Sweet Sixteen: day 1 results

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Janos Marton

Peeps- great turnout today.  Though all four of these match-ups started off close, one by one the victors pulled away.

First, the big man, #1 Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel K.) blew a big early lead against #16 Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana), but recovered down the stretch, taking it home,  169-163.  Rainbow dropped two 10s, and Nirvana picked up three, so both songs make the Wall of 10s.

The second match-up was tight at first, but #8 Killing Me Softly (Fugees) pulled away, ending the fairy tale run for #41 Travelin’ Soldier (Dixie Chicks), 186-165.5.  Killing the Softly netted two 10s, making the Wall. Continue reading →

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Covers Tournament Round of 16: Second Half

Posted on November 15, 2011 by aiko

Vote.

One of the following excuses is true as to why I completely missed doing my post yesterday:

1.  I was totally wearing my Tuesday day-of-the-week underpants, so I had no idea it was Monday yesterday.

2. Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part I) comes out on Friday, and I was busy planning my outfit.  Go team Jacob.

3. I completely thought I was supposed to post on Thursday.

So.  Yeah.  I’m sorry.  Anyway!  On with the tournament.  We’re on to the second half of the Round of 16.  After this is the Elite Eight, and we’re in the final days of this tournament.  Listen here, and vote in the comments below by Thursday at 5:00PM PST/8:00PM EST.

Continue reading →

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Living the Dream interview with Neal Piper, fellow Living the Dream founder

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Janos Marton

On tonight’s podcast Neal Piper and I chat about his site, Living the Dream: Inspiring people to live out their dreams while making dreams possible for people around the world.  Neal has traveled all over the world in search of people living the dream in their unique ways, chatting with monks, rural African villagers and American ex-pats running NGOs.  It’s a fun conversation about the 7 billion ways to live the dream and how technology is dramatically changing the developing world.

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The Sweet 16 Begins!

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Janos Marton

Welcome to the big time, Aimee and Michael!

Once you get to this stage of the tournament, a song’s re-listenability becomes key, as rounds come at you with increasing speed.  Fortunately, we have sixteen quality tunes stepping up to the plate.

Given that the Round of 64 seedings were based on statistics, it’s remarkable how these match-ups shook out, with some nice intra-genre action. Listen here and vote by Tuesday at 11pm EST.  Then get ready to pivot, because the quarter-finals begin later this week!

First, top seeded Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole) meets another sentimental acoustic ode in #16 Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana).

Next, the much ballyhooed showdown between #8 Killing Me Softly (Fugees) and #41 Travelin’ Soldier (Dixie Chicks) pits one of the early tournament favorites against its cinderella story.

Tina Turner has been the recipient of much love this tourney, but she faces her biggest challenge yet in the equally talented Staples fam, as #29 The Weight (Staples Singers) takes on #13 Proud Mary (Ike & Tina Turner).

And then there were two.  Beatles covers, that is.  The Fab Four guarantee that their impressive run will carry at least one of their songs into the quarter-finals as #5 With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker) battles #12 Two Of Us (Aimee Mann and Michael Penn).

Pastables:

Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole) vs. Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana)

Killing Me Softly (Fugees) vs. Travelin’ Soldier (Dixie Chicks)

The Weight (Staples Singers) vs. Proud Mary (Ike & Tina Turner)

With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker) vs. Two of Us (Aimee Mann and Michael Penn)

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Covers Tournament Round of 32 Day 4: Results

Posted on November 12, 2011 by aiko

Poised to take it all?

The voters keep punk alive in this round, with wins for The Clash, Lilly Allen covering The Clash, and Joey Ramone.  Also Santana.  Which is not punk.  Although his name sounds pretty metal. Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Day 3 Results

Posted on November 11, 2011 by jacobpress

The results are in and the favorites have survived. We had one close match, three songs with average scores over seven (Valerie, Won’t Back Down and Mad World), and one song making the wall of 10’s (Won’t Back Down). Going into the sweet 16, this is going to be one tough division to get out of. Here are the final scores:

Amy Winehouse's ode to Valerie Bertinelli continues to impress voters.

Valerie beats Heartbeats 136.4 to 116.25

I Found A Reason beats Sea of Love 108.9 to 100.25

Won’t Back Down beats I Shot the Sheriff 138.35 to 126.35

Mad World beats I Wanna Hold Your Hand 133.7 to 129.6

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Fall 2011 Covers Tournament: Round of 32 Day 2 Results

Posted on November 10, 2011 by maureenmcollins

 

Joe Cocker + The Wonder Years = Happy LTD Voters!

Four more songs have claimed their spot in the Sweet 16! Not a whole lot of debate on this evening’s match ups.  A fairly respectably number of  voters (18) weighed in on this evening’s songs.  Plus, three more songs have been added to the Wall of 10s!

High score of this set goes to Joe Cocker, with a 7.93 average for “With  a Little Help from my Friends.” It defeated “Come Together” by Aerosmith, 142.7 – 126.8.  This hit, which I will always associate with The Wonder Years, also made it to the Wall of 10s, courtesy of Natalie G, Chris B, and Chris Roomba.

Next round, Joe Cocker will face “Two of Us” by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn.  This cover, from the fantastic I Am Sam soundtrack, defeated “New Speedway Boogie,” Marc Cohn’s cover of the Grateful Dead. Respective scores: 131.2 – 116.5.  “Two of Us” also posted the second highest average score of this set – 7.29.  This was certainly helped by the support from Anna Z and Mark O, who put this one onto the Wall of 10s, as well!  This should be pretty close in the Sweet 16!

Continue reading →

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Covers Tournament Round of 32: Day 4

Posted on November 10, 2011 by aiko

Punk's not dead... if you vote

We’re down to the last day of the Round of 32.  This is where it gets serious: the songs who make the cut here having officially achieved that status of being Generally Acceptable to a broad audience.  To be part of that audience, listen here (except for 99 Problems), vote in the comments below by 8:00PM EST/5:00 PM PST Saturday, November 12 (no extended voting on this one: I like to maintain the illusion that 8PM on a Saturday I might just be getting ready for a big night out, okay?) Continue reading →

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Fall 2011 Covers Tournament: Round of 32 Day 1 Results

Posted on November 10, 2011 by g-mo

In the pines? Where the sun will never shine?

Annnnnd our first four Sweet Sixteen survivors are set! No upsets, but the name of the game on these results is a struggling 1 seed and a surging contender. And some other results. Let’s review.

High score of the day goes to…. Continue reading →

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Round of 32: Day 3

Posted on November 9, 2011 by jacobpress

Welcome to the second half of the round of 32. You probably know all of today’s songs pretty well by now, so that doesn’t leave much for me to write. I could tell you how Amy Winehouse and Chan Marshall of Cat Power once considered marketing a grape-based ethanol fuel concentrate called WinePower, but that’s not true. What is true though is that all of the tunes left in the tournament are pretty decent, so it’s safe for you and your friends to listen. Votes are due Friday at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (11pm Friday). Link is here.

Two songs in one match-up? They always said I was my own worst enemy.

In our opener today, we have Amy Winehouse’s  infectious Valerie looking to continue its dominance as it faces off against upstart Jose Gonzalez, whose cover of Heartbeats has managed to gain a decent following over the last two rounds. 

Today’s contest poses a difficult dilemma for those of you who like Cat Power. Actually, it poses a dilemma for those of you who don’t like Cat Power as well. In any case, one of Chan Marshall’s covers, either Sea of Love or I Found A Reason, is moving on to the sweet sixteen whether you like it or not. Continue reading →

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