According to the activity on my blog, summer has officially arrived. The date is one indicator of summer as is the hotter weather. But drop-offs in blog comments might mean summer is definitely here. They might also mean something else, but I'll blame them on summer...
Some might say that blogging is dead or dying. I say it's cyclical in part. Since I don't know the status of all blogs and all bloggers, I can't really say for sure that people are losing interest in blogging. I don't think so. I'd say blogging is a phase for some while others conform the activity into some sort of lifestyle. We plunge into the blog world to either sink or swim. I've been swimming for a while now and doing a respectable job of keeping my head above the water. And I'm a lousy swimmer when it comes to the actual water activity. Otherwise I can metaphorically swim okay.
For me, blogging is writing and since I've always been inclined to write then blogging is a fine way to crank out something on a regular basis. I'm writing if for no other reason to entertain myself. The fact that my writing actually does go into a public realm means somebody might read and might enjoy. And if it is true that things on the internet stay there forever then maybe in some distant future someone will read my blog posts and think, "Wow! What a creative genius!"
Or, more likely, they will skim through my words and scratch their heads distractedly as they move on to the next arcane internet thing they can find.
For now that next thing in the story of my blog is, "What happened in my Battle of the Bands of June 15th?"
Since all of you are so fervently waiting, here is the answer...
Battle of the Bands Results
Young Lynyrd Skynyrd
My most recent Battle of the Bands installment featured Canadian artist k d lang singing the Neil Young song "Helpless" against artist Laura Cox singing the playfully anti-Neil Young anthem "Sweet Home Alabama"--it was a girl against girl contest (I think).
I like both songs and I think both artists did a tremendous job. Laura was new to me, but I've been a k d lang fan since the eighties. I went back and forth with this match--could have gone either way. But "Sweet Home" is definitely more of a pick me up rousing fun tune. And I wouldn't be the only one admiring Laura Cox's talent as well as her looks. k d has a fantastic voice in my view, but so does Laura.
I'm giving my vote to Laura Cox!
Still, though a couple of voters agreed there is a melodic similarity between the song, there was not much argument one way or another about this. An internet search yielded me nothing else to show agreement to my theory about the two songs and their similarity. Oh well, it was a thought.
Final Results
k d lang 5 votes
Laura Cox 4 votes
Next Battle on Friday July 1st
I think I'll follow Stephen T McCarthy's plan to use a summer themed Battle on that day. Sounds like a good time to do it since it will be Fourth of July weekend and all that. Personally I'm hoping we have a cold spell in the weather where I am, but I'm not going to count on that.
Both songs were excellent and the covers were fantastic. k d lang can sing the instructions for installing a water heater and make them sound beautiful, and Laura is an excellent guitar player with a nice voice. Maybe the two of them can do an album together...
ReplyDeleteJohn H, a collaborative effort between the two sounds interesting, but I doubt that it would ever happen. I agree about k d's singing. She has done some fantastic song interpretations.
DeleteLee
I think hobby blogging has waned in popularity, with so many other social media outlets (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) that possibly take a little less effort to sustain. That said, all the writers who blog that I know are still going strong. Glad to know my choice won! kd is a national treasure here in Canada. Happy Summer!
ReplyDeleteDebbie D, there are so many outlets for expression and sharing that there will always be something to attract everyone. A lot of people are on multiple platforms as well. It's a matter of how much time one wants to spend online.
DeleteI first discovered k d lang when I was touring in Canada in 1987 and bought a copy of Angel with a Lariat. I was hooked and bought most of her other albums as they came out. Her vocals are perfection.
You have a wonderful summer as well.
Lee
It's official, I'm loosing my mind! I'm soooo sorry for missing your mid-month battle. I haven't been in Blogosphere a whole lot, other than on Mondays. I try to squeeze in a few random post reads but I'm so swamped with everything. My life will eventually slow down sometime this fall.... I hope. :) Thanks for reporting, my friend. Stay indoors where it's cool!
ReplyDeleteCathy, it's okay. I don't spend much time visiting blogs either. Not that I'm so busy, but I just find other things to do.
DeleteThanks for stopping by.
Lee
Not exactly a record-setting turnout (the 'Summer Slowdown' has definitely arrived) but still the outcome was ideal. I loves me them one-vote victories!!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure my next Battle on 7/1 will be a lopsided one, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm using a song that I thought was a moderate AM radio hit, but to my surprise I've discovered that it didn't even break the Top 40. So, the band will be known by everyone but the song may be "new" to a few.
Catch ya again in about a week, Lee.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC, yes, it was a nicely balanced outcome.
DeleteI'm wondering if maybe one of my song picks will match yours on the next Battle. I'll be interested to see what you come up with next.
Lee
BOIDMAN ~
DeleteI think it's pretty safe to say that there is close to a "zero" probability that you and I will be using a similar song on July 1st. I say this based on two facts:
1) The song I'm using is semi-obscure, and...
2) the song I'm using doesn't even mention "Summer". The song is more thematic than explicit.
Nevertheless, now you've piqued my interest about what song(s) you might be using. Could 'Summertime' by Janis Joplin and/or by Mahalia Jackson be a possibility? (Just asking for "a friend" ;^)
~ D-FensDogG
We might both be surprised!
Delete