Rawk the Puck! The Judges Speak

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cash: Has his hands full against the surprising Demics.

Still time to vote in Rawk the Puck!, where this year's Stanley Cup tournament mashes with a well-loaded iPod. Balloting closes tomorrow afternoon and they've been just pouring in, I tell ya.

Okay, they've actually been barely trickling in, so pick it up please, i've added a SECOND BOBBLEHEAD to the opening-round list of prizes, along with a couple of R the P! mix discs, to be chosen at random from the avalanche/gathering/light smattering of voters. If you need to refresh yourself on what this is all about and listen to some clips, check out the introductory post  and its links from last week.
First-round results and second-round matchups will be posted on Wednesday, as we take it down to the Rawk the Puck' final hootenanny.
To find out how the crack panel of hipster bloggers (and JABS, which by virtue of referencing the Hustle has officially been stricken from the hipster category) voted on the opening-round matchups, take the jump.

EASTERN CLASSIC RAWK CONFERENCE

1 “Capital Radio”, the Clash vs. 8 “Ride the Lightning”, Metallica

Acid Queen: Metallica sold out and went to crap after the Black Album. The Clash, definitely.
Basketball Jones: Tas Melas: Clash 4-3 … J.A. Skeets: Metallica wouldn't let me download their song. Bastards. I'll run with The Clash.
Carla MacDonald: I can't take Metallica seriously since seeing those prima donnas in Some Kind of Monster. Plus, I prefer my men in short spiky hair rather than long stringy hair.*shivers*
Mike Chen: The Clash. Joe Strummer and the boys are real punks with a message and an attitude. If the Some Kind of Monster documentary has shown us anything, it's that Metallica members are anything but -- sorry guys, but anyone who cries over Dave Mustaine ain't gritty enough for the playoffs.
Mark Freedman: When you have a choice between The Clash and Mellatica, there really is no choice.  It's The Clash 11 times out of 10.
JABS: 4-0 sweep for the Clash.
Vancouver Canucks Op Ed (Alanah and Jeff): Gotta be the CLASH!  (Metallica was a test, right?)

2 “Like a Hurricane”, Neil Young vs. 7 “Montreal”, Blue Rodeo

Vancouver Canucks OpEd: A Young Hurricane is better than a Blue Montreal.
Carla MacDonald: Cuddy curled up in a ball and cried in a corner when he found out his band was pitted against Neil. So sad, too bad. As us Leafs fans say, "There's always *next* year!"

Acid Queen: Dear Neil,
The Southern Man forgives you.

Sincerely,
Me

Basketball Jones: Tas Melas: Blue Rodeo 4-2 … J.A. Skeets: I'll take Chris Young's older brother.
Mark Freedman: Super sucky Blue Rodeo tune vs. classic Neil Young song.  It's all about the mutton chops baby!  The Godfather of Grunge by a landslide.
JABS: Poor Blue Rodeo, this is like drawing against the '77 Habs. Then again, this tune would lose to the ’97 Habs. St. Neil goes on.
Mike Chen: Blue Rodeo. Cause I can't stand Neil Young.

3 “The Devil to Pay”, Johnny Cash vs. 6 “(I Wanna Go To) New York City,” the Demics

Mike Chen: Johnny Cash. Because no one, not even Reese Witherspoon or Bono or (Miroslav) Satan, can take down the Man in Black.
Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: My family's cat is named "Cash". Johnny in a sweep ... Tas Melas: Johnny Cash 4-0.
JABS: If the Demics had a No. 2 song, they'd be toast here -- but we're not talking about No. 2 songs. The Demics, in an upset for the ages, because I have to acknowledge all those afternoons playing this one really loud.
Carla MacDonald: Oh, c'mon, Cash is singing about losing your soul--not waffling about whether he should take a bus trip or a train trip. To be fair, I suspect the Demics, themselves, would vote for Cash's song.
Acid Queen: Demics. No question.
VC OpEd: Demics.
Mark Freedman: The Man in Black is on a roll.  First Walk the Line and now this.

4 “Buffalo Stance”, Neneh Cherry vs. 5 “T.S.O.P.”, MFSB

Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: "Gigolo. gigolo, huh, sukka?" Man, those are some deep lyrics. Eagle-Eye's sis in a close one … Tas Melas: Neneh Cherry 4-1.
Carla MacDonald: Neneh who? Am unfamiliar with her so hadda listen to the clip and it made me want to stab myself in the ear with a knitting needle. Sweet Jayzuz, I'd rather listen to *Don* sing. Contrariwise, TSOP is cooler than cool and reminds me of my mispent youth, watching Soul Train on Detroit TV on Saturday afternoons, waiting for Sir Graves Ghastly to come on.
Acid Queen: Two words: DISCO SUCKS!
Mike Chen: Neneh Cherry. I actually don't like Neneh Cherry that much, but she did some backing vocals on a song called Seductive Barry off Pulp's This Is Hardcore masterpiece, so she gets props in my book.
VC OpEd: Awful vs. Awful!?!  Neneh Cherry, only because it doesn't make me want to actually commit suicide.
Mark Freedman: There is no way I can vote for Neneh Cherry.  That song was the bane of my existence in 1988.
JABS: I hate them both. But I really hated high school more. Buffalo Stance squeaks thru cause I never had to try to “dance” to it in Gr. 9 gym, where they actually taught us the Hustle.

