I Think I Was Wrong--Kind of (BOTB Results)

L.A. Guns (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

          Lately I've been ordering music for my brother.  When he discusses most of the groups that he likes, I'm somewhat lost since they are groups that I've never listened to.  Some of the artists such as Aerosmith, AC/DC, and Kiss I am well enough familiar with to know some extent of their catalogs of works.  Others like Dio, Warrant, and L.A, Guns I'd never heard actually played though I'd heard of them.

          My brother asked me if I like any of these artists and I told him it isn't my kind of music.  These days I don't listen to music like I used to and when I do it's often classical.  Then around the 1st and 15th of each month I listen to the song picks offered by the Battle of the Band participants.  There's a wide range of musical excursions at those times of the month.

          In recent days I've been listening to some L.A. Guns, Dio, Faster Pussycat, and Alice Cooper.  Back in the 70's I used to listen to a lot of Alice Cooper and even saw the band in concert--it was a great show.  What I've listened to recently is far better than I remember.  I guess that's why I liked them so much at one time.  The other groups were also excellent.  I've been digging listening to the digital copies of the albums that come with the CD's.

          I think what I said to my brother was wrong--I do like this kind of music.   Not that I would want to listen to this type of music all the time, but I don't mind hearing it at all and am finding many of the tunes enjoyable.

          More than once have I made a judgement call about something because of preconceived notions or not giving myself more of a chance to understand and appreciate it.  I'll still take classical music much of the time, but for now I'm listening to Alice Cooper and it sounds pretty good to me.

Battle of the Bands Results

         As many of you have noted about your own Battles since the Battle of the Bands first began over two years ago, the results can be unexpected and sometimes very surprising.  The results of my most recent Battle were just that.  I was bracing myself for a brutal shut out, but you voters kept this from happening.

         This Battle was between two Spanish language artists performing what I perhaps audaciously suggested what might be "among the most beautiful pop songs ever written".  Fortunately the song, "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos", was graciously accepted by the readers and even appreciated by most of those who voted.  

          From the outset my expectation was that the sound of the duo Sergio Dalma and Vanesa Martín would be the one that everyone would readily accept while the more Latin cumbia/reggaeton sound of Los Verduleros would be rejected.    I was sure wrong about this.  Even though Los Verduleros were pretty far off from a win, there were still enough of you who liked their style to hand them your vote and in the end give them a respectable showing.

          While I enjoy the exuberant performance and lively style of Los Verduleros, I much prefer the jazzy romantic style of the duo.  As Stephen T McCarthy pointed out, "How in the world Los Verduleros got it into their heads to perform THOSE lyrics in THAT style is way beyond me".  That was my initial reaction, though as I pondered the motivation of an artist I can see how the lyrics could be done in an upbeat styles as the group performed them.  It's not what I would prefer hearing with this song, but Los Verduleros sure make the song fun.  This group would probably be highly entertaining in concert and with music like that who's listening to the lyrics anyway?

           As you might have guessed, my preference was the performance of Sergio Dalma and Vanesa Martín.   I enjoy that jazzy style of music.  The vocal interplay between the two singers gave the song the sense of being a romantic mini-drama.  But even without the performance as a duo, I'd prefer the style in which they presented the song.

Final Vote Tally

Sergio Dalma (w/ Vanesa Martín)               28 votes

Los Verduleros                                              15 votes


More Battle of the Bands Coming Up!

        My next Battle will be appearing here on Monday February 15th.   Again I will be using a thematic approach geared toward the season.  Nothing dealing with romance or Valentine's Day this time.   However my song picks will be appropriate in their timeliness.  Oh,and the song will have nothing to do with the Academy Awards--or maybe it will in a way.  

        Another Battle of the Bands will be coming on Tuesday March 1st.   My song choice for that Battle will be offering a prediction of the future in a dual sense.  It's a song that "predicts the future" in the sense of the lyrics, but it will also offer some clues as to some of my upcoming song battles.   I've got something big planned--or at least my plans include something big.   Enigmatic enough for you?   I'll just leave it at that and leave you guessing.

