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We here at Quick Stop Entertainment are true lovers of music, in all its forms. We’re also quite keen on the spirit of competition, and of spurring creativity through said competition.

To that end, we launched a unique form of creative combat here at the Stop.

In this age of manufactured and painfully earnest talent contests, we’ve decided to instead shine a light on the quirky, quixotic underworld of musicians that don’t get nearly the attention they deserve.

Ah, but I did mention that there was a competition involved…

Like a songwriting version of Iron Chef, the competitors will be presented with a very specific songwriting challenge. They’ll be given one week to complete their songs – however they see fit, within the parameters set forth – after which time the entries will be uploaded to Quick Stop to be voted on by you, the audience.

Oh, and what do we call this competition?

MASTERS OF SONG FU

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Let us not forget the very special Masters of MASTERS OF SONG FU. Think of them as the iron chefs of Song Fu – one of which will be revealed as the ultimate challenger in THE FINAL CHALLENGE. Past Masters have included Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Neil Innes, The RiffTones, and Garfunkel & Oates. Any one of them could be the Master in the final Challenge – or perhaps it could be a brand new Master. Only the Challenger who garners the most cumulative votes in all 3 Challenges will move on to the Final and face that Master, mano a mano.

As with the last edition of Song Fu, all of the Challengers will be able to compete in every Challenge, and the Challenger with the most cumulative votes after the 3 Challenges will be the one that takes on the Master in the Final Round. So what was the first Challenge?

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ROUND 1 CHALLENGE

Write a song from the perspective of an inanimate object. This inanimate object must have no moving parts. Also no computers, no objects that look like living things, either human or animal (i.e. a statue, an action figure, etc.), and no celestial objects (i.e. the sun or the moon). Your song can be in any style you choose.

That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 45 seconds.

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You’ll find the Round 1 songs from each of our Challengers below (for those Challengers that did not progress to Round 2, you’ll find those songs HERE), as well as the results of the Round 1 voting. The Challengers were then issued their Round 2 Challenge…

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ROUND 2 CHALLENGE

Write a march.

A march is “a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to” – and that is your challenge. You can write on any topic. Your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 15 seconds.

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You’ll find the Round 2 songs from each of our Challengers below (for those Challengers that did not progress to Round 3, you’ll find those songs HERE), as well as the results of the Round 2 voting. The Challengers were then issued their Round 3 Challenge…

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ROUND 3 CHALLENGE

For your third challenge, you are to write a standard song. I am defining a “standard song” as one with a definite melody and a chorus that repeats at least once (to clarify: the chorus should appear at least twice in the song). However, your song must run EXACTLY 1 minute in length – no shorter, and no longer. You can write on any topic.

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You’ll find the Round 3 songs from each of our Challengers HERE. After all of the votes were tallied from the 3 rounds, there was but one winner, who earned the right to go head-to-head with a Master. Both the winning Challenger and the Master were issued the following FINAL CHALLENGE. This Final Challenge was also open to any previous Song Fu Challengers who wished to submit an out-of-competition shadow entry…

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THE FINAL CHALLENGE

Write a song about a journey. This journey must include 3 main characters. Your song can be in any style you choose.

That’s it. The only other directive is that your song must run no shorter than 1 minute 45 seconds.

Here’s an example of a song about a journey, featuring 3 main characters, that may provide some inspiration… Lobo – “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo”

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Below, you’ll find the entry from the final Challenger, Berg & Jerry, as well as the shadow entries. Unfortunately, this edition’s Master – Molly Lewis – had to bow up due to extenuating circumstances. Therefore – by default – the winner of this 4th Edition of Masters of Song Fu is BERG & JERRY. Congratulations to the duo for their win, and by all means – give their tune a spin…

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THE CHALLENGER

BERG AND JERRY

Berg and Jerry are a small suburban acoustic group comprised of Andrew Berg (Lead Vocals, Melodica and, maybe, eventually the Ukulele) and Jerry Geleff (Guitar and Backup Vocals). Mid-summer ’08, Berg and Jerry began writing songs together and since then… well, basically nothing. As rookies to this competition, these guys hope to at least make one good song, and entertain at least one person (*fingers crossed*). Berg and Jerry have a fun ska/indie/punk acoustic sound and often try to write clever witty lyrics. So listen, laugh, and something else that starts with an “L”, because Berg and Jerry are ready to slightly attempt to be THE MASTERS OF SONG FU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Official Website: www.myspace.com/bergandjerry

FINAL SONG:Goodnight Sweet Prince

ROUND 3 SONG:Inside Jokes

ROUND 2 SONG:This Day Shall Be Mine

ROUND 1 SONG:The Green Potato Chip Song

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THE MASTER

MOLLY LEWIS

When she’s not bluffing her way through college courses or looking passably attractive from a distance, Molly Lewis enjoys playing ukulele, microwaving marshmallow Peeps, talking to cats, and Twittering. Early last year, she wrote two original songs, “MyHope” and “Road Trip”. “MyHope” is about the inevitable day when our children will learn how to navigate the interweb and how they will LOL at our old internet presences, namely MySpace; of “Road Trip”, Molly says it’s about “that astronaut lady who went crazy and wore the diapers, you remember that?” She has not written any songs since. Hopefully this competition will remedy that. When Molly was in middle school, she took up the guitar. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the mandolin. That sank into the swamp. So she took up the banjo. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the ukulele has stayed. And that’s what you’re going to get, Quick Stop Entertainment: the strongest ukulele in all of Tacoma, Washington. Molly defeated Masters Paul & Storm in Masters of Song Fu #3.

