The time has finally arrived! First, let me say what an honour it was to host the work of such a broad range of accomplished musicians this year, and I look forward to hearing more from all of you.  DylanRadio.com will proudly broadcast your talent for the world to hear for as long as we’re online.  Thank you to each and every one of you who participated – whether that’s as an artist, as a lister/fan, as a voter or financial supporter.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… DylanRadio.com listeners are a cut above the rest.  You guys n’ gals rock.

Now, on to the matter at hand!  The winner of DylanRadio.com’s 2nd annual Battle of the Dylan Cover Bands is…

**** David Bertsch ****

That, of course, means that our first runner-up is BIG SON!  The winner of the second runner-up poll is Jacques Mees!  I will be contacting all three of you later this week to start turning the wheels on your upcoming promotional opportunities!  Of course, all of our competitors are going to continue to receive promotion here on DylanRadio.com through requests and regular airplay.  Remember, the best promotion you can get  is gained through interaction with your fans, so if you’re new to DylanRadio.com, I hope you stick around and become a valued member of our little community.

My personal thanks to our judges, Bill Herman, Fred Bals and Darrin Harvey, and our partner Paradiddle Records. Without their involvement and commitment to the music, none of this would have been possible.  Thanks guys!  Please leave comments of encouragement for our judges and all the artist who made this year’s Battle so amazing.  Look forward to Battle 2011!

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 11 July, 2010
5 Comments »

This is it, folks!  THE FINAL BATTLE! Our judges will have their work cut out for them trying to choose between two fantastic versions of “If Not For You” as performed by BIG SON and David Bertsch.  They’re going to need your help on this one, so please cast your votes:

BIG SON vs David Bertsch

There’s also a neck & neck battle for the 3rd place position!  Since the judges are going to be busy in the other race, we’re placing the decision for this battle in the hands of our listeners.  Your votes will decide who will be our 3rd place winner, either Jacques Mees or Zelda Michele.  The winner will have their song available on Paradiddle Records featured download area, so cast your vote!

Jacques Mees vs Zelda Michele

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 7 July, 2010
6 Comments »

Okay boys and girls, gather ’round and I’ll tell you a story.  It’s the story of who survived a VERY close race in the semi-final round of the Battle of the Dylan Bands.  The winners of this round are…

David Bertsch & BIG SON!

So where do we go from here?  I’ll be posting the new polls for the FINAL round in the Battle later this week, and here’s where those votes will really make a difference.  The 1st and 2nd place positions will be determined by our panel of judges as usual, but third place will be determined by YOU.  Details will be posted soon!

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 5 July, 2010
3 Comments »

We’re almost there, folks!  The outcome of round 5 will decide who will be competing for 1st and 2nd place in the Battle!  So please help our judges make these incredibly tough decisions by casting your vote.  It’s been hard to pick favourites for the whole Battle, but now it’s darn near impossible!  Here are the links to vote:

David Bertsch vs Jacques Mees

BIG SON vs Zelda Michele

I’ll explain how 3rd place will be selected when we start the final round.  In the meantime, we have a VERY important day coming up!  Thursday, July 1st is Canada Day, and we’ll be celebrating it here on DylanRadio.com (one of the side-effects of your DJ being a proud Canadian ).  Look forward to songs about Canada, selections from some of my favourite Canadian artists, jabs at our American neighbours, and lots of self-deprecating humour!

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 2 July, 2010
4 Comments »

It’s here!  It’s finally here! If you’re new to DylanRadio.com, there’s no need to panic.  We’re still the only Bob Dylan radio station in the world, but we’re shaking things up a bit for today.  Today we’re celebrating Canada Day! All day long you’re going to hear music by some of my favourite Canadian artists as well as songs about Canada, poking fun at Americans, and lots of self-deprecating humour.

Click here to request a song from our Canadian lineup! If you want to make a dedication, you have to be logged in to your DylanRadio.com account.  What’s that?  Don’t have one?  No worries, just register for a free account right now.

