UMC Semi-Finals, Round 2
[Author’s Note: There will be no band photos this week. My camera battery was dead last night so I was not able to snap pictures. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause].
And the winners of UMC Semi-Finals Round 2 are…
Siren’s Crush and Don’t Stop Believing:
Congratulations you ridiculously talented sum-bitches!
And so we have it, the official lineup for the UMC grand finale, in order of their scheduled appearances: Don’t Stop Believing, Rolling the Stones, Siren’s Crush and Monsters of Rock.
That’s two tribute bands versus two variety cover bands. (Gee, I wonder if that will dispel any conspiracy theories about the judges “favoring” tribute bands). Speaking of tribute groups, a sad farewell to Alice and the Cooper Gang. They are just so fun, so good; it’s tough to say goodbye. Especially since I haven’t heard “Goes to Hell” yet, which I was really hoping to hear last night. Suffice to say, I’m bummed. However, the best bands won last night, despite the fact that Don’t Stop Believing got the lowest db score.
Ahh, the mysteries of life.
(Big Toe smiles for his fans, camera)
Here are some numbers for your perusal.
Audience Applause Category (via db meter)
Siren’s Crush (118.5)
Alice and the Cooper Gang (116)
Big Toe (114.9)
Don’t Stop Believing (113.7)
Total Scores
Siren’s Crush (276)
DSB (245)
ACG (237.5)
Big Toe (184)
Judges’ Picks (minus both audience categories)
Siren’s Crush (220)
DSB (213)
ACG (190.5)
Big Toe (147)
(DSP defaces public property before gig)
The Judges’ Individual Picks (minus audience categories)
Dave Patrone
Siren’s Crush (75)
DSB (69)
ACG (57)
Big Toe (44)
Alicia Champion
Siren’s Crush (72)
DSB (72)
ACG (66)
Big Toe (59)
Ed Decker
Siren’s Crush (73)
DSB (72)
ACG (67.5)
Big Toe (44)
So it seems the judges were pretty much in line with each other, with the exception of Dave, who gave Siren’s Crush six more points than he gave DSB, and Alice a full 12 points less than DSB, which I think is evidence that Patrone is back on the pipe.
It was also nice to see the judges’ scores outrank the crowd applause for once. While everybody in the room – judges, crowd, stage crew, bar staff, security and the termites agreed – Siren’s’ snatched that victory from the other bands the way they snatch stark-raving sailors out of the sea. However, it was the judges scoring that gave Don’t Stop Believing enough points to overrule the crowd, which put them last.
The night began with Big Toe and, sorry to say, I instantly knew they had little chance against the other three heavy hitters in this competition. There was just nothing about them that separated Big Toe from your garden variety cover band. Oh sure, I’m quite certain that I was already comparing Big Toe to what I thought the other bands were going to do, as if Big Toe came on last, and all the other bands had already played, and kicked ass.
When I went back stage to take a photo, they were all still in the dressing room.
“What happened?” I asked.
They said nothing happened, that in their mind they had played a great set and did not understand from where the judges were coming .
I thought to myself, “Fair enough. That’s three against three. A tie, so who’s to say?”
Then we went outside to (try) and take a photo. While I was finagling with my camera, a fan came up to Mark (Big Toe) and said, “Those judges didn’t know what they were talking about.”
Mark and James quickly glanced at me; I think to gauge how I was going to react.
I told the fan, “Yeah man, they were idiots. Especially that Ed Decker guy. He’s an asshole.”
James (guitarist) agreed, parroting my words, “Yeah, a real asshole.”
The fan agreed as well, and then went on to say how great Big Toe had played (making the score 4-3 in Big Toe’s favor) and not to worry about the judge’ remarks.
I never told the fan that I was a judge, but I’m sure he figured it out fairly quickly and maybe felt a tad embarrassed. If so, dude, if you’re out there; it’s cool man. You stuck up for your boys. I get that.
Also, to the Big Toe fans who booed my comments, (making the score something like, 204-3 in Big Toe’s favor) that’s also cool man – you stuck up for your boys. I get that too.
However, you cannot tell me, when Don’t Stop Believing came on, that you didn’t see the gap between the two. It couldn’t have been more obvious that this was another level of musicianship. Admittedly, DSB wasn’t quite as good as the first time around (30 minutes gives musicians more time to make mistakes, and the judges more time to catch them) but what few flubs they made were just so, so, so glaringly insignificant when considering what and how they were doing what they were doing. As Alicia said, they could definitely go all the way.
(Crowd revolts, sentences ACG to death)
Then came Alice, oh Alice. What’s not to love about Alice? I really believe they had a chance at advancing, had they brought the big show.
When they played (and lost) the UMC2 finals, they brought out everything, including the guillotine, which I think is the showmanship highlight of the Alice experience. I felt that, last night, they veered away from the showmanship/props angle, instead, showcased their musical expertise, which – while raw and rockified – was a bad move being that, they were going against such hyper-polished performers as DSP and Siren’s Crush.
Whatever, ACG remains as one of my favorite all-time bands of the UMC and sincerely hope they return (though I would not blame them if they didn’t).
Finally came Siren’s Crush.
I get criticized for gushing about Siren’s Crush but guess what? I don’t care. When Siren’s Crush stops being awesome is when I will stop gushing about them. In the meantime, I will “Gush, gush, gush, slobber, slabber, slaver, froth, gush, glorify, hail, praise, gush, bluster, bellow, bloviate, rant, rave, lionize, canonize, aggrandize, kudize, pedestal-ize, gush, gush, adorn, elevate, exalt, honor, revere, worhship, venerate, gush-gush and slobber,” all over Siren’s Crush until the cows go back out.