BlogFest Stuff

         My hugest thanks to  Guilie Castillo-Oriard, Elizabeth Seckman,  Yolanda Renee,  Denise Covey.  and  Alex J Cavanaugh for helping to make the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition blog hop such a tremendous success.   And of course the event would have not been a success at all without all of the wonderful entries from those who participated.   What a wide range of views on the topic of "Lost and Found love" and a great assortment of stylistic approaches.   If you didn't get a chance to read all of the entries you can find the list of participants here.  

          Also let us not forget the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   In the first two weeks of sign-ups we have passed the 600 mark.   You've still got several weeks to add your link to the list, but why not do it now.   Start your posts now and you'll have your April blogging wrapped up before that month starts.   For more information visit the Blogging from A to Z Blog.   

          What was something that you pre-judged only to decide later that you were wrong about?   Is there a type of music (food, sport, literary genre, etc) that you now greatly appreciate after finding out more about it?    Are there any things that interested you in the past that you now don't particularly like?


If you're interested in being part of my Arlee's Ambassadors A to Z Challenge Team, please let me know in the comments.  Essentially this means assisting me with the A to Z Challenge by monitoring the sign-up list for bad links, etc and visiting bloggers who have signed up.  

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• Lost & Found: Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos (#BOTB)

Lost & Found: Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos (#BOTB)

       This post is my entry for the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition blog hop hosted by Guilie Castillo-Oriard, Alex J Cavanaugh, Denise Covey, Yolanda Renee, Elizabeth Seckman, and me.  Be sure to visit all of the hosts for this event.  To find the full list of participants visit the list on Tossing It Out or any of the host sites.  I'm combining my Lost & Found post with two other blogging events--The Question of the Month and Battle of the Bands.

        This month is a special one for Question of the Month – we’re joining forces with the the Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition. In honor of an upcoming Valentine’s Day, we want you to write about love lost or found. Share the highs and lows that only matters of the heart can bring. As such, our question for this month is just that:

“When have you lost or found love?”

       

     Let me answer this way: In all my years I've seen love come and go on several occasions. In some cases that love seemed more serious at the time than it really was--I guess I could say they were more like infatuations or love false alarms. A few were marriages and those were the most significant found and lost loves. I'd always thought that marriage was a forever kind of love, which in some abstract way it is, but the reality that I've experienced is that sometimes love gets a bit derailed along the marriage journey resulting in that train wreck called divorce. I'm no fan of divorce, but sometimes things break and no amount of effort can fix that which has been broken.

      I prefer love found, but love lost has had some upside in my life--especially when I consider what I've found after having lost a love.   My Tossing It Out post for the Lost & Found blog hop is not a story. If you want to read one of my stories about this then check out my post at Wrote By Rote.  Instead of a story, this post is about the impact that losing or finding love has had upon my own creativity.  Love has inspired many a person throughout the ages.   The ways that love has affected my creativity is probably similar to the ways it has affected some of you.  For my Battle of the Bands song pick I'll offer a bit of evidence that I see in the lyrics of said song.  

       On Wednesday my #IWSG post will deal with creativity with more specificity, but today I offer you a song with some lyrics that illustrate how love lost has affected me.  


Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event hosted by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.


"Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" ("My Story Between Your Fingers")

       This a song that I heard frequently on the Los Angeles Spanish rock station that I was listening to back in the 90's.   I was immediately captivated by the beautiful melody and plaintive lyrical content.  Despite my limited understanding of Spanish, I was able to grasp much of the sentiment of this song and I related to it.   This has become one of my favorite songs of all time.  In fact I'll make a bold claim that this is among the most beautiful pop songs ever written.   Considering the hit status of the song in Europe and Latin American countries I think many might concur with my statement.

        Now here's a puzzling mystery about this song.   It was written and first recorded by Italian artist Gianluca Grignani.   However when it was played on the radio I understood the artist to be the popular Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti.  In fact I liked "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" so much that I went and bought every Ramazzotti album that I could find in hopes that my song would be included on one of them.  To my disappointment the song was on none of those albums that I bought.  In my recent research I cannot find the song on any Ramazzotti recording or any indication that he had ever recorded it.  I might have said that I had misunderstood what I thought I heard on the Spanish language radio, but then I found more than one YouTube video attributing the recording to Ramazzotti.  Somewhere a confusion developed not only with me, but with many others.

          I'm offering one of these recordings--although I'm pretty sure now that this is actually Grignani's recording--for you to listen to if you are interested in the version that enthralled me so much when I first heard it.   Please don't vote on it!  I think this is the best version out there so I feel like putting it up against any other version would be unfair.   If you wish, take a listen to "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos".   If you can solve the Eros Ramazzotti mystery I'd love to hear about it.