Official Website: www.sweetafton23.com/primer/

Twitter: twitter.com/Molly23

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THE SHADOW ENTRIES

JUTZE SCHULT

Johannes “Jutze” Schult (from Germany) likes to live in a dream world where there has been no Grunge and where he is a talented singer. Sometimes his little folky pop songs find their way into the real world. Here they suffer from his hoarse voice and the do-it-yourself home recording production, struggling to appeal off and on beaten musical paths.

Official Website: www.jutze.com

Twitter: twitter.com/schult

FINAL SONG:Shadow Journey

ROUND 3 SONG:Joey Dumps Pacey

ROUND 2 SONG:March 2003

ROUND 1 SONG:Natalie Portman’s Doormat

CALEB HINES

Caleb became a software engineer instead of a musician because the type of music he likes best went out of style at the end of the 18th century. Self-taught in music theory, he is more comfortable writing a four-part instrumental fugue than he is writing a verse-chorus-bridge song. After discovering the likes of Weird Al, Dr. Horrible, and especially Jonathan Coulton, he realized that “modern music” can be fun too. Now he is on a quest to update, expand, and diversify his musical knowledge and experience. In addition to singing, he plays a whole family of recorders (not usually all at once) and baroque flute, pretends to play keyboard, and most recently, ukulele. He also uses virtual MIDI instruments because a real orchestra costs too much.

Official Website: refactoringmybrain.blogspot.com

Twitter: twitter.com/calebhines

FINAL SONG:Passengers

ROUND 3 SONG:A Standard Song

ROUND 2 SONG:Marching To Selador (Traditional Dwarven March)

ROUND 1 SONG:Ancient Wonder

AUDIOMOHEL

Forged in the furnace of irony, molded with the hammer of satire, flattened on the anvil of righteousness, and cooled in the water of awesomeness, AudioMohel was thrust upon the world. Named from the lost audio transcripts of ’09, AudioMohel serves as a public-service backlash against the anti-circumcision trend sweeping the so-called “enlightened parents” crowd, AudioMohel urges their more devoted and impressionable fans to undergo the snip two or even three times. AudioMohel enjoys experimenting with new breakthrough genres like speed blues and death classical even though most of AudioMohel’s tunes reside firmly in the ethereal realm of vapor-ware. Some of AudioMohel’s members admitted to being a bit intimidated by the professed experience and actual musical talent apparently possessed by the Song Fu Masters, but finally it was decided that if the need arose, sabotage would not be out of the question. To be used as a last resort, naturally, but not out of the question.

Official Website: www.AudioMohel.com

Twitter: twitter.com/AudioMohel

FINAL SONG:Made It To The Manshed

ROUND 2 SONG:The Battle Of Cobra Island

ROUND 1 SONG:Hubcap Without A Home

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To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the FINAL ROUND songs, CLICK HERE.

To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 3 songs, CLICK HERE.

To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 2 songs, CLICK HERE.

To download a ZIP FILE containing all of the ROUND 1 songs, CLICK HERE.

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ROUND 3 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

Which Song Fu Challengers brought the most fu to Round 3? (CHOOSE 5)

  • Berg & Jerry - "Inside Jokes" (15%, 101 Votes)
  • The Scribbles - "We Miss You Yeti" (13%, 91 Votes)
  • Ian & Melissa - "Quickie" (9%, 63 Votes)
  • Caleb Lee - "Don't Sing Along" (7%, 48 Votes)
  • Godz Poodlz - "Bomb Squad Girl" (6%, 44 Votes)
  • Steve Chatterton - "You Chose To Be A Dick" (6%, 41 Votes)
  • Edric Haleen - "Acceptance" (5%, 36 Votes)
  • The Perfect Place - "wtfpeople20 (Three Short Stories)" (5%, 34 Votes)
  • Gorbzilla - "Minuteman" (4%, 29 Votes)
  • Sara Parsons - "I Can't Sleep (Manatee Dreams)" (4%, 29 Votes)
  • Lex Vader - "Keen Dreams" (4%, 27 Votes)
  • Darrell Maclaine - "Song" (4%, 25 Votes)
  • Caleb Hines - "A Standard Song" (3%, 24 Votes)
  • Denise Hudson - "O Queen" (3%, 24 Votes)
  • Travis Norris - "Finite" (3%, 19 Votes)
  • His Name Is Legs - "Swan Song" (2%, 15 Votes)
  • Derrek J. Thompson - "Fu In The Key Of C" (2%, 15 Votes)
  • Jutze Schult - "Joey Dumps Pacey" (2%, 14 Votes)
  • Austin & The Pudaks - "Typo In The Lyric Sheet" (2%, 14 Votes)
  • Jalapeno Habaneros - "Wish You Were Here (Falling)" (2%, 13 Votes)
  • Richard Clayton Spring - "Warp Speed" (2%, 11 Votes)

