#BattleOfTheBands : Sheeran vs Vance

Welcome to the second installment of Battle of the Bands for the month of February!

Today’s battle is going to either turn out pretty good, or turn out really bad. There is no in-between with this one. 


Today, I’m doing something that is typically warned against, but I’ve been feeling quite rebellious lately, and going to bend some battle rules *not a rule, per se, but a ‘strongly recommended suggestion.

As a reminder for you seasoned readers and to help out those of you who may be new here

Here is how a battle works:

Step One - Listen to each of the contenders. TRY not to be persuaded by the videos (unless specifically requested - in the case of today’s battle, listening is more important than watching) 

Step Two - Pick  the contender that you prefer the most (not just the one who’s name you are familiar with)

Step Three - Comment  with your selection. The comment section has been set up so that anyone can leave a comment. I do ask that you please include your name, should you use the anonymous feature.

Step Four - Visit Stephen’s blog to check out his battle and for a list of other bloggers that have have battles going on. We each have different battles, so please be sure to visit everyone. I'll provide a link below the videos to Stephen's blog for your convenience.


Today’s song was written by Foy Vance. Foy Vance is an Irish musician. He toured as supporting act with Ed Sheeran, and his music has been featured on numerous television shows. He is scheduled to tour as supporting act with Elton John and Josh Groban.

Ed Sheeran is a fan of the television series Sons of Anarchy. He tweeted about the show, which caught the attention of Kurt Sutter (the creator of the show). Kurt got in contact with Ed, and proposed that he record a song to be used in the series. Ed was touring with Foy at the time, and one of Foy’s songs starts with the lyrics  "When the sins of my father / Weigh down in my soul" Ed thought these lyrics would be appropriate for the show, and asked for permission to record the song. The song was recorded and used in the second to final episode in the series. If you’re not familiar with the show, the episode is an extremely emotional one. With the song playing in the background, I was brought to tears.

Today, we’re going to see how well Ed’s cover does when placed up against the Foy’s original recording. 

Please do not let the videos sway your decision. Close your eyes and feel the music. Base your decision on this.


Contender #1 - Ed Sheeran





Contender #2 - Foy Vance





Now, to repeat myself again:

YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AN ARTIST OR A SONG TO KNOW WHICH ONE YOU PREFER. You only need to listen to the videos and choose which one sounds better to you.  There are no right or wrong votes, unless you vote for someone not listed as a contender or don’t vote at all.


For those of you who may be interested in joining in our fun - The battles take place twice a month. Once on the 1st, and again on the 15th. Some participants have chosen to participate only once a month - and that’s okay - we’re just happy to have you join us! Your battle can consist of covers of the same song, different songs with the same title, or even a themed type battle. We just want you to join in the fun!  Catch the link to Stephen’s blog to join in - all you need to do is drop him a comment on his blog stating you’d like to participate and he’ll add you to the roster of participants.

I’d like to encourage you to visit the other bloggers participating in the battle of the bands blog hop as well.  We’ve all put a lot of time and effort into putting together these battles and they are a lot of fun. Each blogger has a different battle taking place. You can find a current list of participants on Stephen’s blog (don't forget you can also request to join the battle of the bands blog hop by simply commenting on his blog that you'd like to join us). 


Alright now… Cast your votes for either Ed Sheeran or Foy Vance!
Voting will end on Thursday, February 21 with results being posted on Friday, February 22.