 

This Song Is My Story Too

       Thanks to my Lost & Found Co-host Guile Castillo-Oriard here is the English translation of the lyrics of "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos":
 

I think they’re not so useless

the nights I gave you.

You’re leaving, so what?

I’m not trying to argue,

you know as well as I.

At least stay just tonight,

I promise not to touch you — are you sure?

Maybe I’ve begun to feel alone,

because I know that smile, so definitive,

that smile of yours that to me

became the gateway to your paradise

It’s said that for each man

there’s one like you.

But my place—later—you’ll fill with someone

just like me (or better, but I doubt it).

Why do you look away this time?

You ask me to stay friends.

Why friends, dammit?

A friend I forgive, but you I love.

They might seem banal, my natural instincts.

There’s something I haven’t told you yet,

That my problems, you know, are called “You”

That’s why you see me act tough,

To feel a little safer.

And if you won’t even say where I’ve failed,

remember that I’ve forgiven you, too.

Instead, you say “I’m sorry, I don’t love you,”

and leave, taking this story between your fingers.

What will you do?

Look for an excuse and go.

Because about me you shouldn’t worry,

you shouldn’t provoke me.

I’ll write you a couple of songs

doing my best to hide my emotions.

Thinking, but little, about the words,

and I’ll speak of the smile, so definitive

That smile of yours that, to me,

became the gateway to your paradise…

      

      I've said these similar things in my partings with past loves. My times of loss have become times of great creativity when I'd write poetry and songs expressing my sentiments and desires. Maybe this was an action performed too late--my sad songs and poetry never resolved my break ups. Still I tried to fix the broken relationships with words such as those of this song. My guess is that the songwriter of "Mi Historia" went through one of those losses that inspired great creativity.
     There are many interesting recordings of this song to be found on YouTube (more evidence to why I consider this song to be so great). The recordings come in a wide variety of styles. I avoided the heavy thrash metal version (which I actually like especially because a violin is included in the instrumental line-up) but I thought it best to avoid that version. If you're curious check out Titanium for a rocking version of this song.

      In this round my choices for the Battle are two live versions that are in similar performance settings, but quite different in their stylistic approaches.  

Here are your voting choices:

Sergio Dalma & Vanesa Martín "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" (2014)

        Dalma and Martín are both popular artists from Spain.  Here is a jazzed up version of "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos".  




Los Verduleros "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos"  (2013)

       This is a reggaeton/cumbia group from Paraguay.  They give the song an uptempo flavor that makes me want to get up and dance.

Time to Vote!

        Even if you don't understand what the artists are singing you can still judge whether you like the sound of a song or not. If you're visiting a Battle of the Band post for the first time then let me briefly explain.  Please give each song version a fair listen to decide which one you prefer over the other.   If you don't like either then at least tell us which recording was least innocuous to you.  This comes down to your preference and it's as easy as that.

      Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ 

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

DC Relief Battle of the Bands

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing.
  
J. A. Scott  

Quiet Laughter

Holli's Hoots and Hollers

NovelBrews

Be ReInVintaged



Results on Monday February 8th
      
        You've got a week to cast your vote, but try to do it soon so you don't forget!   On Wednesday I'll be discussing the topic of creativity a bit more as I post for this month's edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.   In that post I'll explain some of my thoughts on losing or finding love or any other circumstances that might cause our creative juices to flow.


         

#AtoZChallenge Update, but Wait!--There's More!

        The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is still over two months away from the starting date, but sign-ups and chatter are going strong.   So far in the first week the list is hovering somewhere around 500 bloggers.  No telling where this number will go in the next couple months, but you can help it grow by signing up now if you haven't done so yet and then spreading the word.

         Check out the A to Z Blog for available media sites.  We have something that should appeal to just about everyone including a Facebook page, Google +, Pinterest, Twitter, and other fun things that I'm still trying to grasp.  If you don't find your favorite online place then let us know and maybe one of the A to Z Team members can set something up.  Twitter chats will be starting up again on February 28th.  Watch the blog for details.

