The Ultimate Music Not-So-Much-Of-A-Challenge-Anymore

I recently attended the Ultimate Music Challenge’s Week 3 competition. It sure did bring back warm, and sometimes not so warm, memories. But I did stop by the judges table in the middle of the night to tell them how much being there caused me to have the feeling of missing performing there and being part of the festivities.

The UMC is an 11 week long competition, a battle of the cover bands. These groups range from variety dance bands for a non-specific genre to full blown costume wearing, tribute impersonators. Then they’re judged, Ala American Idol, where the judges offer opinion over three open mics for all to hear.


Judge #1 and friend of RTS, Edwin Decker, was at his customary stage right podium position and Alicia Champion, that little musical genius, was seated in the middle when I popped by between acts four out of five.

“Hey, guys. Being here reminds me of how much I miss playing at this event”.

Ed looked me right in the eyes with a smiling reply of “Really”.

“Yea, really, except for one thing”.

“What’s that’?

“It would be the Ultimate Music It’s-Not-So-Much-Of-A-Challenge-Anymore now”. RIMSHOT! Chuckle, chortle, and snickers. NOT TRUE!!!!

Truth be told, Rolling the Stones worked hard, I mean HARD to pull those shows together. When we entered, Jackson Martin (Keith) & I believed that we could win. How weird was THAT? The audacity!

Although it appeared like we steamrolled the competition, Ed reminded me that we squeaked by in the Semi-Finals to get to the finals, primarily because we made a (minor) tactical error in song choice of one far less familiar tune, Rocks Off, the lead track from Exile On Main Street, one of the Stones most revered albums. I was horribly depressed thinking we blew it but the crowd noise factor came through for us. Fortunately and right from the get-go we were able to draw a crowd, and a very large, boisterous one.

Now that two plus full years, three Ronnies and two Chucks have elapsed, the band has gotten tighter still. The stage routines are starting to get second nature, where to move, what to say, what to play. It’s partly that last factor, song choice, that set up winning the finals.

Ed did comment to me that after our hiccup we “slammed” the finals. Thirty minutes of a perfectly constructed set. We need to thank our buddies in Don’t Stop Believin‘ for that. Their lead singer came in with a worn out throat from them playing shows Friday & Saturday nights previous. Too bad, because I think that they could have won it. The tactic that they chose to play the same three tunes at each of their performances. Jackson & I were behind the judges table for their semis show and we said, what the heck?, again? Same songs AGAIN?

So, we had an opportunity to ask Alicia if that was OK in the judges opinion, meaning to repeat songs during the competition. Her reply? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” was the judges stance. That opened door that we needed.

She was out of town for our first show (our very first performance ever), so we decided to reinsert Brown Sugar from Week 1 and Gimme Shelter from the Semis. Smartest move from the entire competition. It literally paid to attend every other show. We learned from the judges just how to win. All the clues were in their critiques.

So, a big thanks to Viejas Casino and The UMC for kick starting our career. It-Really-Was-A-Challenge after all.