Masters Of Song Fu #3: Round 2 Challenge Voting Begins!

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We here at Quick Stop Entertainment are true lovers of music, in all its forms. We’re also quite keen on the spirit of competition, and of spurring creativity through said competition.

To that end, we launched a brand new form of creative combat here at the Stop – Masters of Song Fu.

In this age of manufactured and painfully earnest talent contests, we’ve decided to instead shine a light on the quirky, quixotic underworld of musicians that don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

Ah, but I did mention that there was a competition involved…

We invited 28 challengers to pick up the thrown-down gauntlet (You know, some spares as well). 26 Responded in time.

Like a songwriting version of Iron Chef, these 26 competitors are presented with a very specific songwriting challenge. They’ll be given one week to complete their songs – however they see fit, within the parameters set forth – after which time the entries will be uploaded to Quick Stop to be voted on by you, the readers.

In past editions of Song Fu, we’ve used these votes to eliminate Challengers as we’ve progressed from Challenge to Challenge. For this cycle, however, we’ve decided that all of the Challengers will be able to compete in every Challenge, and the Challenger with the most cumulative votes after the 3 Challenges will be the one that takes on the Master in the Final Round. So what was the first Challenge?

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ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

In light of all the doom and gloom of recent months, as financial markets crashed and winter closed in, we’re going to kick things off with a rather straightforward challenge. You can interpret this challenge however you’d like – how you do so will give people a sense of just what your songwriting personality and style is…

Your first challenge is to WRITE A HAPPY SONG.

That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 45 seconds.

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You’ll find the Round 1 songs from each of our Masters below, as well as the results of the Round 1 voting. Our masters and Challengers were then given their second Challenge…

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ROUND 2 CHALLENGE

Write a song containing *exactly* 10 unique words (this includes words such as a, and, the, etc.). You can repeat the words you choose as few or as many times as you want, but the sum total of the unique words can not be less than or more than 10.. You can write on any topic and in any style. Your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 15 seconds.

Here’s a word cloud look at what everyone chose:

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You’ll find the Round 2 songs from each of our Masters below, including the 10 words they chose for their songs. Immediately following, you’ll be able to place your votes…

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MASTERS OF SONG FU

For this edition of Song Fu, we’re bringing in 2 (well, 3, if you’re being technical) very special Masters who you’ll be going up against. Think of them as the iron chefs of Song Fu, and your ultimate challengers, as you’ll square off against one of them mano-a-mano in the Final Round:

NEIL INNES

songfu-innes.jpgIf you’re a bit puzzled but there’s a little twinge of recognition niggling at your subconscious right now, it’s probably because you already know who Neil Innes is without even realizing it.

It was during the Jurassic period (the late 60s) that Neil was a member of the legendary Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Madcap purveyors of esoteric music (Who else would revive music hall standards in the age of rock? They did it, and it worked!), their biggest hit was the deceptively poignant “I’m the Urban Spaceman.”

While firmly ensconced within the Bonzos, Neil first became acquainted (and vice-versa) with Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones while working on DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET, a children’s show whose viewers tended to skew a bit older than the intended audience. Eric, Mike, and the two Terrys went on to form MONTY PYTHON with Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The Pythons called on Neil’s musical skills numerous times over the years, particularly when producing their best-selling albums. When John Cleese decided to move on to greener pastures prior to PYTHON’s fourth series, Neil stepped into the void as a contributing writer and performer.

Not able to escape the Pythons so easily, Neil was also tapped for MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL, contributing music and a memorable performance as the annoyingly truthful minstrel of Eric Idle’s cowardly Sir Robin. Still not willing to let him get away just yet, Neil was brought in again for their follow-up film, THE LIFE OF BRIAN (wherein he outruns certain death during the colosseum debate scene).

Even while working with the Pythons, Neil continued his solo career, releasing numerous albums on his own as well as with the groups The Grimms and The World. His BBC program, INNES BOOK OF RECORDS, ran for 3 series and featured 90 original tunes. From torch song and ballad to rock and parody, the show featured an exceedingly wide range of styles.

It was during the latter-half of the 70s, however, that Neil produced his most enduring work. While collaborating with Eric Idle on the post-Python TV series RUTLAND WEEKEND TELEVISION, the two devised a brief HARD DAY’S NIGHT parody with Idle portraying a boring filmmaker (so boring the camera ran from him) and Innes providing the Beatles-esque “I Must Be in Love.” During his next hosting gig on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Idle unleashed the short film on the American public. That led to SNL’s Lorne Michaels producing a mockumentary of the mock-band, named The Rutles, for NBC. ALL YOU NEED IS CASH aired on March 22, 1978, starring Eric and Neil as one half of the “Pre-Fab Four” and featuring songs by Innes. In 1996, Innes reunited with Rutles bandmates John Halsey and Ricki Fataar to release THE RUTLES: ARCHEOLOGY, which sported 16 brand new tracks “discovered in the vaults,” a la THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY.

