Rock Country Roads #BoTB showdown
Another month bites the dust, Kittens and Dawgs! I pulled off another year of A2Zing, an event for survivalists and I barely got through the madness. Do I have hair left? check mirror Yes….in patches! It’s a brand new month, so that means a brand new Battle of the BAnds. In March, I used the late folk singer John Denver’s hit song ‘Country Roads’ and I thought why not keep the challenge going but this time use rock covers. This is what I came up with in my quest for my competing artists.
Contestant #1 YouTuber, David DiMuzio (Noble Black). Did you know David had cosmetic surgery a few years back? Can you guess what he had done?
Contestant #2 I stumbled on this group at YouTube and after yielding very little on the Internet I stopped looking. Allow me to introduce to you the rock cover band, Vintage tijdens! Unfortunately, the video is no longer available. I removed the broken video.
How do I play BoTB? It’s really super simple!
- You VOTE. Leave your FAVORITE pick in comments, everyone is welcome to play along. There is no wrong vote, except if you DON’T vote.
- Be interactive. If you want, tell me why you like your favorite pick. (optional)
- Make me happy. Tell a friend, just share the tweet below. (optional)
You’ll find more awesome battles underway at some of these blog listed below (not everyone is doing the bi-monthly showdowns now) and if you’d like to be included in the fun, then contact Stephen requesting to be added to the list.
Angels Bark (Michele), Cherdo on the Flipside, Book Lover (Donna), The Doglady’s Den (Debbie), Your Daily Dose (Robin), Jingle Jangle Jungle (Mary), Mike’s Ramblings, Righting & Editing (Janie), STMcC Presents BoTB (Stephen, BoTB Manager), The Sound of One Hand Typing (John), & Tossing It Out (Lee).
DID YOU VOTE? If not, you can’t leave without doing this because you go WITHOUT voting, then I won’t be held responsible for what happens to your computer. Just saying is all. 😂
Next week, I’ll announce the winner in this battle showdown along with who got my vote. I hope you’ll decide to boogie with me on the dance floor with ‘songs that begin with the first letter in my/your name‘ with the Monday’s Mewsic Moves Me gang! X💋X💋, Cathy
35 Comments
Arlee Bird
Just having returned from a somewhat grueling 3 day trip to Miami for a funeral, I’m finally here to cast my vote. The second version was a bit jarring for me at the moment (though it was done well). David’s version was more like Denver’s so I found it easier for me. No idea what surgery he had done, but he gets my vote.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee,
I’m sorry to hear that you spent the last three days on a long trip and it was to a funeral. I can’t imagine such a trip! Thanks for making the time to visit and cast your vote. Get some rest, my friend!
Noble Black – 10
Vintage – 6
Debbie D.
Hi Cathy; Congratulations on completing another sucessful A to Z Challenge! 🙂 I did sort of miss participating, but not the mental fatigue part. Maybe next year…Interesting BOTB you have here, with a switch in genres. David DiMuzio’s vocals didn’t appeal to me, but I loved the grittiness of Benelux band, Vintage. Please give my vote to them. P.S. I was reading another post of yours and saw that your DH was having surgery this week. Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Cathy Kennedy
Debbie,
What an unexpected treat to find you calling on me! 🙂 Yeah, another A2Z blogfest bites the dust. Maybe, next year you’ll want to get back in on the action. It’s good to not force things, so taking off like you did is probably a good thing. It’ll make you appreciate the fun more when you to participate. DH had combo surgery today. Cateract and oil bubble removal (this was left in from retina surgery last year). Both surgeons said everything went really well. So, we’re so happy with this mews. Tomorrow, he goes for a follow-up with his retina surgeon and if things keep looking good then he may be released to return to work on Monday. Thanks for your warm wishes, my friend. This BoTB is turning out rather interesting with the swing in votes. Vintage didn’t get out of the gate for a long time and now they are closing the gap. Thanks for playing along!
Noble Black – 8
Vintage – 5
Debbie D.
I’m so glad everything went well with DH’s surgery! Also that my pick is catching up. 🙂 Wishing you a great weekend, Cathy.
John Holton
Glad I checked. I never voted in this one.
