Scholars & Rogues wants to thank our music-loving readership for making this the most successful Tournament of Rock yet, and we’d especially like to say a huge thanks to all the bands who participated. ToR3 featured a number of surprises and upsets, but in the end we hope that everybody found a new band to love.

So, the Finals represented our biggest turnout ever and the margin was incredibly close. The Blueflowers and The Lost Patrol asked their fans to vote and they did. When the last chad was unhung, the winner by a 52-48% margin was…The Blueflowers!

Major congrats to Tony Hamera and Kate Hinote. You guys have given us one of the year’s best CDs and the win is richly deserved.

We’d also like to congratulate The Lost Patrol, who likewise served up some amazing music in 2011. The irony in all this is the email I got from TLP manager Ed Colavito a few months back. It went like this:

Ed: Hey Sam, do you know The Blueflowers?
Sam: I’ve heard of them but never listened to them.
Ed: You have to hear them. Email Tony Hamera and tell him I said get you a promo disc to listen to.

In other words, if Ed had a little more Simon Cowell in him this all might have gone differently. But that isn’t who TLP is. They want everybody to hear the music they love whether it’s theirs or not, and S&R is proud to be associated, in any small way possible, with people who understand the importance of music to community.

So again, congratulations to our winners and our runners-up. It won’t come as any surprise to anyone when both bands make prominent appearances in our Best CDs of 2011 series, coming soon…

When ToR3 started some of you probably looked at the relative popularity of the bands involved, reflected in things like the size of their Facebook communities and the numbers of people they draw when they’re on tour, and figured the Finals would wind up featuring either The Horrors or The Postelles facing off with either The Raveonettes or Eilen Jewell. But, now that The Blueflowers have defeated Doco in the second semi-final, we’re looking at a battle we maybe didn’t expect: two bands that are somewhat lower in national profile (although hopefully that’s changing). And who are actually very good friends when they aren’t in the ring (it was Ed, TLP’s manager, in fact, who turned me on to The Blueflowers several months ago).

Major congrats to Doco, by the way. They’re one of those no-frills acts that does nothing but practice and tour and thrive on the energy of their fans and the live show. Great run, guys, and we’ll see you here shortly in our Best CDs of 2011 series.

And now, let’s go ring announcer Michael Buffer….

The Blueflowers: ”With [Kate] Hinote leading the lines, the result is an album that is as haunting and soul-invading as it is enthralling. Songs like the title track and “Fragile” give the listener the impression that they’re in on a secret, like they’re reading Hinote’s diary. That level of refreshing honesty, some damned fine tunes and the stellar musicianship of the band is what makes In Line With the Broken-Hearted such a tremendous piece of work.” - Metro Times LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Lost Patrol: ”The Lost Patrol aren’t here to comfort you on Rocket Surgery. Instead, it’s a chilly feeling of abandoned county roads with empty barns and ghost towns, like on the slower, darker, farther away “Coming Down,” or the slyer and twang-ier “Don’t Give Me Love.” The echo-sustain on the twelve-string acoustics brings out a harpsichord-like sound on the penultimate “Love” and especially middle track “Not the Only One,” and the harpsichord is the most haunting instrument there is (even more than the xylophone, which is, “The music you hear when skeletons are dancing” – Homer Simpson).” - QRO : LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now it’s in the hands of S&R’s readers. Who’s your winner, folks?

Good friends Dotsun Moon and The Lost Patrol squared off in our first semi-final. TLP surged to an early lead, only to have DM mount a furious comeback. In the end, though, TLP was a little too much, holding on for the win and a spot in the Tournament of Rock finals. They await the winner of….

Doco: ”Short version: a fusion of funk, rock, rap, white-boy reggae and blues from three kids who can by god play their instruments. I once wrote, in a ten-second music review for my mobile content service, that they ‘burned with an intensity no single genre could contain.’” - Scholars & Rogues LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Blueflowers: ”These are ballads for sadly/sublime sunsets and blustery, moonless evenings where you crate out the candles, stirring up all kinds of volatile yet inspiring emotions and resolute/re-affirming notions.  They take you on almost more of an earnest sunshine-pop dreamscape rather than overly-heady psychedelia, and it’s benefited by penchants for surf-rock/dream-pop sandwiches, thus transcending, or at least ameliorating the hazy-blazey twang of Americana.” - Deep Cutz LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now it’s up to our readers – who gets the other slot in the ToR Finals?