He recently released a new solo album, WORKS IN PROGRESS, and a brand new reunion album with the Bonzos, POUR L’AMOUR DES CHIENS. Neil continues to write and perform, and is in the process of recording his next solo album.

Official Website: www.innesbookofrecords.com
Twitter: twitter.com/NeilInnes
ROUND 1 SONG:Imitation Song (Ron Nasty’s Last Song)
ROUND 2 SONG: Unfortunately, Neil Innes had to pull out of this round due to professional commitments.

PAUL & STORM

songfu-02.jpgPaul and Storm are a comedy music duo, and they have been performing as a duo since 2004. Before that, they were one half of a cappella band Da Vinci’s Notebook for about 12 years. A Paul and Storm show is part music concert and part standup/improv comedy”“just enough of both to fit neatly in neither category. They like to engage the audience, and are known to award snack cakes and/or other prizes for good (and sometimes bad) behavior. Their show would be PERFECT as a cable special, and would make lots of money for whichever brave channel decides to air them first.

Official Website: www.paulandstorm.com
Twitter: twitter.com/paulandstorm
ROUND 1 SONG:Hippie with a Djembe
ROUND 2 SONG:Boolean Love Song” (WORDS USED: Amy, Bobby, Mary, if, then, equals, and, not, loves, happy)

GARFUNKEL & OATES

songfu-garfuneloates.jpgRiki “Garfunkel” Lindhome and Kate “Oates” Micucci make up this band, which is a mixture of acoustic folk, comedy and pure sugar. Riki has been seen in The Changeling, My Best Friend’s Girl, Pushing Daisies, Gilmore Girls and Million Dollar Baby. You can catch Kate in Scrubs, When in Rome, Four Kings, How I Met Your Mother, or in her one-woman show “Playing with Micucci” at the Steve Allen Theater.

Official Website: www.garfunkelandoates.com
Twitter: twitter.com/KateMicucci
ROUND 1 SONG:The Happy Song
ROUND 2 SONG: Unfortunately, Garfunkel & Oates had to drop out of this round for health reasons.

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In a moment, you’ll discover the details of the first challenge. First, though, here is the list of challengers:

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THE CHALLENGERS

JEFF MacDOUGALL

songfu-jeffmcdougall.jpgJeff’s stint of reigning challenger in MoSF#1 (yet ultimately losing to Master Jonathan Coulton) has won him critical acclaim from around the world. Or is it criticism from around his house? Either way, he’s back for more and hoping to balance bringing the Fu with taking out the trash.

Official Website: www.jeffmacdougall.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jeffmacdougall
ROUND 1 SONG:The Bop Bop Song
ROUND 2 SONG:Free Love” (WORDS USED: see, I, like, could, love, so, me, and, free, you)

EDRIC HALEEN

songfu-edrichaleen.jpgEdric has been writing music (off and on) for the past fifteen years. He wrote and directed a musical, The Pushcart War, based on Jean Merrill’s wonderful novel. He has written and/or arranged a number of songs for various friends – some commissioned, some as surprises. He loves acting in community theatre, and is inspired by the music of Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty – and yes, Jonathan Coulton, who in addition to writing wonderful songs, also served as a portal to finding out about the Song Fu competition.

Official Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2arBC7f-6FY
ROUND 1 SONG:(Happiness)
ROUND 2 SONG:Extreme Mad-Libs (Song Fu Edition)” (WORDS USED: adjective, pronoun, name, verb, noun, article, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection)

“BUCKETHAT” BOBBY MATHESON

songfu-buckethatbobby.jpgI’m “BucketHat” Bobby Matheson. I used to make cartoons for the internet, and sometimes still do, but mostly focus on my music right now. Lately, I’ve been getting more into recording other singer/songwriters in my little, make-shift studio than I have been recording myself. I want Masters Of Song Fu to change that. I don’t really know what genre my music would fall under. Influences range from Klezmer to folk, to punk and back, which ends up sounding more like Zydeco than anything else (who’d have guessed?). I’ve been thinking of dropping the “BucketHat” from my stagename, but fear change.