(Siren’s vocalists wanders into crowd)
Hey Siren’s guys and gals? You are spectacular. You are divine. You are a force to be reckoned with. The other bands will not be able to defeat you. They can only hope to contain you.
Of course, the same is true of Don’t Stop Believing (gush, froth, gush), Rolling the Stones (gush, slobber, gush), and Monsters of Rock (all hail, praise, gush) as well. You are all four, behemoths in your genre and one of you is going home with 20,000 dollars, though I have no idea which . It’s gonna be close, real close.
“For all of the decent citizens you’ve enraged,
For being a brat refusing to act your age,You can go to Hell”
– Alice Cooper, “Goes To Hell”
I love this show!! I noticed that their was additional security last night, like a concert event instead of the club show! Did the massive showing for the first semis catch Viejas off guard? Not saying anything negative here. I’m diggin’ how big of a draw the UMC has become. I hope Mary and I get there early enough next Sunday to get in!
I had fun last night, with a couple of problems…I was first in line (first time EVER)and I was thrilled because I could pick any table I wanted. Not so. The ’security’ guy ushered me and my wheelchair to a table waaaay far away from the stage.Something about “keeping the aisles clear” (which was crap,because the aisles STILL had people all over them!),and I just had to fight MORE people to get to dance floor! My second complaint was the cigarette smoke was SO thick you couldnt see your hand in front of your face! Yuck! Ok, that out of the way,I had a good time. I knew Sirens Crush was going to rock the house! Dont Stop Believin’ (or DSP as Ed keeps referring to them as!) was just fabulous. I think they do Journey so incredibly well. Alice, so sorry you didnt make it..I was just beginning to LIKE Alice Cooper music because of ya! haha! See you all next Sunday! P.S. Thanks to all of you who took the time to come and talk to me: (Colleen, “Alice”, Mark, Phil..)
LOL, have no idea how the DSP thing happened. It’s fixed now, I hope.
Hey Viejas! You brought yet another amazing night of ENTERTAINMENT! Thank you!
Renee — It was a pleasure to meet you last night. I am so sad to hear you were treated in the way you were. I have several friends either in wheelchairs or using crutches and am saddened to hear that your being first in line did not afford you a table up front. Had you been further back in the line, then I would say you have the same right to whatever you can get as the rest of us, but that apparently was not the case.
I agree with you that the smoke was (and has been) a “Yuck”! It was better upstairs, but that would probably be off limits to you too, since I’ve seen no elevator to the upstairs sections. 
But the good thing? I got to meet you and we both got to experience a great night of music!!
Dave M.– I too noticed the increased security! Pretty cool huh? Shows that the success of this show is growing and growing!
Now… as for the bands….
BIGTOE: I couldn’t help but be in awe of the full sound only the three of you produced! Musicianship was good, vocals were good. I would have liked your riser to have been placed a bit more toward the center of the stage. Your placement seemed to be a bit too far stage right. A minor complaint, but wanted to see you “show-cased” a bit more. I loved your comment during the judges critiques about “dynamics”! Yep… I caught that!!
DSB (aka DSP according to Ed): Your full sound was great, but feel it would have been better had you dialed down the decibal a bit. It was just a tad too loud to where the sound was a bit distorted. Drummer dude!! You are so fun to watch play! Your dynamics while smiling the whole set, is only overshadowed by your talent. I got the feeling you were having so much fun, you were just happy to be there! You played those skins so well, yet with such great finesse during the slow song. You know your craft and play it well! The rest of the band had good audience interaction and “played” the audience well, pulling them into your music. Your “showmanship” was EXCELLENT! Great job DSB (aka DSP). Good luck in the finals.
ALICE: First of all to Mark… good that you changed clothes between band performances so we couldn’t tell you were the same person!
First song I was expecting to be slammed against my chair, but was disappointed in a flat performance. Well ok… I thought, he’s just slow to bring the energy. But that excuse didn’t hold true. Unfortunately I felt the whole set was somewhat flat with only spurts of energy. But you did bring the fans including MOR band members showing thier respect by being right up by the stage supporting you. I also would like to thank you for acknowledging your audience in the balcony. Too many of the bands forget about those of us in the nose bleed section who are shouting our support too.
SC: Awesome show and loved your creativity of coming up to the balcony during one of the songs. Don’t think we’ve ever had a band do that. And to stay in harmony when being so far removed from each other is not easy, yet you made it seem simple. Like DSB, your set would have been better dialed down a bit in loudness. Here again… small complaint. The only other negative I have is your choregraphy during the 2nd song. It seemed all over the place instead of together. Movements were not timed the same and at times one or two members were confused about where to go when. But your harmonies outshone those minor mis-steps! Stay with the harmonies though. The solos were not as strong. And the eye-candy for us ladies backing you three? Nice! The whole band’s look was professional and the guys were the perfect support for the girls. I caught a bit of your show Friday night in the V-lounge. That venue is way too small for your huge talent! Siren’s Crush deserves a big stage to match your big sound. Good Luck in the finals.
Lastly… good luck to all the bands this next Sunday! It should prove to be the toughest one yet for our illustrious, talented, knowledable, esteemed judges!!