There will also be no noon Theme Time today.  Don’t freak out, though… we’ll be returning to our regular 24/7 Dylan format tomorrow.

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 1 July, 2010
No comments »

The judges did a lot of wrestling this last round (Literally.  A lot of spandex, very disturbing.) but they’ve finally presented their picks for round 4.  Congrats to all of you who have made it this far, and look forward to details on ROUND 5 tomorrow!  In the meantime (drum-roll please) here are your round 4 champs:

Luigi Catuogno vs Zelda Michele
Winner: Zelda Michele

Blood On The Tracks vs Jacques Mees
Winner: Jacques Mees

David Bertsch vs The Highlights
Winner: David Bertsch

Dusty Keleher vs BIG SON
Winner: BIG SON

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 26 June, 2010
7 Comments »

We only have four tournament groups left, and The Highlights find themselves in the random wildcard spot.  I’m sure Bill, Fred & Darrin will be ripping their hair out trying to make these tough calls – well, Fred & Bill anyway.   Help them out by casting your vote!

• Luigi Catuogno vs Zelda Michele
• Blood On The Tracks vs Jacques Mees
• David Bertsch vs The Highlights
• Dusty Keleher vs BIG SON

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 20 June, 2010
4 Comments »

A lot of tough decisions by our judges for round 3, with a 2-1 split on almost every match up!  Here are this round’s picks by Bill, Fred, and Darrin.  Look forward to the round 4 match-ups and the random wildcard to be posted tomorrow!

Luigi Catuogno vs ROBOBOB
Winner: Luigi Catuogno

BIG SON vs G K Miller
Winner: BIG SON

David Bertsch vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
Winner: David Bertsch

Blood On The Tracks vs The Highlights
Winner: Blood On The Tracks

A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs Jacques Mees
Winner: Jacques Mees

Renee Safier vs Zelda Michele
Winner: Zelda Michele

Butchers Blind vs Dusty Keleher
Winner: Dusty Keleher

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 19 June, 2010
2 Comments »

There still seems to be some confusion on how the battle actually works, in spite of the description on the official battle page, so let me quickly sum up.  It starts with these three very cool guys, Fred, Bill and Darrin…

…well, these handsome fellas sit themselves down and listen to every one of your songs in each of the one-on-one match-ups.  Then, using some strange mystical necromancy that is unique to each of them, they make a decision as to which one of the songs in the match-up they prefer.  It could be that one song reminds them of their long lost puppy, who knows?  HOWEVER, when they are faced with a tough decision as to which of the two songs in the match they’ll vote for, one of the criteria they may use to decide is who’s getting the most votes.  That’s the reason people vote. Voting doesn’t decide the winner, but it can potentially influence a judge or three.

Even if Fred, Bill and/or Darrin don’t give you the  two-thirds you need to proceed to the next round, you shouldn’t think that reflects a critical opinion that diminishes your work.  To the contrary!  You’re still getting airplay and promotion here in the Dylan fan community, and you may actually be getting more requests & airplay than the eventual winner, so as long as you’re in the Battle, there’s really no downside here.  Hopefully that clears up any confusion anyone had.  NOW, ON TO ROUND 3! Here are the random match-ups from the previous round’s winners, including our random wildcard, Luigi Catuogno.:

• Luigi Catuogno vs ROBOBOB
• BIG SON vs G K Miller
• David Bertsch vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
• Blood On The Tracks vs The Highlights
• A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs Jacques Mees
• Renee Safier vs Zelda Michele
• Butchers Blind vs Dusty Keleher

PS: In case anyone’s curious, I use random.org to randomize the match-ups and pick the widlcards.

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 15 June, 2010
9 Comments »

I’m currently holed up in a comfy cottage with my dearly beloved in an ongoing celebration of her birthday.  The down-side is that, even though I collated the judges’ votes results, there was no way for me to post them   SO, because I love you guys all so much, I drove back home just long enough to post the results.  I’ll add more later, including some judges comments and the round 3 tournament groups when I get back from my vacation.  In the meantime, though, here are your winners!