I also liked Dave DiMuzio, who played a pretty good guitar solo toward the end. Vintage were good, but this song wasn’t a good fit.
Cathy Kennedy
John,
It’s easy to miss a battle. I’ve done it on more than once. I’m glad you stopped by to vote,though. I wonder who’s going to win this? lol
Noble Black – 9
Vintage – 5
Birgit
I have to say that I surprise myself and will go with the rock group, Vintage. The first one was good but it didn’t hold my interest where the second one did and I lik d how he made this song his own. I still prefer JohnDenver am doing am always sad when I hear his name and how he died,
Cathy Kennedy
Birgit,
I prefer John Denver’s version overall covers. No one does it like him! Another vote for the underdog. 🙂
Noble Black – 9
Vintage – 6
Stephen T. McCarthy
Hello, CATHY! It’s that me!
This comment is coming to you from “The Biggest Little City (or, Disappointment) In The World”, which, unfortunately, is a far cry from country roads.
I really liked the David DiMuzio recording. Even to the point of approaching the John Denver classic. There was some really nice rhythm guitar work in that. I know this because rhythm guitar isn’t usually something that jumps out at me when listening to most songs. But DiMuzio’s playing kind of demanded my attention. He gets my vote in a “slam-dunk” manner.
As for Vintage, I’m sorry to be so negative but… in my (never) humble opinion, those guys are just poseurs. The singer can’t really sing (he’s more of a Bruce Springsteen-wannabe shouter), their entire stage demeanor (i.e., posing, with heads bobbing in unison) is older than Spinal Tap, and their recording actually sounded to me like it was really satire; almost as if they were intentionally mocking the song ‘Country Roads’.
Nevertheless, I submit a very, very enthusiastic vote for DAVID.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents ‘BATTLE OF THE BANDS’
Cathy Kennedy
Stephen,
Surely, there’s some ‘country roads’ even in your neck of the woods! 🙂 I truly appreciated your not-so-humble opinion (It’s always welcome here, my friend) and I’m glad your vote is a very enthusiastic one. David is stomping his opponent in this showdown. There’s no worry that Vintage will take the lead. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll try to scoot over to see you next. 😉
Noble Black – 8
Vintage – 4
JamericanSpice (@Jamericanspice)
I’ll have to go with David Dimuzio.
I’ve not heard this one before though.
Cool feature on both.
Have a blessed week, Cathy!
Cathy Kennedy
Colette,
Aother vote for Noble Black (David Dimuzio)!
Noble Black – 7
Vintage – 4
messymimi's meanderings
It’s odd, i was prepared to not like Vintage, but i did. It gave a completely different sound, almost a different meaning to the words. Maybe i’ve been listening to some of my kids’ music for too long!
Cathy Kennedy
Mimi,
Vintage isn’t bad. I, especially like the vocals. You’re probably right, listening to your kids mewsic will influence your eye. lol This showdown is evening out at last. Thanks for voting!
Noble Black – 6
Vintage – 4
Mike Spain
Vintage gets my vote. My friends band was in town a couple of weeks ago and they ended their show with this song dedicated to me.
Cathy Kennedy
Mike,
That’s so cool your friend’s band dedicated ‘Country Roads’ at the close of their show. Why is that? Are you a fan of John Denver’s or is West Virginia your homestate, too? Thanks for voting for Vintage. I’m heading over to see you now!
Noble Black – 6
Vintage – 3
Kimberly Robello
I like the second one, Vintage, because of the gritty voice and faster, rock sound.
Cathy Kennedy
Kimberly
The one thing I like about Vintage is their vocals. The uptempo I’m a bit unsure of at the moment but I have a few days yet to decide. Thanks for taking time to vote in my May 1st BoTB!
Noble Black – 6
Vintage – 2
Lisa
I applaud you for completing the A2Z Challenge. I would not have had that much discipline! As for the battle of the bands, I prefer Noble Black over Vintage and agree with Tom. Vintage is too punk rock and harsh. I see more raw talent in David DiMuzio’s version.
Cathy Kennedy
Lisa,
You and Tom are right, as I feel the same about Vintage’s style. My choices where limited and I’m grateful Mary showed mercy on this battle and kept from a shutout with her vote. So, it looks like I unevenly picked these bands. lol Thanks for playing along!