Colleen, thank you very much for the praise and constructive criticism =)
I somehow kept going backstage to get ready with plans to come out and see the bands and yet managed to get stuck back there two times because the bands were about to start. At one point someone told me that my band went backstage, so I went back there, and none of them were there.=( So I just sat there and listened from backstage by myself-LOL!=) Oh well. I did get to hear the Journey band well from back stage and the lead vocalist sounded sooo good. It was a fun evening. Hope everyone enjoyed the show! Looking forward to next Sunday. Was really great to see you MOR guys! Not only are you incredibly talented but very nice as well. Have a great week!
excellent critiques, and I TOTALLY agree with you,Colleen!
Dear Ed, this is james, your not an a-hole!!! but wait till next.
wait till next, what? Your post got cut short. By the way, if it’s any condolence James, I think Waltzing M. is a great band, and that you are an excellent singer and guitar player. Just felt you were off last night.
e.
Colleen, don’t forget “gushing”! haha Ed, way to keep with it
Hey, maybe the 2 tribute vs 2 variety was just a counter conspiracy to thwart the next conspiracy. Ah, mind games at work. Just kidding folks… congratulations to all the bands in the finals – good luck!
Thanks LTM… I should of included that!
To all Bloggers… add “gushing” to my list of descriptions for all 3 judges…
~~Peace
The winners are clearly the winners, once again. I guess the judges must know what they are doing after all.
I will bring some ear plugs for Colleen, she will be just fine 
Don Julio can help that too.
Both bands showed up and conquered.
Someone mentioned, last night: “Fulltime-working professional bands do have an advantage over “Day-job” bands though.” I see the point, but it is a COMPETITION.
DSB, you guys are fantastic, some Journey fans were saying that you sounded better than Journey.
SC, wow, you have a great band, your drummer was KILLIN IT! As far as the volume, both bands keep it @ 8 or 9, the room was moving perfectly
Unfortunately, I work a full time day job and have to wake up at 6 am every morning =( I WISH I was able to do this full time. Maybe some day =)
Thank you for setting it straight Angie.
Rick!! Wow! “I guess the judges must know what they are doing after all.” What an admission! So… the I guess you are saying the judges don’t “suck” after all??? Never thought I’d see that quoted statement coming from you! Guess there is hope for you afterall!
No need for the earplugs, I have my own, but would never turn down my good friend, Julio. Although Jose and senor Patron and I are better friends!
“The Judges don’t suck, after all,” is kinda aimed at Al and Kim. If they is still on board with us.
As far as 100% Blue Agave goes, the name isn’t as important.
How bout I take you out on a limb with some Herradura or El Tesoro- just to expand your horizons. If we start early, you will forget all about your ear plugs
What is your prediction for this Sunday, judging by past performances!
Rick… Herradura is also a friend, but not sure about the other one. Haven’t had the pleasure of meeting that “chap” yet!
I never try to predict the outcome, because each night is unique to itself! It all depends on what each bands brings to the show that night! Usually when I try to predict from past performances I get disappointed. So no… no predictions from me…. at least not on the blog!
Ed, perhaps thy blog should be crowned thee Blog of Acronym, hereinafter referred to as BOA. Hear ye, hear ye, come on out to the UMC3 finals @ VC 2 C DSB, RTS, SC & MOR. Hotel Sierra! I am going to need a cheat sheet pretty soon!
Lovin… (aka LTM) that was very good! LOL! We are getting our own language aren’t we?
Dear Ed, thanks for the encouragement. I think I’m going to add piano to the mix in a minute. Can you say original competition!!!
Anyway the rest of my mesage was, wait till next year. I’ll probably enter with 20 bands as to increase my chance at the big money!!!
Thank you Angiie (two i’s?) You guys were awesome. If you’re stuck back stage sometimes you can get Casey to take you through the bat cave if he’s not too busy. It is kind of weird how you can hear the vocals much louder back stage than on the stage.
Congrats to DSB and SC. Good job to BT and ACG. Sorry to see you go. Hopefully you guys will come out to cheer us on and we will be doing another show together soon.
So I’m thinking MOR needs to make a bold move and do heavy metal versions of Lady Marmalade, Don’t Stop Believing and Gimme Shelter. Then close the night with Goes to Hell where we chop the head off of Eddie.
YES!
Dave M. I want to pick your twisted brain. Email me at tom@monstersofrockband.com.
Tom, you are Brilliant! (lol)
I knew Ron wasn’t the Monster Master Mind
Congrats to all the bands in the finals. You all deserve to be there. Being beaten out by such top notch talent is not all that bad. I am so excited for next weeks show. Where else can you see 4 amazing bands on one night for FREE!!!! I’m gonna tell all my friends to come down and enjoy the show.
Peace out.
I don’t envy the judges for what they must do next week. One of these great bands will walk away with $0.
I can’t tell you how heartbroken I was when ACG took 4th last year, after the unbelievable show they put on. No matter who it is on Sunday, I know it won’t be any easier to take.
Ought to be a great night of music. Predictions, anyone?
I know it’s going to be hard to watch one of these bands walk away with $0 but I really like that aspect of the competition. It makes the competition fierce! You’ve got to want to win and the bar is going to be set VERY high.
However,
I hope the bands can just relax and have a good time and do what entertainers do, connect with the audience and put on a great show.
That’s what it’s really all about! Next Sunday is going to be an amazing night for the bands and for the fans. I feel like there is so much camaraderie between the members of the bands and even the judges that there will be a really unique vibe in that room on Sunday. I can’t wait!
Well, if Rolling the Stones win, at least Jackson promised a free round.
Yeah, I remember reading that too…do you think it will really happen? lol
It was really fun on Sunday – I loved DSB and Siren’s Crush had energy like I haven’t seen. The finals are gonna be a lot of fun… but, in the end the MONSTERS will prevail
Patti… your post made me smile! I love your loyalty. I too will be wearing my MOR T-shirt.