Total Voters: 308

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View Results

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ROUND 2 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

Which Song Fu Challengers brought the most fu to Round 2? (CHOOSE 5)

  • Berg & Jerry - "This Day Shall Be Mine" (10%, 68 Votes)
  • Tom Milsom - "March As A Mad Hare" (9%, 60 Votes)
  • Ian & Melissa - "Song FUneral March" (7%, 50 Votes)
  • Gorbzilla - "March Of The Geeks (Semi-Autobiographical)" (7%, 48 Votes)
  • Sara Parsons - "Let's Have An Awkward March" (7%, 46 Votes)
  • The Perfect Place - "March Of The Clandestine Ninjas" (6%, 40 Votes)
  • Edric Haleen - "Whispered In Your Ear" (5%, 38 Votes)
  • Steve Chatterton - "The Only Way I Know" (5%, 34 Votes)
  • Denise Hudson - "Anna's Gerbil & The Singularity" (5%, 34 Votes)
  • Godz Poodlz - "Godz Poodlz On Parade" (5%, 33 Votes)
  • The Scribbles - "The Student's Revenge" (5%, 33 Votes)
  • Lex Vader - "Doomsday March" (4%, 28 Votes)
  • Caleb Hines - "Marching To Selador (Traditional Dwarven March)" (4%, 27 Votes)
  • His Name Is Legs - "The Ocoee Shopper" (3%, 23 Votes)
  • Jutze Schult - "March 2003" (3%, 21 Votes)
  • Darrell Maclaine - "Football Is Good (The Football Song)" (3%, 20 Votes)
  • Gremlins - "Doctor" (3%, 18 Votes)
  • Travis Norris - "Deserter's March" (2%, 15 Votes)
  • Andrew Thomson - "March Of The Martyrs" (2%, 14 Votes)
  • Miles From Nashville - "Another Bittersweet Ending" (2%, 13 Votes)
  • Jalepeno Habaneros - "La Marcha de Oppurtunidades" (2%, 13 Votes)
  • AudioMohel - "The Battle Of Cobra Island" (2%, 12 Votes)
  • Richard Clayton Spring - "A Soldier Forever" (1%, 7 Votes)

Total Voters: 351

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View Results

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ROUND 1 VOTING RESULTS – THE CHALLENGERS

Which Song Fu Challengers brought the most fu to Round 1? (CHOOSE 5)

  • Berg & Jerry - "The Green Potato Chip Song" (9%, 163 Votes)
  • The Perfect Place - "If I've Learned Anything" (9%, 159 Votes)
  • Caleb Lee - "How Man Years Bad Luck If You Break A Mirror's Heart" (7%, 123 Votes)
  • Tom Milsom - "The Raincoat's Lament" (6%, 121 Votes)
  • Jarrett Heather - "Trapped Inside Your Sofa" (6%, 106 Votes)
  • Ian & Melissa - "I Remember" (6%, 103 Votes)
  • Sara Parsons - "Throw Me Away" (5%, 86 Votes)
  • Edric Haleen - "All For this Moment" (4%, 80 Votes)
  • Gorbzilla - "I Am Your Pants" (4%, 78 Votes)
  • Godz Poodlz - "Bad Penny" (4%, 77 Votes)
  • Lex Vader - "Just A Rock" (4%, 69 Votes)
  • Mike Lombardo - "Rock Song" (4%, 68 Votes)
  • The Scribbles - "Snuggie Like Me" (4%, 67 Votes)
  • Steve Chatterton - "I Will Always Look Up To You" (3%, 59 Votes)
  • The Gremlins - "Neutron Star" (3%, 52 Votes)
  • Darrell MacLaine - "Strawberry Fool" (3%, 47 Votes)
  • AudioMohel - "Hubcap Without A Home" (2%, 45 Votes)
  • Jutze Schult - "Natalie Portman's Doormat" (2%, 42 Votes)
  • Denise Hudson - "Leave The Stone Alone, Yep" (2%, 38 Votes)
  • Caleb Hines - "Ancient Wonder" (2%, 35 Votes)
  • Jeremy Pierson - "Your Welcome Mat" (2%, 32 Votes)
  • Travis Norris - "Enertronic Bow" (2%, 32 Votes)
  • His Name Is Legs - "One Of The Team" (2%, 30 Votes)
  • "Buckethat" Bobby Matheson - "Noose" (1%, 27 Votes)
  • Miles From Nashville - "A Bridge To Nowhere" (1%, 26 Votes)
  • Richard Clayton Spring - "Crazy Straw" (1%, 23 Votes)
  • Jalepeno Habaneros - "Aquaman's Trident's Lament" (1%, 23 Votes)
  • Andrew Thomson - "Someplace 2 Land: Bush's Flight Suit's Lament" (1%, 21 Votes)
  • Austin & The Pudaks - "A Record Of Your Life" (1%, 19 Votes)
  • Derrek J. Thompson - "O'Riely's Underpants" (1%, 13 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,292

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View Results

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If you triumph, not only will you win remarkable (and potentially off-putting) bragging rights and a clutch of fantastic mystery prizes, you will also become the proud owner of the magnificent, one-of-a-kind MASTER OF SONG FU TROPHY.

