Chrys Fey - I originally thought the first one was weird with the music and the lone woman singing it but that weirdness hooked me. I'm going with Land of Giants.

Stephen T. McCarthy - Hmmm... What did I ever do to you, JEFFY? Did I ever mistreat you? So then why you wanna do me this way?! I know I'm in the minority, but I feel the '80s was nearly a complete wash-out when it came to Pop/Rock music. Ha! Tiny Tim did a cover of 'I GOT YOU, BABE' where he sang BOTH the male and female parts - he dueted with himself. But then, you know, he was Tiny Tim and he could do that stuffs.

Cherdo - Easy one this time! Love UB40! They were on my A-Z list last year, I think. Good job, blogmeister!


Once again, thanks to everyone who stopped by and placed a vote.
Come back again for a new battle March 1st
Who will you vote for?
What song will I choose?
Which artists will battle it out?
Stay tuned.

Don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see who won their battles.

FAR AWAY SERIES
STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING
YOUR DAILY DOSE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
NOVEL BREWS
QUIET LAUGHTER
BE_REINVINTAGED
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS

Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.

Superb Owl 50 Review

R.a.n.t. of month February, 2016

For some reason, there was a major game played this past weekend and yet the organizers of the game do not wish people to mention it by name. So, per their request, I will not be talking about that game. Instead, I shall be discussing a well-to-do strigiform. This Superb-Owl, much like my friend Brandon, enjoys watching TV commercials. This weekend was no exception. 'Horace', the official Jeffrey Scott Blog mascot compiled a list of his favourite commercials he saw on TV yesterday. He calls the list...

the SUPERB OWL 50 REVIEW
Below can be found the 10 most interesting from his list of 50. Per his eccentricity, he agreed to present an award to each of his selections.


The Shocking Beer Tapper Award

Shock Top: Unfiltered Talk

The Picture Imperfect Award

Skittles: Steven Tyler Skittles Art

The I Love It When A Plan Doesn't Come Together Award

Toyota: The Longest Chase

The I Love Ewe Award

Honda: A New Truck To Love

The Coolest Razor Award

Hydro: Robot Razor Battle

The This Will Give You Nightmares Award

Mountain Dew PuppyMonkeyBaby

The Admitting When You Are Wrong Award

T-Mobile: Steve Harvey

The Far Out Space Nuts Award

Avocados From Mexico

The First Date Gone Wrong Award

Hyundai: First Date

The Most Unexpected Delivery Award

Doritos: Ultrasound

Additional Questions:
Horace, Jeffrey Scott's Superb Owl Mascot, wishes to know if you ever found a commercials enjoyable to watch.
Do you agree with any of Horace's choices?
Are there any he may have missed?

I.W.S.G. (6) - Lost in Writing

Last entry, I promised I would complete editing one more chapter in my 'Writer's Block' series. It's a YA series and so the chapters are not extremely long. Truly, a manageable task. So I'm happy to report I accomplished that goal! I even got a few more ideas about the direction I want the series to take. But! I hit a road block as well.

It was nice to accomplish one task, but I realized I have many more goals which need fulfilling. It's like the series, 'Lost'. To any who followed that show as much as I did, each episode delighted and angered you. They promised to answer a question we had about the cast-aways, but in answering the question, a few more popped up. But that was smart for them to do. For me, it's what kept the series interesting. However, in the writing process, it can be annoying, frustrating and maddening. I solve one rewrite problem, only for two more to arise. It's a never ending battle.

And that is just the story itself, never mind the additional tasks I need to start trying to solve. When the story is finished, what do I do with it? Is it a good idea to publish myself on-line (I mean to my blog)? Should I find test readers? These and many others goals I need to work on.

Yes, I know I need to continue my previous goal of finishing the next chapter. Each month I should be working on that. But if I am to move forward, I need to keep working on new goals. Additionally, I need to start identifying additional questions I need answering. So from here on out, each month I'm going to continue to work on one old goal and one new goal. It's what will keep me motivated and as I answer each question or complete each goal, I'll feel less and less lost.

My Goals:
Old Goal: Finish the next chapter in my 'Writer's Block' series.
New Goal: Start compiling a list of what I need to be working on and questions I should be researching in regards to my writing and what to do with it.

My Encouragement:
You are never to old to start. Laura Ingalls Wilder was 44 when she began her writing career as a columnist. It wasn't till she was 64 her "Little House on the Prairie" books began to be published.

Questions:
Do you ever feel lost working on your writing?
Do you think posting stories online is a good thing?
Is there one question you feel every writer should ask himself?

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The Insecure Writer's Support Group posts the first Wednesday of every month. Please follow along as my fellow writers and I relate why we feel insecure, or read as we help encourage others suffering from insecurity.

Are you an insecure writer? Why not join the group? Find out more information via the group HERE.

The site is founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh - Thanks for all the support!

Battle of the Bands - I Got You Babe

For this week, I received a music suggestion from Charles Winthrop. He's a music lover and has guest blogged before. We had a quick chat last night, and I decided to include the transcribed discussion below. It essentially introduces this weeks battle.

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Jeffrey Scott: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today. Well, actually it's cold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?

Charles Winthrop: Hmmm, not hardly. But I see what you did there, quoting from the film.

JS: Busted! But never mind that. It's February 1st, and that means it's time for me to put my Battle of the Bands blog post together. (This week, I was challenged by Charles Winthrop to put together a battle from one of the songs he has been requesting.) Would you like to tell my readers which I have selected?

CW: Certainly. The song featured is the Sonny and Cher classic, 'I Got You Babe'.

JS: It's a great song, though I'm not sure I'd want to listen to it wake me up each and every day, for the rest of my life. That could get frustrating after awhile.

CW: Quite so. It is interesting to note, however, this song was number one almost 50 years ago. It's still very recognizable and has been redone many times.

JS: Which brings us back to the musical challenge. I hope you like the two cover songs I've selected.

CW: Probably not as well as I like the original.

JS: I would be surprised if you did.
*This conversation took place in text message.


BATTLE OF THE BANDS

The two musical contenders for this Battle of the Bands are found below.
Please listen to both and let me know which you like best.

Land of Giants


UB40


Those are the two contenders. Ignoring the actual videos, who do you think performs the song best? I collected the two bands to battle it out, now it's your job to vote on your favourite. Please list your preferred song choice in the comments. Additionally, let me know why you feel the way you do. Voting ends on the 8th when I'll cast my vote and announce the winner in a separate posting.

Additional Questions:
Do you like the original song from Sonny & Cher?What is your favourite Sonny and/or Cher song?
If you are a participant in the BOTB feature, do you take song requests?
If you are not a participant in the BOTB feature, is there a song you'd like me to throw in the mix?

If you enjoyed this Battle of the Bands feature, don't forget to visit the other participants in the Battle of the Band to see what sort of music they are featuring. You will certainly be entertained, so click on their links below.

FAR AWAY SERIES
STMcC PRESENTS 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
TOSSING IT OUT
JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING
YOUR DAILY DOSE
MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
CURIOUS AS A CATHY
DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS
THE DOGLADY'S DEN
CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE
ANGELS BARK
QUIET LAUGHTER
BE_REINVINTAGED
THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE
NOVEL BREWS
HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS

Are you currently in the BOTB and don't see your name in the list above? Let me know in comments and I'll include it.


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Charles Winthrop is a Washington
state writer & D.J. His interests
include music (both modern and
classical) and is a fine art connoisseur.
His articles have appeared in various
magazines including, 'Art Beautiful',
'Music of the Renaissance', and 'The Walla Walla Whistler'.