David Bertsch vs JB Heinink
Winner: David Bertsch

Darrin says, “Outstanding musicanship on both”

A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs Dylanesque
Winner: A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain

Fred says, “One of my ongoing favorites.  Suspect they’ll be in the finals.”

Dusty Keleher vs Dylan Night Band
Winner: Dusty Keleher

Garden on a Trampoline vs G K Miller
Winner: G K Miller

Blood on the Tracks vs Mika Hashimoto
Winner: Blood On The Tracks

Butchers Blind vs Lawton Gafford
Winner: Butchers Blind

Jacques Mees vs Tudesque
Winner: Jacques Mees

Darrin says, “THE HARDEST pair to judge so far in the contest… I really wish these two had gone against someone else.  I really like them both”

BIG SON vs Die DoubleDylans
Winner: BIG SON

Hard Rain vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
Winner: Maggie’s Farm Southern Band

ROBOBOB vs Utacata
Winner: ROBOBOB

Luigi Catuogno vs The Highlights
Winner: The Highlights

Darrin says, “By a hair…”

Al Diesan & His Band vs Renee Safier
Winner: Renee Safier

Darrin says, “What vocals!”

Michael Crimmins vs Zelda Michele
Winner: Zelda Michele

Darrin says, “Everytime I hear this I hear… perhaps… the winner of the whole thing.  LOVE IT!”

Some of these REALLY surprised me!  Like I said, keep an eye on the site for the more information on these picks, as well as links to the new voting polls between these guys.

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 13 June, 2010
27 Comments »

The pack is thinning, and the head-to-head competitions are only going to get more intense!  Don’t be disappointed if the judges don’t vote your way, because no matter what, you’re still getting some great promotion and name recognition here in the Dylan fan community.  That being said, let’s kick off ROUND 2!  Pick your faves folks!

• David Bertsch vs JB Heinink
• A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs Dylanesque
• Dusty Keleher vs Dylan Night Band
• Garden on a Trampoline vs G K Miller
• Blood on the Tracks vs Mika Hashimoto
• Butchers Blind vs Lawton Gafford
• Jacques Mees vs Tudesque
• BIG SON vs Die DoubleDylans
• Hard Rain vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
• ROBOBOB vs Utacata
• Luigi Catuogno vs The Highlights
• Al Diesan & His Band vs Renee Safier
• Michael Crimmins vs Zelda Michele

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 1 June, 2010
12 Comments »

Here are your winners for round 1 of the Battle of the Dylan Cover Bands tournament as selected by our three judges.  The second round tournament groups will be posted this evening.

1.    Jamie Thomas vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
Winner: Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
2.    Starbridge Folk Band vs Zelda Michele
Winner: Zelda Michele
3.    Blood on the Tracks vs KajWilhelm
Winner: Blood on the Tracks
4.    Ernst Schultz vs The Highlights
Winner: The Highlights
5.    Luigi Catuogno vs That Guy from ELO
Winner: Luigi Catuogno
6.    ROBOBOB vs The Nurktwins
Winner: ROBOBOB
7.    Dusty Keleher vs The Refugees
Winner: Dusty Keleher
8.    Dennis Heller vs JB Heinink
Winner: JB Heinink
9.    David Bertsch vs Jeremy Mayle
Winner: David Bertsch
10.    A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs HOW MANY ROADS
Winner: A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain
11.    Dylanesque vs Gerd Schinkel
Winner: Dylanesque
12.    North Country vs Tudesque
Winner: Tudesque
13.    Dave Wilson vs Garden on a Trampoline
Winner: Garden On A Trampoline
14.    Al Diesan & His Band vs Jay Scott
Winner: Al Diesan & His Band
15.    Butchers Blind vs PetTommy
Winner: Butchers Blind
16.    Jacques Mees vs Zimming Point
Winner: Jacques Mees
17.    KajCat vs Lawton Gafford
Winner: Lawton Gafford
18.    Dylan Night Band vs The New Fools
Winner: Dylan Night Band
19.    G K Miller vs The Royal Alberts
Winner: G K Miller
20.    Michael Crimmins vs WilBurt
Winner: Michael Crimmins
21.    BIG SON vs Dylan Dogs
Winner: BIG SON
22.    Hard Rain vs Mika Hashimoto
Winner: Hard Rain
23.    Renee Safier vs Slop Mountain Ramblers
Winner: Renee Safier
24.    Bill Madison vs Die DoubleDylans
Winner: Die DoubleDylans
25.    Ben Schuurmans vs Utacata
Winner: Utacata