Good luck, and bring on the Fu.

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Comments: 40 Comments

40 Responses to “Masters Of Song Fu #4: The Winner Announced!”

  1. Travis Norris Says:

    Congrats Berg and Jerry! Great tune! Timely.

    May or may not do a critiquery thing. Still kind of bummed I managed to get bronchitis this past week. The song that I wrote will eventually be on my myspace.

  2. Edric Says:

    Well — congratulations, guys!

    MoSF #5, anyone? (riddle?)

    🙂

    (Jim! Jim! Jim! Jim! Jim! Jim! Jim! . . .)

  3. Berg Says:

    Me and Jerry are shocked and amazed that we have come this far in this competition, and are honored to have worked along side you guys.

    I’m not sure that any of us expected this to be the end result.

    Our song “Goodnight Sweet Prince” is a song honoring the works of Michael Jackson. In the lyrics to this song, we have included 50 Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 songs.

    Each song is in [Brackets]
    ===========
    Verse 1
    ===========
    At the [break of dawn], [remember the time] we had
    [One more Chance] and We [dont stop till We get Enough]
    Traffic got to [beat it], before it gets too [bad]
    Say goodbye at Neverland, we never want to grow up
    All we do is [say say say], but [Never Can Say Goodbye]
    [Speed Demon] behind the wheel
    As we pass road signs, the music starts to make us [cry]
    [I can’t help it] it’s [the way you make me feel.]
    =========
    Chorus
    =========
    Just me, [Billy Jean] and [Little Susie]
    As we [ease on down the Road]
    You were [gone too soon], almost [Another Part of Me]
    Soon [I’ll Be there], [You Are Not Alone]
    =========
    Verse 2
    ==========
    Susie’s [Lookin’ Through the windows] hoping for a [thriller]night
    Like a [smooth criminal] [we fly away] into the dark
    [I Just Can’t Stop Loving You] whether [Black or white]
    [Is It Scary] how [Human Nature] made them say unkind remarks?
    [Speechless] when they [threatened] your [privacy]
    [Unbreakable] we’ve been with you [through thick and thin]
    [Tabloid junkie]s exploiting you for more [Money]
    [Maybe Tommorow] [This Time around] now we’ll see our friend
    =========
    Verse 3
    =========
    [Sunset Driver] pulls up to the shining gates
    [Butterflies] inside make me want to [scream]
    [I want you back] I think [Heaven Can Wait]
    I [fall again] as numb as [morphine]
    Billy says “[Ben], [Don’t walk away],
    [Get it together], [It’ s too late to change the Time]”
    [You are my World], and I’ve come here to say
    You’re songs will always be the [reflections] In [the Mirrors of my mind]

  4. Michelle Says:

    Well, it’s shame Molly couldn’t get her song finished in time… but I guess that is part of the qualification.

    Nice job! I hope you’re proud of that song; I’m still somewhat amazed that you actually fit 50 songs into it.

    Grats! <3

  5. Russ Rogers (of GöDZ PööDLZ) Says:

    Congratulations to the new Masters of Song Fu, Berg and Jerry! You pwned the vote in the prelims and finished out the in the Finals with a fine, clever song with your most clean production so far.

    I’m sorry to hear that Molly didn’t get a song finished. I’m a big fan, and was looking forward to a new “Molly Lewis” tune.

    There is a Masters of Song Fu Group on facebook. http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99943309099

    It’s open to anybody that wants to join.

  6. sevinPackage Says:

    Awwww, I was really looking forward to voting. Darn.

    Congrats to Berg & Jerry!

    I hope we’ll still get to hear what Molly made…

  7. Spintown Says:

    Congrats to Berg & Jerry, you had a great tournament. Very unfortunate way to win, and a dull way to end the tournament with a DQ though.

  8. Masked Grammarian Says:

    Wait…wasn’t Molly’s song posted on her website more than a week ago? What happened??

  9. Jutze Schult Says:

    For the first (and certainly last) time I had nothing until a few hours before deadline. I made up the lyrics and the chords on the fly. It took several attempts to arrive at something that didn’t totally suck. The story got changed as it got later and later. In the middle of the night I finished the ‘final’ version, only to realize later on that I forgot a line about “Only one of us/you can get to heaven, the other must go to hell.” So the conflict remains elusive and the lyrics don’t make too much sense. Also, I wasn’t able to pronounce the word “hooded” correctly and mixed the tenses at the end. As for the music, you get an idea what it sounds like when I’m in (desperate) songwriting mode.

    SHADOW JOURNEY

    How the hell did I get here – on a boat in the dark?
    There’s a woman sitting next to me.
    I say, hi, where are we here?
    She says, can’t you see we’re not alone.
    I turn around and freeze with fear.
    There’s a hooded man at the back with the rudder in his hand.