Official Website: www.buckethatbobby.randomsociety.com
Twitter: twitter.com/BucketHatBobby
ROUND 1 SONG:You Gotta Smile
ROUND 2 SONG:My Romantic Interest In You Is Dwarfed By The Amount Of Money I Will Undoubtedly Be Making Off Of This Song (“Love Why You Love Me”)” (WORDS USED: who, me, you, I, are, am, why, love, do, too)

INSANE IAN

songfu-ianbonds.jpgInsane Ian is a comedian and writer from Baltimore, Maryland who specializes in all things nerdy, both in parody and original compositions. From Sci-fi TV shows and films, to video games, to comic books – no nerdy topic escapes his sardonic (and satiric) wit. Among his peers – such as Sudden Death, the great Luke Ski, Jonathan Coulton and, of course, “Weird Al” Yankovic – he is the only artist to have written this bio, and remains at the top of that list. Currently, his song “Guitar Hero” (from his upcoming album n3rds0ngs) was the 11th most requested song on the Dr. Demento radio show in 2008. Usually for a song, I.I. surrounds himself with talented people to make himself look better… and now is no exception, as friend and producer Benjamin Stahl helps on instrumental duties.

Official Website: www.insaneian.com
ROUND 1 SONG:Happy
ROUND 2 SONG:Consortium Of Comprehension” (WORDS USED: I, did, not, quite, fully, understand, the, challenge, this, week)

JOE “COVENANT” LAMB

My name is Joe Lamb, I’ve been known online as JoeCovenant, or JoeCov, Or just Cov for the last decade or so. I’m 45 and have been performing for 40 of those years. Up until 2005 I was solely a professional actor/singer, but I am now also a Civil Servant and work for Her Majesty. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 10, but still think Bar Chords are things played in pubs. (I can’t do ’em!) I’m not too bad on the Bhodran and can pick out a tune on a keyboard when pushed”¦ really hard. I’ve always been frustrated that my ideas outdistance my abilities, so my output is always rather simplistic… But I like to think that, occasionally, synergy does its job well! This contest will be my first use of my new recording equipment… hope it doesn’t throw my limitations to the fore!

Official Website: www.mikeoldfield.net/shadowland.html
ROUND 1 SONG:What Makes You Feel Happy
ROUND 2 SONG:I Wish I Could Tell You I Love You” (WORDS USED: could, I, wish, love, can’t, know, but, you, do, tell)

MICK BORDET

songfu-mickbordet.jpgMick Bordet steadfastly insists on bouncing between and across genres at every opportunity like a hummingbird with ADD, using an eclectic collection of instruments for his sonic palette, from guitar and ukulele to theremin, yobstick and electric harmonium. Mick is a founder member of “The Lunacy Board”, Scotland’s premier progressive avant-garde skiffle duo, and cites influences as diverse as Edgard Varèse, Ivor Cutler, Conlon Nancarrow, and Roy Harper, to name but four. The duo have recently released three debut albums, including one written, recorded, and mixed within a single day. Mick’s latest project is a year-long weekly podcast set in an alternative universe as it diverges from our reality.

Official Website: mickbordet.blogspot.com
ROUND 1 SONG:Happy People
ROUND 2 SONG:What Is Wrong” (WORDS USED: doctor, what, is, wrong, with, me, you, need, some, methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylseryl-
leucylphenylalanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyl- lysylglutamylglycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanyl- valylthreonylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamyl- glutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucyl- isoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamyl- leucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolyl- leucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylglutaminyl- asparaginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanyl- alanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinyl- phenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginyl- glutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucyl- glycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalyl- phenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamyl- phenylalanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalyl- glycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalyl- prolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanyl- arginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginyl- valylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolyl- prolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginyl- glutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosyl- threonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreonyl- glycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolyl- leucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysyl- glutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucyl- glutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanylprolyl- aspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanyl- glycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanyl- isoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidyl- asparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucyl- alanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolyl- methionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine)

THE MASKED STRANGER

The Masked Stranger (a.k.a Neal John Mac Rae), is a self proclaimed noise/folk artist from Nova Scotia, Canada. Although his work has gone completely unnoticed on an official level, he has still managed to garner several fans from Australia and amoungst his close friends. The Masked Stranger project started in 2004 when Neal John recorded “The River Song”, a simple panflute tune he furiously augmented and destroyed on his computer. Since then he has created roughly 30 other distinctly more destroyed and demented tracks under the moniker of The Masked Stranger. His music has been described as “a total disregard for musical theory”, “aaaaaaaah!”, “raw and grating”, “annoying”, “Twisting is a word I want to use to describe it… Very natural and earthly”, and “disturbing and yet… strangely enjoyable”. His most well liked and most consistant piece “Rue The Red” was described by Cape Breton goregrind artist Devin Meaney as “a posessed man jigging out on the strings of his creator. Like a puppet, devouring the flesh of god. And this is exactly what it reminds me of, no joke.”. This awkward and soil laiden musician’s journeys into the abrassive and the tribal only threaten to continue.