And our random wildcard winner who will continue to the next round is… Mika Hashimoto.  As I already mentioned, ALL of our competitors are winners and will remain a permanent part of the DylanRadio.com community, available for requests and regular airplay.  It’s our honour to continue to promote and support every one of you!  Look forward to the new tournament groups & polls later this evening!

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 31 May, 2010
4 Comments »

Let the games begin! The fifty artists who made the audition cut have been pitted one-on-one against another random entry.  Below are the links to the forum polls where you can listen to both entries in each group, and vote for your favourite over this week.  You need to be registered and logged-in to vote, so register today if you don’t have an account here on DylanRadio.com (it’s free).

Here are the links to the first round tournament groups:

1. Jamie Thomas vs Maggie’s Farm Southern Band
2. Starbridge Folk Band vs Zelda Michele
3. Blood on the Tracks vs KajWilhelm
4. Ernst Schultz vs The Highlights
5. Luigi Catuogno vs That Guy from ELO
6. ROBOBOB vs The Nurktwins
7. Dusty Keleher vs The Refugees
8. Dennis Heller vs JB Heinink
9. David Bertsch vs Jeremy Mayle
10. A. Hill & R. Safier & Hard Rain vs HOW MANY ROADS
11. Dylanesque vs Gerd Schinkel
12. North Country vs Tudesque
13. Dave Wilson vs Garden on a Trampoline
14. Al Diesan & His Band vs Jay Scott
15. Butchers Blind vs PetTommy
16. Jacques Mees vs Zimming Point
17. KajCat vs Lawton Gafford
18. Dylan Night Band vs The New Fools
19. G K Miller vs The Royal Alberts
20. Michael Crimmins vs WilBurt
21. BIG SON vs Dylan Dogs
22. Hard Rain vs Mika Hashimoto
23. Renee Safier vs Slop Mountain Ramblers
24. Bill Madison vs Die DoubleDylans
25. Ben Schuurmans vs Utacata

Since each tournament round requires an EVEN number of entries, a wildcard spot will be reserved for a random entry as required.  As usual, our judges make the final decision in each match-up at the end of the week, but their opinions may be swayed by popular votes, so invite your friends and supporters today!  One vote per user per group, so be sure to take the time to cast your vote in all 25 contests.

PS: I’ll also remind you that the user-agreement you affirm when you register specifically prohibits signing up for multiple accounts, so don’t do it.

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 24 May, 2010
8 Comments »

The Battle of the Dylan Cover Bands tournament round will begin as part of Bob Dylan’s Birthday Celebration on Monday! Links will be provided here on the main page which will take you to the forum poll topics which will let you listen to the pairs of competing entries, and vote on the one that rocks your socks.  You need to be registered and signed-in to vote, so register for an account now if you don’t have one!

So no more asking me when we’re going to vote, or how we’re going to vote, k?

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 20 May, 2010
12 Comments »

The audition results are in, but before you check for your name remember a couple of things.  Firstly, If you didn’t make the cut, don’t worry. Your entry will continue to remain a part of the DylanRadio.com songpool & the battle page, your links will remain, and your track will still be available for requests & dedications.  As far as I’m concerned, everyone who had the courage to put themselves out there deserves their permanent place here on DylanRadio.com.   Secondly, I will publish the vote counts and select comments, if any (anonymously, so you won’t know who to bribe ),  for those moving on to the tournament, but I will not publish them for  those who aren’t – so don’t ask.