    I ask, did I really die?
    He says, yes.
    I say, oh shit.
    Then the woman takes my hand and she looks me in the eye.
    She says, now you have to decide what will happen to me and you.
    And the old man at the back he smiles skinless smile.

    I say, you’re joking, right?
    She says, no.
    I say, shit.
    I never thought it would end like this.

    Hey Mister, I’m a saint and sinner, but when it comes to dying I’m just a beginner.
    I say, hey Mister, I’m a saint and sinner, but when it comes to dying I’m just a beginner.

    I say, hey Mister, what’s going to happen if she and I start to procreate right here and make another human.
    What will happen to the baby then?
    He turns to me and says, I don’t know. Let me think.
    As he doesn’t have an answer the woman and I draw hope and start to make out. Start to make out.

    The hooded man gets afraid.
    Confused he doesn’t know what to do.
    He tells us to stop.

    Hey Mister, I’m a bad, bad sinner, but when it comes to living I’m just a beginner.
    He says, hey Misses, I’m bad, bad sinner, but when it comes to living I’m just a beginner.

    He says, oh dammit, I forgot to use my voice.
    It doesn’t matter anyway. I think I’ll make an exception for you:
    You may both go to heaven. You don’t even have to pay me now.
    But hey, don’t tell the others. I have to keep my image up.
    We said okay.

    So we went to heaven and lived happily ever after.

  10. riddle Says:

    nice song B & J.
    too bad about Molly. this disappointment makes me love her a little less.

  11. Lex Vader Says:

    Um… “congratulations” to the “winner” I guess? I haven’t been this disappointed since the time they cancelled Christmas.

    I forgot to enter my shadow entry, but it’s probably for the best. It was dumb and improvised and probably would have been taken the wrong way. And now I can make more songs, since that won’t be considered forever my “LAST SONG.” Yeah, I avoided your clever trap, Ken Plume!

  12. danonymous Says:

    Why put “winner” in quotes? I get putting congrats in quotes, because you have been seemingly bitter for most of the competition, but Berg and Jerry won fair and square… and with a really great song to boot.

  13. Darrell Maclaine Says:

    So, we had an entire round of Masters Of Song Fu with no Masters. That’s novel I suppose.

    Thanks to people saying unwarranted nice things about me, I guess I’m up for round 5 if my favourite competitors hang around and the challenges are interesting again (‘inanimate object’ aside, they’ve been a little too vague to be fun for this one compared to the great specific ones for the other rounds).

  14. Edric Says:

    @Darrell:

    From one point of view, it may be true that there were no Masters this time around. But you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

    Maybe it really _was_ “Masters of Song Fu.” Maybe the Master is inside of you. Maybe it was inside all of us! Maybe it’s been there from the very beginning!!

    (And you were there. And you — and you — and you — . . .)

    😉

    Long live Song Fu! (Jim! Jim! Jim!)

  15. Lex Vader Says:

    If B&J are now masters, then I declare that they lost the fight I just held against them without telling them because they didn’t show up. So now I’m a master. Also, I beat Death at chess because he didn’t play me, so I’m now immortal. And I beat God at the shuffleboard match I played without him, so I’m now better than God.

    Sorry, but if no master was beaten, no title was earned. It’s not personal, it’s the letter of the rules and the spirit of the competition, whether Ken Plume’s kazoo feels like being spontaneous or not. Neil Innes and Garfunkel & Oates dropping out of the last edition was disappointing enough, but things just seem to be getting worse.

  16. cobra Says:

    @ Lex WOW! You are AMAZING
    It is not B&J’s fault the master did not show. B&J did every they were required to do. They received the most votes during the initial 3 rounds (not to mention every round). They wrote and submitted original songs as required. Who has songs laying around about “Inside Jokes” that happened during the contest, or a tribute song to Michael Jackson’s death prior to him dying? This contest was to be fun, not for money, not for a writing contact…. but for FUN. You have manage to do your best to make it anything but for both the contestants and the viewers. Let it go, Lex and be happy!! Try it, just for fun!!

    @ Berg and Jerry Congratulations on being named “Masters of Song Fu” You have earn it. Your final song was, once again, quite witty and very well done!!

  17. Berg Says:

    The biggest part of this competition is to be able to finish a song is the time given. Molly knew about the challenge, molly WAS working on a song, and for some reason she couldn’t finish (maybe writers block).

    I’m sorry Lex, but I feel if you challenged us and somehow we didn’t show up, I feel we would still win. You are an awful sport.

    I really wonder if anyone thinks that you are as amazing as you do. Now go right a ten minute song about how much you hate us and everything about this competition. I’m sure no one will listen to it…..again.