Official Website: www.myspace.com/themaskedstranger777
ROUND 1 SONG:My Personal Eccentric Happiness
ROUND 2 SONG:The Mushroom Folk Devour The Tresspasser” (WORDS USED: mushroom, folk, oh, the, devour, tresspasser, dance, prance, punishment)

BRYCE JENSEN

Bryce Jensen has been writing songs off and on for well over twenty years, but he has rarely shared any of them beyond his friends and family.  His styles range from a capella to heavy metal with a lot of wimpy finger picking stuff in between.  Bryce took part in the recent Holiday Special edition of the Song Fu and found the constraints and deadline to be quite a rush.  He also learned that sharing his work with the world can be very rewarding.  Back for this competition because he is hooked and needs another fix, Bryce is looking forward to whatever crazy challenges lie ahead.

Official Website: www.brycejensen.com
Twitter: twitter.com/psychobman
ROUND 1 SONG:As Happy As Me
ROUND 2 SONG:You And I” (WORDS USED: like, away, need, I, run, you, me, see, love, follow)

JEFF FARDINK

Jeff began playing guitar in 2003. He wrote his first comedy song in early 2004, and later that year, he wrote a song that was actually funny and in key, unlike his earlier works.  He began playing shows after accidentally opening for a local band while passing through a bar. He continues to play because nobody has told him to stop.

Official Website: www.JeffFardink.com
ROUND 1 SONG:Let The Happiness In
ROUND 2 SONG:I Forgot The Words Blues” (WORDS USED: I, forgot, the, words, to, this, song, got, blues, yeah)

TIMOTHY RUSH

On stage I am Timmy Vendetta. I’m 18 and I live with my mom and her wife. I hope to become famous and live vicariously through a hamster.

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Official Website: www.myspace.com/tweed234
ROUND 1 SONG:The Happy Song
ROUND 2 SONG:Chanhgrila” (WORDS USED: life, love, time, is, pure, strong, dead, gone, strange, wrong)

CRABBYDAD

Crabbydad is a writer/sound designer/musician who, four years ago, was forced to leave all of his bands and musical compatriots behind in Chicago when his Old Lady got herself a proffesorin’ gig at a giant university in a tiny mid-Michigan town that’s devoid of any sort of culture, musical or otherwise. So he started recording songs with his kids and posting them on his blog for his four or five readers to hear. When he’s not recording songs about spiders and/or poop, he creates comedy, sound effects, and music for a company called Jellyvision, Inc.

Official Website: crabbydad.blogspot.com
ROUND 1 SONG:Happy (H.A.P.P.Y.)
ROUND 2 SONG:Machine” (WORDS USED: machine, serious, circuit, trouble, blood, courage, three, two, one, danger)

HANK GREEN

Hank Green never wrote a song until his eternal passion for Helen Hunt (both as an actress and a woman) started off a multi-year YouTube project in which he writes a song every other Wednesday. The songs are part of a larger project in which he and his brother discuss their lives, their world, and the community of which they are a part. Their videos have now been watched more than 20 million times. Hank’s first album, SO JOKES, was just released and is available at DFTBA.com.

Official Website: www.nerdfighters.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ecogeek
ROUND 1 SONG:The Deep Sea Anglerfish
ROUND 2 SONG:I Know” (WORDS USED: I, don’t, think, know, you, what, that, but, baby, maybe)

MIKE LOMBARDO

Mike Lombardo is a piano-playing pop-rock singer-songwriter who likes to use hyphens when describing his occupation. He has been known to write songs about just about anything, including rocks and SAW 4. When not banging on a piano, Mike spends most of his time  playing way too many video games and fighting with his roomate. Currently finishing up his degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music, he will be touring the country this summer with his band, the Mike Lombardo Trio. Feel free to go to his website and send him lots of money. Or cookies.

Official Website: www.mikelombardomusic.com
Twitter: twitter.com/mikelombardo
ROUND 1 SONG:Caroline
ROUND 2 SONG:Sandwich Girl (Lunchtime Lovestory)” (WORDS USED: lunch, cafe, sandwich, line, girl, be, mine, make, me, and)

HALLELUJAH APE

“Hallelujah Ape” is the working name for the personal musical projects of Paul Abbott. When he’s not playing bass guitar and shouting in such bands as Three Minute Margin, he’s usually fiddling with a ukulele or trying to write Manfred Mann inspired songs for films that don’t exist. Main influences are The Bonzo’s, The Beatles and Fugazi. He owns many comedy things and likes to rub his face up against them when no-one is looking. He also co-writes the British Foghorn Company blog.