I want a MOR T-shirt!! =)
I will have shirts on Sunday before the show! They are $12.00…
I agree with DP. Sunday is going to be great! The energy you all see from the bands is a vibe that’s happening throughout the entire room. I wish you could all see what we see from the stage. It’s awesome. So much love and support from everyone.
I know all the bands are going to have a great time and put on a super show for you. I mean we are entertainers and not prize fighters. sure we are competing but we get so much satisfaction from performing a room like that with great bands and a super energized crowd. This event is growing and as you all heard, we are all winning in one way or another. just the marketing alone. Hearing that they are putting together shows with some of the bands that performed already and didn’t make it to the finals shows this is a great network to be a part of.
Do I want to win 1st? Hell yeeeah, but being in SC gives me no more confidence than I know everyone else has for their super acts. It has been humbling to be around so much talent in every round we’ve been in so far.
Töm, a metal version of lady Marmalade would be dope! You can have Eddie, Vic rattle snake, and Anthrax’s NOT man come out in Boa’s and lingerie to do the Moulin Rouge number.
Vic – Siren’s Crush
Can I tell the truth without insults or slams? Maybe not, but I will give it a shot. Know this, and I mean it, I will try to be objective as hell (sounds like an Ed-ism) about the show last sunday. Bigtoe, from what i read here, it appears they should video tape a show and watch it, a good learning tool, if they still deny the facts (nothing worse than a band that they are great and they only reach good. here are some good old plain facts, A. they need another guitar to pull off some of those songs, B. they should learn to play the songs correctly (tab, or youtube, especially the AIC tune was off), C. parts were sung incorrectly, out of tune, and without harmony (both guys singing the identical parts).They simply were overclassed, and I believe their fans screaming got them in the semis only to flail. A decent bar band at best, but nice people. DSB, a decent show, but wayyyy too loud, way, hurting ears, seemed like it may have been the audio engineer, because it was all of it, not just the guitar amp, but it made it hard to enjoy, also, as with all the bands so far, some vocals came through too loud, some just right, and some hard to hear. Not much in the visual department, short of Juan’s smile and the obligatory bassist and guitarist pulling the headstocks towards the ceiling in unison move. Something is backing tracked with this band, from the laptop, i cannot hear what it is, and it is a rule I definately disagree with. Ifeel all the bands should have to make the music, not a computer, it adds however many people you want, with perfection obtainable with a little patience, hell you could do all the vocals on the laptop, perfectly, and sing kareoke if you wanted to. Alice and the Cooper Gang, what a disapointment, the song selection killed them partially, otherwise it was either limited ability on the instruments, or a heapin helpin of lack of practice, I feel probably both. Alice is great, although he seemed to lack energy and ferver that night. Guitar parts were missed or misplayed, and I can’t for the life of me see a guy in two bands on the semi-final night doing his best in both bands. Say what you will, as I’m sure someone will. I personally can see that the pissing in the wind factor was present, how can you get to the finals last year, get 4th place (and no money, you cheapskate casino bungholes! Like one of the slot machines doesn’t make enough in one day to throw some dough on the last position for these bands who have worked so hard, for freee up til now!! but I guess some member of the band needs his Hummer). Sirens Crush, so loud it hurt, I wanted to leave, the band was screamingly loud, like ear-splitting, my eardrums were bleeding, fucking what the hell too loud. the vocals (very good vocals, if you overlook the 3-4 spots where someone went flat, which playing to loud on stage can encourage) were buried several times. The band itself may be the best group of musicians i have seen in the competition, but volume takes huge points away in spite of skill. The ladies are having fun, and are very good at selling sex, they do it incredibly well, and everyone is buying, especially the Horndogs, ooops, I mean the judges, who seem to be led around, not by their noses, but their genitalia (perfectly good escuse for all three of them to chime in on the blog and joke about it, when it really is pathetic. Hard to see any cracks (no pun intended) when the show is pretty damn good and the asses are hanging out too. All part of show business and life too, i do not condemn the ladies for their display, just don’t complain about the cro-Magnons groping you or asking you if you want to #*@#. So, I reiterate my previous predictions, with a minor change or two, just give the Wenches Crash the dough now, why bother wasting time with false suspense, the two slightly gay tribute boy bands will vie for two and three, and the Monsters will take fourth, unless their huge east county crowd rors themto the second or third position, displacing a tribute band. I have spoken, and I am the king in reality, not that imposter Ed, although he is a smart cookie, not smart enough to figure out that A. i am really a man, B. I am a keybord player (c’mon you schmucks, accordion?? get it billy joel fans? yuch), and C. I am not really a fan of any of the particular bands in the competition, although I would kill to meet ricj wakeman, and i would work for ‘Yes’ for free! The best part of the night, was absolutely Ed Decker screaming ‘motherf#*kers’ from the stage, I love it when that boy cut’s loose, although when he was screwing with DP, i was hoping David would at least snatch his nipple and give him a world class titty-twister from hell, which would have made several people in the audience have simultaneous orgasms. and that’s the way it is. Remember, if you disagree, you have a below average IQ, or your love for some local group has blinded your objectivity. Nothing wrong with loyalty, as Ed has pointed out, except where large amounts of money are concerned. In fact this competition is very similar to how somwe families act when the patriarch dies and there is property or money at stake, comprende? The truth ALWAYS comes out, always.
Ed, are the judges going to be “critiquing” the bands after each performance on Sunday?
In previous years, we did not.I haven’t heard if if they planned on changing it, so, my guess is no – thank God – we will not be.