Our fourth quarterfinal match lacked the drama of the previous one, as Doco handily dispatched Rose Hill Drive to move into the semifinals. And now, we move into the semis, where it starts to get personal. See, our next two bands know each other and play together sometimes. You might even say they’re friends. Although, maybe for the next couple of days we can make frenemies of them.

Dotsun Moon: ”The band has labeled their music as ‘dream beat.’ I don’t think I could think of a better description even if my life depended on it. I love Mary Ognibene’s voice. She can make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up one minute and put you in a trance the next. ” Ear Candy LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Lost Patrol: ”…spiritually resonant, like you’re listening to the heart-broken spirits of melancholy minstrels from beyond; angel-headed hipsters with reverb-guitars guiding us morose mortals through this cruel sea of tears. None of this is nearly as depressing as it sounds.” - Retrospect : LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Time to vote. Polls close Monday at midnight.

First off, wow. Our previous match, The Blueflowers vs. Eilen Jewell, saw Jewell jump out to an early lead. Then The Blueflowers blew past her and established a huge advantage. Then Eilen’s fans battled back and re-took a late lead, only to see Blueflower fans mount a late surge to nip Jewell at the wire. This match saw the largest turnout in any ToR match to date (that includes all three tournaments) and final margin was a scant few votes. The irony, of course, was that Jewell was nominated for this tournament by none other than Blueflowers mastermind Tony Hamera. So, again, wow. Congrats to both artists and thanks to their fans for such a truly fantastic show of support.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. We’ll see how fans of our next two bands respond.

Doco: ”Doco overlooks the creation of an image, believing that eyeliner and women’s jeans don’t compensate for boring, cliche music. Focusing on songwriting, the band constantly creates witty, thought provoking lyrics, stuck-in-your head riffs, and moving beats. The sounds are always fresh, and often hard to contain in a single musical genre.” – CD Baby LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rose Hill Drive: ”Similar to the way that Ford has retrofitted the new Mustangs to recall the classic look of the fastback coupes, Rose Hill Drive is a riff-driven throwback to the heyday of AOR radio; there’s a distinct air of familiarity, but this clearly isn’t your daddy’s muscle car.” – Westword LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

In our second quarterfinal match, Dotsun Moon made quick work of Snake Rattle Rattle Snake. Congrats to SRRS for making the quarters, and again, I love the new CD. We’ll see you again in our upcoming best of 2011 review.

Up next, a quarterfinal match between two acts working the neo-Americana side of the street.

The Blueflowers: ”With [Kate] Hinote leading the lines, the result is an album that is as haunting and soul-invading as it is enthralling. Songs like the title track and ‘Fragile’ give the listener the impression that they’re in on a secret, like they’re reading Hinote’s diary. That level of refreshing honesty, some damned fine tunes and the stellar musicianship of the band is what makes In Line With the Broken-Hearted such a tremendous piece of work.” - Metro Times LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eilen Jewell: ”Sometimes as darkly damaged as Lucinda Williams, at others as defiant and teasing as prime Peggy Lee and always authentically Americana in the Gillian Welch tradition….She’s mighty good.” - LA Daily News LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Can’t go wrong either way, can you? Still, only one can advance to the semi-finals. Who shall it be?

In the first match of round 2, The Lost Patrol handily defeated Baron Bane to advance to the semifinals. They await the winner of today’s throwdown, and my inner conflict continues unabated….

Dotsun Moon: …”Dotsun Moon’s secret weapon is the soulful and authoritative voice of Mary Ognibene. On tracks such as the breathy, skipping opener, ‘And I Rest,’ the riveting , floor-thumping standout ‘Savages, and the languid ‘Glory,’ her powerhouse pipes repeatedly amaze. Though well suited for dance club PAs, 4am is also varied and intriguing enough for intent home listening.” The Big Takeover LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Snake Rattle Rattle Snake: The record, the first release by Denver startup label The Greater Than Collective, is a black tapestry of pulsing, macabre rock n’ roll that feels as if it is being slowly slashed apart by bright head-nodding hooks – deconstructing the sinister underbelly only to sew it back together. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Time to vote – who should advance to the semi-finals?

In the final match of round one we had a close encounter, with Rose Hill Drive finally easing by The Raveonettes. Now, it’s on to round 2, and from this point forward I’m going to be in a state of constant conflict. Here, for instance: two bands I love, two bands that produced CDs that are among the year’s best.