Official Website: www.myspace.com/hallelujahape
Twitter: twitter.com/Pablovich
ROUND 1 SONG:Do What You Want
ROUND 2 SONG:Why” (WORDS USED: the, grim, inevitability, of, last, spoon, in, a, sink, why)

JALEPENO HABANEROS

In the far off land of Chandler, Arizona, where the rivers flow with sand and cacti, our leader and master, the Lord of Our Lady Gwynyth, guitar and microphone in hand, called for the greatest musicians in the land to assemble a rock and roll group like none other. Unfortunately, they were cut off on the road, and the Jalapeño Habañeros made it there first. With The Rogue Bohemian on saxophone and The Boxcar Bassist on bass and keyboards, the Lord was pleased. Now, they roam the streets of Chandler, playing epic songs and rocking faces, much like Bon Jovi. Unfortunately they are paid in change, and often get thrown into the street, also like Bon Jovi. Their lives have intertwined, and the era of the Jalapeño Habañeros has begun. Be prepared.

Official Website: None
ROUND 1 SONG:The Pompadour Song
ROUND 2 SONG:Let’s Not Tip It Over” (WORDS USED: we’re, gonna, rock, the, boat, let’s, not, tip, it, over)

HAZEN NESTER

Hazen Nester is a multi-platinum-selling*, award-winning**, and incredibly gifted”  songwriter.  His works have been described as “heavenly”, “complex”, and “thought-provoking” by his critics and fans.” ” Â  He has, to date, three full albums”¡, two EPs”¡”¡, and is currently working on a new collection of work§. He holds a B.S. degree§§, an MFAâ•‘, and a PhDâ•‘â•‘ and currently lives in Michigan, where he spends his days writing songs and working in the fulfilling and worthwhile sector of public-access television.  Apart from songwriting, his hobbies include cinema, golf, and the occasional role in various stage and audio productions. 🙂 [* – Lie, ** – Another lie, ”  – Bold-faced lie, ” ”  – His mom. They’re one and the same, really., “¡ – More lies, “¡”¡ – Yet another lie, § – Another lie. No, wait, actually that one’s true., §§ – In film. How appropriate., ? – Lie. What a surprise there., ?? – Do I really have to put this here?, 🙂 – That’s probably the most truthful statement in this entire document.]

Official Website: www.hazennester.com
ROUND 1 SONG:Wide-Eyed Happy
ROUND 2 SONG:A Cliche Love Song” (WORDS USED: I, love, you, don’t, leave, me, won’t, forgive, baby, but)

AUDIOMOHEL

Forged in the furnace of irony, molded with the hammer of satire, flattened on the anvil of righteousness, and cooled in the water of awesomeness, AudioMohel was thrust upon the world. Named from the lost audio transcripts of ’09, AudioMohel serves as a public-service backlash against the anti-circumcision trend sweeping the so-called “enlightened parents” crowd, AudioMohel urges their more devoted and impressionable fans to undergo the snip two or even three times. AudioMohel enjoys experimenting with new breakthrough genres like speed blues and death classical even though most of AudioMohel’s tunes reside firmly in the ethereal realm of vapor-ware. Some of AudioMohel’s members admitted to being a bit intimidated by the professed experience and actual musical talent apparently possessed by the Song Fu Masters, but finally it was decided that if the need arose, sabotage would not be out of the question. To be used as a last resort, naturally, but not out of the question.

Official Website: www.AudioMohel.com
Twitter: twitter.com/AudioMohel
ROUND 1 SONG:Parole Day
ROUND 2 SONG:Greasy Bacon” (WORDS USED: bacon, crispy, greasy, need, get, some, Canadian, making, tasty, kevin)

MOLLY LEWIS

When she’s not bluffing her way through college courses or looking passably attractive from a distance, Molly Lewis enjoys playing ukulele, microwaving marshmallow Peeps, talking to cats, and Twittering. Early last year, she wrote two original songs, “MyHope” and “Road Trip”. “MyHope” is about the inevitable day when our children will learn how to navigate the interweb and how they will LOL at our old internet presences, namely MySpace; of “Road Trip”, Molly says it’s about “that astronaut lady who went crazy and wore the diapers, you remember that?”  She has not written any songs since.  Hopefully this competition will remedy that. When Molly was in middle school, she took up the guitar. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the mandolin. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the banjo. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the ukulele has stayed. And that’s what you’re going to get, Quick Stop Entertainment: the strongest ukulele in all of Tacoma, Washington.

Official Website: www.sweetafton23.com/primer/
Twitter: twitter.com/Molly23
ROUND 1 SONG:I Pity The (Song) Fu
ROUND 2 SONG:Peep Fight” (WORDS USED: marshmallow, Peeps, toothpicks, microwave, sword, fight, stomach, put, in, the)

JUTZE SCHULT

songfu-jutzeschult.jpgJohannes “Jutze” Schult (from Germany) likes to make songs about weird stories and situations. It’s all about creating a musical scenario that is somewhat original, yet believable by some stretch of imagination. Jutze used to play drums in a heavy metal band, and then founded his own pop band where he played guitar. These days he’s mainly doing solo work for the fun of it.

