Hey now rockers! It's Elton John and Bernie "Poppin" (whoops, I mean Taupin) week on The Search For the Next Great American Band. Elton is a bit more my speed than Dylan so this week excited me more than last. Whether you like Elton John's songs or not, you have to admit that the guy can write a heck of a pop tune. Obviously Bernie's no slouch either. The combo works so great together. As usual, before we get into the bands, let's talk atmosphere a minute. I love this elimination format. I wasn't quite sure how they were going to pull it off, but having all the bands sit back stage and one by one get plucked out to perform, worked really well. Well, except for the very end where the two eliminations seemed a bit awkward, but at least the bands that went home didn't have to perform again like the contestants do on Idol. I also wanted to bring up John Rzeznik for a bit. For some reason tonight he seemed to take his angry pills before showing up and I have to say, if this is what he's ...
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Wow, how much did this improve from last week? I have to admit that my hopes were not high after that mediocre debut, but now that the bands are inside and I saw the format, I was quite impressed. The set looks quite sharp, Dominic Bowden is actually a pretty decent host and Sheila E. looked mighty different than she did last week. But what impressed me the most was the format. The bands get to play one song with a theme and then one original. The original performances are what’s going to make or break this show. I’m curious to see what viewers will think of originals. It can be tough to listen to songs you don’t know. Personally, I like new music and I like hearing things I haven’t heard before. But I also know the feeling standing at a concert listening to music you aren’t familiar with. I can’t sing along and I really don’t know how to react. People can relate to covers. It’s harder to relate to the originals. The other thing with the origi...
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I have to tell you right up front that I’ve been totally stoked for this show for months now. If you know nothing about me or my blogs, I’ll simply tell you that I’m a music geek. At any given point you can hear Culture Club, Slayer, Tim McGraw and yes, Sheila E. and the Goo Goo Dolls on my iPod. My favorite artist is Prince and I think Nickelback is the anti-Christ. That should give you a good enough look into why this show is my cup of tea. So without Rock Star to fall back on, this is the next best thing. I mean, it’s tough for me to throw the metal horns high for Next Great American Band, but hey, it’s not always about rockin’ the joint. Sometimes it’s about throwing them into a bluegrass frenzy as well. Before we even talk about the music, my first question is this: Why do they get a foreign host to find the next American band? Nothing against this Dominic Bowden guy, but wouldn’t an American host have been nice? Then again, the McGrathbo...
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American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe will plug in the amps tonight for their new music-reality competition on Fox (8 pm/ET). Manifestly titled The Next Great American Band, the series features undiscovered groups of all genres performing tunes and vying for a record deal. Adjudicating the jams will be pop artist Sheila E., Australian Idol's Ian "Dicko" Dickson and Goo Goo Dolls frontman
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Fresh from Fox:"Singer/songwriter John Rzeznik (the Goo Goo Dolls), legendary percussionist and performer Sheila E. ('The Glamorous Life,' 'A Love Bizarre') and Australian TV personality Ian 'Dicko' Dickson (Australian Idol) will serve as judges while Dominic Bowden (New Zealand Idol) hosts The Next Great American Band, premiering Friday, Oct. 19 on Fox."From the auditions, the judges will narrow down the hopefuls to 10 semifinalist bands who will perform weekly in front of a live studio audience. The judges will have their say after each performance, but viewers will vote for their favorite bands to determine who stays in the competition. Voting begins immediately after each show, and the results will be announced at the beginning of the following episode."Each week, the bands will perform either original music or covers of varied styles. The season finale brings the ultimate battle of the bands, with the last three groups competing to secure a contract with 19 recordings and the t...
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