April Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Battle of the Bands

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Music and Memories ( #AtoZChallenge )

Many things can tap into our memories and often music can evoke our pasts more so than any other stimulus...

On my own blog Tossing It Out I frequently discuss music and memories. For a time I even had one blog Wrote By Rote that focused on memoir and often music was a topic there as well. Most of us enjoy music to some extent and we enjoy sharing what we like with others who might also like our favorite music. Some blogs focus entirely on the subject of music while other bloggers regularly participate in music-themed blog events just as I do.

My favorite music blog hop is Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands in which participants post songs and ask readers to vote on their favorites. Like most other participating bloggers, I post my Battles on the 1st and 15th of each month. That means another one will be coming tomorrow (Sunday April 15th).

So, if you are a music fan, please drop by to vote on my Battle and take a look at the other Battles. It's fun and it is educational--I've made some great musical discoveries doing Battle of the Bands. And can you believe that I've participated in BOTB since 2013--we've been doing this thing for going on 5 years now. I guess we really are having a good time with it! You can too. Want to join us? If so, visit my next BOTB post and find out more.

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Do you ever blog about music? Do you ever write memoir on your blog? Are there any blog events that you've been participating in that you'd like to share with us?

Friday, September 30, 2016

More about Music & other Fun Things (#atozchallenge)

In last Friday's post, Csenge offered some great ideas about the inspiration that music can offer to those who write. If you appreciate music and missed this post you might want to go back and check it out. In the mean time thinking about music brings to mind something else that has become a favorite blogging event of mine and many other bloggers: The Battle of the Bands.

The Battle of the Bands (#BOTB) event which is managed by Stephen T. McCarthy has been going on since 2013. Three years is not too shabby of a record for such an intensive ongoing event, one which happens twice every month on the 1st and 15th. A small core of fervent music lovers join in regularly to enjoy the presented battles and then vote on favorites.

The premise is simple. Participants find two versions of the same song by different artists or in some cases different songs with similar themes or in other cases some other variation of pitting one performance against another. Visitors to each battle listen and then decide which performance they like best and cast a vote. It's a lot of fun which considering that I've been participating on Tossing It Out from the beginning I guess I'm hooked on this event.

Typically I will tie in a theme to my battles which gives those not interested in the music or who can't listen to the music for some reason an opportunity to still join in a conversation about my theme. My upcoming battles will be themed around the U.S. presidential election, but don't worry--there shouldn't be too much that will be contentious other than what might appear in the comment sections. My intent is to offer some food for thought plus what I hope will be music my visitors will enjoy.

If you haven't visited one of my BOTB posts then please join me at Tossing It Out for my next one on Saturday October 1st and cast your vote or at least weigh in on the topic.

More Events...

A to Z'er Mary Lou Quinn from Me in the Middle asked:

Can you recommend some other Blogfests, Arlee? I'd like to see what else is out there that fits my goals for my website.

Great question for which my answer may not totally address your needs, but might be helpful to some others if not you. Frankly I've limited myself to a handful of blog events, though if I run across something that sounds interesting I might jump in because the nature of how it sets my mind to working. But those are one time events that you just have to watch out for.

Our long time A to Z Team associate Alex J Cavanaugh often mentions events at his site. He also hosts the monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group which has many participants. This event is especially good for anyone who considers themselves writers. I've participated in IWSG since its inception five years ago. If you're like me you can probably always think of something to write about. I guess we'd better if we're writers. Look for the next IWSG community posting on Wednesday October 5th.

Two other regular blogging events are hosted by Michael G D'Agostino at A Life Examined.

Michael mentioned that he is looking for someone to take these over for him. Question of the Month and FlashBack Fridays have potential for growth if someone wants to take on either of these responsibilities. Visit his blog to leave him a comment that you are interested or leave a comment below that you would like for him to contact you. FlashBack Friday is another I participate in on Tossing It Out so my Friday September 30th post is part of this event. I'll address my Question of the Month at Tossing It Out on Saturday in tandem with my BOTB post.

Now It's the Readers' Turn...

Can you suggest any ongoing blogging events for those who are wishing to reach out more (or just have fun)? Do you know of any special blog fests that are coming up? Do you have an idea for a blogfest that you'd like to see?