Battle of the Bands Update

The Gants (surprise first round victors)

We had our first upset in the Battle of the Bands unfolding on Dr. John's Record Shelf this week. In matchups pairing the number 2 and 15 seeds in the Northeast and Midwest brackets, the Lovin' Spoonful (2) easily knocked off the Fugs, and, from out of nowhere, the Gants (15) toppled Grand Funk Railroad.

The Lovin' Spoonful

Most remarkable about the Gants' upset was that they were pitted against "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk-- which would've seemed practically an automatic advance against virtually any competition. But "I Wonder" by the Gants just struck a chord with two of the judges on this particular evening and so the Gants move on to Round 2 (where they will be represented by a different song). The Spoonful won behind "Summer in the City" while the vanquished Fugs played "Slum Goddess." In addition to Art Vandelay and myself, our third judge was my sister Sally, via the magic of pre-recorded audio technology.

If you are a newcomer to the blog, and want to see the four regional brackets in our little competition, you can find them here, here, here, and here. In earlier action, The Byrds and Creedence Clearwater Revival already advanced. The whole competition will unfold over the next ten months, on my radio show, which can be heard at 90.9 fm if you happen to be in SW Montana.