Can’t we just give our official gushes!
Monsters are my personal favorite but here’s my thoughts on the finals.
It looks like Crush is the favored to win. They’ve got a big sound and a big show. All of the finalists have a great sound so I think it will fall to the show they each put on.
…but on the sound, Crush was a tad bit loud on their average volume but they didn’t lose the dynamics. (Like 6ONE9 did last year during the semis) Crush and DSB really know how to ride those subs for a bigger impact on the sound. I think that’s how DSB will take second. Monsters and the Stones need to get more into the subs in my opinion. Let the drummer really wack away but don’t let the rest of the band get too loud on stage. Use the lower notes on the bass a lot (below E if you’ve got five strings) Stones can get the key player to trigger those subs too (where appropriate)
Crush has the stage show too. The choreography is cool and Sunday’s trip to the upper balcony was the best excursion into the audience this year. I like short skirts but I thought your outfits looked like bathing suits and (for me) seemed out of place on stage.
DSB has a good presence on stage but they haven’t done anything special or surprising up there yet. I do like their big endings. I don’t think repeating songs you performed in round one or the semis is a good strategy.
Monsters. YOU ROCK! Since the first time you brought out Eddie it’s become expected but he’s got to do something more than taunt Ron. You’ve heard my sick idea but perhaps that’s too far? some drama anyway. I like the idea of Metalizing some tunes that have been brought up here on the blog. You run the risk of falling flat when you stray from what you do best though. I think it’s the entertainment level of your show that’s going to bring you the gold since you’ve got the tunes down. You’ve got to do something surprising to wow the room. No forgetting of the words.
Rolling the Stones! You guys give the Stones experience. You’ve got the sound and the confidence to take the win but it’s down to the entertainment level of the set you bring for the finals. DSB and Crush have that big sound built into the songs that the Stones really don’t have, and can’t have… My thoughts are keep the song selection to the upbeat tunes and bring some kind of surprise to the show.
I think all of the finalists are going to have to go venture off stage in some way. Gotta take the show up a notch.
Saw the answer to oder of bands question i did. there i was and very carefully i watched, tell me wrong i am. Four large coasters (heavy paper type) had the band names writtn on them, then chosen at random they were chosenby the girl from Jack FM, close enough i was to see the coasters, so large they were that they could not be scrambled like slips of paper, and stacked they were in the order that she pulled them out in. saw it myself i did, there was no way they that random it was, UMC a better way they should have to do this, bingo ball machine? have them the casino does. viejas knows more about true random acts of chance than any of us. i notice that the judges darlings the last two slots they got, a coincidence it was! just a lucky break, planned it was not, no, except, i saw what i know, mix those big coasters up in that little hat just try to, good luck, DJ girl i saw just reach in and grab what was on the top, stacked they were, not right it is. not afraid? you will be. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will!
lol – I love Comedy
But the Comic competition (UCC) isn’t til after the UMC.
I shuffled the coasters and then she shuffled the coasters, nether one of us was looking at them and she drew them from the hat.
You guys are driving me crazy with all of this conspiracy junk. we are not conspiring to do anything. We used the coasters because they were available.
I’m confused now. Are we predetermined to come in first or fourth?
SC and DSB will tie, and MoR will be in the top 3. Stones will b 4th place. Of course, my opinon may change Sunday night, after the last band performs. . . I’m seeing through the judges eyes, right now!
Actually, I’m going by the last, DreamCatcher, performances of these bands.
The UMC sure has taught me a lot about human nature. I’ve learned,that no matter how benign an event, there will always be a group of people who will see it as malevolent.
Yaaaaawn.
Conspiracy Theorists – your attendance is requested on planet Earth.
The King has Spoken
Deny you that small was the hat and large were the coasters? in order they were i tell you. The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is. Stopped they must be, on this all depends. Only a fully-trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will Decker and his army conquer. many predictions from wanna-be’s there are also, but wrong they could be. many there are who their lips they flap, but in the contest not they are.
Who’s your Jedi master? WHO’S your Jedi Master?
The order of bands doesn’t matter so much in the finals. The room will be pack from the first downbeat. It would be nice for a little warm up first though… How about Patrone do his MC thing for a few minutes?
Patrone! yes, yes, good he is, and short like me. size matters not. Look at him. Judge him by his size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For his ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, Patrone, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the U, the M and the C!
A geek you are.
A-aahh, chirade you are
My Jedi master was voted “citizen of the month” at Alpine Elementary School!
So looking foward to the finals….it will be a great night with some awesome talent up on the stage…I am a MOR fan tried and true and I will be there to support a great band and even better friends. I know the other bands will be putting on their A game and I plan to listen to each and everyone of you….So best of luck to all the bands!!…you have all come so far and deserve your spot in the final 4…..STAR
Tom, named must your fear be before banish it you can!
I fear I may be hung over on Monday, cause I’m going to hit the V lounge this time after the show… either to celebrate or drown my sorrows.
There will be an after party for sure at the V. Lounge. W. and I reserved a room at that hotel at the previous exit. (The Ayres?) so we don’t have to drive home. I recommend that highly to anyone. We did it last year and had a blast! Rooms are cheap too! Oh yeah, and you can all expect the blog to be late on Monday.
ha-ha, charade you are!
I’ll have an even shorter drive to my home.
Tom… I think you should hit the V to celebrate yet another successful accomplishment of hitting it big in the UMC once again and to celebrate the extremely talented band in which you play! Can’t wait til Sunday.
~~Peace
Colleen,
And wether or not the bands are too loud.
What’s your preference, Reposado, Silver (Platinum) or Añejo?