Baron Bane: ”LPTO is truly a lovely listen front to back; while its energetic moments drift unassumingly by, however, it is the quiet that resonates the longest.” – Pop Matters : LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Lost Patrol: ”Rocket Surgery is sprawling, glistening music as full of bursting beauty as 11 red roses springing open—and as dazzling as their World’s Fair (Queens) at supernova-dusk sleeve.” – The Big Takeover : LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now it’s up to you. Who should move on?

As it turns out, today is the birthday of Doco guitarist Trev Booth and the band’s fans have handed him a nice present in the form of a resounding win over Viva Voce in round 1. They advance to face the winner of today’s match.

Speaking of which, we now have a clash of styles to consider.

Rose Hill Drive: A very un-Boulderlike band from Boulder, CO – hard-rocking, fun-loving, no-frills party rock – raw, emotive, organic. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Raveonettes: Highly influential Danish dream/noise-pop - ”…the modern king and queen of melody and mood” –  ”…dark but not bleak, like the single minded determination caused by crisis that is not quite hope but just as powerful.” LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

And now, time to vote – who do you like?

In our biggest margin of victory so far, The Blueflowers overwhelmed The Amends and move on to face Eilen Jewell. Should be a slobberknocker, given the support each received in round 1.

Our next match features an old favorite facing off with a new discovery.

Doco: Heavy rocking Blues/Soul/Funk/Hip-Hop/Reggae fusion – Josh and Trevor Booth are descended from both John Wilkes Booth and Robert E. Lee! – Intense musicianship in service to a groove. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Viva Voce: Inventive, guitar-driven indie pop – genre-bending nods to everything from Classic Rock to Stoner to C&W twang – pretty sounds belie quirky sensibilities. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Give them a listen and tell us who you prefer.

Our previous match perhaps proves that there’s no justice in the world. To be sure, Eilen Jewell is a worthy winner, but the turnout in this contest way outstripped what we’ve seen so far in ToR3, to the point where Paul Lewis, in a losing effort, racked up more votes than any of the winners in the previous four matches. So congrats to Jewell and thanks to Paul and his fans for making it exciting. And by the way, both of these artists gave us outstanding CDs in 2011, so if you’re thinking about giving music for holiday gifts, we recommend both of them.

Now, our next showdown, which features two bands that I really like.

The Blueflowers: Detroit-based seductive, soothing folk-noir – “a weepy but wonderful wall of sensuous sounds, sad but strengthening, emotionally deep without being a downer” – elements of Americana, folk, ’60s girl-pop and psychedelia. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Amends: ”first and foremost a rock and roll band,” focus on “writing and playing good old-fashioned melodic, foot-stomping, rock n roll” – no-nonsense, relentlessly listenable and unapologetically fun. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

And now, time for our readers to vote. Who do you like better?

In our previous match, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake easily defeated Repeater to advance. Dotsun Moon awaits.

In today’s showdown we have a couple of solo artists with distinct, signature sounds.

Paul Lewis: former front man for YNOT?! – soulful, bluesy modern rock – gifted tunesmith – versatile, intense, occasionally funny. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eilen Jewell: sultry, country-flavored, blues-infused (which a dash of rockabilly and surf) - often compared to Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Jolie Holland – roots trace to Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Who do you like?

In our previous match, Dotsun Moon pulls off something of an upset, bouncing The Horrors. DM moves on to face the winner of our next match.

Snake Rattle Rattle Snake: Denver-based band reflects the influence of New Order, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Can, LCD Soundsystem – Hayley Helmericks frequently reminds us of early Grace Slick - propulsive rhythms, mesmerizing grooves. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Repeater: Long Beach indie rock – reminds the listener of everything from The Cure to The Cult to Brit-Pop to U2 - haunting vocals, art rock guitars, pounding drums, driving bass and ambient keyboards. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, readers, what’s your decision?

In the second match of round 1, The Lost Patrol comfortably defeats The Postelles by a 78%-22% margin. TLP moves on to round 2, where they will face Baron Bane.

Our third match features two bands that are alike in some ways and very different in others.

The Horrors: UK neo-Post-Punkers – minimalist, edgy – sounds range from sharp and edgy to brooding and melodic. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dotsun Moon: Buffalo-based indie – trip-hop with neo-’80s accents – occasional jangle moments that remind listener of REM. LISTEN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now it’s up to you. Who should move on?