  18. riddle Says:

    @Edric: you can stop chanting Jim. he’s said he’ll do it. but at this point, who believes there’s going to be a #5? and i have my qualms about joining… certainly our webmaster knows my, and others’, concerns, but little has been explained or corrected…

  19. Edric Says:

    SWEET!!! Jim — you rock! (Jim! Jim! Jim!) 😉

    In re: your question of “who believes”…

    I know that the inscrutable Mr. Plume has always been somewhat of a riddle. (Sorry — couldn’t resist.) And no one ever really knows what (or when) he might do something. And yes — I get the sense that he’s taken quite a bit of flak from many different sides as far as different aspects of Song Fu is concerned. (My frustration has merely been with the stubborn silence when delays have occurred, but I know that others have taken exception to any number of things — voting, “rules,” whatever…)

    And I’m sure it takes some non-trivial amount of work to put this up. In addition to everything else that Ken oversees. To date, he has hosted four “Song Fus” proper — plus a Christmas special, a Red Nose special, an ongoing Stephen Fry-a-thon…

    One of the things that bummed me out the most over how Song Fu #4 ended, was that the abrupt ending didn’t really allow for the kinds of exchanges that I witnessed at the end of the other Song Fus. Everyone’s just kind of surprised and feeling let down. Arguing about words in quotes. Paying left-handed congratulations at best to Berg and Jerry.

    No one’s saying, “Well done, everyone!” No one’s saying, “Well — this was fun. It’s too bad it’s over.” No one’s saying, “It was an honor being part of this pool of talent….”

    .

    No one’s saying, “Thanks, Ken!”

    .

    It was REALLY nice in MoSF #3, when we had the big, cumulative listening party. There was a palpable sense of community and respect and admiration. And it was a great opportunity to, en masse, thank Ken for all that he had done to make this possible.

    I know that a big listening party like that won’t be likely this time — what with listening parties already having been thrown for the first three rounds. But, for what it’s worth — a big, heartfelt thank you (and five bright, shiny “Joe-points”!) to Ken. And an invitation to others to thank him, as well…

    So — “who believes there’s going to be a #5”? I don’t know. It’s difficult to speculate. Ken’s always kind of been kind of like you — but wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma…

    But for my part?

    .

    .

    .

    I _hope_ so…

    🙂

  20. Edric Says:

    @Lex Vader:

    Are you kidding me?!?

    Holy smokes, folks. A little perspective? Yes — we’re all a little disappointed at the anticlimactic ending. Yes — there have been a few ongoing frustrations and glitches.

    There have also been TWO HUNDRED THREE new songs written!!!

    Yeah — I’m sure you didn’t like _every single one_ of them. But how much happiness have these songs brought to you? How many of them have made you smile? How many of them have you sung to yourself, out there in your day-to-day life? How many of them did you download to your iPod or iTunes? (Personally, I have 44 of them on my owniTunes list.) HOW COOL IS THAT???

    But no. Let’s focus on the fact that Berg & Jerry are holding a title under false pretenses. Let’s focus on the fact that Masters have been dropping out of Song Fu and inconveniencing the rest of us. That they’re eating away at out conceptions of how this contest “should be run.”

    I’ve written before that Song Fu is not for the weak-of-heart. Above and beyond the risk of putting your creative efforts “out there” for the world to judge, there’s also the logistics of creating art on a deadline, in addition to the rest of the constraints in your life. We have jobs. Classes. Family. A stubborn need for sleep, eventually. Some unfortunate competitors even have to battle with PCs!

    There _is_ a heavy attrition rate. But it’s not just Masters. And it’s not fair to suppose that “Masters” would be immune. You wanna talk about dropping out?

    .

    MoSF #1

    Round 1: Teardrop; In The Audience; The Flying DeLoreans

    Round 2: To Serve Mankind

    ——–

    MoSF #2

    Round 1: *Doc Hammer*

    Round 2: *Jonathan Coulton*

    ——–

    MoSF Holiday Special

    Only Round: Bram Tant; Nate Shivers; Jeff Fardink; East Carolina

    ——–

    MoSF #3

    Round 1: Jason Morris; Charlie Wolf; Shane Peterson; Denise Hudson

    Round 2: *Neil Innes*; *Garfunkel & Oates*; Rusty’s Rocking Jamboree; Heather Henderson; Jarrett Heather

    Round 3: *Paul & Storm*; Bryce Jensen; Jeff Fardink; Hallelujah Ape

    ——–

    MoSF #4

    Round 1: Molly Lewis; Jason Morris; Bram Tant; Timothy Rush; Andy Rumschlag; The Mysticbuzz Band; In The Audience; The Gorgon’s Gaze; Mike Federali

    Round 2: “Buckethat” Bobby Matheson; Mike Lombardo; Jarrett Heather; Derrek J. Thompson; Jeremy Pierson; Caleb Lee; Austin & the Pudaks

    Round 3: Audiomohel; Tom Milsom; Miles From Nashville; Andrew Thompson; Travis Norris; The Gremlins — but four people RETURNED for this round! Caleb Lee; Austin & the Pudaks; Derrek J. Thompson; Travis Norris

    Final Round: *Molly Lewis*

    .

    By my count? 6 Masters. 40 Challengers. Attrition’s a fact of life. Yes — it’s a bummer that Molly didn’t get a song submitted this time ’round. But remember — even given her Master’s status — she’s still a student!! She’s not a professional musician. She’s not touring around or dropping albums. Give her a break!