WESTERN INDIE RAWK CONFERENCE

1 “Hotel Yorba”, the White Stripes vs. 8 “Slippery People”, Talking Heads

Carla MacDonald: Garage band vs art school band... Normally I'd go for the spare & howly Stripes sound, but I can't in good conscience vote against a much beloved band from my purple hair days. Makes me wanna watch Stop Making Sense again. I think I still have that on Beta somewhere...
Acid Queen: I've always hated the White Stripes (and their soundalikes). And even though David Byrne was always a weenbag, I love me some Tina Weymouth. I go with the Talking Heads.
Mike Chen: Winner, in triple overtime of Game 7: Talking Heads. David Byrne is a musical genius while Jack White is merely very very good (and Meg White is technically a pretty bad drummer).
Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: I'll take the White Stripes … Tas Melas: White Stripes 4-3.
Mark Freedman: As much as I love The White Stripes and this song, Slippery People is a great tune.  And the Talking Heads are vanguards of New Wave.  It's David Byrne and his giant suit over Jack and Meg's coordinated red and white ensembles.
VC OpEd: TOUGH ONE!!!! But Stripes takes it.
JABS: Awesome matchup on paper, but Heads go through tune vs. tune. Would like to have tickets for this one, though.

2 “Star Sign”, Teenage Fanclub vs. 7 “Mile High Club”, Adam and the Ants

Mike Chen: Teenage Fanclub, just because I own some of their stuff and I think they're waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than Adam Ant, regardless if he's in makeup or in his reborn "Wonderful" era.
Acid Queen: If I picked Teenage Fanclub in ANYTHING, my sister would get in her beat-up Toyota van and drive to Raleigh just to beat my ass down. Besides, I've never been a huge Teenage Fanclub fan.
Carla MacDonald: Jangly guitar pop--few things in life are sweeter! Plus I don't think anybody in the band is wearing hair extensions or face paint or pirate gear.*shivers again*

Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: I'll take the White Stripe ... on Adam Ant's face. … Tas Melas: Teenage Fanclub 4-2.
VC OpEd: March on Ants. Climb that Colorado Hill. Infest them!
Mark Freedman: Teenage Fanclub.  Underrated indie rock band.  Think Matthew Sweet without the sugar.  No contest vis-a-vis Mr. Ant.
JABS: The Fanclub.

3 “Streets of Fire”, the New Pornographers vs. 6 “Rubber Duckie”, Bootsy Collins

Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: Solid match-up. Pornos in 7 … Tas Melas: New Pornographers 4-3.
Acid Queen: Ooooh, tough call--but see, hearing the name Bootsy Collins always reminds me of Stephen Collins and his infamous spanky-books erotic thrillers "Double Exposure" and "Eye Contact", which means that I can't watch 7th Heaven (or think about the song "Rubber Duckie") without laughing uncontrollably. Gotta go with the New Pornographers.
VC OpEd: Porn or a Duck? Geez. Gotta be Porn.
Carla MacDonald: Okay, the Bootsy song is stoopid, but it's so darned catchy! I can't help myself. I am weak. I cheer for the Leafs.
Mike Chen: The New Pornographers. Similar to Belle & Sebastian and The Arcade Fire, there's a billion members in The New Pornographers and they can take on Bootsy as long as the P-Funk all stars aren't there. Plus Bootsy was in that horrible Dee-Lite song, and that's a strike against him too.
Mark Freedman: Tough call.  Bootsy is a funk god.  But I'm on a New Pornographers kick.  And this is a catchy tune.  Then again, aren't they all?
JABS: A fetishist's delight. Pornos march on, but it’s tighter than shrunken pleather.

4 “Tennessee Plates”, John Hiatt vs. 5 “Shark Sandwich”, Spinal Tap

Mark Freedman: I'm going with Hiatt, because I really don't like Spinal Tap.  It's that simple.
Mike Chen: Winner in a four-game sweep: Spinal Tap. "Shit Sandwich? Now that's nitpicking, isn't it?" I'll go Big Bottom on anyone who dares challenge the almighty Tap.
Acid Queen: My interest in John Hiatt has always been pretty casual at best, but I gotta go with reality over fiction. I'll take Hiatt.
VC OpEd: John Hiatt.
JABS: Hate to get all indypedantic here, but Shark Sandwich wasn't actually a song -- it was an album. So to speak. Going with Hiatt here, even if it amounts to a bad call in overtime of Game 7.
Basketball Jones: J.E. Skeets: I don't care if it's not a song; Shark Sandwich wins on cover art alone ... Tas Melas: 4-2 Tap.
Carla MacDonald: John Hiatt is a genius. Then again, so are Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer... But he's the type of man you'd never catch wearing spandex, and that is more than enough for me to cast my vote unquestioningly in Hiatt's direction.