In our first match of round 1, Baron Bane eases past Able Archer and advances to the second round. Many thanks to Matt Huseman and AA (a and we really love a lot, by the way) and best of luck with the new CD, which is one of our favorites of 2011.

Our second match features a battle between a couple of NY bands – one we’ve known and loved for several years vs. one we just recently discovered and loved right away.

The Lost Patrol: epic retrofuturism – neo-Americana twang/surf guitars that fill the landscape – heartbreaking melodies from the divine Mollie Israel. LISTEN

The Postelles: Energetic garage pop – fun and upbeat – UK New Wave inflected tunesmithing. LISTEN

Now, time to vote.

Welcome to the long-awaited third installment of the S&R Tournament of Rock. This competition will pit 16 bands and solo artists against each other in a standard single-elimination format. The rules are simple:

• Selection criteria were informal: we picked 16 acts we liked that released new music in 2011. Then we drew names out of the hat and matched them randomly.
• Special thanks to Art Jipson (of WUDR Radio’s outstanding Tuesday afternoon indie showcase), The Blueflowers’ Tony Hamera and Ed Colavito, manager of The Lost Patrol, for recommending some worthy participants. We thought Tony and Ed might at least take the opportunity to suggest competition that sucked, thereby making things easier on themselves, but they responded by pointing us to some really good acts that we’d never heard of before. So no fear of a challenge there, and we respect that.
• We’ll post a match-up with links so that readers can give the bands a listen.
• At the bottom, click on your choice. Winners advance, and losers depart with a copy of the home version of our game and a year’s supply of Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat.

So let’s get under way with our first matchup.

Baron Bane: Hailing from Sweden – dark, lush, sensual – reminiscent of Kate Bush’s more accessible work. LISTEN

Able Archer: New project from former Splitsville front man Matt Huseman – intriguing fusion of Radiohead-esque complexity and enduring Power Pop tune sensibilities. LISTEN

Both bands are available on Spotify.

Now, it’s up to you.

Here’s the bracket.

To quote one first-round upset victim, what a long, strange trip it’s been. Believe it or not, we have finally reached the end of the road.

And now, the winner of the Tournament of Rock – Legends, by a comfortable margin of 68% to 32%…

Pink Floyd.

We’d like to extend a big thanks to all of you who participated with your votes and comments, and I’d especially like to thank my co-director (who’d probably rather not be associated with this outcome, but too bad), Dr. Jim Booth.

Here is the final bracket. See you next time.

198 bands and solo artists, 66 posts, nearly five months of listening, debating and voting, and finally here we are. We ask you to give them another listen, think critically about what it means to be a great band instead of merely a favorite band and cast your vote for the winner of the Tournament of Rock – Legends. Your contestants: first, the winners of the Budokan region, #2 seed The Rolling Stones. Their opponents, winners of the Fillmore region, #2 seed Pink Floyd.

#2 The Rolling Stones: Listen	#2 Pink Floyd: Listen

Polls close Wednesday morning.
_________________________

Updated bracket:

Perhaps it says something about perceived influence at the present time, or maybe it just means that people like listening to Pink Floyd more than they do The Who (although the producers of the CSI franchise would surely take issue). In any case, the results of our second semifinal are in, and I don’t think anyone is terribly surprised. Results: #2 Pink Floyd 65%; #3 The Who 35%.

On Monday morning the Grand Final will commence.

Whatever we may all have thought about the results of various pods along the way, however shocked or incensed we may have been at some of the upsets, however annoyed we might have gotten over the incursions of fan club voters, in the end this much is safe to say: there’s a very small handful of artists who belong in the conversation for the greatest band of all time, and I imagine our two finalists would appear on most people’s short lists.

It’s The Rolling Stones vs. Pink Floyd. We’ll see you Monday.

_________________________

Updated bracket:

Our first semi-final was a tough, hard fought, back-and-forth affair. When the smoke cleared, The Stones had prevailed, and now advance to the Final. The numbers: #2 The Rolling Stones 54%; #5 Neil Young 46%.

In our second semi, the band that invented “Power Pop” (they’re probably more remembered for the “power” part) tees it up with the band that invented atmosphere. Cue: house lights down…

#2 Pink Floyd: Listen	#3 The Who: Listen

Polls close Friday morning.

The updated bracket looks like this:

Image credit: Bob Geldof and Toolbox.com.