Week 3 (June 8)

[Author's Note: [Author’s note: If this is your first time visiting the UMC blog, you might want to check out the INTRODUCTION first.]

And the winner is…

6one9!

Congratulations.

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Thanks to all the bands who played and all the people who ventured out. It was another great turnout for the Ultimate Music Challenge at DreamCatcher lounge in Viejas. Props to all the bands for bringing their people.

The judges had an extremely difficult time selecting a winner this week. And the reason is because there weren’t any tribute bands to whom we could just hand over the victory. Our only choices were boring old variety cover bands and we judges just didn’t know what to do.

HA! But I kid the TCBT’s

All joking aside, I have to say, the caliber of bands to this point has been truly impressive, and last night was no exception. It actually kind of sucks for the judges because we don’t have anyone to bag on, which is, to be totally honest, the best part about being a judge.

WEEK 2 (June 1, 2008)

[Author’s note: If this is your first time visiting the UMC blog, you might want to check out the INTRODUCTION first.]

And the winner is…

Alice and the Cooper Gang!

Congratulations you sickos!




 

Ok, so another good turnout for the UMC Deuce. I’d say, compared to this time last year, we had at least 1/3 more people. Also, a new feature this week was DJ Mac, who played a mostly solid set between each band (although one has to wonder about his decision to put Vanilla Ice into the mix).

We had 5 bands playing tonight: Mario Escovedo Experience (also known as MEX), Alice and the Cooper Gang, The King Bees, The Pop Rox, and Good Mojo.

WEEK 1 – (MAY 25, 2008)

(Author’s Note: if this is your first visit to the UMC interactive blog you might want to read our INTRODUCTION first)




 

Welcome to the first week of Ultimate Music Challenge 2. There were five bands who played the debut: The Stilettos, Help!, Mercy House, Atomic Cowboys, and Loss of Control.

And the Winner is…

Help!

So Week One of UMC2 was a success. It was standing room only and the bands were, mostly, great. There was a lot of quality rocking going on up that stage, and I’m not just saying that to be polite.

The Stilettos opened the night with their brand of rawk-a-billy (that’s raw rock-a-billy with a ‘tude) and slammed a nearly flawless, technically excellent (tech-cellent?) set including two from the Stray Cats repertoire.

INTRODUCTION

Hello, and welcome to Viejas’ Ultimate Music Challenge interactive blog-diggity. My name is Edwin Decker and I am one of the judges. Every Monday, after each round, I will post comments about the bands which played in that round, reasons why we voted the way we did, and other general information and analysis of how the night progressed. The purpose of this blog is for the bands, the fans, and the judges to have a place to express opinions, talk some smack, and squeeze out a few sour grapes when necessary. That’s why we call it interactive. So please don’t hesitate to drop some comments on us. You can also use this forum to ask general questions about judging, booking, and when to double-down in blackjack.

JUST KIDDING!

It’s just a joke, don’t get your undies all in a bunch

GOTCHA

Um, so, guess what? Last night? It wasn’t my birthday. My birthday is actually May 2. Basically, you’ve been punked.

Before you try to put my head in a guillotine, allow me to explain.

About 4 days ago, unbeknownst to me, DJ Mac had announced on the blog that my birthday was August 3^rd. I don’t know where he got that from. (yo, Kirk, where did you hear that anyway?) All I know is, when I returned to the blog after being away from a few days, I saw his post, plus a bunch of subsequent posts wishing me a happy birthday. At first I thought, hmm, that’s weird, it’s not my birthday or anything, I better let them know. So, I started writing a reply, basically saying, “Thanks for the birthday wishes everybody, but it’s not my birthday.”

I was just about to hit the “submit” button – with my hand literally poised on the mouse ready to click – when all of the sudden I paused. Hmm, I thought. I wonder what would happen if I just, you know, let everyone continue believing it’s my birthday.

I thought, well that could be fun. It would be a funny prank AND I’d get to have two birthdays this year. I figured, no big deal. A few people will slap me on the back and say, “Happy birthday,” and somebody would give me a card and then on Monday, today, I would mention that you had been punked, and we’d have a good laugh and that’d be it.

What I did not expect was for Patti to make me a birthday party hat, or MC Michelle to get on stage and announce it on the microphone, or everybody in the joint to wish me a happy birthday at one point or another, including people I never met before, and while I did expect a card from Shaaron and friends, I had no idea it to be 10 feet wide, and signed by a million people and, I guess what I’m saying is, I never realized that you all were going to give me the best second birthday a person could ever have, and that you would all made me feel like a birthday princess because, man oh man, did this prank take ever on a life of its own — which I never meant to happen, but which, I guess, on another level, makes it even funnier that it did.

In my defense, I did make sure to buy back anybody a round that bought me one, and then some. And I promise to pay Shaaron and Patti back for the giant card, which must’ve cost 90 bucks or something

Anyway, so that’s it – you’ve been punked. I hope you take it in the spirit for which it was intended, but mostly, I want to thank you all for giving me, by far, the greatest second birthday a person could ever have. You have made me the happiest princess in the whole wide world.

Princess Ed