         We're all about outreach in trying to spread the word about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and we count on you to help us.  Be sure to not only post about A to Z on your own blog, but tweet the links to any other A to Z mentions you see and get the buzz going on your own favorite sites.   Recruit your blogging friends to join you in April.   If you know someone who's been thinking about starting a blog, help them get it going and then lead them to the April Challenge to engage these new bloggers into the community.   A to Z is all about networking so we count on the participants to let others know what's going on.

          Let's aim for another big year of blogging through the alphabet!

Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition

        If you're looking for a networking opportunity before April, have you checked out the Lost & Found blog hop?   This one is coming up on Monday February 1st (that's this coming Monday!).  So far over 70 bloggers have signed up to tell their own stories about the loves they've lost or found.  This should be interesting with a mix of all sorts of posts.   You have a story to tell so why not share it with us.   For more info and the sign-up list visit Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition.  Besides me, the hosts for this event are Guilie Castillo-Oriard, Elizabeth Seckman, Yolanda Renee, Denise Covey, and Alex J Cavanaugh.

No Excuses!

       There's always something going on in the world of blogging so none of you can say that you don't have ample opportunities to network and grow your blog.  Sign up to one of these events or any of the other myriad hops, fests, or what have you.   Visit and comment on the blogs of others.  The January slump is ending and now it's time to get back into blogging high gear.   

          What blogging events are coming up in which you will be participating?    Have you been in a bit of a blog slump lately?    What is your favorite online site for networking or just looking?

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The Boy Has Arrived (As Have My #BOTB Results)

Rain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Out of Character in California

      El Niño has stormed in with great vigor here in Southern California. Cold, cloudy, and intermittently rainy, the predicted weather phenomena is dumping much needed precipitation on the drought-stricken desert land of SoCal and forecasters are promising more to come. Let's hope this rainfall takes care of some of the water problems and Governor Jerry Brown can shut up about it. Of course like any dutiful politician Governor Moonbeam will continue spouting off about something, be it a bullet train or whatever hokum he rattles about in the months to come.

       The problem with the rain is that now that I'm shaking off my sickness acquired during the holiday break, I'm trying to avoid getting all wet and cold so now I'm waiting for a break in the rain so I can restock our empty pantries after our vacation return. Now that we're home I guess we probably should start eating in again and stop going out for food. I think we need to eat sometimes, but probably don't need to be going to fast food joints or restaurants or wherever.

     

So what else is new?

      Well, we've got that Lost & Found: Valentine's Edition Blog Hop featuring your special stories and thoughts about the subject of love come and gone.  You can click on the preceding link in order to get more info and to sign up.  Or you can click on the badge in my sidebar.  We're getting good participation so far and I think we're going to get some excellent entries.  It happens on February 1st and if you do the Battle of the Bands on that day don't worry:  You can combine the two events with a song expressing the topic--so far a few of us will be doing just that.

     

         On January 15 I'll be joining in the Backstage Blogathon which will also coincide with a Battle of the Bands post. If you're a film buff you will definitely want to check this out. Click the badge in my sidebar for details.

Battle of the Bands!  Battle of the Bands!

        I've already mentioned it twice in this post so I might as well do it again.  After all today is the day when the winner of my most recent Battle is to be announced.   This Battle was a good one to start the new year--"What's New" was the song and the competing artists were Artie Shaw with Helen Forrest on vocals against the Nelson Riddle Orchestra featuring Linda Ronstadt on vocals. 

        The outcome of this Battle actually surprised me.  Since Linda Ronstadt was the more contemporary choice and most likely had the greater name recognition I figured her version to be the shoo-in.  Boy, was I off on that forecast!   

        As for my own vote I really wavered on my favorite as I love both of these versions.   It's hard to beat that big band sound of Artie Shaw to my ears and Helen Forrest does a splendid job with the vocals.  Though some voters found Ronstadt's version to be too slow, boring, and sad, I think she puts a sense of drama depicting a wistful conversational tone to what she is singing which to me is very appropriate for the melancholy sentiment of the song.  Nelson Riddle's orchestral arrangement is lush and dripping with sentimentality.  I really like what they do with the song.

         For me it was a tough choice, but in the end I'm going to go with the majority and choose the multifaceted arrangement of Artie Shaw's big band.  I hear the audience noise in the background of the recording and realize it was done live.  I wish I could go back in time to be there.  Great stuff!