Now without further mountain dew, here are the artists who will be competing head-to-head in the Battle of the Dylan Cover Bands!

Al Diesan & His Band (3 yes votes) “STUNNING!”
Andy Hill & Renee Safier & Hard Rain (2 yes votes) “A nice cover, I like the arrangement.  A nice original take.”
Ben Schuurmans (2 yes votes) “WOW!  THIS is the reason I wanted to be part of this project.”
BIG SON (2 yes votes)
Bill Madison (3 yes votes) “A maturity you just cannot fake.  I buy what he’s selling”
Blood on the Tracks (3 yes votes) “To be Chicago’s finest ANYTHING is impressive.”
Butchers Blind (2 yes votes) “Love this Wilco flavored version.”
Dave Wilson (2 yes votes) “Clearly a brilliant vocalist interpreting but not impersonating.”
David Bertsch (3 yes votes) “Another one with lots of potential.  Real nice voice.”
Dennis Heller (2 yes votes)
Die DoubleDylans (3 yes votes)
Dusty Keleher (3 yes votes) “I think Mr.D would really love this.”
Dylan Dogs (2 yes votes)
Dylan Night Band (2 yes votes)
Dylanesque (3 yes votes) “The most accurate BD vocal I’ve ever heard.”
Ernst Schultz (3 yes votes) “WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE GERMANS?  They seem to really get it!”
G K Miller (3 yes votes) “Really really love it.  5 stars.”
Garden On A Trampoline (2 yes votes)
Gerd Schinkel (2 yes votes)
Hard Rain (3 yes votes) “An original arrangement.”
HOW MANY ROADS (3 yes votes) “I’d hire them in a minute!”
Jacques Mees (3 yes votes) “Perfection.  This one will be hard to beat.”
Jamie Thomas (2 yes votes)
Jay Scott (2 yes votes) “Love this one.”
JB Heinink (2 yes votes) “Oh wow, yes.  Again, one to watch.”
Jeremy Mayle (3 yes votes) “He’s got the ability of singing BD as though HE wrote the song himself.”
KajCat (2 yes votes) “Best harmonica I’ve heard so far.”
KajWilhelm (2 yes votes)
Lawton Gafford (3 yes votes) “Early front runner, in my mind.”
Luigi Catuogno (3 yes votes) “Best musician in the competition.  Great arrangement.”
Maggie’s Farm Southern Band (3 yes votes) “Neat.  Fun.  Just fun.”
Michael Crimmins (3 yes votes)
Mika Hashimoto (2 yes votes) “Oh yeah baby!  This gets my blood running!  Love it!”
North Country (2 yes votes) “BRAVE song to cover.  Tempo hell but they stayed with it!”
PetTommy (3 yes votes) “Neat neat neat!  Almost euro pop vocal.  Love it.”
Renee Safier (3 yes votes) “Thank you sir, may I have another?”
ROBOBOB (3 yes votes) “Yup, this is what this competition is (I believe) all about.”
Slop Mountain Ramblers (3 yes votes)
Starbridge Folk Band (2 yes votes) “Can we just award the top prize to the entire German population?”
That Guy from ELO (2 yes votes)
The Highlights (3 yes votes) “Great vocals fronting a great band.”
The New Fools (2 yes votes) “WOW on the vocals!  You sure this isn’t Bob?”
The Nurktwins (2 yes votes) “I wanted to say yes based on song selection alone, then I heard it and say OH YEAH BABY.”
The Refugees (3 yes votes) “Clearly professional musicians playing really well.”
The Royal Alberts (3 yes votes) “Not afraid to attack the guitar.”
Tudesque (3 yes votes)
Utacata (3 yes votes)
WilBurt (2 yes votes) “Keeping it simple, keeping it real.”
Zelda Michele (3 yes votes) “Beautiful singer, lovely arrangement.”
Zimming Point (3 yes votes) “Great band, great vocals.”

I will announce the beginning of the tournament rounds this weekend this week, so LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Filed under: Webcast News Tags: by Pete Date 14 May, 2010
13 Comments »