Official Website: www.jutze.com
Twitter: twitter.com/schult
ROUND 1 SONG:A Mallful Of Brains
ROUND 2 SONG:God Of Bingo” (WORDS USED: bingo, Jimmi, Simpson, is, awesome, rocks, the, god, of, he)

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ROUND 2 VOTING

And now, it’s time for that all important voting. For this round, you can choose your TOP 5 FAVORITE Challenger songs. Be sure to choose carefully. Also, if you enjoy their tune, be sure to vote for our reigning Masters of Song Fu – Paul & Storm, as those votes will count when the other remasters rejoin in the next round. VOTING CLOSES AT 11:59pm EST on MONDAY, MARCH 9th.

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ROUND 2 VOTING – THE CHALLENGERS

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ROUND 2 VOTING – THE MASTERS

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ROUND 1 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

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ROUND 1 VOTING RESULTS – THE MASTERS

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If you triumph, not only will you win remarkable (and potentially off-putting) bragging rights and a clutch of fantastic mystery prizes, you will also become the proud owner of the magnificent, one-of-a-kind MASTER OF SONG FU TROPHY.

Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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Comments

110 responses to “Masters Of Song Fu #3: Round 2 Challenge Voting Begins!”

  1. Molly Avatar

    Does anyone else think it’s a little TOO convenient that Paul & Storm’s competitors were both knocked out for vague reasons?

    I suspect foul play. I suspect mob ties.

  2. Hazen Nester Avatar
    Hazen Nester

    Jeff Fardink’s entry’s a bit . . . watery-sounding. But a good entry, btw.

  3. YO! Avatar
    YO!

    MIKE LOMBARDO ROCKS!!!! VOTE FOR HIM!

  4. Logan Avatar

    ^^and that they have 100% of the votes this round? *ahem* 😛

  5. Eddie Colton Avatar
    Eddie Colton

    That just means more win for you, Molly.

    Wait a minute, aren’t YOU the most likely suspect for these “vague reasons”?

  6. Bryce Jensen Avatar

    Did Edric Haleen miss a memo?

  7. Kevin / LittleViking Avatar

    Huh. On my first visit to this post, the voting section was showing the results already with some choices bolded, as if I’d already voted. After refreshing, I got the results again with different choices in bold. Sounds like WordPress is caching more than it should be?

  8. Paradigm_Shift Avatar
    Paradigm_Shift

    What the hell is wrong with the voting?! When I submitted my vote an in-line error message was displayed. Then when the results are displayed the results show that I voted for only 1 entry – and that entry is not even one of the entries I actually voted for!!!

    I am very upset that my votes are not recorded correctly – this is just wrong. Seriously wrong!

  9. Paul and Storm Avatar

    @Molly: Pipe down, or you’re next.

  10. Mike Lombardo Avatar

    Good luck everyone. A good deal of these songs had my friends laughing their asses off. Well done!

  11. Jeff Fardink Avatar
    Jeff Fardink

    Watery sounding?!? What do you expect? I had the blues!! I was gushing tears the whole time I was recording. Its a miracle my guitar didn’t float down to the Mississippi Delta.

  12. CaptainSpam Avatar

    I honestly didn’t expect Hank Green to impress the socks off of me twice in a row. And, also to be honest, my socks are still on, which is good, because that would be really disturbing. But he still impressed me massively. This, of course, means expectations are high for round three. No pressure.

    And I am also forced to admit to being so incredibly dense as to not realize last round that CrabbyDad is Andy “Guy Towers” Poland. Given it wasn’t his voice in the last round, either, I suppose this means something more like “I didn’t read his bio all the way through, and thus I am an idiot”.

  13. BucketHatBobby Avatar
    BucketHatBobby

    I dunno, hazen. I think it’s more Muddy than Wattery.
    I can definitely hear the Waters, though. Let’s settle on some combination of the two. Muddy and Waters.

  14. sevinPackage Avatar

    Maybe it’s time to throw Paul and Storm into the sea of vote-hungry challengers, and make them fight for one of the five votes! It sounds like the only fair way to do this, considering the circumstances…

  15. Riddle Avatar
    Riddle

    this batch of songs were worth the wait! am i the only one who was oddly impressed by the Masked Stranger’s entry? but “Machine” was the “out of the ballpark” winner for me this round.

  16. Bryce Jensen Avatar

    Very good round! Great job by everyone. I’m having trouble deciding who to vote for, in a positive way!:)

  17. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    Holy crap. Did Mike Lombardo get Jonathan Coulton to sing his song this week?