Staight, chilled, with lime and/or salt? (I prefer straight)
Of course, this relates to how you will judge the judges and the bands, right?
Reposado (w/ a kick please). Straight w/ no training wheels. Never can afford to buy enough to where it would influence my judgement of judges or bands.
And if I were able to afford enough to cause an influence, the bands would be done for the night! 
Being a woman musician, I have to vote for SC. However, I would love to see them sell less sex, and more class. Great band! Please win it with talent, not cheesecake!
DSB; I will pay $$$ to see you again! Your first note brought a huge smile to my face. I loved every minute of your set!
Sergio and MOR Good luck and best wishes. You are a class act!
I’m looking forard to hearing RTS, as I missed them so far.
It’s gonna be a rockin’ show!
Shaaron,
You know I love you but don’t be such a prude. If this were a dance competition every entry would have scantily clad ladies moving to the beat of the music. There’s nothing wrong with accentuating your sex appeal. And who’s not to say the backline isn’t doing that same thing… you know, in a guy way.
I don’t see how you can imply their sex appeal somehow tarnishes their class act.
The Voice of Reason has once again spoken. Indeed Dave, there is no shame in sex appeal – especially SC’s, which I think is well within the borders of sexy class.
Would a banana hammock be in good taste?
Shaaron — I have to side w/ Dave M. on this one. As long as the sex appeal is in “good” taste, then why not? Many performers, female AND male have used this technique to get ahead. Elvis, Tom Jones, Madonna, Cher, Frank Sinatra, and they did well by selling sex appeal. As long as Angie and the others don’t start pole dancing, I think it is ok. Hey! Even HF’s new photo sells some sex appeal too.
Your publicity picture sells a lot better wearing what you ladies are wearing rather than if you all simply wore T-shirts!
Viejas uses pole dancing type during some of the breaks, and quite honestly, to both my husband and me, Viejas has cheapened their venue by doing so, and we have chosen to not spend our money there when they have that kind of entertainment. Pole dancing has it’s place, and the ladies who do that kind of dancing are usually talented and work hard, but the Dream Catcher is too nice a venue to be cheapened by strip mall type pole dancing. So glad SC did not go that direction. Granted… some of the dances came close….
Good luck to all bands tomorrow! I hope everybody has been resting up and are ready to rock the roof off that casino!!! Go MOR!!!
~~Peace
Colleen, don’t be such a prude, sex sells and you yourself talk about the eye-candy behind the girls on stage.
Second I think you meant to say strip “club” Strip malls are where you hang out to pick up your bibles and chewing gum.
You could start a new band, “With A Bible And Some Gum” …
http://www.materialreligion.org/objects/feb98obj.html
I see that some of the “UMC3 favorites” are coming back to Viejas for Sundays in July… any word on what bands on what dates? I couldn’t find any details on the Viejas website.
Yes, I will have more info for you shortly
Sunday July 19th, Rolling the Stones, Monsters Of Rock, and Alice and the Cooper gang. Show starts at 6 pm sharp. Rock and roll at it’s nastiest.
Sounds fun! Any news on any of the other July dates?
Is the July 19th show going to be at the DreamCatcher,and is it free??
MONSTERS!. . . MONSTERS! . . . MONSTERS! . . . MONSTERS!
David Patrone or any other person interested in printing flyers!
I have a job running next week that is four colors over one color and I have space on the printed sheet to run two different flyers super cheap. the quantity will be somewhere from 500 to 2000.
The job WILL run next week and that portion of the press sheet is slated as waste to be dumped in the recycle bin! I can create the artwork if needed. Please contact me at graphicdav at yahooooooo dot com if you’re interested
Hmmm, maybe the July 19 show.
This job will run whether I have something to print in that space or not. Let me know if the bands or Viejas would like to print something. Timing is the key here…
The max price will be 5 cents each.
Advertise on the blog you should not! A used car i am selling by the way. Stupid is the Favale, and just like me, ugly
While I agree with your point, I’m not advertising. This is a bro deal for my musician friends. Basically a print job that is paid for! you want some flyers? then get back to me before Monday and you can have flyers… I just ask for you to toss me a bone.
Go Siren’s Crush! Best wishes for Sunday’s success!
Michael Jackson… Rest In Peace….
No matter how you felt about him, you have to respect the fact that he influenced music greatly and was a unique entertainer.
~~Peace
Colleen, I agree completely..He was a little strange in his ways,but made a helluva lot of money doing what he did best…entertain..
Best of luck to all the band on Sunday..See you all there!
Soo sad. I remember being a little girl and listening to my dads thriller album until it was worn out =( He was a huge influence on me personally. I just cannot believe it. He was supposed to live forever. =( I hope he is in a happier place now.
molest the children not! no more will he do it now.
Strange as he was[later in life]if Michael did’nt effect you in
someway? then your not a Musician! Goodbye Little Icon..And
To all the Groups Competeing Remember when it all comes down
Its “All About The Singer” pick the Songs that best “Highlight”
your Vocalist! and then Pray the Soundman Dials in “The Sound”
better then we heard in “The Semi Finals” To Loud/To Muddy to
really capture “The Guality of Sound” some of the groups possessed
Lets hope the Vocals are “On Top” at all times, and The Leads
Stand Out not lost in a quagmire of noise.
Important note about the Dream-Catcher Lounge and many other rooms of its magnitude: Move around when the bands play, it will give you a better scope of how different the sound is, from different areas of the room. If you sit in one place, in your favorite spot, you may be missing out on a better sounding place. I sit right next to the sound board, and it sounds better than most other places.