    And while were at it? Even if she WAS a professional musician? It’s STILL a challenge writing and recording a song in a week, when life keeps marching on. JoCo dropped out — he had a second kid. We missed his involvement, to be sure — but life moved on. Paul and Storm dropped out — they were attacked by dingoes. Think about that. DINGOES! We’re just grateful they were able to come back and do the Final Round of MoSF #3. (And, in their weakened state, is it any wonder that they got thrashed by Molly?)

    My point is — can we PLEASE all stay focused on the positives here? Yes, the voting engines have sucked. True — fine — get over it. We all love and miss Molly, and it sucks that we didn’t get to hear another song from her. Okay — move on. Ken doesn’t always post things promptly, and my “Refresh” button is about to need servicing. Vexing? Yes. End of the world? No.

    If you aren’t happy, don’t come back. Go read a kid a book instead. But enough already with the petty, bitchy crap, okay? In the end, as Ken has said repeatedly — it’s all about the music. The music. The MUSIC.

    Get it?

    Let it be all about the music. And long live Song Fu.

    🙂

  21. Travis Norris Says:

    While, like others, I’m disappointed that we didn’t have a Master entry this time around, I think the widespread bi–ERRCOUGHHACKCOUGH complaining about it serves basically nothing. The best way to make Ken Plume say “eff it” would probably be to repeatedly suggest/imply/allege there won’t be a MoSF#5, though, so maybe it’ll help with that.

    Lack of Master attendence is a problem, to be sure, but it’s an unavoidable one. Illness, family emergencies, a paying gig, hilarious guest spots on Scrubs, and whatever else happens. Masters tend to be professionals, and nothing goes better with “professional” than “conflict”.

    So anyway, jumping on Edric’s bandwagon, THANK YOU to Ken Plume and QSE for all your work promoting, organizing, and generally providing bandwidth and webspace for a bunch of moody musicians who tend to look a gifthorse in the mouth.

    And Berg, please, cool off. The only thing I personally got from Lex’s post (and yes, a “congrats Berg and Jerry” would have been nice and appropriate, without quotes) was that he was disappointed we didn’t get a Molly song. Not really a personal attack. Saying you are cool enough to beat someone in absentia might be. Also saying “nobody listened to” a Fu’er who was in at least the top half of the pack every round gives those of us who placed lower a bit of a stomach ache. So bad sportmanship all around! Including me! Huzzah!

    Ken: Bring on round five. I suggest GLaDoS for the master. …..of course, she’s sort of busy… being.. blown up and what not. 😀

  22. Travis Norris Says:

    Uhhh… Right. Edric’s post hadn’t shown up yet when I made mine, or I probably wouldn’t have bothered. Well done Edric! Hehe..

  23. Peter Says:

    I’ve been lurking on here for a week or so, and am now compelled to comment…

    Anticlimactic as this was the final round may have been, the competition was still awesome. I think Song Fu is an amazing idea and am really hoping to join myself in the next round.

    Thank you so much Ken Plume for doing this, and PlEASE continue. It’s too awesome an idea to not be in existence.

  24. Berg Says:

    @Travis: sorry to you, I did lose my cool, I was just sick of the complaining every single round.

    @Edric: Agreed fully…. I stated above that I was “honored to have worked along side you guys” and I wouldn’t take that back for anything.

    Joining Edric’s bandwagon, I also greatly thank Ken Plume for giving us this opportunity to share our musical creativity to a larger audience.

    Trust me, no one is more disappointed that Molly didn’t make a song. I am a HUGE fan of Molly…I watched all of her youtube videos, voted for her last song fu, and she inspired me to try out for this competition. So yeah I’m kind of bummed to think that since she skipped out on the competition, she might not have listened to any of My and Jerry’s songs….yeah it stings a little.

    Did I expect to win against Molly, no, but I was really excited to be able to go against someone I’ve been listening to for over a year.

    Not only that, but it also feels like, despite us putting in our effort, that we were handed the title. So if you think your are disapointed…try being the “winners” of the fourth Song Fu.

    I guess we will cross our fingers for Song Fu 5, and I hope that I will see most of you next Fu.

    (Jim! Jim! Jim!)

  25. Steve Chatterton Says:

    Indeed – thanks Ken. Please don’t feel like we take you for granted, even if we’re too lazy to say it.

    Without the Fu my repertoire would be several songs lighter. I’ve written 5 official entries, plus a shadow for this round that I didn’t have time to record but I still intend to get around to, not to mention a few extras that came out while I was writing Fu tunes. One of them is one of my Top 5 ever written and I never would have written it without the Fu.

    Berg. Don’t worry. I come close to snapping like that all the time. I try to re-read what I’ve written, then I count to 10, and then I click submit if I’m still fuming. You won fair & square – be happy with that.

  26. riddle Says:

    hi everybody,
    i just want to make it clear that i DO appreciate what Mr. Plume has done with this site. i’m very glad it exists and i think the concept is one that could and should grow, if given proper maintenance.
    but it frustrates me to no end that it is being handled so poorly, such that only die-hards are sticking around. Mr. Plume: the way to attract newbies to this great site (and keep them) is to make the site comprehensible, bug-free, and fresh. please, if this is too demanding for your schedule, trust someone else with the site’s maintenance. i only say this because i believe strongly in your concept and want to see it flourish. which is the opposite of what it’s doing now.