  18. Karstan Avatar
    Karstan

    Yeah, Riddle, I’m with you on Masked Stranger’s entry…

  19. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    I’m completely blown away by Hank Green’s song. Instant classic – I can’t get it out of my head! I’ve already listened to it about 30 times. Go hank, go! You totally pwned this one.

  20. Ken Kopin Avatar

    There’s a word missing from your cloud. It starts with an “m” and ends in about a minute and a half. hur hur hur. 🙂

  21. Eddie Colton Avatar
    Eddie Colton

    Here is my unofficial non-entry & VideoSong-ish.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crJVOVY9kgI&fmt=18

  22. Angelastic Avatar

    I know what we need to do now that there’s only one Master: Paul vs. Storm.

  23. Eric of AudioMohel Avatar

    Crabbydad- Absolutely love the Herb Alpert vibe. Felt like jaunting off to sunny Tijuana with my helper robot.

    Mick Bordet- Was that sung in one take? What is that stuff’s street name and where can I score some?

  24. Casondra Avatar
    Casondra

    Also having trouble with the voting. (Tried in 2 different browsers in case it was a firefox issue, to no avail). Hoping it fixes soon, cause I want to vote for Hank. “I Know” is pure addiction. Definately should win.

  25. BerthaTheToaster Avatar
    BerthaTheToaster

    This is utter bobbins. First it takes three days for the voting to start and once it does I can’t vote. All I’m getting on this page is the results of the vote and nothing else, how come I can’t vote?

  26. […] over to here and vote for your favorite pseudo 70’s Punk/Rock/Death Metal/Comedy/Jam/Didn’t Exist […]

  27. BucketHatBobby Avatar

    Is the voting problem that big of a deal?
    I mean, seriously, it’s more about Fun, learning about some new musicians, getting some kickass songs, and Ken Plume’s creepy plan to have at least one song for EVERY known occasion.

  28. paul muskellench Avatar
    paul muskellench

    I vote for Crabbydad. This tune is altogether outstanding: creative, yet accessible to both adults and little people.

  29. Mike Lombardo Avatar

    @Angelastic – hahah… Paul vs. Storm. That’s funny.

    Also, I got a few questions about the guitars.. they’re all real. The solo was played by Nili Brosh (myspace.com/nilibroshband) I suffered through the rest myself… I shall stick to piano from now on.

  30. thephotoman Avatar
    thephotoman

    It won’t let me vote. I don’t know why, I even tried clearing cookies and restarting the browser.

  31. The Masked Stranger Avatar
    The Masked Stranger

    Thank you very much Karstan and Riddle, I’m glad someone enjoyed it. ^_^

  32. devin meaney Avatar

    i LEAVE ”1 vote” for the masked stranger, and ”1 vote” for bucket hat bobby matheson

  33. The Masked Stranger Avatar
    The Masked Stranger

    Bobby, I love the punk-ish vibe your tune exudes, and I love the fact that’s it’s an obvious stab at chart topping love songs. Great stuff!

  34. Fred42 Avatar
    Fred42

    @paul muskellench
    More people should make music for dwarfs and midgets!

    @mick bordet
    Serves ’em right for not specifying that words should be pronounceable in a single breath! You get a vote (in lieu of a cookie)

    Also, lol!@ Molly/Paul&Storm

  35. wrot Avatar
    wrot

    Oh, Buckethat Bobby. I only wish your song was as good as it’s name. Because, seriously, that is the best possible name for a song ever.

  36. BucketHat Bobby Avatar

    Aw, wrot. I was quite happy with my song. The 10-word thing seemed perfect to portray my simplistic, pseudo-hardcore, new-rock that seems to be dominating the radio. For future reference, What didn’t you like about it? (just trying to take everyone’s opinions into consideration.)

  37. Babins Avatar
    Babins

    Peep sword fight! that is possibly the funniest verse I’ve heard so far (at least that is funny to me).

  38. Mick Bordet Avatar

    Anybody interested in helping me out with the special “Red Nose Day” edition of Song Fu?

    I need volunteers for a choir for my song – NO singing ability required – shouting or whispering is acceptable! It’s just for one line of the chorus, so shouldn’t take too long to do.

    If you fancy it, email me at mick @ lunacyboard . com (without the spaces) and I’ll send more details.

    And no, it doesn’t contain any words lasting more than two seconds 😉

  39. cjsamms Avatar
    cjsamms

    For some reason, I can’t vote this time — like everybody else, I see. I’ll try again later in the week.

    I liked Mike Lombardo’s the best because he actually made a story out of his. I mean, shouldn’t you have to do more than just repeat the same words in the same order?

    I liked Mick Bordet’s use of a made-up word to fill his whole song.

    I liked Edric Haleen’s clever use of 10 grammar terms to create a generic love song.

    And Mask Stranger, I still love you for not following convention.