“The band that does the Michael Jackson song (in honor of) will win.”
Yoda, can you please translate this?
R.I.P. M. Jackson (His music will always be. . .)
A game changer is gone. About Sunday, hmmm. I’m think MOR doing Thriller. hahaha…
I searched the room in quest of “The Best mix” Sorry but i did’nt find it.
I’m not saying The sound was “Bad” but it could have been “Better”
Maybe i should have went upstairs?
I think the biggest problem[which is'nt the soundmans fault]is the fact
that there is not enough time to do a real soundcheck.
I have a question–since this is my first UMC experience,what time is the show going to start on Sunday? Are the doors opening at 6pm or earlier? I have had a great time, and I wanted to thank all the great people I’ve met, thank you to all the fantastic bands for such great entertainment, thank you Viejas for putting on this event (for free!!),and thank you Ed, for doing this blog, where the bands and the fans can kinda “connect” with each other.
And, Mark(BigToe),if you are reading this, thank you for being such an inspiration to everyone with or without disabilities! You are a great musician, and a really nice guy, and I hope to be able to see you play again sometime. Hope everyone has a good time,and Good Luck to all the bands!! You are ALL winners!!!!
Doors at 630pm, show at 7pm.
YAY!
How bout’ Monsters doing “Black or White” into “Smooth Criminal” and Siren’s Crucsh doing “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” into “I want You Back.” Only the variety bands can pull this off. . . And Siren’s ‘cute little Blonde’ has already proved she is worthy of belting out Michael Jackson. She did an awesome job last week. . . . ooooooh, I Can’t wait till Sunday!
That room will RoCK!
Like Miss America should the winners be picked. first should be the 4th place called. next will be the third place. then build the suspense you will for the first place, and second ,known it will be by default. Sad is the old way, the 4th place waits til the winner is called, cruel it is. Always in motion is the future, help you I can, yes.
Agreed! 100% agreed!
Strange little guy, are you,Yoda! (:
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is, remember you this, When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not
hahahaha! How right are you !!
results, please?
1st Rolling the Stones
2nd Monster of Rock
3rd Siren’s Crush
4th Don’t Stop Believin’
Congratulations winners!
Next year it would be great to have it on one of those public access TV stations. Then the whole world can see what’s happening here. + the bands would get a video!
P.S.
I stand by my convection of not being slutty on stage. SC were on the line. EXPERIENCE in this area has taught me to attract all, not just men, to shows. Yes, I am “passed it” now, but never in my career have I resorted to cheesecake. Sexy, in a classy way? Always, even now. Check out the new HF promo photo. It is very classy, not cheap.
But then I am against degrading women in all areas. I will not support lyrics calling women “bitch”. I run a clean show with HF, and I will not support women in bands who show their asses. Prude? No way. Just class.
Ed, would HF have done better in the contest if we wore bathing suits on stage? Think about the ramifications if the answer is “yes”.
It depends on the band, Shaaron. Wendy O’Williams, the punk godess, used to come out on stage nearly nude, with the exception of some well placed gobs of whipped cream and chain sawing a Lincoln in half.
Flatula Lee Roth, the overweight, slovenly punkstress from Tragic Mulatto, used to writhe semi nude on stage while undulating over her tuba. It was fantastic.
The Siren’s girls, they dress in a totally appropriate manner for their genre, not in the least bit objectifying themselves, or overtly selling sex for sex’s sake.
Talk about bringing it when it had to be brought…
you might think the opposite would be not bringing it but what about bringing the wrong thing?
looking forward to the final blog
seeking the answers to my questions I am, hmmmm, Dave, right he is, the final blog.
Congrats to all of the winners!!!! Rolling the Stones, you guys were AWESOME! And MOR, you already know how much we love you guys. Your singer, holy cow. Those high notes that he hits, and so strongly, just amazing =) I felt soo soo soooooooooooo honored to perform last night with all of the bands. I’m so proud of everyone and watching everyone put on such great shows. It’s all about entertainment. When I see a band put in extra effort, going above and beyond, it just shows me how much they really care about what they do and how much they care about and want to entertain their audience. When you really love what you do, it shows, because you put your all into it, creatively. There are cover bands that just go through the motions to get a paycheck, then there are cover bands who love to entertain and love to see their audience have a great time. For me, it was NEVER about the money, anyone who knows me knows that, for me, it was about putting on a show, it was about having fun, doing our very best, and it was about entertaining the audience. It’s so exciting to see other cover bands out there truly care about what they do, more then just taking home a check at the end of the night.
This whole experience has brought us closer as a band so quickly and has taught us so much. I’m just ready to learn from this experience and become the best we can be.
To all of the bands, it was SO nice meeting you all and making new friends. I really felt that support all around. I really hope that we cross paths again.
You are all amazing! All the luck in the world to you! We made it! We survived! Whooo hooo!!! =)
Take care!