Noble Black – 6
Vintage – 1
Mary B
Cathy
It’s so hard to think of anything but John Denver’s version of this song. Noble Black sparked the nostalgia side of my brain, while Vintage made the other side think of the possibilities on how this might sound in other genres. I think that may be the crux of many of our battles. Do we vote for nostalgia, or do we vote for creativity? I’m going to have to be the first here to ensure you don’t have a shutout in your battle and cast my vote for Vintage Tidjens simply because I like the idea of creativity.
Great battle!
~Mary
Put On Your Big Boy/Girl Panties NSFW #BattleOfTheBands
Cathy Kennedy
Mary,
Oh, aren’t you the darlin’ to keep this battle from being a shutout. Honestly, that’s where it was headed and like you, it’s hard to veer away from nostalgia but I do like creativity. I just wish there were more band options for me to choose from but my search was quite limited.
Noble Black -5
Vintage – 1
Joyce Lansky
Before even listening, I was thinking the winner was Rock. Reality, I actually liked the first one. I’m assuming he did Jackson type surgery with the photos behind him. The second was good too, but strayed too far from John Denver. Kinda felt like he ruined a good song. You broke a string with this post!
Cathy Kennedy
Joyce,
No David didn’t have any MJ surgeries. I will wait to give others a chance to guess what kind of surgery he had before revealing the answer. I’m assuming you’re pulling the level for Black Noble in this round, right? I’m marking your vote as such unless you correct me, k? Thanks for playing!
Noble Black -5
Vintage – 0
Mia ~ Copper Cranes
Hi Cathy, I enjoyed both covers. Noble Black has my vote! Take care. ~ Mia
Cathy Kennedy
Mia,
Is this your first time visiting? I apologize if may memory is fuzzy and you have stopped by in the past. I loved that you took time to cast your vote in my newest BoTB. Have a great week and please don’t be a stranger! 😉
Noble Black – 4
Vintage – 0
Mia ~ Copper Cranes
It is my first time visiting. You’re most welcome, it’s my pleasure, Cathy. Thank you, wishing you a wonderful week as well! 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Thank you, dear Mia for letting me know. Warm wishes to you for a grand week!
Comedy Plus
Noble Black has my vote. Vintage doesn’t even come close.
I’ve enjoyed your A2Z challenge and thanks for the wonderful comment you left on by blog this morning. You made me smile.
Have a fabulous day and week. Big hugs. ♥
Cathy Kennedy
Sandee,
I’m happy I put a smile on your face. 😀 Thanks for coming by to vote today. This showdown is already lopsided!
Noble Black – 3
Vintage – 0
-Eugenia
Happy May and congrats on finishing the A to Z challenge. My vote is for Noble Black coz sounds more like the original.
Cathy Kennedy
Eugenia,
Thanks for the congrats and vote. I can hardly believe it’s May already. The year is moving fast. I’m happy that the weather is turning nice again but it’s going to be a bit too warm to suit me tomorrow & Thursday with temps forecast for the mid-80s. I’ll see ya soon!
Noble Black – 2
Vintage – 0
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
Winding down from the grueling A To Z, dear friend? It was quite a journey again this year, wasn’t it?
It can be quite jarring to hear a rock cover of a gentle country song and, although I tend to prefer mewsic with a harder edge, my ears could not get attuned to the version by the Vintage Tidjens. The lead singer sounded like Joe Cocker, which normally would be fine with me, but overall the band was too rough, too punk, for the material. It simply didn’t work as well for me as the cover by Noble Black, an artist influenced by Prince, Elton John, Van Halen, James Taylor and Billy Joel. Noble Black’s rendition was closer to the original and I definitely enjoyed it more. I vote for Noble Black!
Thank you, dear friend Cathy, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Cathy Kennedy
Tom,
The A2Z journey kept me happily busy. I loved the challenge and found it very rewarding. I certainly appreciated having you there every step, too. 🙂
It’s hard to think of John Denver’s popular folk song when you think rock n’ roll but I felt both bands did a nice job. I’m glad you kept an open mind and ear to both covers. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this turns out. I’ll be over to see you soon and thanks for casting the first vote for Noble Black!
Noble Black – 1
Vintage – 0