Ladies and Gentlemen, colleagues, team members, and people. Welcome to Round Two of the Great River Flow Down song competition. Round One turned into a watery mess. It took us almost two months to clean it all up. The competition is really starting to boil.   We have a special guest for round 2  hot takes.  Her name is Karina the goat. Not sure where she got that nickname but we couldn’t be more excited to have her. Below are each of our match-ups from Round Two. Both artist and song title are linked to that song’s corresponding youtube video. Please stick around and listen to the songs, and when you’re ready, head on down and click through to vote.

Fitzcarraldo Conference – Round Two

Neil Young – Down by the River    VS.     Talking Heads – Take me to the River

Neil Young rd 1 victory with 68% of the votes

Talking Heads rd 1 victory with 88 % of the votes

Bigwater’s Take:  Honestly, I can’t believe that Talking Heads destroyed Ian Noe; I’m just going to assume name recognition was everything in that battle. I could continue complaining about it at length, but I won’t because winners win, and that’s all that matters. As for the round 2 match-up between Neil Young and Talking Heads, I’m going to have to go with the Heads. 

Karina the Goat: I think the Talking Heads are going to win this round 2 match-up. Judging by the numbers I think you would be a sheep to go with the Talking Heads. But who knows maybe people just don’t like Bishop Briggs.

Mystic Conference – Round One

The Head and The Heart – Rivers & Roads    VS.     Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River

Head and the Heart rd 1 victory with 70% of the votes

CCR rd 1 victory with 77 % of the votes

Bigwater’s Take: It was Rivers and Roads all the way, just like I said It would be. I mean, come on, you don’t need a crystal ball to show you that Phil collins couldn’t stop those hipsters even with a hipster-stopping machine.  Phil Collins river just wasn’t wide enough. As for CCR vs. RaRa Riot, that was definitely a give me. CCR didn’t completely blow Riot out of the water like I thought they would (77% of the votes). Sidebar – The biggest defeat of the tournament to date was handed to Ian Noe. However, I think CCR will send these hipsters packing in their sprinter vans.  I said it last round, and I will quote myself again.  The Cali-created, bayou-hardened powerhouse that is CCR can not be stopped. See you in the finals, Green River. ARTA also rafts the Green River. Double cool.

Karina the Goat: I really do like the head and the heart. I love their music and I love this song. But I know it’s going to be CCR. As a goat that also likes math, I also have to go with my brain on this one. And 77 to 70 just doesn’t bleat upset in my mind.

Kwai Conference – Round One

Paul Roberson – Ol’ Man River   VS.     Joni Mitchell – River

Paul Roberson rd 1 victory with 76% of the votes

Joni Mitchell rd 1 victory with 76 % of the votes

Bigwater’s Take: This ended up not being the most challenging conference after all, with both wins getting 76% of the votes. But again, as always, I was correct in my predictions. I’m like that octopus that guesses the football winners. And for this round, I’m going to choose Paul again. I think Paul is going to face CCR in the finals. He made Justin Cry, and Joni is next.

Karina the Goat: I really like Ol’ Man River. THE LYRICS are excellent; I stayed up late watching and rewatching it. I couldn’t get enough. Also, the music video isn’t bad. I wasn’t bothered by it. The whole event is impressive. And Joni, wasn’t she talking about ice skating or something? I’m not really sure what she was going on about. Either way, Paul has this one.

Snowy Conference – Round One

Johnny Cash – Big River    VS.    Bruce Springsteen – The River

Johnny Cash rd 1 victory with 60% of the votes

The Boss rd 1 victory with 60% of the votes

Bigwater’s Take: I was utterly floored to see that the Man in Black sent Leon home. That version of River is just incredible! Yeah, but not incredable enough to beat the legend. As for The Boss vs. Eminem, it was a little too close to comfort for me as the 40/60 split was one of the closest matchups we have had so far. I’m sure that ft. Ed Sheeran probably gave him an unfair advantage. As we advance, I think the Snowy Conference winner is going to be Springsteen. He has what it takes, and I believe his River is genuinely bigger than Cash’s

Karina the Goat: I think it’s going to be Johnny Cash. I don’t really have a reason. Some would call it a feeling, a premonition. I will say it was good to see Bruce wrap Eminem up. But Cash is going to send Bruce home.