I saw the whole thing, first off, in order of placement, not order of playing. the journey band was great, all the bands in the finals were friggin great, thats why they were in the goddamn finals. DSB did bring part of a show, but nowhere near enough. Two ballads in a row followed by the biggest mistake of the night, an AC/DC song from a Journey tribute??? WTF? they were much better last week. Sirens Crush, a rather standoffish band, except for the hot redhead who is as warm as a summer day, the other two girls are snobbish, but i digress, they killed last week, then this week they blow hot air! the first mistake, albeit a small one, was the Janis tune. you better not do that unless you can make people cry, SC cannot, period, BUT the second biggest mistake of the night was that assnine instrumental crap, b-o-r-i-n-g, so friggin boring, i watched the crowd, first bopping to it, then slowing down, and by the time it was done, yawning and asking why, why were they still being tormented? it also seemed as if the first two bands did not believe they could win, just MHO, or unhumble, you choose. Then the MONSTERS OF ROCK!!, dammit! what a show, those guys are really cool, and they bring it hard, great song selection, great execution, the ballons were fun, Eddie was patriotic, and the Patrone effigy guillotining was the icing on the cake (death to ugly hats). They could not have been any better, except i still think they could dress a little more metal/hard rock. Then the slightly gay stones, they did bring the show, their chick singer was what killed SC, she whoops ass on those girls, and the sudden appearance of the Jagger dude (where did he come from?) on sympathy for the devil was cool. i saw somw mistakes, but they were probably not noticed by the average fan, and apparently not by the judges either. And, the stones themselves make the same ones. They did have the best show, if you like a tribute band thing. All in all, it was a great night, and it appears that the UMC ratchets up a notch every year, looking forward to MOR winning next year. Also, not listening to the judges was great, just the show all night, oh, and one last thing, i don’t know who thought up doing the 4th place first instead of making them wait, but even a cruel bastard such as myself would not subject ANYONE to that drawn out punishment. Good for the judges, or whomever came up with that little change. I saw Alice Cooper last year wait til the end to get screwed, and it was horrible, i would rather eat slugs when i’ve been drinking Slivovitz all night, a SURE recipe for disaster. your friend, and mine, Al (KMA!)
There is much truth to many things you have to post, however crude it may sometimes come across but I can tell you with absolute certainty…..you’re dead wrong about the SC girls and the rest of us for that matter. There are many supporters and many haters at these competitions. We never know who’s who until actual contact/communication is made. Sometimes we see and feel sincere warmth and other times really bad attempts at it. Sometimes it’s just hard to tell. You get patted on the back one minute and the next minute your walking by the same person in a group of people talking about how you sucked. I have looked into your eyes and let’s just say…I don’t know. But again, my point being, you’re wrong about the girls.
To the bands; I probably sounded like a broken record last night but I SINCERELY feel all bands EARNED their placement. It was a fair result. DSB, really like the band. Great group of musicians! MOR…great show!! High entertainment value!!! And of course RTS….WOW!!! You guys just brought it man!!! You just had a great set and an awesome show/stage presence!!
CONGRATS TO ALL THE BANDS/MUSICIANS ON A GREAT AND FUCKING FUN NIGHT!!!
stay +
The whole SC band was nothing but super cool toward us. I can’t imagine them coming off as snobbish. Some people were, but not them.
The Jagger dude (In Sypathy for the Devil) was walking through the audience and then walked up on stage. The spot light guy wasn’t on it.
I think SC did a good version of Janis, trust me, I have heard some ‘doozy’s.’ And the boring instrumental is a very popular, old school, hip-hop song by a band called ZAPP (RIP Roger). And SC did a great version of that song as well (You guys did it well SC). The song that hurt SC was the Tech-Metal song. . . Evanessence. It was a little thin sounding and not a good song choice to compete with.
It’s obvious what killed DSB. . . .
Great show . . . last night.
Once again, the place order is right on!
One change that I would like to see next year is that ALL BANDS COMPETING MUST BE “SAN DIEGO” LOCAL BANDS—ONLY!!! Let the LA bands continue ”’believing”’ that they are greater than all, but let them do it in there own city. Amen?
Thanks Dave, for posting the results..I had to leave before it was over, and I really didnt want to have to wait for Ed to post the results!! He had said that he will be late doing so! Anyway, what a night! I really thought DSB was doing well,so well, they possibly had it,until…are tribute bands supposed to do OTHER band songs? That was just weird to me! Big mistake! And I thought they should have done OTHER Journey songs instead of the same old ones..(Journey DID sing MORE than 4 songs,guys!!lol) Rolling the Stones was really good..Vince you are an awesome drummer! Sirens Crush was very entertaining, but I do agree,if youre gonna do Janis, you better be careful.Its like doing Sting (Police) songs,ya gotta be able to nail it! I left before MoR came on, so, I cant give my opinion,but,I knew they would win big!!. I cant wait till next year, but I seriously hope that Viejas looks back at last night,to see what they can do better next year, and if they need any suggestions, I’ll be SURE to give them a loooooong list!! (starting with their security issues,they really were NOT prepared for the huge crowd that attended). But, I had a really good time,and I am looking forward to next year. Thanks everyone!
Congratulations to all of you!! Great job!
Oh yeah, and just out of curiosity– did RTS really buy the house a round of drinks as promised?? Anyone??
No, damn it! I knew I should have restrung Jackson’s guitar upside down.
Wise the judges are to in order place the bands. If no mistake have you made, yet losing you are … a different game you should play
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW-chewbacca
Oh, that Rumplemintz is a killer. Me so tired. Last night was awesome. A blanket thank you to everybody for now until brain activity resumes.
Rumplemintz didn’t do me any favors last night either Tom. Was fun hanging out though. We should do it again sometime, maybe get the wives together. You were great last night. Fantastic drummer. Gush blubber gush, etc.
there was nothing snobbish about the gals of SC. They are all sweethearts. You probably are projecting your fear of attractive women onto them. You’re too afraid to talk to them, so that makes THEM snobby?
what a laugh.
They may be snobby, but only to the ANGRY people. . .
Happy people have a way of sensing the Anger within others.
‘If the shoe fits’. . . . do with it what you wish.
Those girls are w a y kOol, and they Rock, and their hot!
Finals are up, see you on the next page…