Rumble 2007: Nice guys finish last

Well, it's nice to see that even when blessed with an excess of talent, the Rumble still finds a way to suck yak balls. Some things never change. And yet . . . and yet it could've been so different. Looking at the semis lineup last week, it seemed so promising. Or maybe the judges just got wind that if Protokoll, Eli Reed, and Age Rings had made it to the finals, they were going to perform a single 90-minute collaborative set. Which would've been the coolest and most memorable Rumblefuck of all time. Alas. (Disclosure: Age Rings guitarist Will Spitz is a friend/contributor/etc.)

Here's three or four reasons why they picked the wrong bands.

WATCH: Protokoll, "DNR"

DOWNLOAD: Eli "Paperboy" Reed, "Am I Just Fooling Myself" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Eli "Paperboy" Reed, "Take My Love With You" (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Age Rings, Live at SXSW (mp3)