  27. Richard Clayton SPring Says:

    seconding what riddle just posted.

  28. Lex Vader Says:

    I would reply, but I have been brutally murdered by the happy, fun-loving people of the internet, whom (during life) I liked to call “The Positive People.” They were screaming something about me not being positive enough and forgetting to use the word “puppy” in one of my sentences. It was hard to make out their exact complaint, as their venom had eaten away most of my eardrums. I only had just enough time to cry a pool of tears over the dejection of people not giving my imaginary unwritten songs a second listen before the mob stripped me of my skin and in an orgy of really positive happy fun-lovingness, forced me to eat the poisonous words they had put in my mouth.

    So, I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a satisfying payoff to these past two months, but this whole death thing came up and is really filling my schedule.

    Love,
    Lex Vader

  29. Travis Norris Says:

    You’re the most verbose dead guy I’ve ever had the pleasure of not actually conversing with, Lex. 😀 Also, puppy.

    I think this community needs a drink. And more cowbell.

  30. Russ Rogers (of GöDZ PööDLZ) Says:

    Something that I forgot to say before. I forgot to thank our hosts, Ken Plume and QuickStopEntertainment.com. Thanks to Ken Plume for Masters of Song Fu #4. I had a great time and I hope that Godz Poodlz has a chance to compete again in MOSF#5 soon.

  31. Edric Says:

    For what it’s worth… (Excerpts from webchat.)

    12:22 EdricHaleen: Any chance there’s any word on a new edition of Masters of Song Fu?

    12:26 uncascroogemcd: The last one burned pretty bad. Lot of unfortunateness. I’m regrouping. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

    12:37 uncascroogemcd: I am thinking on all fronts about it. I should have an announcement one way or another in the next few weeks.

    12:38 uncascroogemcd: And I appreciate your enthusiasm for it – it means a lot.

  32. sevinPackage Says:

    I, for one, am grateful that this competition exists. I crave new music more than the average person should, and listening to artists that are new to me is even better! Regardless of the many gripes people may have (whether they are from the voters or the artists themselves), MoSF is a unique competition that let me hear hundreds of songs that never would’ve been created without it, and many of them have enriched my life.

    Thanks so much for hosting this event, and Long Live Song Fu!

    PS: I’m catching up on my reviews for this season right now. The video for the first round should be done in less than a week. Click on my name to visit my youtube channel.

  33. Chas Lilly Says:

    I will be very disappointed if this competition ceases to exist! It is a blast to witness such a diverse crowd of artists going up against each other!

  34. Caleb Lee Says:

    Holy crap. So Congrats Berg! I’ve been gone so long I didn’t even know how it ended. =/

    Berg had it from the start. Molly would have put up a fight but seriously the guy got votes like mad every round.. With our without a showdown they deserve the title.

    Here’s hoping there’s another one of these and everyone can relax and have fun on it.

    P.s. I just got a new job RIGHT at the end of SF3 and honestly it’s all I have time for… hence this super late reply to this that no one will read. Things happen so I def. have no hard feelings toward Molly or anyone else who couldn’t do every round. (sorry… i’m a flake.. i should have done round 2.)

    Have a good one!

  35. MickBordet Says:

    Apologies for the blatant plug, but for anybody missing Song Fu and wanting to take part in a similar one-off that has a rather different audience, have at look at Great Hites.

    It is normally a writing podcast focused on short stories based on a weekly prompt (as per Song Fu), but for a special event they are doing a musical episode. The topic is “Wiener Dogs” and the deadline is August 31st 2009. The folks there are a welcoming crowd, so pop in and give it a shot!

  36. Edric Says:

    Good news! Good news!

    More Fu to come!!!

    http://twitter.com/KenPlume/status/3395954039

    🙂

  37. Wilson Fowlie Says:

    Does anyone here follow the FuMP (the Funny Music Project)? If not, you’re missing out on Insane Ian singing with The Great Luke Ski in the last couple of weeks.

    Just thought you’d all (or you all’d) like to know that.

    And just to show that I’m not affiliated with the FuMP in any way (other than as a subscriber), I won’t link to it, though I will tell you that it’s thefump.com, so you don’t have to google for it.

  38. sevinPackage Says:

    If you’re like me, you can’t wait for MoSF 5 to get underway…

    So in the meantime, why not watch my reviews of previous rounds on my YouTube channel?

    I just finished my extremely tardy video for MoSF 4 Round 1:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjIm4bTSYcA

  39. Berg Says:

    hey… I have a new band!!!

    Me and Jerry decided to do a full band thing and got us a drummer and bassist!

    Sooooo if you ever wanted to hear the Green Potato Chip song electrically and with better mixing(lol) check it out here!

    myspace.com/thewhatnows

  40. Edric Haleen Says:

    http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2009/11/04/masters-of-song-fu-5-sign-up/

    (riddle! riddle! riddle! riddle! riddle!)

    🙂

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