  40. cjsamms Avatar
    cjsamms

    Not sure why, but posting a comment seemed to have reset the voting page for me. So now I can vote.

  41. Jaleho Avatar

    Buckethat Bobby: Not to be harsh, but you’re asking, so…

    1. The singing seemed off key. And too punctuated. It seemed like you were trying to guess what word came next. It didn’t blend well. Basically, it SOUNDED like you were making a song with ten words, picking each word off a list you had a second before signing it. I think the words you chose were fine, but you sounded “restricted” by the limit, rather than “I only NEEDED ten words for this song to work”. I think your writing is just fine, but how it is sung leaves a lot. I’d suggest trying to do an acapella song (not necessarily for song fu, but just to experiment with using your voice as an instrument unto itself). Try reading lyrics as poetry WITHOUT music first, something. From the very first word you sand, I knew I wasn’t going to be voting for this.

    2. The music and singing sounded like they were two different keys or two different styles or something… they didn’t sound like they belonged together. Again, that very first word hit me like a rotten fruit – wrong note for the music, wrong ocatave, wrong key, too forced, something. Music alone was passable. Singing alone was passable. Together was not good.

    3. I know the words are repetitive, but the music doesn’t have to be. It sounded like the same chord played over and over – like, without the words, it could just be a six second music loop.

    You say you were trying to emulate something on the radio… but to be honest, it sounded like every middle-school demo tape I’ve ever heard. Going back to the first week, I think I’d make all these EXACT same critiques about your first song, too.

    Next song, either do a very simple vocal track or very simple music, and make the other stand on its own. Then do the same with the other part. THEN make them come together well.

  42. Jaleho Avatar

    Buckethat Bobby & Masked Stranger: Could you name three “chart topping songs” that you compared Bobby’s song to? Just so we know what you were trying to emulate. Maybe I listen to the wrong stations, but I can’t tell what bands you’re trying to capture the feeling of.

  43. James(aslanenlisted) Avatar

    Molly is fantastic I hope she takes the win!!!!!!

  44. Percephene Avatar

    Another spectacular round, I enjoyed so many of the songs here, and really felt like a lot of you really upped the ante! Very much enjoying Edric’s song, (despite the controversy 😛 ) well done!
    Can’t understand how Jeff is sitting in only 6th place though!
    My thoughts on my blog (click my name), as per last round. More detail this time, including the star rating I gave the mentioned songs. Sorry if I missed your song!

    P.S. lol Angelastic, I would love to see a Paul vs Storm round! SHOWDOWN!!!

  45. THE real Man Avatar
    THE real Man

    BOBBY IS THE MAN NO ONE CAN SING A DRUNKIN TUNE LIKE HE CAN I LOVE YOU BOBBY MARRY ME

  46. D-money Avatar
    D-money

    WOW what a mean comment to make about my man bobby i thought your song was great bob and dont mind that hater up there ill rough him up for you

  47. Drew Avatar
    Drew

    ‘I Know’ is genius…

    Also, The Mr. T Song from round 1 also genius. I just got here so I felt it needed saying.

    Awesome Songs, great jobs everyone.

  48. Jaleho Avatar

    Hey, he asked what people didn’t like about it, so I told him. He’s 1000 times better than anything I could make, but he finds himself near the bottom of the voting stack and he asks in the comments why we didn’t like it. For all I know, everyone else didn’t vote for him for totally different reasons, I was just sharing mine. Had another competitor also asked “why don’t folks like my entry” I would have given them criticism as well.

    If he wants to rank higher, telling him “you’re awesome!” won’t help him. It’s not like I posted a message about all the other entries I liked even LESS than his — but they didn’t ask for criticism.

    I’d certainly like to see Bobby (as well as all the other contestants) make the voting even harder for us. Heaven forbid we come in here and find 26 songs that are SO GOOD that choosing only five becomes a heartache. So if Booby wants to know how he can contribute to that deluge of mind-blowing songs, I’m happy to provide him with anything I think might help.

    If anything, EVERYONE who didn’t vote for Bobby should come on here and tell him why. I’d hate for him to reevaluate his music based on my opinion alone. And any other contestant who wants to rank higher should ask a similar question. Bobby really showed courage by asking, and you don’t ask if you can’t take the responses.

  49. The Masked Stranger Avatar
    The Masked Stranger

    Although I don’t agree with Jaleho’s take on Bobby’s entry, I do however agree with him in that Bobby got exactly what he asked for, criticism. Bobby himself loves constructive criticism, so I know he’ll take something positive out of that. I personally would love to hear similar criticisms from voters, both negative and positive.
    P.S. cjsamms thanks for the comment, I’ll take that as a compliment.

  50. Eddie Colton Avatar
    Eddie Colton

    That would be something if 6 billion people came on here to explain why they didn’t vote for Bobby.

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