Thanks to the 21 people who voted. So there were hardly any upsets at all, but I think that that will change in the next round.

MIDWEST:
(1) Circus - 20
(16) I Won't Let You Down - 1

(8) Exhibit A - 13
(9) Hey Lou - 8

(5) Burma - 12
(12) I Heard It Through the Grapevine - 9

(4) Exorcising Demons - 20
(13) Button My Shirt - 1

(6) Thursday - 19
(11) Situation Gone Bad - 2

(3) Someway, Somehow - 19
(14) Engine Debris - 2

(7) Oh My Love - 11
(10) Kari-Ann - 10

(2) God Save Rock'n'Roll - 20
(15) Like a Virgin - 1

WEST:
(1) Leave It All Behind - 19
(16) Matt's Little Ditty - 2

(8) Serious - 10
(9) Paid to Think - 11

(5) Your Smile - 15
(12) Jurley - 6

(4) Blow It Out - 18
(13) Attention - 3

(6) Armani Suede - 17
(11) That's Me - 4

(3) Bring On the Night - 18
(14) Rabbit March - 3

(7) There's a Million Ways to Sing the Blues - 15
(10) Anti-Gravity Class of '93 - 6

(2) See You Thru - 21
(15) Captain Williams - 0

SOUTH:
(1) Buffalo Head - 18
(16) Waffle House Menu - 3

(8) Stagecoach - 18
(9) Jet - 3

(5) Moonlight - 13
(12) Look Out Below - 8

(4) Harold - 18
(13) Stick Together - 3

(6) The Design - 17
(11) Roger's Theme - 4

(3) Me & the Skirts - 17
(14) Treehouse Club - 4

(7) Temporary Blues - 16
(10) Disco - 5

(2) Walk You Home - 20
(15) Laid - 1

EAST:
(1) The Beginning - 21
(16) Standing By - 0

(8) 2 x 2 - 13
(9) Don't Lie to Me - 8

(5) That's the Way It's Meant to Be - 11
(12) 33 1/3 - 10

(4) The Idea of Growing Old - 17
(13) Stark White Stork Approaching - 4

(6) Bumblebee - 16
(11) Psycho Killer - 5

(3) Action - 17
(14) Extension Cord - 4

(7) The Damage is Done - 15
(10) D-Con (Radio One) - 6

(2) Darkroom - 16
(15) Discotheque - 5

SECOND ROUND - Same as the first; e-mail to btpatton@comcast.net. Vote quick - this round ends Sunday night at midnight!

MIDWEST:
(1) Circus
(8) Exhibit A

(5) Burma
(4) Exorcising Demons

(6) Thursday
(3) Someway, Somehow

(7) Oh My Love
(2) God Save Rock'n'Roll

WEST:
(1) Leave It All Behind
(9) Paid to Think

(5) Your Smile
(4) Blow It Out

(6) Armani Suede
(3) Bring On the Night

(7) There's a Million Ways to Sing the Blues
(2) See You Thru

SOUTH:
(1) Buffalo Head
(8) Stagecoach

(5) Moonlight
(4) Harold

(6) The Design
(3) Me & the Skirts

(7) Temporary Blues
(2) Walk You Home

EAST:
(1) The Beginning
(8) 2 x 2

(5) That's the Way It's Meant to Be
(4) The Idea of Growing Old

(6) Bumblebee
(3) Action

(7) The Damage is Done
(2) Darkroom

man, so great to see that my one vote made the difference in a couple matches! This is great Jamie!

I'm proud to be one of the 3 who voted for Stick Together.

I believe the Sweet 16 will yield basically the same songs as it did last year, making room for a few others. I really hate to have to choose between "O My Love" and "GSRNR" because neither is a favorite of mine.

It's also interesting how little loyalty there is for old Features tunes.

I was happy to see that "oh my love" pulled it out over "kari-ann".....there were quite a few close matches.....the second round will be the true test.....

In thinking about how older Features tunes get lost in the shuffle against such infant tunes as "The Way It's Meant to Be" and "There's A Million Way to...", then a different way to seed them next year would be by the era in which the song was written. The West, say, could be the old old ones, like Armani Suede, the midwest would be the Mississippi stuff, the South could be Beginning era, and the East could be the newest stuff. That might even up the odds some.

Well, the real tourney has a similar occurance. Some teams have been successfull for a long time and do well every year while others are new to the tournament, but still do well. The one thing we won't have here is a Cinderella story. That does sound like an interesting way to arrange the bracket YDDD.

I'm gonna paint my face and root for Circus. All the way, baby!!!

For this sort of thing, there shouldn't be a Cinderella story ("Don't Know Whatcha Got..."), but it would put apples against apples since the Features' newer songs rock harder than the 12-string-Rickers of yesteryear.

(Edited by YaDaDaDa at 12:37 pm on Mar. 22, 2003)

Interesting. Let's keep that in mind.

and i have to say that it was evil to make me choose. i wosh kari ann had won. oh well...here goes nothin'.

As Tom Foolery told me, "It won't win because I like it."

Sorry YDDD- I like some of those old songs but I think Matt's songs have clearly gotten better since then. I mean, when I first started semi-seriously following The Features (late '99 I think) I went back and listened to The Spongebath stuff and just couldn't get into it. I get it now that I've become a pretty hardcore fan, but still I don't think you can really put "Extension Chord" in the same league as "God Save Rock and Roll" or even brand new ones like "Million Ways..." I think if they played those old old songs every night, they wouldn't have the novelty value and it would be obvious which were the "better" songs. Of course, it's all subjective though, so like whatever you want..

I agree with Keith. And I must also add that I'm very sad that both "Serious" and "Jurley" lost (even though I think I'm the only person who actually likes "Jurley"). I also am one of the 2 who voted for "Situation Gone Bad" over "Thursday." I feel sorry for it since it is such a new/great song but hardly gets played...

Me, too.

That's why I think they should have their own bracket, so they're not in the same league.

I see. You're backing out at the end because you don't want your grammar picked apart either.

I like the way its set up now. In no way, shape, or form should there be different brackets for different song eras. That's silly. That would allow for a weaker song to get farther in the tournament when it probably does not deserve to do so. I like the MUCH older songs, but I don't beleive anyone thinks that they are better than the more recent ones (or if there are, there aren't many that think so). For example, in the actual NCAA tournament, they don't designate the West bracket as being for the schools from mid-major conferences (Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, Vermont). Well, why not? Because that would allow a decidely weaker team (song?) to go deep into the tournament. I'm all for the cinderella story. I think it is fun when some little school surprises the hell out of everyone, but to do so they must beat the big boys. I believe the same should go on here.

(Edited by Ceeze at 12:39 pm on Mar. 23, 2003)

I would feel cheated in this tournament if "Matt's Little Ditty" or "Attention" snuck up and won it. At least we're dealing with mostly big boys now, and will definitely by the sweet 16. (However, I guess this tournament is what determines the "big boys")

(Edited by YaDaDaDa at 6:07 pm on Mar. 23, 2003)

No you aren't. I love Jurley, as well as Serious. They played it at the last Knoxville show, and it ruled me.

Since a studio version of "Stick Together" has just surfaced, I think we should restart the tournament. Now that a new generation of fans can bask in the majesty of this song, I think the results of this contest would be very different. "Stick Together" could easily go to the Final Four.

OK... maybe not... but just wait until next year!

You must be on crack.

I think it's actually a poor recording and presentation of the song. I have a feeling that it never really made it in Features' rotation because it came around at the same time as 2x2, which has that same very singable and climbing chorus. 2x2 probably stayed in rotation because of its subject matter, which I later found out was babies and not drugs.