Final Vote Tally

Artie Shaw with Helen Forrest              17 votes

Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle      11 votes

       How's the weather where you are?   Do you usually eat home-cooked meals or take-out?    Were you surprised about the outcome of this Battle?

        Next Battle of the Bands post will appear on January 15th!  Hey, that's next Friday!

Mid-Week Mish Mash for #IWSG

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

         I'm not going to start off the new year talking about any of my insecurities as there are bigger things for the #IWSG with the announcement of the story picks for the new #IWSG short story anthology.   The winners have plenty to feel secure about in being included in what will be an outstanding collection of stories.  For details be sure to visit Alex J Cavanaugh and get your copy of the book today.

Lost & Found:  Valentine's Edition Blog Hop

     Sign ups started on Monday and have been going well.  This should be a fun event with a lot of interesting and varied entries.   You've got until the end of the month to sign up for Lost & Found which will happen on February 1st.  

     If you haven't signed up yet, here is another opportunity:

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Battle of the Bands

      My current Battle of the Bands contest is still open for voting.  For those who might not be familiar with Battle of the Bands or have not voted in my current Battle, be sure to stop by my What's New post and vote for your favorite song version.  Read about Battle of the Bands at the blog of Stephen T McCarthy.   The winner of my Battle will be announced this coming Friday January 8th.

Our Old Friend A to Z Coming Soon

     Another Blogging from A to Z Challenge is coming in April and sign-ups will open on January 25th.   Have you started getting posts ready yet?    Visit the A to Z Challenge Blog tomorrow (Thursday January 7th) for some helpful tips from A to Z veteran Jolie Du Pre.

        What big things do you have in store for 2016?   Did you submit a story to the #IWSG anthology?     Will you join us for the Lost & Found Blog Hop?

Lost & Found Blogfest & The Question of the Month

       After the Question of the Month for January 2016, I'll be announcing a brand new blogfest coming on February 1st.  Don't forget to keep on reading to the end and be sure to sign up for the special Valentine's themed event we've got planned for you!

The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants. 

In honor of the new year, this month’s question is:

What are some new year’s resolutions you’ve had in the past?

      I've never been much of one to make New Year's resolutions.  A few times in the past, in order to be in the spirit of the season, I might have said something about a resolution to someone else, but I can't recall specifically whether I did or not.  Likewise I don't remember ever putting any resolutions down in writing for my own reference.   If I ever did, it would have been something to do with health, finances, personal accomplishments, or improved habits--the usual cliched stuff.  Not necessarily bad, but usually another failure of my own initiative.

      Making resolutions is not a bad thing by any means and I admire those who keep up with them even if they are not fully realized in the end.  And the way I see it, if I were going to make resolutions I'd probably keep them to myself anyway so that others would not hold me accountable to them and see me in a lesser light if I didn't follow them through.

       There's enough that I have to account for without adding a New Year's Resolution to the mix.

And now...BIG NEWS!

Coming on Monday February 1st!!

Lost & Found:  Valentine's Edition

       Do you remember  that special feeling of love found?   And who hasn't experienced the emotional experience of love lost?  Some of you might have even lost a love only to find that person later for another go around.

         Tell your story about love lost or found in our special Valentine's blogfest.   Your post can be a short fiction, an essay, poetry, or even a song--let your imagination run free.   Any genre is fair game, be it romance, historical fiction, memoir, or even science fiction.   After all there are no limitations when it comes to love.

          This special blogging event was inspired by a collaboration between myself and Guilie Castillo-Oriard.   Joining us will be Elizabeth Seckman,  Yolanda Renee,  Denise Covey.  and  Alex J Cavanaugh.   Don't be left out!   Sign up to participate by adding your link to the list below.

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       A note for Battle of the Bands participants--Guilie and I will be posting our BOTB offering as a tie-in with the romance blog fest.  We will be using songs that tie in with the Lost and Found Love Theme and incorporating our song picks into that theme.   We invite other BOTB participants to join us by doing the same.

     For those who might not be familiar with Battle of the Bands or have not voted in my current Battle, be sure to stop by my What's New post and vote for your favorite song version.  Read about Battle of the Bands at the blog of Stephen T McCarthy.  

       Guilie has prepared the following badges and banners for you to use if you are participating in the Lost & Found blog fest.  Please add them to your site if you are joining us.