Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST BEFORE VOTING!​

You are voting for your favorite riff in Round 1 of the January 2010 Riff-Off. More information about the Riff-Off can be found here. In this round, there are eight head-to-head matches. Be sure to check out and vote for your favorite riff in the other seven Round 1 matches, also found in the Tips and Clips room. To view the bracket for this month's Riff-Off, go here.

Because not all contestants have access to the same quality of recording equipment, your voting decision should be based first on the actual composition, second on the player's execution of the riff. Try to look past recording quality. Some questions you may want to ask yourself while considering which way to vote: What is the emotional impact of the riff? How original is the riff? Does the riff inspire me? Would I want to hear a whole song built off this riff?

Note that each contestant has chosen a battle name for the Riff-Off; their identities have been hidden from all other contestants and the voting public, and will be revealed at the end of the Riff-Off, when a champion is crowned.

Lastly, while comments are strongly encouraged, please realize that each contestant put personal time and creative energy into his or her submission. If you have any critique to provide in this thread, give the contestants the courtesy of making it constructive. This competition is built on the premises of fun and musical growth.

Here are the links to each clip in this head-to-head:

Chumble Spuzz

Frankie Avalon

If you run into any technical issues or have other question regarding the Riff-Off, contact me via email (kgmessier at gmail dot com).

Have fun!

- Keith

 

[cream123]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

its hard to get a sense of tempo in both of them...tough choice

 

[tone4days]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

voted

i want Frankie to finish that song ... and when tourney two is over, i'd love to know your guitar, pickups, recording setup details AND the voicings you used for those chords - very very tasty

chumble - listen to govt mule much (<-- meant as a complete compliment as you have a happenin groove and tone a la warren)

 

[Redmist]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Voted

 

[Fresno Bob]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Voted

 

[Gamera]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

I liked what I heard from Frankie, I just had a hard time catching some sort of groove with it. It almost sounded like an intro rather than a repeating part of a whole. Again, maybe looping this a couple times would have helped.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Yeah, I get that whole "jingle" vibe from Frankie's. Someone trying to sell me something.

I can hear "in your grocer's freezer" at the end.


Voted for the Spuzz.

 

[B2D]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Chumble Spuzz:

Neat! I can't decide if I want this riff to wear a cowboy hat or motorcycle chaps. Maybe both. I think the riff could sound a little better if played faster and a little cleaner (tonewise, like with a clean tone) but this is a neat riff. Chon-kay!

Frankie Avalon:

A neat little percussive finger plucked thing with some double stops. Cool rhythm. I'd like to hear this with a B section and a band behind it, but then again it wouldn't be a single riff that way. It does make me wanna hear more, though. Cool.

 

[Blue Calx]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

mmmmmmmmmm, delicious

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Voted.

 

[GoDrex]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

went with Chumble even though it's more predictable blues based rock (no offense, it sounds good) because Frankie doesn't give us enough with his clip. It might be cool but it's too hand to get a handle on (for me) because you never repeat it. So it just sounds like some nice chords that sort of go nowhere. It might be better than I can make out.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

as others have mentioned, frankie's doesn't repeat. from listening to it the first time, it's hard to get a vibe or feel from it because of this, so it doesn't stick with me as well. chumble's on the other hand is very rockin', though a bit generic. based on the criteria though, it's definitely riffier imo.

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Voted.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Awesome stuff, loved 'em.

Voted

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

I loved them both, but Avalon gets my vote.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Man, I had high expectations when Frankie's riff started. In the end it left me like OOoOO's in the other bracket. It had a :cool3: Tuck Andress feel at first, then it lost me. I really think this could be a GREAT song, though.

I had to go with Spuzzy in this round.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Riff-Off 2.1: Chumble Spuzz vs. Frankie Avalon

Chumble
More good tone - it's got that dry, rubbery chunk that usually accompanies a good EL34 amp. Just the right amount of gain. Man, I do spend a lot of time talking about tone. I promise I'm not voting based on that! This is a heavy, bluesy romp that's got a nice deliberate cadence to it. I hear it more as an intro/reprise, mostly due to a cool vocal quality to the phrasing. Very cool.

Frankie
Hey now! This is unique in the context of the tourneys so far. Perhaps a touch bright for a jazz comp tone, but I do enjoy the cleanest-of-the-clean sound. Unfortunately, whether this is due to a lack of exposure to much pure jazz, or from the rhythmic "resolution" at the end of the clip, I'm having a harder time listening to this as a repeated riff in a song. It sounds more to me like something that would happen once and definitely not twice in a row in a song, and my vote reflects that.